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MrPizzaDude
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protestants believe faith alone and repentance what is the catholic church stancE?
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AlexanderC
Guest
This is what Catholic Answers says, hope this helps:
"the Church understands that we are all sinners in need of a savior (Rom 5:12-21). We are inheritors of original sin and all its consequences, and by actual sin we distance ourselves from God. We can’t save ourselves, but we don’t need to: Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation comes through Jesus alone (Acts 4:12), since he is the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tm 2:5-6).
The saving grace won by Jesus is offered as a free gift to us, accessible through repentance, faith, and baptism. We turn away from our sins, we are sorry for them, and we believe in Jesus Christ and the gospel. Repentance shows our willingness to turn from things that keep us from God, and baptism renews us, filling us with the grace necessary to have faith and to live it. This belief is more than just “head knowledge.” Even the demons have that (Jas 2:19). It’s more than just believing you’re saved. Even the Pharisees had that (Jn 5:39). True, saving faith is one lived and exhibited daily: It is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6, cf. Jas 2:1-26).
Sometimes the Church is accused of teaching “salvation by works,” but this is an empty accusation. This idea has been consistently condemned by the Church. Good works are required by God because he requires obedience to his commands (Mt 6:1-21, 1 Cor 3:8, 13-15) and promises to reward us with eternal life if we obey (Mt 25:34-40, Rom 2:6-7, Gal 6:6-10, Jas 1:12). But even our obedience is impossible without God’s grace; even our good works are God’s gift (Rom 5:5, Phil 2:13). This is the real biblical plan of salvation."
"the Church understands that we are all sinners in need of a savior (Rom 5:12-21). We are inheritors of original sin and all its consequences, and by actual sin we distance ourselves from God. We can’t save ourselves, but we don’t need to: Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation comes through Jesus alone (Acts 4:12), since he is the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tm 2:5-6).
The saving grace won by Jesus is offered as a free gift to us, accessible through repentance, faith, and baptism. We turn away from our sins, we are sorry for them, and we believe in Jesus Christ and the gospel. Repentance shows our willingness to turn from things that keep us from God, and baptism renews us, filling us with the grace necessary to have faith and to live it. This belief is more than just “head knowledge.” Even the demons have that (Jas 2:19). It’s more than just believing you’re saved. Even the Pharisees had that (Jn 5:39). True, saving faith is one lived and exhibited daily: It is “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6, cf. Jas 2:1-26).
Sometimes the Church is accused of teaching “salvation by works,” but this is an empty accusation. This idea has been consistently condemned by the Church. Good works are required by God because he requires obedience to his commands (Mt 6:1-21, 1 Cor 3:8, 13-15) and promises to reward us with eternal life if we obey (Mt 25:34-40, Rom 2:6-7, Gal 6:6-10, Jas 1:12). But even our obedience is impossible without God’s grace; even our good works are God’s gift (Rom 5:5, Phil 2:13). This is the real biblical plan of salvation."
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Todd977
Guest
Repentance, faith, and baptism place an individual in a state of salvation or of grace. If the individual then perseveres to the end in that state of salvation by avoiding mortal sin, he will enter eternal life after death
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MrPizzaDude
Guest
now what about predestination? Being a calvinist i believe that God has predestined some to eternal glory and some to eternal damnation. Now what is the catholic stance of predestination?
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mrsjennymulhall
Guest
Pizza Dude,
I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m trolling you (I would never do such a thing) but didn’t Martin Luther add the word ‘alone’ to Romans 3:28?
You have many good and honest questions about Catholicism. Not that I would discourage anyone from asking anything but many have been answered before and in full. If you would like to search some of your questions and read through the Catholic context, perhaps, with a better background understanding, you might ask more finely tuned questions, and share how the Catholic context compares or contrasts with your own?
We are all friends here; honestly and humbly seeking a greater understanding of God. Some have different faiths, some have none at all! Have a little bit of a read and see what you think.
Jenny x
I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m trolling you (I would never do such a thing) but didn’t Martin Luther add the word ‘alone’ to Romans 3:28?
You have many good and honest questions about Catholicism. Not that I would discourage anyone from asking anything but many have been answered before and in full. If you would like to search some of your questions and read through the Catholic context, perhaps, with a better background understanding, you might ask more finely tuned questions, and share how the Catholic context compares or contrasts with your own?
We are all friends here; honestly and humbly seeking a greater understanding of God. Some have different faiths, some have none at all! Have a little bit of a read and see what you think.
Jenny x
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MrPizzaDude
Guest
i believe he did but to his germen bible. A literal translation from the esv text isPizza Dude,
I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m trolling you (I would never do such a thing) but didn’t Martin Luther add the word ‘alone’ to Romans 3:28?
You have many good and honest questions about Catholicism. Not that I would discourage anyone from asking anything but many have been answered before and in full. If you would like to search some of your questions and read through the Catholic context, perhaps, with a better background understanding, you might ask more finely tuned questions, and share how the Catholic context compares or contrasts with your own?
We are all friends here; honestly and humbly seeking a greater understanding of God. Some have different faiths, some have none at all! Have a little bit of a read and see what you think.
Jenny x
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Romans 3:28
but honestly i still dont understand the difference bewteen works and faith
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mrsjennymulhall
Guest
Pizza Dude,
Here you go; I typed in ‘predestination’.
forums.catholic-questions.org/search.php?searchid=18613671
Jenny x
Here you go; I typed in ‘predestination’.
forums.catholic-questions.org/search.php?searchid=18613671
Jenny x
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pablope
Guest
The journals are gone…
But this is should be a starter for you…chnetwork.org/2013/10/from-sola-fide-to-plena-fides-justification-and-the-catholic-faith/
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Gorgias
Guest
Hold on a second, though! Paul didn’t say “works” here, he said “works of the law” – that’s a big difference!
He’s talking about the works of the Mosaic law – circumcision, especially. He’s asserting that it’s faith in Christ, not faith in the Mosaic covenant that is salvific. Are we, as baptized Christians, called to do good works of supernatural virtue? Absolutely! Are we able to do these virtuous works only because of the sanctifying grace we receive through justification and baptism? Yes! Do these works create a situation by which we ‘merit’ our salvation – that God somehow ‘owes’ us salvation because of our good works? No way!
Hope that helps…
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Pat_Payne
Guest
The important thing there is of the law. What Paul is saying is that, like the Pharisees, just because someone upholds all of the 600-some-odd mitzvot in the Old Testament doesn’t mean they are saved, especially if they’re doing it for show or gaming the system (like the man who declared his wealth qurban so that he wouldn’t have to spend any of it supporting his elderly parents). God isn’t interested in whether or not you mix polyester and cotton or eat shellfish or ham. Those laws were meant as a fast and discipline for the Jewish people to prepare them to follow the greater commandments.
There’s not so much a difference as much as they work hand in glove. James (IIRC) wrote in his letter: “You show me faith without works, which is dead. I will show you faith by my works.” In much the same way that Christ said that even if you say “Lord, Lord” and yet not even give a cup of water to the thirsty in his name, he will deny you on the last day.
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Della
Guest
Faith and works of Christian charity (not to be confused with the works of the Law) are laid out quite nicely by St. James in his Epistle.
Faith and works of the kind St. James talks about are two sides of the same coin, which is God’s grace. And God’s grace is freely given. Therefore, our faith is an act of God’s grace and so are our good works. How anyone can divide them and say that one is necessary while the other is not is beyond me. For how can faith be faith if has no good works to show for it?
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Church_Militant
Guest
I have an answer for this on my blog. How Is A Catholic Saved?
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Jon_S_1
Guest
I was former once saved always saved evangelical. I know where your at. It was so confusing.
Saved by faith alone really meant intellectual belief. But Jesus tells us even the demons believe and shutter. So it must be more than that.
Sanctification was a process of becoming Christlike but it seemed optional so why bother?
The Catholics have it right.
We are saved by faith. Faith though is an action. Faith is a belief, a life change, a choice. Faith drives our lives.
This is the faith that saves us. This is how works are incorporated.
As St James says;
Also St Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13 that the greatest of these is … Faith…WRONG! He says “the greatest of these is LOVE”. There is no faith without love and love is an action.
He also says in Galatians 5:6;
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. (Galatians 5:6 NASB)
Faith working through love…EXACTLY what the Catholic Church teaches !
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anonymous_in_fl
Guest
To The Original Poster (MrPizzaDude):
There is a great “search” feature at the top of the webpage (gold “search” button) where you can type in your keywords for a search.
I just mention this because 1) you are new, and 2) I see you are asking a lot of the “basics” about the Catholic faith on your other posts/threads.
Most of the questions you are asking have been asked and answered hundreds of times here and can be found by doing a “search” for them.
It may help you to read some of those previous postings to solidify your understanding.
Welcome!
There is a great “search” feature at the top of the webpage (gold “search” button) where you can type in your keywords for a search.
I just mention this because 1) you are new, and 2) I see you are asking a lot of the “basics” about the Catholic faith on your other posts/threads.
Most of the questions you are asking have been asked and answered hundreds of times here and can be found by doing a “search” for them.
It may help you to read some of those previous postings to solidify your understanding.
Welcome!
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Todd977
Guest
I think there are a couple of acceptable Catholic understandings of the subject of predestination.
Here’s my understanding. Since God “desires all people to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:3-4), God gives everyone sufficient grace to be saved and gives them free will to cooperate or not cooperate with His grace. Because our free will is involved, no one is predestined absolutely to heaven or to hell. The person who ends up in hell has only himself to blame for not cooperating with God’s grace. In practical terms, however, God may give such a superabundance of grace to some people that it would be next to impossible for them not to end up in heaven but we should not simply assume that we are among this rare group.
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LegoGE1947
Guest
I was a Protestant Evangelical for over 30 years before coming home to the Catholic faith. I never could understand how to be saved through faith alone. This “know so” salvation somehow never took hold for me. I was told by some pastors that I must have a “demon” in me or some fool thing. Then I came over to Catholicism and now I got it straight. Even Paul never said he had “know so” salvation! I have been taught one can have moral assurance but not absolute assurance of salvation. It ain’t absolute until heaven’s door swings shut on one’s rear end
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Darryl_B
Guest
Being a calvinist you dont just accept 5 unrelated points. The calvinist predestination theory is purely a consequence of one other point. That point is total depravity. Since it is said that man is incapable of making a step towards God, therefore the logical conclusion to this is that God must have predestined some to eternal glory and some to eternal damnation. You have no other choice but to believe this since the calvinist believes in mans total depravity.
If you examine this first point, and find it suspect, all other points will fall over. If you can find evidence that man is able to seek God under their own choice, and that God then responds to that seeking, you will have an answer to the question of predestination, and salvation.
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Baby_Bach
Guest
If you have faith and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, are you saved?.. irregardless of what sin you might commit tomorrow? We are saved by faith, but real faith is going to produce good works, you have to take the context of Romans into consideration, and realize you have to also see where there might be other passages about Faith and Works.
James 2:14-17 "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."
And for predestination, we have to take into account that God gave us free will. If we were predestined to be sent to heaven/hell, why then does it matter what we do on earth?
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DavidFilmer
Guest
By Christian Baptism. PERIOD.
(and, hey, waddaya know - it’s not actually limited to the Catholic Church!)
The Doctrine of the Church:
THAT is what “salvation” means. There is no mention of works (apart from Baptism itself).
Now we enter into the “once saved, always saved” debate. Christian Baptism saves us, but can we forfeit our salvation? And, if we do, can we ever recover it? The Church answers “yes” to both questions, and offers Reconciliation (Confession) to sinners.
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