You may have heard people from other Christian denominations saying that we are saved, not by works, but by faith. Those who believe that our salvation is dependent solely on claiming belief in Christ’s saving graces and not on our actions miss out on the completeness of God’s plan for our salvation. This saying saved by faith and not works has its origin from the letters of St. Paul, which are taken out of context. In the letter to the Galatians, Paul writes, “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (Gal., 2:16) This paragraph and others similar to it are used to refute or criticize the Catholic teaching that our salvation is contingent on how we live this life, whether we do good or evil, and whether we participate with God’s saving grace or not. Those who criticize the Catholic understanding believe that all that we need to do is claim Christ as our Lord and savior in order to be saved. This incomplete understanding leaves out a lot when it comes to God’s plan for our salvation.
The protestant reformer who started this false teaching was Martin Luther (1483-1546). He taught that our salvation is not dependent on what we do but rather merely on our faith in Jesus Christ and His saving grace. Luther used the analogy that those who have faith in Christ are “snow-covered dung heaps.” In other words, he taught that we are so lowly and sinful that only the grace of Christ’s sacrifice of the cross covering over, or hiding our wretchedness, is what makes it possible to go to heaven.
But as Catholics, we know that our actions, our works, do matter when it comes to our salvation. It is in using our free will and being open, in faith, to God’s grace that we allow Him to sanctify us. The Catholic teaching is that our faith in Jesus Christ and His saving sacrifice of the cross, (which is what we enter into and are present at each, and every Mass!) includes us putting into action His grace. We know that we must open our lives to these graces and allow them to change every aspect, including our works. The graces that make good works possible are a free gift and we do not deserve them or earn them like pay. St. Paul says we truly cannot boast of our own accomplishments when we do good but rather realize that it was only done by God’s grace, and we must boast in the goodness of the Lord. Since His saving grace is a gift, we have the joyful obligation of being open to and participating in His grace, the obligation to not only have faith but good works as well. We will be judged on our participation in these graces and how we use them. St. Paul writes, “[God] will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works.” Romans 2:5-8
The Catholic understanding of faith and works is actually more holistic or complete, and more hopeful as well. With the Catholic understanding of our participation in God’s grace, we are not just “snow-covered dung heaps,” we are not just miserable wretches that need to be covered over by God’s grace but rather God’s grace transforms every aspect of our lives. In this understanding of God’s plan for our salvation we are lifted up and elevated to God, all of our thoughts, words, and actions, every part of us and our lives can be purified and sanctified by Jesus saving graces.
Fr. Jacquemin
