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Apologetics Working Your Way to Heaven (part 3)
Apologetics Working Your Way to Heaven (part 3)
| Working Your Way to Heaven (part 3) |
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Part 3 - The Catholic View of Justification by John Zamboni The idea of justification is fundamentally different to the Catholic. The Church does teach that faith is necessary, but faith by itself can not justify. The faith that a believer has must express itself through love and obedience. Good works done by the believer are results of God's grace, just as faith comes from God's grace. The ironic thing about the faith alone doctrine is that the only time the words faith alone are used together in the New Testament is when James is condemning the faith alone belief. James 2:24 states, "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone". The Holy Spirit inspired one New Testament writer to write these words. How can any Protestant believe in faith alone? The necessity of works is stated very clearly in James 2:14, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well , but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead". Also in verse 26, "For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead". This is exactly the Catholic position. Even Jesus himself preached the necessity of works in Matthew 19:16-17, "Now someone approached him and said, Teacher, what good 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 ". The idea of continual faith and works is also taught by Jesus in Matt 24:13 which says, "But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved". Using the term perseveres implies that a person's faith and works must be present until the end for that person to be saved. Furthermore, Jesus emphasizes the importance of works in Matthew 7:21, "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". The Gospel of Matthew includes many examples of the necessity of performing good works. For instance, the parables of the unfaithful servants (Matt 24:45-31), the talents (Matt 25:14-30), and the sheep and the goats (Matt 25:31-46) all teach the necessity of works. Some people are afraid to believe that works of any kind can help us reach eternal life. They have a hard time distinguishing between mere human works that are purely legalistic and good works done through the grace of God. The Catholic Church teaches that just as faith comes from God's grace, so do good works. Neither faith nor good works take anything away from God. To the contrary, when we perform good works we are glorifying God who helps us accomplish these works. The works of a Christian should not be thought of as a person on a stage trying to impress God who is watching in the front row. This type of thinking separates the Christian from God. The correct way to view works is to understand that it is God working through the Christian to produce good works. This teamwork idea can be seen in many passages in Scripture. For example: Phil 2:13, "For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work". John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing". John 3:21, "But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God". Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them". These passages reveal a central truth of Christianity: God works through his people. The works we do with the grace of God is related to our justification. Through these works we actually become sons and daughters of God. This idea is not based on righteousness through works, but based on the principle that faith works through love. In summary, there is no instance in the Bible where the concept of justification by faith alone is taught. In fact there are several passages (James 2:24 being the strongest) that speak against the faith alone doctrine. Since justification by faith alone is unbiblical, the Catholic Church does not hold to the belief. The Catholic Church teaches that both faith and works are important parts of justification. The Church also teaches that good works alone will not earn a person salvation. Catholics believe that salvation is only obtainable by the grace of God and that justification is a process of both faith and works. Both faith and works are a direct result of God s grace, therefore, we can take no credit for our salvation. To say the works are unimportant is to deny biblical teaching! By accepting the faith alone doctrine the Protestant is ignoring a critical part of the gospel that Jesus and his apostles taught. Justification by faith and works is the way God designed it, therefore, as Catholics we must hold to his truth. John Zamboni is a Catholic apologist and the founder of Gospel Truth Ministries (www.flash.net/~truth) in Texas, U.S.A. The mission of Gospel Truth Ministries is to bring people closer to the Lord Jesus Christ through study of His Word and obedience to His Church. This is done by presenting the truth of the Catholic Faith through the use of books, tapes, articles, and seminars. Gospel Truth Ministries is dedicated to presenting the truths of the Catholic Faith with charity, while being completely obedient to the Magisterium. |
