Must I DO anything to be saved?

[snarflemike]

If so, what must I DO? And how is DOING something not a work?

 

[hockeyfan]

If so, what must I DO? And how is DOING something not a work?

Attempt to live the most Christlike life that you can. When you fail, which you will at times, own up to is and confess your sins. Receive the grace of sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

And yes, it is to an extent works. That is okay.

[BIBLEDRB]James 2:17[/BIBLEDRB]

You can’t just work yourself into Heaven, just the same as you can’t just believe your way in either. If you only do works, it is just hollow. If you just believe, you are just a hypocrite. It takes both believing and a true attempt to like like Christ.

 

[Rich_C]

This.

 

[Fone_Bone_2001]

If so, what must I DO? And how is DOING something not a work?

I guess you’re right. Even turning your life over to Christ in an act of faith is a work:

"Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’." - John 6:28-29

Repent for your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be baptized for the remission of sins, and you will be saved.

To obtain eternal salvation, however, we must persevere in grace. That doesn’t mean we earn our salvation; it does, however, mean that if we do not persevere in selfless love for God and others, we cannot have a share in eternal life (see Matthew 25: 31-46).

 

[snarflemike]

So are our Protestant brethren agreed that we must indeed DO something to be saved?

This is a very different question, of course, from asking if we can INITIATE our salvation, to which the answer is clearly NO.

 

[DavidFilmer]

If so, what must I DO? And how is DOING something not a work?

It’s very simple: You must be Baptized with water, using the Trinitarian form.

That’s it. And, yes, that is a work (although it might be a work of your parents).

Now there are LOTS of things that you should NOT do. We call those things “mortal sins.”

**If you are Baptized, you are saved **(provided you don’t go doing REALLY BAD works).

It may be possible to attain salvation without Baptism, but the Church doesn’t know God’s criteria for such a contingency (or if anyone has ever done it).

 

[EricFilmer]

So are our Protestant brethren agreed that we must indeed DO something to be saved?

Unless someone has adopted a mindset that envisions God saving everyone regardless of what we do or what we want (and let me add that such a mindset is clearly contrary to Scripture) then, yes, all Christians believe that we must do something in order to be saved. The idea is that salvation is a gift offered to us by God, and God gives us the freedom to accept or reject that gift.

Of course, many Christians disagree on exactly how we go about accepting the gift, but whatever method is proposed can be argued to be a work. Many Christians would object to using that term, but it is impossible to get around it (at least not in the way that I am using the term). For example, if a certain denomination proposes that all is needed for salvation is to recite the Sinner’s Prayer, then reciting the Sinner’s Prayer is the “work” that needs to be done. If another group says that all that is needed for salvation is to accept Christ as ones savior and have faith in him, then accepting Christ and having faith are the “works” which are needed.

This is a very different question, of course, from asking if we can INITIATE our salvation, to which the answer is clearly NO.

Correct. As you pointed out, it is important to understand exactly what is meant by the term “work.” In my above comments, I simply considered a “work” to be an action which is performed to indicate acceptance of Christ’s gift of salvation. This is different from the concept of a “work” being a deed through which we merit our own salvation. From a proper Christian perspective, it is impossible for us to earn salvation on our own. Christ is the only one who can earn it, and he does so on our behalf.

 

[EricFilmer]

I suppose that some who believe in predestination may state that one does not need to do anything in order to be saved. I don’t know a whole lot about that area of theology, so maybe those who are more versed in Calvinism may want to weigh in.

 

[GodHeals]

Hi,

I heard or read somewhere that FAITH is NOT a WORK, according to Catholic teaching, but I forget. I was just thinking about this again recently. Faith w/o works is dead, no doubt, but i think two different things. For without faith it is impossible to please God. We need both faith and works.

I am still learning, Armenians would say to enter heaven it takes faith, and then works surely follow. They look at Catholics as Catholics saying it takes faith and works to enter heaven, and thus disagree with Catholics. This is what my old Armenian mentor taught me.

Why not faith and work, verses faith then works? I know Catholics teach the former, i think, doctrinally? Please let me know if anyone has any insights!

Thanks!
Brian

 

[snarflemike]

Hi,

I heard or read somewhere that FAITH is NOT a WORK, according to Catholic teaching, but I forget. I was just thinking about this again recently. Faith w/o works is dead, no doubt, but i think two different things. For without faith it is impossible to please God. We need both faith and works.

I am still learning, Armenians would say to enter heaven it takes faith, and then works surely follow.

Well if works were “automatic” so to speak, why does the bible speak of faith without works? Apparently works don’t surely follow after all, or there would be no need for a warning about what happens to our faith when they don’t follow.

 

[PeterGStanley]

Number one and most important - Repent.

 

[JimG]

You have to do something.

Repent of your sins.
Be baptized.
Accept Jesus.
Remain in his Grace.

Even if someone believes that the only thing required is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that’s still doing something. It’s doing something different that just staying home on the couch and not accepting Jesus. Do you have to respond to an altar call? If so, that’s doing something. Do you have to read the bible? That’s doing something. Do you have to say the sinner’s prayer? That’s doing something. Even an act of the will is doing something.

If you don’t have to do anything to be saved, then everyone is saved.

 

[snarflemike]

So is there anybody reading this that believes there is nothing we can DO, have to DO, to be saved? Because I have certainly heard Protestants make that claim.

 

[PeterGStanley]

So is there anybody reading this that believes there is nothing we can DO, have to DO, to be saved? Because I have certainly heard Protestants make that claim.

Yes - lots of people look for the free ride - unfortunately there’s no free ride - as we read Paul’s letter to Timothy today as hes about to be beheaded.

 

[1Rich23]

Jesus said in John 6:45, "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.’ We must accept God’s teaching that we are a sinner, that Jesus is the only way or answer for our sin, and that we must humble our hearts, ask forgiveness and invite Jesus, the Spirit of Christ, to come into our heart. We are saved when His Spirit enters our heart, Romans 8:9 states, “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” We are all His creation, but we become His children when the Spirit of Christ enters our hearts. Galatians 4:6-7, “And because ye are sone, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son (Christ) into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.(7) Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” We are adopted into His family as a son when the Spirit of Christ enters our hearts, and then I believe we should get baptised as soon as possible. We must accept God’s teaching, repent of our sins, ask forgiveness and invite Christ into our hearts - it must be an honest whole hearted prayer for **Jer 29:13 and Deut 4:29 **state that “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

 

[JimG]

So is there anybody reading this that believes there is nothing we can DO, have to DO, to be saved? Because I have certainly heard Protestants make that claim.

Yes, they may make that claim, but I am sure that in some respect they do think that you must DO something. Otherwise they would not even proselytize. In proselytizing, the want you to DO something!

 

[kkollwitz]

People are composed of a body & soul; both parts, i.e., the whole person, must cooperate with the saving grace of Christ’s atoning work. The soul by faith, the body by works. Spiritual stuff is not works.

But what sort of works? Jesus explains:

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

And if you don’t do any works? Jesus explains that too:

Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

Jesus doesn’t just want the cooperation of your soul by faith; he doesn’t just want the cooperation of your body by works. Jesus wants the cooperation of the entire person.

 

[DavidFilmer]

So is there anybody reading this that believes there is nothing we can DO, have to DO, to be saved? Because I have certainly heard Protestants make that claim.

Well, as I said, the ordinary means of attaining salvation is Christian Baptism. This act places us in a state of Grace, and God has not revealed how we may attain a state of Grace apart from Christian Baptism. Baptism is a work - though it may have been the work of our parents.

Salvation is all about being in a state of Grace when we die. Church doctrine is quite simple: if we die in a state of Grace, we go to heaven. Otherwise, to hell.

Baptism places us in a state of Grace. God has not revealed any other means to do that.