Man, by
nature, is not a humble creature. All of
us like to think highly of ourselves and we like others to think highly of us,
as well. Here in America, we spend
billions of dollars every year on cosmetics, beauty aids, gym memberships, fine
clothing and fancy cars. We are very
concerned about our image. We want to
look good and we want our friends, neighbors and co-workers to think we look
good.
And that
spills over into our morality. Not only
do we want to look good, but we want to believe that we are good persons. Many, if not most, consider themselves to be
moral people. They just can’t imagine
that they would be in the “bad person” category. After all, they are better than Adolf Hitler,
or Joseph Stalin, or Jeffrey Dahmer, or Saddam Hussein, aren’t they? It’s hard to convince most people that they
are not as good as they think they
are. For one example, see this short
video:
Judgment Day
So, what
about Judgment Day? Will God consider most people to be good
enough to get into Heaven? Do any of
them think that there’s a possibility that they might be shocked on that
critical day? It seems that many will
expect God to react in their favor. For
example, let’s look at “George” (a fictional character). George thinks that God will most likely say,
“George, why should I let you into Heaven?”
And then George pulls out his lengthy resume, unrolls it like a scroll,
and begins to show God, one by one, how many good things he did for the church,
his family and for other people, causing “oohs” and “ahhhs” of approval from
the angelic hosts. God responds, “Wow,
George, I am very impressed! You’ve
certainly earned your way into Heaven.
Come on in!”
Ok, maybe
I’m exaggerating a little, but this is, I believe, pretty much what many people
will be expecting on Judgment Day.
They’re trusting in their goodness, hoping that the good things they’ve
done will outweigh the bad.
Is Anybody Good?
But the
Bible sheds some light on Judgment Day.
In Matthew 7:21-23 we see that there are many who will be utterly shocked that God finds them to be “workers
of iniquity,” instead of “good people.” The
people in this Bible passage did many “good” deeds, and they even did them “in Jesus’
name.” And they definitely expected this
to work in their favor, i.e., to merit entrance into Heaven. Yet, to their horror, they were rejected,
they were sent to Hell. What did they do
wrong? Well, for one thing, they were
trusting in their works to get them
in: “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful
works?” But the Bible is clear
that we are saved only by the grace of God, through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5),
and not by works (Romans 4:4-5). Remember, Jesus said that no one is good but
God (Mark
10:18).
An Apostle’s Resume
Consider the
apostle Paul. Now this guy had an impressive resume!
He was a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, a zealous Pharisee, a Hebrew of
Hebrews and was considered faultless under the Law by his peers (Philippians
3:3-6)! Yet, he counted all
these things as dung that he may gain
Christ (Philippians 3:7-9)! Not only
that, but Paul also suffered often in hard labor, imprisonment, beatings,
scourgings, stoning, shipwreck, hunger, thirst, cold, lack of sleep and in
frequent danger of death. Not to mention
his constant and deep concern for the churches (2 Corinthians 11:23-28). But even this resume would not be sufficient
to merit Heaven, and Paul would be the first to admit this. No one’s resume is good enough, except for
the one provided by Jesus Christ through His work on the cross (1
John 2:2; 4:10). THAT is the resume
we should boast in when we stand before God!
What About Catholics?
So what
about those who teach faith plus works
to be saved, like the Catholic Church? Doesn’t
this type of mindset leave room for boasting?
Indeed it does (Romans 3:27; Ephesians 2:8-9).
Many Catholics
will deny that theirs is a works-based gospel.
They will often quote the Council of Trent and say that they do not
believe in salvation by works. Trent
says:
“None of
those things which precede justification – whether faith or works – merit the
grace itself of justification.” (Session
6, Chapter 8)
Ok, this may
sound good on the surface, but it is misleading for at least two reasons: 1) Scripture tells us that faith does indeed come
before and produce justification according to the plan of God (Romans
4:1-3; 9-10), and 2) Trent is saying that works don’t come before
justification, yet in other places they tell us that baptism (which is a work) is indeed the cause of salvation! So
they’ve got it all twisted.
On the one
hand, they will say that it’s not a works-based salvation, yet, when discussing
salvation with them, they will quickly turn to James chapter 2 and insist that
salvation is by works, without
realizing their flip flop. I have seen
this many times.
But let’s
dispel this myth that Catholicism is not a works-based religion. This is what they teach…
Official Catholic Teaching
According to
the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“The
authority of the Magisterium extends also to the specific precepts of the
natural law, because their observance… is
necessary for salvation.” (CCC #2036) [Emphasis added]
“…the Second
Vatican Council confirms: ‘the mission of teaching all peoples, and of
preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the
Commandments.’” (CCC #2068) [Emphasis added]
“The Church
affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant [which are works]
are necessary for salvation.” (CCC
#1129) [Emphasis in original]
“…The Church
does not know of any means other than Baptism that assures entry into eternal
beatitude…” (CCC 1257)
According to
the Council of Trent:
“If anyone
saith that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation… let
him be anathema.” (Session 7, Canon 4)
“If anyone
saith that the justice [justification] received is not preserved and also
increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the
fruits and signs of justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase
thereof; let him be anathema.” (Session 6, Canon 24)
According to
the Second Vatican Council’s Apostolic
Constitution on the Revision of Indulgences, Chapter 3:
“From the
most ancient times in the Church good works were also offered to God for the
salvation of sinners… indeed the prayers and good works of holy people were
regarded as of such great value that it could be asserted that the penitent was
washed, cleansed and redeemed with the help of the entire Christian people.”
This is
ample evidence that the Catholic Church teaches salvation by works. And there are many more examples we could
provide.
Conclusion
So, no
informed Catholic can honestly deny that the Catholic Church officially teaches that salvation is (at
least to some extent) based upon one’s own works. But according to Scripture, salvation is not
of works (Ephesians 2:9), not even by works
of righteousness (Titus 3:5), but rather, it is for
the one who does not work, but
believes (Romans 4:5).
This doesn’t
mean that we Christians are never to do any good works, because God certainly
wants us to walk in these (Ephesians 2:10). But our mindset should be that it is only
through God’s grace and the cross of Jesus Christ that we are saved, apart from the merits of any of our good
works. To say that your works contribute
in any way toward your salvation is to say that Jesus’ work on the cross was
not sufficient to pay for the sins of the world. Does anyone really want to say this?
Once again,
salvation is not about how great you are, and neither is it about the good
things you did for God. Rather, it is a surrender
to God, an admission of helplessness and unworthiness, a humble confession of
spiritual bankruptcy on your part.
The gospel
is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Accept and believe this simple gospel (the
good news) of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, trust in HIS work and
suffering and you will not regret it.
I pray that
this article is both humbling and encouraging to all. But I want everyone to know that if you think
that your resume will pull you through Heaven’s gates, you don’t stand a
chance.
