Merit & Justification in Salvation (SPLIT)

[Lion_Heart]

Continuation

1. THE SPIRITUAL POSITION OF A BORN AGAIN [as he is himself (not as a member of the Body of Christ)] as Christ’s ambassador here on earth in the kingdom of Satan:-

This is a totally distinct and different spiritual position. To mix this two spiritual position together, opens up the door for the GREATEST HERESY in Christianity which is self salvation.

We have to know our spiritual position in the Body of Christ.
We also have to know our spiritual position in ourselves in the kingdom of Satan as Christ’s ambassadors.

In the body of Christ we are PERFECT and COMPLETE, it CAN NOT be improved. – It is the gift of God by Christ’s merit on the cross.

Here on the earth as Christ’s ambassadors, we are not exactly HOLY and JUST in ourselves. We work on to improve them by our cooperation with the grace of God. “Ongoing event.”

Our salvation PRECEDES our cooperation with the grace of God.
So, to work on to be more JUST and HOLY Phil.2:12-15; Eph.4:22-24; 1 Thess.4:1, 3; Hebr.2:11, is the FRUIT of our salvation NOT the cause of it.

The fruits of our salvation CAN NOT be contributed to our salvation. This is our SUPERNATURAL MERIT and the other is GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION. The two do NOT MIX!!!
This is our supernatural merit. God rewards it IN heaven.

In ourselves we become continually more HOLY and more JUST in cooperation with the grace of God.

To understand: This continues increase in HOLINESS and JUSTICE in ourselves CAN NOT be contributed to our HOLYNESS and JUSTICE
in the Body of Christ, because in the Body of Christ we are 100% HOLY and 100% JUST. This is both GOD’S GIFT and 100% Perfect.

We have them by Christ’s merit on the cross.
It cannot be over emphasize! We are cannot add anything to our salvation. – It is God’s free gift.

In the Body of Christ we are all EQUALLY 100% HOLY and 100% JUST.
These are both God’s gifts.

In ourselves we are NOT equally HOLY and JUST. The increase is the matter of our cooperation with the grace of God.
If we continually cooperate with the grace of God we continually improve both.

Us becoming more HOLY and more JUST have NOTHING to do with the cause of our salvation.
We are 100% saved and Born Again FROM THAT POINT ON when God Has performed His part of our Baptism.

These both increase are the FRUITS of our salvation and they are God’s gifts as well.
In Catholic theology, this is called SUPERNATURAL MERIT. For this supernatural merit God has promised reward IN Heaven.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO:

For our supernatural merit we will have reward IN heaven.

Everlasting life IN heaven is God’s gift by Christ’s merit on the cross.
We have absolutely NO condition to fulfill to get our salvation, or to keep our salvation.

Our salvation is GOD’S GIFT by CHRIST’S MERIT. We are CAN NOT add anything to it. – In fact this is THE KEY to do supernatural merit which God accepts.

If we work for the reason to keep our salvation, that work is entirely REJECTED by God. That work would be a kind of a self salvation, this work is rejected by God.

THERE IS NO CONDITION ON GOD’S GIFT OF EVERLASTING LIFE, CHRIST EARNED IT FOR THE ELECTS ON THE CROSS. Christ also died for the sins of the whole world.

Our reward IN heaven is by our cooperation with the grace of God to work on to be more HOLY (sanctification) and to be more JUST (justification), and to proclaim the Gospel and to do charity works.

TRENT CHAPTER X.

On the increase of Justification received.

“He that is just, let him be justified still; and again, Be not afraid to be justified even to death; and also, Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. And this increase of justification holy Church begs, when she prays, “Give unto us, O Lord, increase of faith, hope, and charity.”

This above with other works provides us SUPERNATURAL MERITS. Reward IN heaven, but NOT the reward OF heaven. – The latter is God’s gift by Christ’s merit.

Now we arrived to the CRUX of the matter. Probably James 2:24 is one of the most misunderstand Bible verses in the world with James 2:14.

Continued on the next post

 

[Lion_Heart]

Continuation

SUMMARY

1. THE SPIRITUAL POSITION OF A BORN AGAIN IN HEAVEN IN THE BODY OF CHRIST:-

At our conversion God takes us up to Heaven.

We are perfect and complete in the Body of Christ.

100% RE-CREATED (Born Again/New Creation).
100% JUSTIFIED.
100% SANCTIFIED.

CAN NOT be added anything to it. It is God’s IRREVOCABLE gift for the elects by Christ’s merit ON THE CROSS. – Rom.11:29.
We have God’s gift of everlasting life with formal assurances on it.

1. THE SPIRITUAL POSITION OF A BORN AGAIN [as he is himself (not as a member of the Body of Christ)] as Christ’s ambassador here on earth in the kingdom of Satan.

In ourselves we are neither fully HOLY (sanctified), neither fully JUST (justified), we are still working on it to improve both, by our cooperation with the grace of God.

About James 2:24;
Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
In ourselves we have increasing justification by our cooperation with the grace of God. – NOT CONDITION of our salvation, we are ALREADY HAVE our salvation as God’s free gift. Christ has earned it to us!!!

This is NOTHING to do with the cause of our salvation, but everything to do with our SUPERNATURAL MERIT.
For this supernatural merit God has promised reward IN heaven.

The KEY to understand:
In the body of Christ as God’s elects, we are perfect and complete in every way.
The merit of our works here on earth CAN NOT be added to Christ’s merit on the Cross. Christ has earned our salvation. We cannot add to it.

This supernatural merit is CONDITION to get reward IN heaven, but it is NOT A CONDITION to get to heaven.
We are already in Heaven by Christ’s merit. WITHOUT any of our supernatural merit.

This knowledge of the above FACT is THE KEY to get supernatural merit.

At the point of our conversion, “God raises us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph.2:6)

Quote: “AUGUSTINE’S CONTRIBUTION TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN THE BODY OF CHRIST.
We are inserted into the Body of Christ by our baptism and become members united to the Head, so that while our feet may be on earth we are already in heaven.” End quote.
The above quote taken from a public letter of Paul Maloney OSA Written September 19th 2012

CONDITIONS THAT OUR WORKS COUNT FOR ANYTHING:-

The Catholic Church and the Bible (John 5:24; John 15:5; Eph.2:8) clearly teaches that one MUST be in a STATE OF GRACE, MUST be a member of the BODY OF CHRIST, MUST be SAVED, MUST be JUSTIFIED before we do a SINGLE WORK that counts for anything.

Further conditions MUST BE PRESENT to make SUPERNATURAL merit possible:

“The meritorious work must be morally good, that is, in accordance with the moral law in its object, intent, and circumstances.

It MUST be done FREELY, WITHOUT any EXTERNAL COERCION or INTERNAL NECESSITY.

It MUST be SUPERNATURAL, that is, AROUSED and ACCOMPANIED by ACTUAL GRACE, and proceeding from a SUPERNATURAL motive.

Strictly speaking only a person in the STATE OF GRACE can merit, as defined by the Church.” (Denzinger 1576, 1582)

JUSTIFICATION IN CATHOLIC TEACHING by Jimmy Akin
Quote: “The essence of supernatural love is unselfishness—doing something NOT BECAUSE IT WILL HELP US SOMEHOW, but because we want to do it out of SHEER LOVE for the other person, whether that person is God or one of our fellow human beings out of the love of God.
This is THE ONLY KIND of love that ultimately pleases God and therefore the ONLY KIND that ultimately gets us a reward IN heaven.” End quote. Emphasis mine.

If we believe: Work is a condition of our salvation, then our works can NEVER BE UP TO THE ABOVE CONDITIONS because we do it for ourselves to purchase salvation not for love and not for the Glory of God, and ALL our work goes up in smoke at the judgment of OUR WORKS. – 1 Cor.3:10-15.

James 2:14 is speaking about justification BEFORE MAN NOT BEFORE GOD.
Peter Kreeft explains it. Please read YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE by Peter Kreeft.
Peter Kreeft is one of the most popular and widely-read Catholic authors today.

If anyone believes work is a condition of our salvation, then his works could NEVER be up to the conditions of SUPERNATURAL MERIT, or with other words, GOOD WORKS.

With love in Christ,
LH

 

[Cathoholic]

Lion Heart. I think you ought to begin a thread on the Catholic concept of Justification and another thread on the differing types of merit and another concerning the possible difference between God’s elect and people who are “born again”.

You made so many different points it is like an egg popping in the microwave. I don’t know where to begin to address them all. Most of what you said I agree with (and I think everybody on this thread does too–which makes me wonder why you posted all these points here).

You have a partial understanding of being “born again”.

This is the EXACT REASON that catechumens [CCC 1249] are members of the Body of Christ and if they die even as catechumens they go to Heaven, without water baptism or without any other sacraments.

The catechumens binding to the Church concerning your quote above is juridical Lion Heart (not Sacramental). It is efficacious if the catechumen passes away (dies) providing he is not rejecting this gift, but it is not sacramental. You are mixing up extraordinary means of salvation (juridical) with ordinary means of salvation (sacramental).

This further confuses things for non-Catholics that may be visiting this thread (they cannot be expected to understand nuances of ordinary means vrs. extraordinary means and your mixing them up adds to their confusion).

Being a catechumen is NOT what being born again is Lion Heart. Being born again is “being born of water and the Spirit”.

Do you affirm that Baptism is the instrumental cause of our salvation in the ordinary sense Lion Heart?

Your posts have a lot of truths and a lot of partial truths.

I would suggest reading the Baltimore Catechism Lion Heart.

See also this (What does the expression “ex opere operato” mean?).

You have mixed up several other teachings of the Church too and some of your points even seem to be contradicting yourself and other points are just plain superfluous. Nobody here is suggesting we earn our salvation.

There are other points but I won’t get into them on this thread.

 

[Lion_Heart]

Lion Heart. I think you ought to begin a thread on the Catholic concept of Justification and another thread on the differing types of merit and another concerning the possible difference between God’s elect and people who are “born again”.

You made so many different points it is like an egg popping in the microwave. I don’t know where to begin to address them all. Most of what you said I agree with (and I think everybody on this thread does too–which makes me wonder why you posted all these points here).

You have a partial understanding of being “born again”.

The catechumens binding to the Church concerning your quote above is juridical Lion Heart (not Sacramental). It is efficacious if the catechumen passes away (dies) providing he is not rejecting this gift, but it is not sacramental. You are mixing up extraordinary means of salvation (juridical) with ordinary means of salvation (sacramental).

This further confuses things for non-Catholics that may be visiting this thread (they cannot be expected to understand nuances of ordinary means vrs. extraordinary means and your mixing them up adds to their confusion).

Being a catechumen is NOT what being born again is Lion Heart. Being born again is “being born of water and the Spirit”.

Do you affirm that Baptism is the instrumental cause of our salvation in the ordinary sense Lion Heart?

Your posts have a lot of truths and a lot of partial truths.

I would suggest reading the Baltimore Catechism Lion Heart.

See also this (What does the expression “ex opere operato” mean?).

You have mixed up several other teachings of the Church too and some of your points even seem to be contradicting yourself and other points are just plain superfluous. Nobody here is suggesting we earn our salvation.
There are other points but I won’t get into them on this thread.

Greetings in Christ Cathoholic,

I do affirm that Baptism is the instrumental cause of our salvation in the ordinary sense. (The way I understand it: Baptism is the process the way God saves us.) – If I am incorrect, please correct me.

THE CAUSE OF OUR SALVATION IS:-
We have been saved by grace ALONE, SOLELY on account of the work of Christ.
Another term, which means the same thing (Catholics permitted to believe): We have been saved by (formed) faith alone.

Maybe I have a misunderstanding on the spiritual positions of the catechumens?

I thought the reference [CCC 1249] was that Born Again was a condition of being a catechumen?

I mean: They are being Born Again that is the cause that they are catechumens.

Thanking your answer in advance.

With love in Christ,
LH

 

[Lion_Heart]

Lion Heart. I think you ought to begin a thread on the Catholic concept of Justification and another thread on the differing types of merit and another concerning the possible difference between God’s elect and people who are “born again”.

You made so many different points it is like an egg popping in the microwave. I don’t know where to begin to address them all. Most of what you said I agree with (and I think everybody on this thread does too–which makes me wonder why you posted all these points here).

You have a partial understanding of being “born again”.

The catechumens binding to the Church concerning your quote above is juridical Lion Heart (not Sacramental). It is efficacious if the catechumen passes away (dies) providing he is not rejecting this gift, but it is not sacramental. You are mixing up extraordinary means of salvation (juridical) with ordinary means of salvation (sacramental).

This further confuses things for non-Catholics that may be visiting this thread (they cannot be expected to understand nuances of ordinary means vrs. extraordinary means and your mixing them up adds to their confusion).

Being a catechumen is NOT what being born again is Lion Heart. Being born again is “being born of water and the Spirit”.

Do you affirm that Baptism is the instrumental cause of our salvation in the ordinary sense Lion Heart?

Your posts have a lot of truths and a lot of partial truths.

I would suggest reading the Baltimore Catechism Lion Heart.

See also this (What does the expression “ex opere operato” mean?).

You have mixed up several other teachings of the Church too and some of your points even seem to be contradicting yourself and other points are just plain superfluous. Nobody here is suggesting we earn our salvation.
There are other points but I won’t get into them on this thread.

Greetings in Christ Cathoholic,

I do affirm that Baptism is the instrumental cause of our salvation in the ordinary sense. (The way I understand it: Baptism is the process the way God saves us.) – If I am incorrect, please correct me.

THE CAUSE OF OUR SALVATION IS:-
We have been saved by grace ALONE, SOLELY on account of the work of Christ.
Another term, which means the same thing (Catholics permitted to believe): We have been saved by (formed) faith alone.

Maybe I have a misunderstanding on the spiritual position of the catechumens?

I thought the reference [CCC 1249] was that Born Again was a condition of being a catechumen?

I mean: They are being Born Again that is the cause that they are catechumens.

Thanking your answer in advance.

With love in Christ,
LH