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myfavoritmartin
Guest
What must I do to be saved?"
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tyson
Guest
Repent and be baptized…simple
~Tyson~
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Pug
Guest
You do know you can’t save yourself, right?
Actually, I assume this is an argument thread, but just in case.
Actually, I assume this is an argument thread, but just in case.
D
Della
Guest
Of course. Only God can save us–for it is his decision alone who will and who won’t be saved.
With all the good will in the world I ask, why do you assume that?
M
myfavoritmartin
Guest
Actually, I assume this is an argument thread, but just in case.
Not wanting to so much argue on this one, as opposed to learning what my son’s mothers church is teaching him.
Not wanting to so much argue on this one, as opposed to learning what my son’s mothers church is teaching him.
P
Pug
Guest
Della, you’re right, I don’t know. I responded with what I would begin with if asked that in real life today. But then, I worried that I would be taken as arguing, because this is the apologetics board, and salvation is a hot topic, so then it came out wrong.With all the good will in the world I ask, why do you assume that?
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Della
Guest
No problem! There’s no doubt the board can become quite contentious–and not always just between Catholics and Protestants! LOL! I just wondered if you had had a bad experience or if you were assuming we’d jump all over you and that sort of thing. We’re cool with legitimate questions asked with respect, so you’re all right!Della, you’re right, I don’t know. I responded with what I would begin with if asked that in real life today. But then, I worried that I would be taken as arguing, because this is the apologetics board, and salvation is a hot topic, so then it came out wrong.
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Della
Guest
Well, now you know!
It’s really that simple.
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Pug
Guest
Ah. I haven’t met you before, not that I recall, so Hello! Sometimes it depends on who is the catechist, and not just which Church it is. I would hope they would tell your son that Jesus saves people.
Then they might tell him ways to follow Jesus: how to get to know him and what he did, how to pray, what to do if you mess up, what the sacraments are, etc. I think what I would say would depend on what it seemed your son already knew and where he needed to be directed.
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Todd_Easton
Guest
Here’s the short answer from the Baltimore Catechism 2:
9. Q. What must we do to save our souls?
A. To save our souls we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity; that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart.
9. Q. What must we do to save our souls?
A. To save our souls we must worship God by faith, hope, and charity; that is, we must believe in Him, hope in Him, and love Him with all our heart.
M
myfavoritmartin
Guest
nice to meet you pug, thanks everyone for giving me a little better insight into the RC religion.
J
JaneFrances
Guest
Hi Martin!
Thank you for asking.
We are saved by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord God and Savior. Salvation comes from God alone (CCC # 169). It is not earned by anything you “do.” This is the official teaching of the Catholic Church. So, with that in mind, we look to Scripture for additional instruction on God’s plan for our salvation.
The “least common denominator” answer is usually: John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.”
When we read John 3:16, as Catholics, we can only say “Yeah and Amen” as we wholly agree and understand that faith in Jesus Christ is essential to our hope for eternal life. But, we don’t stop there. We also read elsewhere in Scripture:
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. This is usually where many Protestants close the book and say “that’s it, that’s all there is to it.” But, Scripture is much fuller than that. . .We read keep reading:
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 for a Christian, 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. We can’t just make that one time profession of faith in Christ and think our job is done. . .we must persevere and “hold out till the end.”
Mark 8: 34-35. “He summoned the crowd with his disciples and 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 so explicitly that accepting his cross (suffering and self denial) is absolutely necessary for salvation. It is not just faith or belief in him, but following him and taking up the cross that can lead us to eternal life.
Matt. 16:24-27: Here again in this gospel account, Jesus is as clear as he was in John 3:16—anyone who wishes to follow Jesus into eternal life, MUST take up his cross and follow him. This is how we understand suffering and sacrifice to be essential to our salvation and as necessary as faith.
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. Doing the will of God is to have faith in him, to believe him and his teachings, and to actually DO what he instructs us to do. Faith and works are both gifts of grace that God gives us as ways to follow him in the hope that we would be with him in the end.
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 here that receiving and eating his flesh in the Eucharist is also necessary for salvation.
Matthew 25:31-46. Without quoting it all here, Jesus, in this passage, teaches his disciples (the people who do believe in him and have faith in him) 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.”
to be continued. . .
Thank you for asking.
We are saved by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord God and Savior. Salvation comes from God alone (CCC # 169). It is not earned by anything you “do.” This is the official teaching of the Catholic Church. So, with that in mind, we look to Scripture for additional instruction on God’s plan for our salvation.
The “least common denominator” answer is usually: John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him may not die but may have eternal life.”
When we read John 3:16, as Catholics, we can only say “Yeah and Amen” as we wholly agree and understand that faith in Jesus Christ is essential to our hope for eternal life. But, we don’t stop there. We also read elsewhere in Scripture:
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. This is usually where many Protestants close the book and say “that’s it, that’s all there is to it.” But, Scripture is much fuller than that. . .We read keep reading:
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 for a Christian, 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. We can’t just make that one time profession of faith in Christ and think our job is done. . .we must persevere and “hold out till the end.”
Mark 8: 34-35. “He summoned the crowd with his disciples and 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 so explicitly that accepting his cross (suffering and self denial) is absolutely necessary for salvation. It is not just faith or belief in him, but following him and taking up the cross that can lead us to eternal life.
Matt. 16:24-27: Here again in this gospel account, Jesus is as clear as he was in John 3:16—anyone who wishes to follow Jesus into eternal life, MUST take up his cross and follow him. This is how we understand suffering and sacrifice to be essential to our salvation and as necessary as faith.
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. Doing the will of God is to have faith in him, to believe him and his teachings, and to actually DO what he instructs us to do. Faith and works are both gifts of grace that God gives us as ways to follow him in the hope that we would be with him in the end.
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 here that receiving and eating his flesh in the Eucharist is also necessary for salvation.
Matthew 25:31-46. Without quoting it all here, Jesus, in this passage, teaches his disciples (the people who do believe in him and have faith in him) 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.”
to be continued. . .
J
JaneFrances
Guest
. . .continued
Philip. 3:10-11: “I wish to know Christ and the power flowing from his resurrection; likewise to know how to share in his sufferings by being formed into the pattern of his death. Thus do I hope that I may arrive at resurrection from the dead.” St. Paul is teaching here that salvation is our HOPE. . .in this hope, we work as Christians to live lives that share in Christ’s sufferings so that we might one day “arrive at resurrection from the dead.” This idea of suffering in Christ is absolutely as important as “faith” is in the teachings of Christ.
Rom. 2:5-13: “. . .He will repay every man for what he has done: eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing right. . .There will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who has done good. . .For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; it is those who keep it who will be declared just.” Glory, honor, and peace are all the rewards of eternal life—part of our salvation. Here, St. Paul is very clear that it is only the man who strives for these things by “patiently doing right” who will be called into the heavenly kingdom.
The Catholic Church’s teaching regarding the economy of God’s salvation is quite comprehensively Scriptural.
Philip. 3:10-11: “I wish to know Christ and the power flowing from his resurrection; likewise to know how to share in his sufferings by being formed into the pattern of his death. Thus do I hope that I may arrive at resurrection from the dead.” St. Paul is teaching here that salvation is our HOPE. . .in this hope, we work as Christians to live lives that share in Christ’s sufferings so that we might one day “arrive at resurrection from the dead.” This idea of suffering in Christ is absolutely as important as “faith” is in the teachings of Christ.
Rom. 2:5-13: “. . .He will repay every man for what he has done: eternal life to those who strive for glory, honor, and immortality by patiently doing right. . .There will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone who has done good. . .For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; it is those who keep it who will be declared just.” Glory, honor, and peace are all the rewards of eternal life—part of our salvation. Here, St. Paul is very clear that it is only the man who strives for these things by “patiently doing right” who will be called into the heavenly kingdom.
The Catholic Church’s teaching regarding the economy of God’s salvation is quite comprehensively Scriptural.
S
Steven_Merten
Guest
Hello myfavoritmartin,
Here is a related thread you may be interested in.
**Will Jesus judge people into heaven (through Him) or Hell based on conduct? **
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=72153
Out of 41 CAF members taking the poll at this thread, 78% believe that Jesus will judge people into heaven (through Him) based on conduct.
The thread takes a look at a great deal of Jesus’ scriptural teachings relating to whom He will judge into heaven.
I also invite you to visit Jesus, What Must I Do To Share In Everlasting Life?
Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
Here is a related thread you may be interested in.
**Will Jesus judge people into heaven (through Him) or Hell based on conduct? **
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=72153
Out of 41 CAF members taking the poll at this thread, 78% believe that Jesus will judge people into heaven (through Him) based on conduct.
The thread takes a look at a great deal of Jesus’ scriptural teachings relating to whom He will judge into heaven.
I also invite you to visit Jesus, What Must I Do To Share In Everlasting Life?
Peace in Christ,
Steven Merten
M
MariaG
Guest
I pray someday you will be able to say thank you for more insight into the apostolic teachings of Christ, as testified to by the Catholic Church.
God Bless,
Maria
K
KathleenElsie
Guest
Douay-Rheims John 3:16
For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son: that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish,but have life everlasting.
John 3:21
But he that doeth truth cometh to the ltight, that his works may become manifest; because they are done in God.
R
Randy_Carson
Guest
Jesus was asked the same question. Let’s listen in…
"Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” (Matthew 19:16-17)
DISCLAIMER: The passage above is not intended to be a definitive statement regarding the Catholic view of salvation, justification, redemption, sanctification, glorification, righteousness, grace, faith, works or merit.
It is, however, indicative of the idea that “faith alone” was not part of Jesus’ soteriology.
S
Steven_Merten
Guest
Hello Kathleen,
I think you also want to give biblical verses which clearly define the biblical world “believe” as obeying what God tells you to do.
Please visit Believe
NAB WIS 12:2
**Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them, and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!**NAB JOH 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has life eternal. Whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure the wrath of God.NAB LUK 8:13
13: Those on the rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. They have no root; **they believe **for a while, but fall away in time of temptation. **(MAT 13:20)**INT PSA 78:32
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; in spite of his wonders, they did not believe.NAB JOH 12:44
Jesus proclaimed aloud: “Whoever puts faith in me believes not so much in me as in him who sent me; and whoever looks on me is seeing him who sent me. I have come to the world as its light, to keep anyone who **believes **in me from remaining in the dark. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save it. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words already has his judge, namely, the word I have spoken it is that which will condemn him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own; no, the Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to speak. Since I know that his commandment means eternal life, whatever I say is spoken just as he instructed me.”
K
KathleenElsie
Guest
Steven:
Thank you.
Douay-Rheims
John 3:18 He that believith in him is not judged. But he that doth not believe is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Commentary: Is not judged. He that believeth, that is, by a faith, working through charity. Is not judged, that is is not condemned; but the obstnate unbeliever is judged, that is condemned already, by retrenching himself from the society of Christ and his church.
Thank you.
Douay-Rheims
John 3:18 He that believith in him is not judged. But he that doth not believe is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Commentary: Is not judged. He that believeth, that is, by a faith, working through charity. Is not judged, that is is not condemned; but the obstnate unbeliever is judged, that is condemned already, by retrenching himself from the society of Christ and his church.
A
Alexius
Guest
Maybe I’m misinterpreting your statement, but God does not choose what people will to go to Hell. That was condemned at the Council of Orange in 529. Remember: God is always ready for man to follow Him; it is mans’ responsibility to do so. His (mans’) negligence to do so is his own condemnation.
Prayers and petitions,
Alexius
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