Salvation by love

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Luke 10: 25-37
Saved by Loving Our Neighbors and Enemies
A Samaritan Received Eternal Life

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? *** He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on him], and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.***
 
Indeed… In the modern world, unfortunately the word “faith” is seen as exclusive of love, or works of charity, or sacraments, etc… In practice, it has merely become an intellectual assent that Jesus Christ is God who died for our sins. Nothing beyond that assent is of any consequence toward salvation, including loving one’s neighbor.
 
MarcoPolo: “Nothing beyond that assent is of any consequence toward salvation, including loving one’s neighbor.”

Is this your position?

I am not going to start a fight or any further questions, just curious.

Complete (perfect) Christians are those who love their enemies and neighbors.

However, the Samaritan, too, inherited eternal life!
 
Jim_Baur said:
MarcoPolo: “Nothing beyond that assent is of any consequence toward salvation, including loving one’s neighbor.”

Is this your position?
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No, that often tends to be the position of Fundamentalists and the like, if I was not clear.
:o
 
Thanks!

I thought that was what you meant, but I am not the brightest bulb in the pack.

Again, Thanks!

As a side note, if I have understood the central meaning of the teaching of Jesus, the Samaritan inherited eternal life by responding to and with love. The Samaritan was not a Jew and was not a Christian, it was love that saved him. Our course, it is God’s love–mystery of all mysteries.

I learned this from Fr. Spicq, O. P. His book Agape, 1963.
 
You could say that. As long as we understand that salvation is by Christ alone. Grace is made possible by His Passion. Everyone has received a measure of grace. The Samaritan responded lovingly with the grace within him. Therefore he is still properly saved by Christ, without Whom, there is no outpouring of grace on us, so that we might respond with love! You could say the Samaritan was saved by love. Or you could say he saved by Christ. No dichotomy there. :o
 
Yes, we are saved by love. No man in the world can be saved without a bit of love in his heart.
 
Jim_Baur said:
Luke 10: 25-37
Saved by Loving Our Neighbors and Enemies
A Samaritan Received Eternal Life

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? *** He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on him], and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.***
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Love must come from a Spirit indwelt person who seek none other than to glorify God in his or her works. There is no love in God’s book that merely seeks the physical good of others (through giving to the poor, helping the sick, etc.) without caring for that persons’ soul and giving them the gospel - that Christ is the only way of salvation and that they must bow to Him as Lord and Savior and serve God in faith and love. Love outside of the sphere os salvation - without being a born again believer is of no avail.
 
Cling2Cross said:
Love outside of the sphere os salvation
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According to the text cited in the OP, love is the direct answer given to the Samaritan asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. As I said earlier, there is no dichotomy between Christ and love. It is illogical to say salvation is by Christ and NOT love. As Scripture says:1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
 
MarcoPolo said:
According to the text cited in the OP, love is the direct answer given to the Samaritan asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. As I said earlier, there is no dichotomy between Christ and love. It is illogical to say salvation is by Christ and NOT love. As Scripture says:1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
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So an unbeliever in China somewhere (say, a Buddhist) can love people and get to heaven because of it…without repenting and believing on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross - being born again.

We must be very careful not to take God’s word out of context.
 
Cling2Cross said:
So an unbeliever in China somewhere (say, a Buddhist) can love people and get to heaven because of it…without repenting and believing on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross - being born again.
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Two things. First, we Catholics also believe there is no salvation outside of Christ. Second, we believe it is possible for someone who has not formally heard the Gospel to in fact follow Christ by extenuating means. This is done by following the grace given him as best as he can according to what is written on his heart. By this grace such a person could turn away from sin and follow the goodness that is Christ, though formally, he knows not Whom he follows. Where did that grace come from? Christ, through His work on the Cross. So therefore it is possible in this way for a Buddhist, for example, to attain salvation by Christ. God is not limited to saving only those who can formally articulate the name of Christ in his native tongue. The person I have described articulates Christ in a language far superior than the one who goes on sinning and says “Lord, Lord” with his lips.
 
Cling2Cross said:
So an unbeliever in China somewhere (say, a Buddhist) can love people and get to heaven because of it…without repenting and believing on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross - being born again.

We must be very careful not to take God’s word out of context.
Click to expand...
Absolutely. Yes. Absolutely. The Buddhist who responds in love has responded to Christ, and is saved by Christ. The catechism speaks of the concept of invincible ignorance when describing the eternity of non-Christians, and like unbaptized babies, places those whose hearts are open to the grace and love of Jesus Christ in the hands of God’s mercy.

Here is one great irony in the division between Protestant and Catholic beliefs. Protestants believe that the Catholic sacraments are “empty works and religiosity”, and accuse Catholics of having a works-based theology. However, in the instance above, the Protestant insists that a Buddhist must understand a formulaic salvation prayer and must have intellectually assented through belief to Christian doctrine or he is damned.

Who is preaching a man-made doctrine? Hmm… Go back and read the Scripture again. The good Samaritan inherited eternal life without the benefit of the Protestant formula prayers.
 
God pours His love on all human beings hearts.

It is God’s love poured into our hearts that saves us.

It is the mystery of mysteries.

Again, it is God’s love that saves.

I think the saying that comes to mind, there is salvation outside the organized Church, but not outside Christ, who is the Church, too. We, the members, are only branches.
 
Yes, it is God’s love that saves us.

However, I do not understand it.

Furthermore, I do not understand the reality of Hell, but I believe in its existence.
 
Jim_Baur said:
Luke 10: 25-37
Saved by Loving Our Neighbors and Enemies
A Samaritan Received Eternal Life

And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? *** He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain [man] went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded [him], and departed, leaving [him] half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked [on him], and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion [on him], And went to [him], and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave [them] to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.***
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This is a nice Post, though It may (or could) be taken as just as EXclusive of the other essentials for savlvation as those who espouse “Faith Alone”.
In point of fact, the reading of the NT shows that there are a number of interrelated things essential to our salvation. Love certainly not the least among them.
One only need took at the passages about Love to note this.
The Two Greatest Commandments are based on Love
Jesus command to the Apostles is that They Love One Another as He had Loved them.
What did the Pagans say about the Christians, “See How they Love One Another”.
St Paul declares Love to be greater than Faith or Hope.

Belief, Grace, Faith, Love and Works are interwoven pieces. They cannot be separated. They can only be placed in “order”.
  1. We begin with Grace. Grace is the supernatural foundation. The “seed” that God plants in every soul that enables it to find it’s way back to God.
  2. Then comes Belief. We must believe in something before anything else. If we do not believe in God, then the seed of Grace will not grow.
  3. After Belief comes Faith. The difference between belief and faith, is simply this: I may believe in the existance of banks, but do I have faith in them. Faith gets into trusting and believing in the promises of God and believing in Jesus Christ and salvation through doing the will of the Father. Learning and developing our faith is nurturing and allowing the seed of God’s grace to grow in us.
  4. Then Comes Love. Jesus places Love as the Greatest and center of all of the Law and prophets. What we Love and covet is how we know “where our heart is”. If we Love God and wish to do His will, then we will Love our neighbor unselfishly and wish to act in ways that are pleasing to our love - who is God Himself.
  5. Then comes Works. If we believe properly, that is we have a trusting belief, then works will necessarily follow. If works do not follow then there is a problem with one of the above.
Peace
James
 
Jim_Baur said:
Yes, it is God’s love that saves us.

However, I do not understand it.

Furthermore, I do not understand the reality of Hell, but I believe in its existence.
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Yes, belief in the existance of Hell and It’s torments is good, even if we don’t understand it. St Catherine spoke of Hell and it’s torments as being that which those who hate take to themselves at death. Those who cultivate evil during life embrase these evils at death. So all the hate, selfishness, and all other vices that the person embraced during life,surround and devour the persons soul at death.

I prefer to seek after the Love of God through our Love of neighbor than to worry about the horrors of Hell. For if we cultivate those virtues growing out of properly ordered Love we need not worry about Hell.

Keep your eyes on the Prize and, as the old saying goes, “Don’t Look Down”.

Peace
James
 
James

I agree, one must take all of Scriptures.

Thanks for your ideas.
 
I really think this is an important point, that is, we are saved by love.
 
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