What i have learned since i left the Roman Catholic church (and what i am questioning now) is the belief that the good things i do are a consequence, but not a cause of salvation (or receiving heaven and eternal life). I’ve been taught that this is what the Bible teaches. One example is the statement of St. Paul:
Unfortunately Protestants don’t claim to be infallible when interpreting the bible. Thus, you never know which of their teachings happens to be true.
Their interpretation has an error when it denies that obeying Jesus is also a cause of salvation.
The Church teaches that the good that we do
- Is a consequence and made possible by the grace of salvation, IF we choose to cooperate with that grace, for God never takes away our free will.
For Jesus said, “without Me you can do nothing”
AND
- The Church teaches that when we obey Jesus out of faith, then we receive MORE of this grace that justifies us, thus saves us.
Thus Saint Paul taught in Romans 6:16
“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or** to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”**
Since we can only by made righteous by grace, St. Paul teaches that obedience leads to receiving more of the grace of salvation
James is a witness also to these teachings.
James 2:24
"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."
And of course, Jesus himself says, "
If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments"
Since we can’t enter heaven without grace, it is evident again that scripture is a witness to the teachings the apostles handed down that obedience out of faith in Jesus gives us more of the grace that saves us.
Since we can only become righteous by grace, it is clear that when Christians obey Jesus, they receive more of the grace of salvation. **Thus obedience is a consequence AND a cause of salvation.**So we see that Protestantism contradictes the Word of God in the bible when it denies that obedience to Jesus also is a cause of salvation
These are Church teachings which have come from Jesus through the apostles and these are NOT my opinions.
But, the question remains,
Why did St. Paul critisize the Jewish Christians for teaching that Christians must obey the law of Moses, specifically circumcision and Jewish feast days?8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.(Ephesians 2:8-10)
The reason was that these Jewish Christians were teaching that in addition to believing and obeying Jesus, men also had to follow the ritual rites of the Law of Moses.
Since Jesus never taught that Chrisitans had to follow the Law of Moses, then those Christians who were following this Law of Moses were NOT doing it out of faith and obedience to Jesus. Thus, they could not receive grace from following this law. These Jewish Christians were teaching that following the Law of Moses, without faith, was necessary to enter heaven. Since these actions could not result in the grace of salvation, they were teaching that man also had to work his way to heaven apart from the grace of salvation.
