Did Jesus teach salvation by faith alone?

[JoeVig]

Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Faith Alone? | Catholic Answers Magazine

I don"t understand why we must split hairs like this. Justification, Justification alone, salvation thru faith salvation thru works works alone, faith alone: blah blah blah

As followers of Christ, wouldn’t you want to do good works, alms, charity, joy, love: please. Do yo want to be saved without works; do you want to meet Christ without works? How could you possibly be or expect to be Christ like without works.

I’m not educated in all this. I simply know what is taught at the common sense level. Yet, I hear this conversation over and over again. To me, the answer seems quite simple. Be Christ like!

 

[spiritualsoldier]

Jesus is our master, and we are his servants. Jesus said that no servant is greater than his master (John 15:20). Therefore, all servants of Jesus are obligated to obey Jesus’ commands, which include obeying the 10 commandments and not commiting bad works (also known as sin)

 

[JoeVig]

go on, as in please continue

 

[spiritualsoldier]

Will Protestants be surprised when Jesus judges them according to their deeds? Sacred Scripture

Sorry, I should have said “most” Protestants. And you know as well as I do that a central and ubiquitous belief of Protestants is the belief of “once saved always saved.” Many Protestants admit that it is preferable to obey Jesus commands, but at the same time think that obeying Jesus’ commands is not required for salvation. This view refutes Jesus’ preaching directly, and therefore is false doctrine and convenient heresy.

 

[fhansen]

Read Matt 25:31-46 to get an idea of how God will judge us. The catechism also quotes St John of the Cross, to express the same idea in different words:
"At the evening of life we shall be judged on our love."

 

[spina1953]

As Christians if Jesus is our example then its really simple. WE might not be able to do miracles and such but we can live in the manor Christ taught. All through the Gospels we see Jesus tell through parables about doing good works. Jesus Himself said if you don’t believe in Him at least believe in the good works He does. In Acts we see the Apostles doing good works and in the Epistles we also see good works. Paul in Colossians 1:9b-13 say:"… You will multiply good works of every sort and grow in the knowledge of God." Jesus also said to let one’s good works shine so others seeing it will give glory to God the Father.

I have yet to see anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus Himself ever says one is saved purely by faith alone. When one sees where Jesus says your faith has saved you its because they did something; more then just believe. When Paul speaks of faith its due to those who were saying that one had to be circumcised and follow the rituals and laws of Moses to which Paul said that would not save anyone and to have the faith in Christ Jesus instead and if one has that then they will do as jesus commanded and good works stem from having that faith in Christ.

The Catholic Church never says anyone is condemned to hell believing anyone at their last breath might ask forgiveness from Christ and be forgiven of whatever sins they may have had. This does not mean once saved always saved since one can certainly loss their salvation.

Jesus also spoke about the time of judgment where he separates the sheep from the goats. Those that did works of some kind feeding the poor etc. were accepted and those who did not were rejected. Jesus also talked about those who give lip service but do nothing. That sounds to me that its not enough to say one has faith if they do nothing with it. One is known for their works in faith since faith is an action word, faith can not stand alone but must be coupled with good works. Good works alone does not save neither does faith alone save its the combination of the two working together to which Christ alone decides if the individual is saved. Jesus said to store up treasures in heaven what are treasures but the works we do in Christ’s name. We do these works out of love fro God, allowing God to do His work through us since God is the origin of goodness. its how much love is done when do a good work not how many good works we did big or small the work was but the love we do the work with.

 

[Trishie]

Jesus is the Judge of souls
He doesn’t say, okay this soul goes to heaven because he or she has made the claim “I’m saved”, or just because a person believes in Him. He explains things as follows. As He is the Judge of souls, He’s the ultimate authority on who’s saved and how, and makes plain that He requires not simply faith, but action, loving acts of kindness, being kind to others in whatever way we can.

Matthew 25 verses 32-46

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations 15 will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous 16 will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’

And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’

Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Jesus doesn’t judge us as saved just because we claim salvation, or because we simply have faith.
He goes by good works,
which go in hand with faith

May God bless you, now and always.

 

[Vico]

Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Faith Alone? | Catholic Answers

I don"t understand why we must split hairs like this. Justification, Justification alone, salvation thru faith salvation thru works works alone, faith alone: blah blah blah

As followers of Christ, wouldn’t you want to do good works, alms, charity, joy, love: please. Do yo want to be saved without works; do you want to meet Christ without works? How could you possibly be or expect to be Christ like without works.

I’m not educated in all this. I simply know what is taught at the common sense level. Yet, I hear this conversation over and over again. To me, the answer seems quite simple. Be Christ like!

Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999)

15. In faith we together hold the conviction that justification is the work of the triune God. The Father sent his Son into the world to save sinners. The foundation and presupposition of justification is the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Christ. Justification thus means that Christ himself is our righteousness, in which we share through the Holy Spirit in accord with the will of the Father. Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.[11]

[11] “All Under One Christ,” para. 14, in Growth in Agreement, 241-247.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/p...cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html#_ftnref11

 

[De_Maria]

Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Faith Alone? | Catholic Answers

I don"t understand why we must split hairs like this. Justification, Justification alone, salvation thru faith salvation thru works works alone, faith alone: blah blah blah

First, I think we need to determine what you mean by “we”. The Catholic Church was Teaching Justification by faith and works from the time of Christ. Then the Protestants came along and changed the Teaching.

Sooo, who’s splitting hairs?

As followers of Christ, wouldn’t you want to do good works, alms, charity, joy, love: please. Do yo want to be saved without works; do you want to meet Christ without works? How could you possibly be or expect to be Christ like without works.

Precisely!

I’m not educated in all this. I simply know what is taught at the common sense level. Yet, I hear this conversation over and over again. To me, the answer seems quite simple. Be Christ like!

Amen!

 

[JoeVig]

One is known for their works in faith since faith is an action word, faith can not stand alone but must be coupled with good works.

Thats it in a nutshell

 

[nodelink]

Jesus didn’t teach it. Peter, James, John, Jude and the writer of Hebrews didn’t teach it. If you discern Paul properly, then the Apostle Paul didn’t teach it. Sterile, fruitless faith may reside in the head but it is absent from the heart…

 

[JamalChristophr]

Seems to me, it was an argument fashioned by the devil. Look at it’s fruit.

 

[rfournier103]

No He didn’t.

Matthew 16:27 ~ For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.

There are other verses I could cite, but it’s late and I thought I’d be brief.

 

[thephilosopher6]

Sola Fide developed out of 16th century legalism, as it views the sinner more in light of the defendant in court, and God as the judge deciding to show mercy or not, and if there be mercy, then that person is simply covered, not infused with any actual holiness.

 

[fhansen]

JoeVig:

Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Faith Alone? | Catholic Answers

I don"t understand why we must split hairs like this. Justification, Justification alone, salvation thru faith salvation thru works works alone, faith alone: blah blah blah

First, I think we need to determine what you mean by “we”. The Catholic Church was Teaching Justification by faith and works from the time of Christ. Then the Protestants came along and changed the Teaching.

Sooo, who’s splitting hairs?

As followers of Christ, wouldn’t you want to do good works, alms, charity, joy, love: please. Do yo want to be saved without works; do you want to meet Christ without works? How could you possibly be or expect to be Christ like without works.

Precisely!

I’m not educated in all this. I simply know what is taught at the common sense level. Yet, I hear this conversation over and over again. To me, the answer seems quite simple. Be Christ like! whatv

Amen!ttt

It could be said that they all taught that we’re justified by love alone. Love produces obedience of God and good works-by its nature, for the right reason. ‘Love fulfills the Law’. (Rom 13:8) Faith is the beginning, the root and foundation of justification for man as the Church teaches. But love is the essence of that justice, which is why the Greatest Commandments are what they are.

So Jesus gave us the Greatest Commandments plus the greatest act of love, that of willingly laying His life down for us. Paul told us in Rom 13 that love fulfills the Law and in 1 Cor 13 that he’s nothing without love, regardless of his faith, and then that love is more important than either faith or hope.