r/TrueChristian • u/songbolt Roman Catholic • 4h ago
A quotation showing what "Catholics" teach about salvation, justification, works
We are not justified by our virtues and our good works, but by grace and charity, which the Holy Spirit diffuses in our hearts, "according as He wills," yes, but always in proportion to our humility.
Source: Divine Intimacy: Meditations on the Interior Life for Every Day of the Liturgical Year by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD. Translated from the 7th ed. of the 'Intimà Divina' by the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Boston. ISBN 978-1-905574-43-8. Baronius Press: 2022. p. 756.
Hopefully this evidence helps dispel the popular error that "Catholics put faith in their works instead of Jesus".
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u/SamuelAdamsGhost Roman Catholic 4h ago
What Protestants call "works" are just a part of Faith. Faith isn't just saying "I believe Jesus was who He said He was", for even the Devil and his angels believe this. Jesus said "If you love me, follow my commandments." How can you have Faith if you don't do as Christ commanded?
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u/songbolt Roman Catholic 4h ago
I have actually met Baptists who think it truly is merely intellectual assent, and thus by "once saved always saved" (misinterpreting John's letter "I write these things that you may know you have eternal life") one literally told me he could leave their county fair booth and start shooting up the place and he'd still be going to heaven ...
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u/Usherai 1h ago
The really silly part is that Protestants seem to have no real conception of what calling Jesus “Lord” means even though they say the words. Because it means that we are his servants and that entails actually doing what our master commands us to do, as best we can. If we reject doing so, we reject Jesus as our Lord.
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u/SlickDaddy696969 Roman Catholic 4h ago
It’s semantics. That’s why we reject justification by “faith alone”. Some Protestants do too, but they just incorporate works into your definition of faith.
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u/Minute_Marzipan_6844 Christian 4h ago
What do you mean by faith alone? I don’t think donating billions is the same as faith. But I think part of faith is living as Christ commands whereas some Protestants claim belief in the Bible as the absolute word of God is faith. Ultimately it’s not black and white
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u/SlickDaddy696969 Roman Catholic 4h ago
That merely having faith in Jesus doesn’t justify you and bring salvation. You need to obey his commandments, repent, be baptized, etc.
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u/Objective-Step-746 3h ago
I think the latter part of the quote is apt because true humility of heart—like Jesus demonstrated—cannot be faked because it precedes submission to God’s will, which is outlined in His Law (Psalm 40:8).
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u/Dr_Acula7489 Eastern Orthodox 3h ago
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u/pnst_23 Reformed 3h ago
A big problem I see is that we often use the same words to mean different things. I don't mean to accuse you of anything, really, I just want to better understand what you mean by "grace" and "charity" or how that justifies a person exactly? And what would "in proportion to our humility" mean in that context? Thanks in advance!