Works/Merit?

[katesmom]

I have a question as Im not fully catechized in Catholicism, but was baptized Catholic as a baby

I am diligently reading scripture about Faith, Justification, Grace & trying to make sense of the differences & common arguments amongst Protestants & Catholics

Why do protestants accuse Catholics of being works/merits based?
**What exactly do protestant consider Works (in Catholicism?) **

Im confused so I hope my question makes sense? The more I read & listen to different viewpoints it starts to feel like a play on words? Thank you

 

[Ohana]

Actually, that controversy was put to rest a few years back. Some of it harks back to the reformation, but was refined through interfaith “shouting matches” over the years. It is the division between the Justification by Faith Alone which is a faith statement by many protestant churches. Catholicism has always said that Faith is a gift, and a prerequisite to the Christian life. Catholicism also teaches that we live our faith through good works in the world, sort of on the order of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. In reality, the protestant churchs also encourage their people to act on their faith in the world.

Some of this translated into protestants thinking that Catholics tried to “earn” their way into Heaven, to expiate for their sins. What was not understood is that Catholics also believed that Christ has done that for us, that there is no way we can earn heaven, or be worthy of union with God except through accepting Christ and His sacrifice for us.

Guess what I am saying is that this controversy was mostly semantic, rather than actual.

Hope more learned people weigh in on this, but this is an approximation of the issue.

 

[JRKH]

I have a question as Im not fully catechized in Catholicism, but was baptized Catholic as a baby

I am diligently reading scripture about Faith, Justification, Grace & trying to make sense of the differences & common arguments amongst Protestants & Catholics

Why do protestants accuse Catholics of being works/merits based?
**What exactly do protestant consider Works (in Catholicism?) **

Im confused so I hope my question makes sense? The more I read & listen to different viewpoints it starts to feel like a play on words? Thank you

Both of these things really stem from a lack of understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Why do protestants accuse Catholics of being works/merits based?

Two reasons…
The first stems from one of the original conflicts at the time of the protestant reformation. This has persisted long after the underlying abuses were cleared up.
Second is how some Catholics think and act and express themselves. Based on this the protestant gets the impression that the emphasis is on works and merit and “earning” instead of on faith and on Christ etc…

But the biggest Flaw in both of these reasons stems from the phrase “works based”. Which is saying that works (instead of faith) are the underpinning - the base, the foundation - upon which our salvation rests.
This can nowhere be found in Catholic teaching…No-where…
And any time a protestant might point to some reference pointing out the Church saying that works are necessary, we can likewise point out that works without faith avail nothing. In other words…Catholics hold that faith is necessary and that faith underpins works…

**What exactly do protestant consider Works (in Catholicism?) **

This will vary from tradition to tradition. Most would include any sort of “ritualistic work” (works of the law). Others include any sort of “work” seen as having merit of any form…

Peace
James

 

[bzkoss236]

I will add that the controversy does still exist among protestants not educated on what Catholicism actually teaches, or too angry with the Church for whatever reason to listen to what it teaches. Lies about the Catholic Church are still taught among Protestant denominations today. That is why it is important for Catholics to learn more about their faith rather than just going to church on Sundays and ignoring their faith every other day, so they can correctly answer any Protestant who claims that Catholics are in err.

 

[Ohana]

Got to speak up here about going to church every Sunday. In fact, that is where a lot of the adult catechesis occurs. The readings and homily are a rich source of information and formation. I have heard homilies on this very issue. That is a thing that is missed by those who are more lackadaisical about going to Mass each week.

 

[babs57]

I have a question as Im not fully catechized in Catholicism, but was baptized Catholic as a baby

I am diligently reading scripture about Faith, Justification, Grace & trying to make sense of the differences & common arguments amongst Protestants & Catholics

Why do protestants accuse Catholics of being works/merits based?
**What exactly do protestant consider Works (in Catholicism?) **

Im confused so I hope my question makes sense? The more I read & listen to different viewpoints it starts to feel like a play on words? Thank you

I am a cradle catholic, and have always found this to be a really confusing issue. But… I just read a great book called The Salvation Controversy by Jimmy Akin that really cleared things up a lot. As some have said, a lot of the problem is with misunderstanding the terminology on either side.

Also, it would help to know a little of the history of the Reformation. That’s when the whole concept of “Sola Fide” was brought up in regard to the question of indulgences. It came from Martin Luther’s erroneus interpretation of The Letter to the Romans.:bible1:

 

[pablope]

I have a question as Im not fully catechized in Catholicism, but was baptized Catholic as a baby

I am diligently reading scripture about Faith, Justification, Grace & trying to make sense of the differences & common arguments amongst Protestants & Catholics

Why do protestants accuse Catholics of being works/merits based?
**What exactly do protestant consider Works (in Catholicism?) **

Im confused so I hope my question makes sense? The more I read & listen to different viewpoints it starts to feel like a play on words? Thank you

For a quick read on the differences between the Catholic and protestant positions…chnetwork.org/resources/coming-home-journals/ …see the one on Justification and Salvation.

 

[katesmom]

Thanks for the replies. I appreciate it so much Im sure I will have more questions - thank you!!