Catholics And Salvation
Some people say that the Catholic church
teaches salvation by works. Is this true?
To begin with, let me state up front that
Catholics do not teach salvation by works. In fact, the Catholic church
firmly maintains that man can only be saved by God's grace. However,
ask Catholics whether they believe that they are justified by faith
alone and chances are pretty good you'll get "no" for an answer. Consequently,
some evangelicals have mistakenly concluded that Catholics hold to salvation
by works.
Justification, to evangelicals, means that
God declares us righteous the instant you or I repent and receive Jesus
Christ as our Lord and Savior - and this, despite our sinfulness. Actually,
it's a singular event, something that is completed instantaneously.
Catholics, on the other hand, understand justification to mean that
God makes us righteous. It's seen as a process whereby God gradually
perfects us; and this is, incidentally, why Catholics believe that only
in the end will believers be sure as to whether they're truly justified
or saved.
In addition, evangelicals believe in justification
by faith alone. And by faith we mean not only knowledge and agreement,
but also personal trust in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. In sharp
distinction, Catholics see faith as nothing more than passive agreement,
which again is why they don't believe in justification by faith alone.
Catholics actually consider human works as vital elements in the process
of justification. This is because they are held to be the result of
God's grace working through and perfecting believers.
Well, in sharp contrast to the evangelical
belief that works are the fruits of justification, Catholics say that
justification results from a combination of faith and works made possible
by God's grace. Yes, we regard the Catholic conception of justification
to be confused. Yes, we take serious issue with the numerous doctrines
and practices that it has produced. Though they can be rightly faulted
on these points, no one can legitimately claim that Catholics teach
a crass system of salvation by works.
So, once again, it is important to understand
that while many Catholics believe in salvation through works, the official
stance of Roman Catholicism is that justification results from a combination
of faith and works which is made possible by the grace of God.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
An edited transcript of the dialogue
between Walter Martin and Father Mitchell Pacwa entitled "Justification
By Faith: A Catholic-Protestant Dialogue," is available from CRI (DC126/$0.25).
Additionally, discussions of the subject are included in the following
book, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences by
Norman Geisler and Ralph MacKenzie, available from CRI (B196/$25). These
resources are available through CRI. For shipping and handling information,
please refer to our Resource Listing. To place a credit card order,
call toll-free (888) 7000-CRI. To receive a free copy of our Resource
Listing, fax us at (714) 858-6111 or write us with your request at P.O.
Box 7000, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688-7000.
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