Does the Catholic Faith teach we saved ourselves?

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I am sure this is too simple.

I am sure this has been asked here many, many, many times.

Does the Church teach that we save ourselves?

If so, where?
Thank you a million times plus!
 
No, it doesn’t. That’s the heresy of Pelagianism. We are saved by God’s grace, which we must freely choose to embrace in order to be saved. It is our cooperation with God’s saving work that saves us. It is not only God that saves us, since we cannot be forced to accept him. It is not only our own merits that save us, since we cannot earn so great a gift. It is our acceptance of the gift of God.

-Fr ACEGC
 
The Church teaches that we cannot possibly save ourselves. We can only be saved by entering into union with God, ‘apart from whom we can do nothing’, to paraphrase John 15:5. We’re born separated from Him, not knowing Him, a state known as Original Sin, a disordered state for man. Adam accomplished this separation by his act of disobedience; he essentially dismissed God as God, becoming his own “god”. We’re here to finally learn that Adam was wrong, and how much we need God after all. Jesus came when the time was ripe to show us just who this God really is, to fully reveal and to reconcile us with Him.
 
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Some might assume wrongfully that bible phrases like Phillippians 2:12 " work out your own salvation with fear and trembling " mean that our works themselves are instrumental in salvation. They would be wrong.
 
Mike1w said:
Some might assume wrongfully that bible phrases like Phillippians 2:12 " work out your own salvation with fear and trembling " mean that our works themselves are instrumental in salvation. They would be wrong.
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Works such as those mentioned in Eph 2:10 or those done “for the least of these” in Matt 25-are gifts of grace, just as faith is, and as such we’re expected to respond and act on them, to “invest” our talents, these gifts given, in order to work out our salvation together with He who works in us. It’s a struggle, but a good one, within which we can grow nearer to or farther from God. We can always turn away from Him; we can always choose evil over good.
 
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IamBaptist said:
go to the catechism and read what it says
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Take your own advice. In fact, here, let me help you:
CCC:1996
Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor , the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life
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Justification, in this sense, referring to salvific grace.
 
IamBaptist said:
go to the catechism and read what it says. nothing about Jesus saving you. people on earth praying for you and paying indulgences. nowhere is it found in scripture. yes I believe in sola scriptura.
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From the catechism:
432 The name “Jesus” signifies that the very name of God is present in the person of his Son, made man for the universal and definitive redemption from sins. It is the divine name that alone brings salvation, and henceforth all can invoke his name, for Jesus united himself to all men through his Incarnation,23 so that "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."24

Not a word about paying for indulgences BTW-that was never a Catholic teaching, just an abuse.
 
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Thank you Fr ACEGC!

What do the people quote that says the Catholic Church teaches we save ourselves.

Again, thank you!
 
Fr ACEGC
I made some kind of mistake when repeating the question about the “quote”
I apologize!
 
jbaur said:
I am sure this is too simple.

I am sure this has been asked here many, many, many times.

Does the Church teach that we save ourselves?
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No.
If so, where?
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Are you asking, “where in Scripture is the Catholic Doctrine expressed?”

Basically, throughout. We can start with:

Exodus 15:26 He said: If you listen closely to the voice of the Lord, your God, and do what is right in his eyes: if you heed his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not afflict you with any of the diseases with which I afflicted the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.

Exodus 20:6 but showing love down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Tobit 4:19At all times bless the Lord, your God, and ask him that all your paths may be straight and all your endeavors and plans may prosper. For no other nation possesses good counsel, but it is the Lord who gives all good things. Whomever the Lord chooses to raise is raised; and whomever the Lord chooses to cast down is cast down to the recesses of Hades. So now, son, keep in mind these my commandments, and never let them be erased from your heart.

John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

1 John 3:24 Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit that he gave us.
Thank you a million times plus!
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I hope that helps.
 
@jbaur :heart:Thank you for seeking answers on CAF. Somebody has been making disparaging remarks about the Catholic Church to shake your faith so that another Catholic hits the dust. Make no mistake: this is only the first of a barrage of anti-Catholic accusations that will follow, as sure as nightfall follows day.

If it’s an individual you know, avoid them, if possible, at least until down the road when you’re strong in your faith and know the ins and outs of what your church actually teaches. They will only go on to other false accusations in their attempt to win you away from your Catholic Church.

If this is someone you can’t avoid, keep calm with a confident expression and voice while trying to defuse the situation. Since they usually cherrypick Scripture verses to shake you, just remember that an out-of-context verse can be selected to support almost any cockamamie idea you can think of.

I lived in an area with some extremely rabid anti-Catholics. Saying things such as, “I don’t know where you got that idea, but you’re free to think anything you wish,” with a smile, not a smirk, nor a cocky attitude, worked best for me. Then I’d continue on with whatever I’d been doing.

If you’re second-guessing yourself because of what you’re reading or watching on YouTube, then remove yourself from those situations. Know the church teachings well enough to confidently explain to others before you think about reading or watching anything with a Catholic-bashing twist.

The more you know about your Catholic faith, the more touched you will be about Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and our sacrifice of the Mass, and the more your faith will permeate each day and bring you joy. Best wishes to you in the years ahead. I’ve said prayers for you.
 
Mink:

Thank you for your wisdom and help!

De_Maria:

Thank you, too, for your wisdom and help!

I have close relations that have fallen away from the Catholic faith.

After years of conversations, they believe that i am a Christian, but that took hours and hours of talking.

They have been taught that Catholics believe we saved ourselves.

I knew they were incorrect.

That they finally know that I am a Christian, I am not going to worry about their academic mistakes.

I have read too many books of theology. I have read the Bible too many times to count.

I have studied theology, philosophy, Church history and secular history for over forty years.

I teach high school theology, and have for close to forty plus years.

So I am truly grateful for you kind help and wisdom–Minks and De_Maire!
 
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