This is not true. I grew up in the Roman Catholic church and I know first hand what they teach. Where Roman Catholics error is they seem to believe that faith is "defined as" and INCLUDES the sacraments, which is to say that faith is in essence, these works, which equates to salvation through faith AND WORKS. I've heard Roman Catholics admit that they hope to be saved by living a good life. They seek to obey the commandments, participate in the sacraments, go to church, do penance and give alms, recite prayers and so on, in the hope of receiving salvation. In its official writings, the Roman Catholic church teaches that faith is important; but it also insists on the necessity of good works to receive eternal life. Please read the following quotations from the Council of Trent on Justification:
Canon 12. If anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema.
Canon 24. If anyone says that the justice (righteousness) received is not preserved and also not increased before God through good works but that those works are merely the fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not the cause of the increase, let him be anathema.
Canon 30. If anyone says that after the reception of the grace of justification the guilt is so remitted and the debt of eternal punishment so blotted out to every repentant sinner, that no debt of temporal punishment remains to be discharged either in this world or in purgatory before the gates of heaven can be opened, let him be anathema.
Canon 32. If anyone says that the good works of the one justified are in such manner the gifts of God that they are not also the good merits of him justified; or that the one justified by the good works that he performs by the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ (of whom one is a living member), the justified does not truly merit an increase of grace, and eternal life, provided that one dies in the state of grace, the attainment of this eternal life, as well as an increase in glory, let him be anathema.
Official Roman Catholic teaching would not allow the sinner to rely by faith on the mercy of God or to believe that his sins are forgiven based on the merit of Christ's finished work of redemption alone. Something more is required. You must keep yourself saved by your own good works. You must merit grace and eternal life by your works. You must pay the debt of sins by your penance and your purgatorial sufferings. That is the Roman Catholic "version" of salvation by works.
Faith "infused" with works. By the time that Roman Catholics get through "infusing" works into faith, it is no longer saved through faith NOT works, but saved through faith AND works/the sacraments.
Hi Mailmandan,
I never saw this before. I'm having a really difficult time at this site because I'm not advised when someone responds to ME.
What am I doing wrong???
Anyway, This is the problem:
CATHOLICS don't know their "religion." I know this for sure because I know Catholic doctrine and have taught it to both children at catechism and also have had adult lessons - with parish approval, of course.
First of all, you shouldn't be reading canons... What you have to check to see what the Catholic Church teaches (the magesterium) is to check out the CCC, Catechism of the Catholic Church. Forget about the Council of Trent. That was hundreds of years ago. (1550 approx). MUCH has CHANGED in the RCC since then!!
I am no longer Catholic, however I don't like incorrect things to be said about them, just as I don't like incorrect things to be said about Protestants when I'm speaking to a Catholic. There are plenty of mistakes on both sides of the isle.
Just quick:
1. The RCC teaches that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Eph 2:8, just like us.
Sacraments are a source of Grace.
Works come after salvation and are a sign of salvation and are necessary. As a Protestant, I also believe that Jesus said that works are necessary, but this is a different topic.
All those "works" you mentioned up above are good to do. But if someone in that Church believes that THIS is what's saving them, then, as I said before, they DO NOT KNOW their faith. Most Catholics go to Mass on Sunday and never study the bible.
2. Catholics mix up Justification and Sanctification in a way that made it difficult to explain eve when I had to and which I do not care for. However, it's important here to state this:
Catholics baptize infants. HOWEVER, those INTERESTED (which are not too many,unfortunately) are advised that AT SOME POINT in their ADULT life, the Justification received at baptism MUST BE ACCEPTED as an adult.
Regarding your last paragraph:
We're going to have a disagreement on this because I also believe that works are necessary in a Christian's life. I'm sorry that the word has become a bad word in Christianity.
We are God's hands and feet. We ARE to do His WORK here on earth. We ARE to contribute to the Kingdom of God which begins right here.
If you have any doubt as to what I've stated above, you could check it out in the CCC or ask any priest who is willing to have an intelligent talk with you.
Fran