Faith Vs. Works...

[LuchaporElRey21]

Ok. Can someone lay out, in an easy format for me to understand, the Church's teaching on faith and works. I have heard all the arguments before, and I get the general jist, but I need some one to help me bring it all together.

[jswranch]

My short answer:

Every single time the bible discusses the judgement on whether a soul goes to heaven or hell, they will be judged on what they did. Again, we will be judged on what we did according to the bible in ever occurance the issue is mentioned. Are we saved by what we have done (works) alone? No! We are saved by grace, and justified by faith working through love! However, we will not go to heaven, though we have saving faith, if we do not repent of our wicked works.


Long answer:

Here is a great link by a Reformed seminarian posted on a Scott Hahn website:

[url="http://www.salvationhistory.com/library/apologetics/SolaGratiaSoloChristo.cfm"]In contrast is the Roman Catholic position, which sadly, few evangelicals even bother to consider, let alone understand. In many cases, the issue is naively boiled down to justification by faith, on the one hand (evangelicalism), versus justification by works, on the other hand (Roman Catholicism). This crass caricature has little basis in reality, and hampers the cause for theological truth and Christian unity. In this essay then, I will summarize the Roman Catholic teaching on justification. [/url]

[thessalonian]

Here is another good explantion from the Navarre commentary that I linked to about a week ago.

[url="http://groups.google.com/group/CIN-Daily-Word/browse_frm/thread/f889ef5f1d1b878b/1ad3710dffd80df3#1ad3710dffd80df3"]http://groups.google.com/group/CIN-Daily-W...ad3710dffd80df3[/url]

the way I look at it is one cannot be saved by works. For example, theoretically one could build a skyscraper to the clouds and fill it with the homeless and feed them and still go to hell if he is not in grace. That is if he has not been baptized (or in the case after mortal sin, gone to confession and repented). However once baptized we recieve the grace to do good. If we do not do this good the grace is ended in us and eventually will die out in our sins and lead to mortal sin. Virture counters vice so if we are not by grace leading a life of virtue (i.e. works) we will return to vice. We will be the dog who returns to it's vomit that the scriptures speak of. The man who has a demon removed but then returns to where he was and has seven more enter him and is worse off than he orginally was.

Edited October 23, 2006 by thessalonian

[Ziggamafu]

We are saved [b]by [/b] grace [i]alone [/i] [b]through [/b] living faith [i]alone[/i]. Remove any of those words and you screw up, so far as I gather. Faith without works is dead and works without faith are empty. You must abide in works for faith to exist; faith without works is no faith at all.

[LuchaporElRey21]

That makes sense. Thanks guys!