I have been finding answers to many questions that I have had for many years. I want to share them so I can kind of collect my thoughts, and also to spark conversation as well as get different insight. At this time, I am not claiming what I write to be the solid truth. All I am doing is writing down some findings so I can have them all in one place and I can continue to do research on them as well as share the journey I am on. I do not expect anyone to agree with me, but I do ask for respect. If you do not have any insightful, helpful, and honest answers or questions in relation to my posts, I ask that you not say anything at all. Please comment and whatnot, for I love to learn new things and I want to be challenged! Anything I deem worthy of deleting, will be deleted. This is a beautiful journey; my journey that God has me on. God Bless you as you continue to bless me in so many ways on my walk!
The past week, I have been reading "Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic" by David B. Currie. One of the many things that I thoroughly love about this book, is that the author was born and raised "Fundamentalist" and takes the reader step by step through what brought about his conversion to Catholicism. While he has answered many of my questions, he also continues to leave me with more. I am going to post what he says, as well as do continual research to see if I can validate, or so to speak, disprove his statements. If anyone has any helpful links, books or words that can clear up my questions, again, I am very open to what anyone and everyone has to say. Please, though, just give me time to sort thru everything so I can make the best decision for myself and discern where God truly is calling me.
One thing that I have heard much about lately is that we are saved by faith alone. I have heard that many people have the understanding that Catholics believe that we are saved by works alone. In my reading, I have found both to be mistakenly untrue. To quote Currie, "... we are saved by grace ... none of us would have a chance at salvation but for the grace of God" (page 111). Furthermore, he quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification" (CCC 2010). "grace is any divine assistance given to persons in order to advance them toward their supernatural destiny of fellowship with God ... Grace transforms a person's nature" (Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia). "Justification prepares a Christian to meet a holy God in eternity ... Catholics teach that justification starts at a moment in time but continues throughout a Christian's life. Justification is made operative in one's life by both faith and works" (Currie 112).
After reading this, I had questions. Questions that Currie is quick to state and answer as well. "... there emerge two questions that could be answered only by going to Scripture. First, does Scripture indicated anywhere that works are essential for justification? ... Secondly, does Scripture anywhere state that 'by faith alone' we are justified?" (p. 113).
"First, Scripture does clearly and emphatically teach that works are involved in the "by" of justification. The most obvious passage is in James ... where he says that a man is 'justified by what he does:'"
'14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead' (James 2:14-26).
"Neither James nor the Catholic Church claims justification comes by works alone. Justification is accomplished by faith coupled with works" (p 114).
Jesus' "ideal was that of a life of good works flowing outward from a vibrant inner faith. The parables of the wise and foolish builders (Mt 7:24-27), the two sons (Mt 21:28-32), the good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37), and others all teach a unity of faith and works for salvation ... 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven'" (p. 115).
To Currie, it was evident that Jesus taught that justification, thus salvation, is a combination of both faith and works. But, they can only be made possible solely because of God's grace.
Just as I was beginning to wonder if Currie was ever going to touch on the second question he posed, he dove right into it. "Does Scripture anywhere state that 'by faith alone' we are justified? The long and the short of it is --no. These words are never, ever used in relation to justification anywhere by any of the New Testament authors." Currie says that some do indeed try to make this claim, so he proceeds to go into a short look at Paul's epistles.
"It is important to keep in mind that Paul uses the word 'works' in a very different way from either James or the Catholic Church. Generally, when Paul uses the word, he is using it to refer to Jewish obligational 'works of the law' (referenced Rom 4:9-15 and Rom 3:28) ... James, Jesus and the Catholic Church agree that works must be tied to faith for the faith to be effectual and that both the faith and the works are solely the result of God's grace" (p. 116-17).
He does quote Eph 2:8-10; "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith --and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God --not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works."
"Paul is not pitting works against faith ... The verse says that we are saved by grace; that even the faith we have is a gracious gift; and that the works we do are nothing to boast of because they too are a gracious gift --"God's workmanship" in us" (p 118).
Currie also states that the Reformers tampered with verse 8 to make it read "saved by faith alone." He claims that the word "alone" cannot be found anywhere in the Greek, nor in the context, nor is the idea conveyed anywhere is the Bible. This guy is also one who checks the validity of the Bible with the Bible --which as I continue with future posts it will clearly be seen.
About Titus 3:5 Currie says "Paul here is noting the motivation behind God's decision to provide for our salvation ... It was pure mercy that caused Him to pour out His grace on us ... Catholics do not believe that our works are innately valuable. The same could be said of our faith. If either is valuable to God, it is only because he graciously decided to make it so. They are meritorious only because by grace God has connected them to the work of Christ and the Cross. 'Grace ... ensures the supernatural quality of our acts and consequently their merit before God and before men' (CCC 2011). Even our ability to do works is a result of God's grace working through us. This is what Augustine meant when he said, 'All our good merits are wrought through grace, so that God, in crowning our merits, is crowing nothing but His gifts.' Our responsibility is to cooperate with God: 'Do not put out the Spirit's fire'" (I Th 5:19). (p. 118-19).
Furthermore, "We are saved by grace, justified by faith and works. Separate the faith from the works, and it dies. We can take no credit for our salvation, because both the faith and the works are a result of God's grace being operative in our lives. God has ordained that this is the method by which we merit salvation. He might have ordained a different way instead, but Scripture teaches us he did it this way. This emphasis on justification by faith and works makes a tremendous practical difference ... Entrance to heaven is preceded by a judgment: a judgment of what we have done in our lives. The criterion in every judgment scene in the New Testament is works: 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father' (Mt 7:21; see also Jn 5, Mt 23, Rev 22, and I Cor 3)" (p. 122).
"Because Catholic theology makes the will the predominant aspect of the soul, obedience through works takes on more importance. A Catholic youngster may not have all the right answers at the tip of his tongue, but he should have been taught to help someone in need. At the judgment Jesus will then say, 'I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'" (Mt 25:40).
So, in essence, anyone who is striving to "live the Christian life" is already practicing that we are saved by faith and works. For, if we just believed in Christ and accepted in our hears, but did not try to live a life holy and pleasing to God, then that would be faith alone. We have the faith, but are not doing what God wills for us. Works do not mean that there is this huge rule book that we must do to get to heaven; it basically just means living out our lives and acting in accordance with the most perfect will that Our Father has for us!
** The italics in the quotes is NOT my own emphasis, but instead that added by the author David B. Currie.
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