Hi Eliza!
I remember medical school! Actually, my husband’s time there. . .keep your running up–it’s a great escape!
I have found that our Catholic understanding of salvation and Scripture is very comprehensive.
Here are some good starting Scriptures:
Acts 16:30-31. “. . .‘Men what must I do to be saved?’ Their answer was, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and all your household.” Here, Paul and Silas tell the jailer that he must believe in the Lord Jesus to be saved. . .then, two verses later, the jailer’s household was baptized.
Acts 2:37-38. “They asked Peter and the other apostles, ‘What are we to do, brothers?’ Peter answered: 'You must reform and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that your sins may be forgiven; then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Here, Peter teaches that it is not only “belief” that is necessary, but also repentance and baptism.
Matthew 10:22. “You will be hated by all on account of me. But whoever holds out till the end will escape death.” Here, in addition to belief, repentance, and baptism, Jesus teaches that persevering to the end is necessary for salvation.
Mark 8: 34-35. “He summoned the crowd with his disciples adn said to them: ‘If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and follow in my steps. Whoever would preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will preserve it.’” Here, Jesus teaches that accepting his cross (suffering and self denial) is necessary for salvation.
Matthew 7:21. “None of those who cry out ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Here, Jesus is very clear–belief, baptism, repentance, perseverence, and carrying the cross are all necessary, but also one must do the will of the Father.
John 6:54. “He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Here (and all of John 6 is pertinent), Jesus teaches that recieveing and eating his flesh in the Eucharist is necessary for salvation.
Matthew 25:31-46. Without quoting it all here, Jesus is very clear in this passsage that only those who perform charitable and merciful works are accepted into the kingdom. Those who neglect such works Jesus tells: “I assure you, as often as you neglected to do it to one of these least ones, you neglected to do it to me.’ These will go off to eternal punishment and the just to eternal life.”
SOOOOO. . .Saying that you have to love Jesus for salvation is absolutely correct. However, it is not the full context of Scripture. There are MANY more citations to this effect. Just in these few verses, however, we have noted that love is indeed necessary, but hardly everything. Faith in Christ is fundamental, but true faith requires action. This is the full sense of the Catholic teaching and the full message of the gospel.
Does that help you?
In a medical school context. . .One might say passing Anatomy is necessary for becoming an MD. This is true. Anatomy is fundamental and absolutely necessary, however it is not everything. You must also take Step 1 (and Step 2, I think–am I remembering correctly?) and pass it. . .along with passing all your clinicals. . .along with a multitude of other requirements. This is kind of simplistic, I know. But I think with respect to the whole of Christian theology and Scripture, it also very simplistic to say “all you have to do is love Jesus.” Loving him requires obedience and faith! A fuller perspective of Scriptures gives a very good testament for all the “requirements” of being a Christian–baptism, repentance, Eucharist, charity, mercy, and perseverence are hardly considered “extras.”
Keep running!
CM
Sometimes our Protestant brothers and sisters ignore the Trinity.