Not of works lest any man should boast

[Linoge1]

I am a former Baptist and on my way to converting to become a Catholic, I am reading the Catechism and am really enjoying it. I do have one question. The verse “We are saved by grace through faith,not of ourselves, not of works lest any man should boast” What is that verse translated. I believe I am saved through grave and by faith, I also believe that ones faith will be shown by the works that he does. I do not believe that one can truly possess salvation unless they have fruits to show for their faith, I question someones claim of salvation if they have nothing to show for it. Am I on the right track with my thoughts? Thanks

 

[crowcounty]

its not your place to discern who is saved and who is not. your job is good works

ephesians 2:10

 

[Linoge1]

Thank you for directing my eyes to Ephesians 2:10

 

[crowcounty]

Thank you for directing my eyes to Ephesians 2:10

thanx for reminding me where my eyes should have beeen

 

[NHInsider]

I am a former Baptist and on my way to converting to become a Catholic, I am reading the Catechism and am really enjoying it. I do have one question. The verse “We are saved by grace through faith,not of ourselves, not of works lest any man should boast” What is that verse translated. I believe I am saved through grave and by faith, I also believe that ones faith will be shown by the works that he does. I do not believe that one can truly possess salvation unless they have fruits to show for their faith, I question someones claim of salvation if they have nothing to show for it. Am I on the right track with my thoughts? Thanks

Salvation is not ours to possess, it is God’s to give - that’s grace.

 

[BerhaneSelassie]

Ephesians 2 like much of St Paul is writing on a persons initial justification, or how a person who lost justification gains it back. Notice this is the context by verse 1 and 5 (dead in transgressions). This is also St Paul’s context when writing in Romans 4.

You cannot do a good work of any sort to gain justification as it is a gift of God. God gives you the gift of grace and with that grace you able to attain the gift of faith. Faith is something we cannot come to by our own power, it is the result if not the response to the God given gift of Grace, this is initial justification.

Good works come into play with justification when a person has already received this initial justification. We cannot boast in some work we did of our own ability that happens apart from the Grace of God, essentially man cannot justify himself, as Christ puts it “without me you can do nothing” and “with man this (salvation) it is impossible”.

After a man has been given the grace of God and been justified they must continue to accept God’s grace and God His will, which are keeping the commandments, and for furthering justification there are good works. Faith is believing and the resolve of a person to do the Will of God.

It is a sin to attribute you salvation to yourself, since it is by God’s grace it is even possible. The grace, the faith, the good works, and the ability to keep the commandments are all gifts given to us by God. Good works might be said to be ours in so far as we cooperate with God to do them, this may explain why Nehemiah 13 might be seen as “boasting” however he was not attributing his salvation to himself, whereas St Paul is condemning the thought that we save ourselves in Ephesians 2

But when the Apostle says that man is justified by faith and freely,[44] these words are to be understood in that sense in which the uninterrupted unanimity of the Catholic Church has held and expressed them, namely, that we are therefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God[45] and to come to the fellowship of His sons; and we are therefore said to be justified gratuitously, because none of those things that precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification.–Trent, Chapter 8

 

[adowcday]

I highly recommend that you look at the Lutheran-Catholic Joint Statement on the Doctrine of Justification:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html

While there are areas of disagreement, the basic agreement on “salvation by grace through faith” is presented and explained, with citations to the passage that you quote from Ephesians as well as other relevant passages from scripture. An excerpt from the Joint Statement:

25.We confess together that sinners are justified by faith in the saving action of God in Christ. By the action of the Holy Spirit in baptism, they are granted the gift of salvation, which lays the basis for the whole Christian life. They place their trust in God’s gracious promise by justifying faith, which includes hope in God and love for him. Such a faith is active in love and thus the Christian cannot and should not remain without works. But whatever in the justified precedes or follows the free gift of faith is neither the basis of justification nor merits it.

26.According to Lutheran understanding, God justifies sinners in faith alone (sola fide). In faith they place their trust wholly in their Creator and Redeemer and thus live in communion with him. God himself effects faith as he brings forth such trust by his creative word. Because God’s act is a new creation, it affects all dimensions of the person and leads to a life in hope and love. In the doctrine of “justification by faith alone,” a distinction but not a separation is made between justification itself and the renewal of one’s way of life that necessarily follows from justification and without which faith does not exist. Thereby the basis is indicated from which the renewal of life proceeds, for it comes forth from the love of God imparted to the person in justification. Justification and renewal are joined in Christ, who is present in faith.

27.The Catholic understanding also sees faith as fundamental in justification. For without faith, no justification can take place. Persons are justified through baptism as hearers of the word and believers in it. The justification of sinners is forgiveness of sins and being made righteous by justifying grace, which makes us children of God. In justification the righteous receive from Christ faith, hope, and love and are thereby taken into communion with him. This new personal relation to God is grounded totally on God’s graciousness and remains constantly dependent on the salvific and creative working of this gracious God, who remains true to himself, so that one can rely upon him. Thus justifying grace never becomes a human possession to which one could appeal over against God. While Catholic teaching emphasizes the renewal of life by justifying grace, this renewal in faith, hope, and love is always dependent on God’s unfathomable grace and contributes nothing to justification about which one could boast before God (Rom 3:27).