Salvation by Faith Plus Works or Salvation That Results to Good Works?
A huge dividing line between Roman Catholics and born-again Christians is the doctrine of salvation. Roman Catholicism itself has been doing double talk, which can be seen in how the system supposedly believes in salvation by faith. However, they do end up adding works as a requirement to stay afloat or to attain one's Treasury of Merit, which they hope will gain them entrance to Heaven.
Canon 11. If anyone says that men are justified either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ or by the sole remission of sins, excluding grace and charity which is poured into their hearts by the Holy Spirit and inheres in them, or also that the grace which justifies us is only the favour of God, let him be anathema.
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.
The problem with the Roman Catholic system's rejection of Sola Scriptura or where Scripture is the final authority is that it adds new doctrines. The statements from the canon law above are nowhere in the Scriptures. Rather, the Roman Catholic institution is putting itself above Scripture than under it.
What does the Bible say about salvation that results to good works? I will be quoting from the Good News Translation (GNT) for the sake of Roman Catholic readers.
John 3:16
For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8-9 For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. 10 God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.
Philippians 1:6
And so I am sure that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For God has revealed his grace for the salvation of all people. 12 That grace instructs us to give up ungodly living and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this world, 13 as we wait for the blessed Day we hope for, when the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ will appear. 14 He gave himself for us, to rescue us from all wickedness and to make us a pure people who belong to him alone and are eager to do good.
Titus 3:5
It was not because of any good deeds that we ourselves had done, but because of his own mercy that he saved us, through the Holy Spirit, who gives us new birth and new life by washing us.
What about James 2?
Roman Catholics may object with James 2 saying, "But James said that works are needed to justify." Well, I've got to really point this out that James 2:8-11 says the following:
8 You will be doing the right thing if you obey the law of the Kingdom, which is found in the scripture, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 9 But if you treat people according to their outward appearance, you are guilty of sin, and the Law condemns you as a lawbreaker. 10 Whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of breaking them all. 11 For the same one who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Even if you do not commit adultery, you have become a lawbreaker if you commit murder.
You see that? You can't even keep the whole Law! The whole Law requires 100% completion. 99.9% keeping of the Law will still send you to Hell! Even the little "white" lies are black in the sight of God.
Then we go to the topic of James 2:14-26 which talks about faith without works is dead:
Then we go to the topic of James 2:14-26 which talks about faith without works is dead:
14 My friends, what good is it for one of you to say that you have faith if your actions do not prove it? Can that faith save you? 15 Suppose there are brothers or sisters who need clothes and don't have enough to eat. 16 What good is there in your saying to them, “God bless you! Keep warm and eat well!”—if you don't give them the necessities of life? 17 So it is with faith: if it is alone and includes no actions, then it is dead.
18 But someone will say, “One person has faith, another has actions.” My answer is, “Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.” 19 Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe—and tremble with fear. 20 You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless? 21 How was our ancestor Abraham put right with God? It was through his actions, when he offered his son Isaac on the altar. 22 Can't you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions. 23 And the scripture came true that said, “Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.” And so Abraham was called God's friend. 24 You see, then, that it is by our actions that we are put right with God, and not by our faith alone.
25 It was the same with the prostitute Rahab. She was put right with God through her actions, by welcoming the Israelite spies and helping them to escape by a different road.
26 So then, as the body without the spirit is dead, also faith without actions is dead.
Righteous living here is being referred to here is not the root but the fruit of salvation. Canon 32 would have condemned James already because he was emphasizing that true salvation results in good works. James' wouldn't be mentioning James 2:8-11 and James 2:23 if he added works to faith. He states that Abraham was saved by faith yet it was justified by actions.
Do Paul and James contradict each other? Paul taught about the root of salvation yet he also emphasized the fruit. Romans 3:31 says that the Law is not made void by faith but that faith fulfills the law. 1 Corinthians 6:11 addresses that real salvation results in a changed life. Hebrews 11 talks about the hallmark of faith and the greatness of men only by faith. James' emphasis of put right with God is that good works while not the one that saves and that true faith results in good works. That's why I don't believe in statements such as the Christian rapist or the Christian murderer. They are Christian by name but they are not truly followers of Christ. True, hatred towards someone makes one guilty of murder by God's standards but nobody can be a habitual murder and claim to be a follower of Christ. Saul's conversion removed him from his murderous lifestyle. He who once stoned Christians now gladly gets stoned for being one. Salvation is by faith alone yet this faith will not be alone. The faith of the believer will produce good works not to maintain salvation but as a result of it. Nobody can be saved and still remain the same.
What's so disturbing is that some Roman Catholics I know continue to insist in works salvation while they live like they have a license to sin. What's their problem? It's because they don't know any saving grace at all. Many are religious but lost. They need to rely on Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Only by receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior can true good works abound from genuine faith!
Do Paul and James contradict each other? Paul taught about the root of salvation yet he also emphasized the fruit. Romans 3:31 says that the Law is not made void by faith but that faith fulfills the law. 1 Corinthians 6:11 addresses that real salvation results in a changed life. Hebrews 11 talks about the hallmark of faith and the greatness of men only by faith. James' emphasis of put right with God is that good works while not the one that saves and that true faith results in good works. That's why I don't believe in statements such as the Christian rapist or the Christian murderer. They are Christian by name but they are not truly followers of Christ. True, hatred towards someone makes one guilty of murder by God's standards but nobody can be a habitual murder and claim to be a follower of Christ. Saul's conversion removed him from his murderous lifestyle. He who once stoned Christians now gladly gets stoned for being one. Salvation is by faith alone yet this faith will not be alone. The faith of the believer will produce good works not to maintain salvation but as a result of it. Nobody can be saved and still remain the same.
What's so disturbing is that some Roman Catholics I know continue to insist in works salvation while they live like they have a license to sin. What's their problem? It's because they don't know any saving grace at all. Many are religious but lost. They need to rely on Jesus Christ alone for their salvation. Only by receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior can true good works abound from genuine faith!