What are Catholic's Works?

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**Galatians 5: 6—For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only FAITH WORKING through LOVE. **

I Corinthians 13: 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all

**mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, 5 it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, 6 it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all **
 
Confess with mouth to be saved
Rom. 10: 10—For one believes with the HEART and so is justified, and one CONFESSES with the MOUTH and so is SAVED.
 
From what I can tell, Paul says righteousness is made up of faith and love.

Righteousness**: Breastplate of Faith and Love—10 Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. 11 Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. 13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. 14 So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, 15 and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6: 10-17).**

I Thessalonians 5: 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet that is hope for salvation. 9 For God did not destine us for wrath, but to gain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with him. (N. B. Righteousness includes faith and love)
 
From what I am able to discern: Catholic works are Jesus working in us, through us and with us.
 
Saved by the love of truth

II Thessalonians 2: 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
 
If we are saved by faith in Christ, what is Christ?

Saul persecuted the early church and was asked ‘Why do you persecute me?’. Me in this case is Chirst: the early church, with Jesus as it’s head.

So to have faith in Christ is to have faith in what was revealed by Jesus (God made man) to the apostles: By Jesus (inspired and written in the Bible) to Paul, Peter, Jude, OT, etc and by Jesus (through is Paraclete, the Holy Spirit): in the Living Church Christ founded.

To just have faith in Chirst…That he existed, died, was buried, rose. etc. That is, just the historic Jesus and His actions, even the demons believe that and have seen him. But are not saved (James)

So Faith saves
A formed faith: which includes the theological virtues of Faith Hope and Charity
Not a simple faith.

What kiind of faith is it that has NO WORKS?
 
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Schmitty:
I’ve also discussed with them that the “Faith without Works is Dead”.
Their description is that if someone SAYS they have faith, but don’t back it up with anything (and they have a wide classification of what anything means) , then the person who dais that really doesn’t have faith.
But I believe the Baptists in our group are pointing to our Sacraments. I guess my question is, Is it the Sacraments and everything else that we must obey, our WORKS?
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I don’t understand Baptists’ reasoning here. We all sin - even after we accept Jesus as our Savior, we sin because we are imperfect. And it’s a fact that we cannot die and go before the Lord with a black mark on our souls.

Sacraments are gifts from God that give grace and blessings - I never considered them “works”.
 
Matt, 6:

And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
[17] But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
[18] that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus tells us to fast and that there is a reward for fasting. Ergo: Works are meritorious. Ask the Baptist why works are meritorious…for what purpose if we are purified in entirety by that one act of accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior?

I like Bishop Fulton Sheen’s explanation:

When we are baptized our soul is like a fine piece of wood, flawless and un marked. When we sin it is like driving a nail into the wood. When we confess the nails are removed through forgiveness.

That is as far as Protestantism goes. But Catholics realize the wood is not back to its original state of purity. Where the nails once were, now holes remain. Those holes are filled by our works.
 
Just throwing this in…the 3 ‘works’ are prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
 
Schmitty,

You are correct when you say they see Sacraments as works.

They do not believe baptism does anything but is just a public declaration, something they DO in order to declare themselves a follower of Christ. Catholics see baptism as a regenerative miracle in which God removes oringinal (and any personal) sin.

You could work up similar arguments for the rest of the Sacraments. Most don’t understand that as others have said, Sacraments are not our works, but God’s miracles made visable to us.

Take care my friend. If you do not wish to leave your Bible study, at least balance yourself with a Catholic one. More than just here at CA forums.

May God Bless you and keep you safe,
Maria
 
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