What shall we do for us to be saved?

janstar_21 · Oct 26, 2005

I’m just wondering what shall be done for us people to be saved and be with God to eternity…

Edwin1961 · Oct 26, 2005

janstar_21:

Welcome!
I read it in the NT, but not sure exactly but I understand it that it is through Baptism that we are saved. Baptism by the water and The Spirit. It is through the sacrament of Baptism that we are saved from Original Sin.

One of the ways Graces comes is through the sacraments.

Feel free to use the ‘Search’ menu, to find more on Baptism.

twf · Oct 26, 2005

If you want a simple answer, I think the Apostle Peter said it best:

Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children, and those who are far off. (See Acts 2).

Salvation is a journey, and along the way, if we are responsive and open to the Spirit, we will become more and more Christ-like, until we are perfected on the Last Day at the Resurrection. Basically the necessary steps are as follows:

Believe
Repent of your sins
Be baptized
Receive the other sacraments on initiation, especially the Holy Eucharist, as this is our spiritual nourishment. “…unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:53-56). This will give you grace to sustain you along your journey of salvation.
Pray! Develop a personal relationship with Christ, and with Mary, and with any saints and angels of your choice. We need prayer to keep our life focused on God, and to stay on the right path.
If you fall into grave (mortal) sin, confess your sins, to be forgiven, in Christ’s name, through the ministry of the) priest.
Prayerfully and cheerfully cary out works of charity. Don’t do this in an attempt to ‘earn your salvation’ (which we can’t do) but as a response to Christ’s grave out of the love for God and for others that He gives you. This could be anything from feeding the hungry, to praying for your neighbour, to simply being nice to a co-worker.

Remember though, while you must “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), we can never earn our salvation. Christ has done this for us. We must ‘work’ our salvation out, but not to earn what Christ offers as a free gift, but as our way of responding to and using the grace He gives us. If good works (a changed lifestyle…holiness) result from the grace God gives us, then we are, by our actions (or inactions) rejecting that grace, and that free gift. That is why works are necessary, and not as a futile attempt to ‘make up’ for our sins. I’ve tried to explain this concept in the next post (it’s actually a copy and paste of an older post of mine).

In Christ,
Tyler

twf · Oct 26, 2005

The Church teaches that justification (becoming right with God) is by grace through faith and works. Sola fide (faith alone what Protestants teach) is rejected by the Church as heresy, but sola gracia (grace alone) is upheld as sound teaching. We must realize that neither faith nor works can save us. All the faith in the world would be nothing, without grace. Likewise, all the works under the sun would be like filthy rags without grace. This is where the distinction must be made. Both faith and works are worthless if they do not flow from God’s grace. Our salvation is only made possible because Christ took our eternal penalty on the tree at Calvary; however, this perfect work of Christ must be applied to each of us. God has given us freewill, so we must accept this gift and co-operate with him. Not just once, but all through our lives. Catholics can say that we merit salvation, but only in a secondary and derivative sense. The grace that Christ gives us leads to faith. This grace-empowered faith leads to works. The two go hand in hand. Our faith and works become our way of co-operating with God’s plan for our salvation, and we become worthy of merit before God because Christ’s merit is applied to us through his grace. The faith and works in and of themselves are nothing, but when they flow from the grace Christ has given us, they become worthy.

I believe that the following passages, when taken together, support the Catholic understanding of justification:
Matthew 7:21-23
John 14:15
John 15:10
James 2:14-26
John 15:1-8
Matthew 18:23-35
Matthew 6:14-15 (the necessity of forgiving one’s brother to be forgiven)
Matthew 24:36-51
Matthew 25 (all of it! )
Luke 13:6-9

Tibbar · Oct 26, 2005

janstar_21:

Following the pattern of the scriptures,** one should first be discipled**. This means that one must come to learn exactly who Jesus is and what God expects of those who are willing to come to Him for salvation.

Then, one must repent of their sin. That means one must not only feel sorry for the sins they committed, but one must literally turn away from these sins. This is perhaps the most difficult aspect of coming to salvation because as the scriptures tell us, The hearts of human beings are “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9), Saint Paul warns us in Romans 8: 5-6: “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Then one must confess Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. Saint Matthew 10: 32-33 reveals to us Jesus’ own directive in this regard: “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. “But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Saint Paul re-iterates the result of obedience to this teaching in Romans 10:9: “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.”

Then a whole new world opens up to you. All of the sacraments you may have received before personally surrendering you life to Christ as Savior and Lord become active. You now own the baptismal promises made for you as an infant. If you have not yet been baptized, you seek to be baptized and publicly profess your faith in, and commitment to, Christ as Savior and Lord.

The problem for many is that once they come to Christ, they believe that He requires them to leave the Catholic faith and become an Evangelical Protestant. This is not the case at all. God is also raising up persons committed to His Son, Jesus Christ within the Catholic and Orthodox faiths.

Remember that the process of sanctification, of growth in holiness, is not always easy. It takes a lifetime. That’s why the Pauline author of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote these words of encouragement: “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12: 1-2)

puzzleannie · Oct 26, 2005

janstar_21:

Love God with your whole mind heart soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. Be born again of water and the Holy Spirit through the Christ-given sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Repent, confess your sins, and work for the establishment of the Kingdom. Unite yourself with the suffering and saving action of Jesus Christ through reception of the Eucharist. Profess your belief in the tenets of the Creed. Every day take up your cross and follow Christ. It’s all in there, black and white. Pick up Mark’s gospel, the shortest, and read it today.

puzzleannie · Oct 26, 2005

janstar_21:

It has already been done and the saving action of Christ is celebrated continually in the liturgy of the Church throughout the world, throughout history. come and be part of it.

Bishopite · Oct 26, 2005

janstar_21:

John 3:5,3:16 is the way Jesus said we are to gain eternal life…to have faith and be born of water and the Spirit. Anyone who dies with sanctifying grace is in Gods favor and will have enteral life.

Verbum_Caro · Oct 26, 2005

Tibbar:

Tibbar,
While I can appreciate your point of view and your personal beliefs and opinion on this matter, I think you owe it to janstar, as brand new poster, to issue the caveat that your opionon may or may not coincide with the teaching of the Catholic Church.

I say this because I would assume that janstar, whose profile informs us that he or she is catholic, came to Catholic Answers to receive a Catholic answer. So, in justice, I think you might want to preface your post.

It is not Catholic teaching that baptism, confirmation, confession and reception of the Eucharist are somehow “unactivated” until a person “personally surrenders” their life to Christ.

But, if I am misunderstanding the point of your post, please accept my apology and correct me.

Tibbar:

I would say, rather that God is also raising up persons committed to His Son outside the Catholic faith, not the other way around.

God Bless,
VC

Jim_Baur · Oct 26, 2005

St. Matthew’s Gospel

19: 16 Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher,
what good must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, " ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" 20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to
pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to
enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”

My understanding: We can do what Jesus said. We can do it WITH HIM, IN HIM AND THROUGH HIM.

Also, we grow like the parable of the farmer who planted the seeds. The farmer does not know how it grows, but it grows.

Tibbar · Oct 26, 2005

Verbum Caro:

I can only speak from experience. Baptism, Eucharist, Confession, and Confirmation did absolutely nothing for me until I received Christ. I, like many other Catholics, received all of them and if I had died before receiving Christ as my Lord and Savior, would have been damned. It is like putting the cart before the horse to say that they have effect before one accepts Christ.

Jesus never once mentioned the term “Catholic Church” when he refered to “my church.”

Verbum_Caro · Oct 26, 2005

Tibbar,

Thank you for replying, and also for taking my post in the spirit it was intended – i.e. not as antogonization, but as a legitimate concern.

I hope we all can continue in profitable discussion!

Thanks again for responding in a meaningful and charitable manner.

God Bless,
VC

Mystophilus · Oct 27, 2005

janstar_21:

Honestly, diligently, persistently do your best to do what is right. Let God take care of the afterwards.

janstar_21 · Oct 27, 2005

Thanks to all those who had find time to answer my query…all of you had enlightened me. I am not a Bible reader; but I am a believer.
I hope you could bear with all of my queries! God bless us all.

Todd_Easton · Oct 27, 2005

janstar_21:

I have some good new for you; what needed to be done to make it possible for people to be saved and be with God eternally was done 2000 years ago by Jesus Christ. Now all that is required of you to be saved and enjoy eternal life with God is that you seek God with a sincere heart and try in your actions to do his will as you know it through the dictates of your conscience.

Of course, God would prefer that you form your conscience to the truth which he revealed definitively through his Son, Jesus Christ, and which his Catholic Church has fearlessly proclaimed for the past 2000 years. The truth revealed by Jesus Christ would fill a big book and does… Much of that truth is preserved in the Holy Bible, particularly in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The rest of the truth revealed by Jesus Christ is preserved in the Traditions maintained by the Catholic Church. A systematic presentation of the whole truth revealed by Jesus Christ can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

If you prefer talking to reading and are interested in finding out more about the truth revealed by Jesus Christ, I suggest you contact the Director of Religious Education at your local Catholic Church for instuction in the Catholic faith.

Jim_Baur · Oct 27, 2005

I have added one more passage. St. Stephen was perfect. He was perfected by Christ. Jesus Christ made St. Stephen perfect. I need a lot more fire from the Holy Spirit. I hate the burning. However, I want the Holy Spirit to perfect me, too.

If we sit at Jesus right hand, He will put our enemies under our feet. My enemies are Pride, Anger, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth. Oh, I have more enemies, but they are the same kind of enemies. In other words, my enemies are inside of me, not outside of me. Oh, my big enemy–the DEVIL…

Acts of the Apostles 7: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
St. Matthew’s Gospel

19: 16 Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher,
what good must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, " ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" 20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to
pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to
enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”

My understanding: We can do what Jesus said. We can do it WITH HIM, IN HIM AND THROUGH HIM.

Also, we grow like the parable of the farmer who planted the seeds. The farmer does not know how it grows, but it grows.

LSK · Oct 27, 2005

janstar_21:

You must receive the Sacrament of Baptism, as prescribed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, in order to be cleansed of original sin. Then, you must continue to live a life in accordance with the teachings of the Holy Mother Church…it is possible, according to the Catechism, for someone to receive salvation outside of the Church, but if you are offered the fullness of the banquet, why settle for a peanut butter sandwich?

Steven_Merten · Oct 27, 2005

Tibbar:

Hello Tibbar,

Do you believe that Jesus will “damn” baptized babies who die before they “accept Christ as their personal Saviour”? This is not what I learned as a Catholic.

Magicsilence · Oct 28, 2005

janstar_21:

Just have a quick read.

olrl.org/snt_docs/fewness.shtml

That should spell it out.

Jim_Baur · Oct 28, 2005

I have to add to the earilier ideas. As a Roman Catholic, I must believe and practice the teachings of our faith. As my mother told me, Jimmy, you need a lot of practice.

I have added one more passage. St. Stephen was perfect. He was perfected by Christ. Jesus Christ made St. Stephen perfect. I need a lot more fire from the Holy Spirit. I hate the burning. However, I want the Holy Spirit to perfect me, too.

If we sit at Jesus’ right hand, He will put our enemies under our feet. My enemies are Pride, Anger, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth. Oh, I have more enemies, but they are the same kind of enemies. In other words, my enemies are inside of me, not outside of me. Oh, my big enemy–the DEVIL…

Acts of the Apostles 7: And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
St. Matthew’s Gospel

19: 16 Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher,
what good must I do to gain eternal life?” 17 He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, " ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; 19 honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" 20 The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to
pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to
enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?”

My understanding: We can do what Jesus said. We can do it WITH HIM, IN HIM AND THROUGH HIM.

Also, we grow like the parable of the farmer who planted the seeds. The farmer does not know how it grows, but it grows.

What shall we do for us to be saved?

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