Expert: Andrew Foley - 3/16/2007

Question
I'm a student looking for the truth. I'm torn between Baptist ideology of salvation through Gods grace, born again, "saved" decision theology and the catholic good works, sacrament salvation. What's your take on this from a biblical standpoint?

Answer
Hello and thanks for writing! How are we saved? Well, in opposition to the Protestant position of Faith Alone (Sola Fide), the Catholic position (which I believe is the Biblical and Apostolic position) is that salvation is by Faith plus Works. If you ask a Protestant apologist to justify his position, he will point you to various Bible verses in which Jesus says things like, "Your faith has saved you" (LK 7:50) or to verses in Paul (Rm 4) that say that we are made righteous by faith. Indeed, those verses cannot be denied. However, your Protestant apologist usually neglects to mention or, if pressed, explains away such verses as the following:

"Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord” will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." (MT 7:21-27)

"I tell you, on the day of Judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words, you will be condemned." (MT 12:36-37)

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? For the Son of Man will come with His angels in His Father’s glory, and then He will repay everyone according to his conduct." (MT 16:24-27)

Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life? 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. (MT 19:16-17)

(MT 25:31-46 is also a very important passage, where the Final Judgement is based on one's charitable works in life)

"…the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation." (JN 5:28-29)

"By your stubbornness and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgement of God, who will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works, but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth and obey the wickedness." (RM 2:5-8)

(Jam 2:10-26 is the famous "faith without works is dead" passage. By the way, Jam 2:24 is the only place in the Bible where the phrase "faith alone" appears, and it is to condemn it.)

"Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourself with reverence during the time of sojourning…." (1 Pet 1:17)

"Whoever says, “I know Him”  but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with Him: whoever claims to abide in Him ought to live just as He lived." (1 Jn 2:4-6)

"I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life. The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls. The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds." (Rev 20:13)

These are only a small sample of verses that proclaim the necessity of good works for salvation and the fact that evil works will cause damnation. Now, we do not ignore the "faith" passages that Protestants cite. We understand that Jesus is the way the truth and the life (JN 14:6) and that faith is necessary for salvation. But rather than explain away the "works" verses I cited or ignore them altogether, the Church takes the ostensibly contradictory verses and understands them as complementary- that faith_and_works are both necessary to salvation.

The "born-again" theology which is prevalent in modern America is always exhorting people to make a one-time choice for Jesus to be born again and thus saved. (which is confusing to me- wouldn't that count as a "work", something we "do" to receive salvation?) Catholics see salvation as a life-long series of choice we need to make when we're confronted with good and evil. I may be in a state of grace at a particular moment and would go to Heaven if I died then and there, but should I give in to temptation and- let's say- commit adultery with Mrs. Robinson, then I have willfully cut myself off from God. John himself says that "...whoever sins belongs to the devil..." (1 JN 3:8) and "...no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God..." (1 JN 3:10) So sin separates us from God. How can someone who belongs to the devil and does not belong to God be saved? Salvation isn't a one-time thing we get at some emotion driven revival and can never lose. We lose it when we sin. John makes the distinction that there are sins that are deadly and sins that are not deadly (1 JN 5:16-17). This is the origin of the Catholic doctrine of mortal and venial sins. Mortal sins (murder, sodomy, heresy, etc.)break the relationship with God and warrant damnation while venial sins (cursing, white lies, angry words, etc.) damage the relationship with God, but will not condemn a person. Of course, God calls us to repentance and offers forgiveness of sins, praise the Lord! We believe the way that is done is throught the Sacrament of Confession (JN 20:23).

Of course, this isn't to say that the grace of God is somehow cut out of the process of salvation. Back in the 400s, the Church condemned the heresy of Pelagianism, which was basically a works-based theology of salvation. No, we wouldn't even have the choice to be saved were it not for God's grace. But we do have a choice to embrace or reject that salvation and that is called Free Will.

Compared to the "easy believe-ism" of the born again movement and Faith Alone and eternal security, this may seem like a hard way to get to Heaven. But Jesus told us to "...be perfect, just as your heavenly father is perfect." (MT 5:48) He says that His "...yoke is easy and His burden light" (MT 11:30) so, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it is not an impossible task. I have to follow Scripture and believe that salvation comes through faith and works.

You should really read this very interesting article from the important Evangelical magazine Christianity Today: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/march/29.72.html
It's by a Baptist preacher who is struggling with the same thing you are. He knows what his Baptist tradition tells him yet he reads something very different in the Bible.