Faith vs Works vs Faith and Works

Over the years I have heard many Protestants say that the only way to Heaven is through Faith, and that the Catholic Church says the only way to Heaven is through works.

Let us look at the Faith only first.  In Gal 2:1 we read in NABR:

16 n[yet] who know that 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.*

And in KJV (which version I disavow over all) we read:

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for aby the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

The Catholic Church actually teaches this as well!  We FIRMLY teach and believe that only through faith in Jesus and only through faith.

Now where do works come in?

The Catholic Church teaches us that if you have faith it will be shown to those around you in your works.  The Protestants seem to twist this and say that we say on can only have salvation through good works.  Far from it!!

Where do we get this thought that your faith will show in your works?  Why the Bible of course!!  In James 2:14-26 (NARB) we read:

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? 17 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 Indeed someone may say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. 19 You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. 20 Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” 24 See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? 26 For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

And for those of you that insist on the KJV (again a BADLY translated and BADLY edit version of the Bible):

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be knaked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And lone of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the ||spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

So, if your faith does not show in your works (or actions) do you actually have faith in Jesus?

Works of the “Law” as set by God in the Old Testament definitely do not count we are told, but works or acts of Charity and Love are what are needed, and what will be shown by those of actual faith.

If there are no works of Charity and Love in ones life, there is more than likely no faith there.

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Catholic Indulgences

The Indulgences that are “given out” by the Catholic Church are greatly misunderstood by non-Catholics and Catholics alike.

As the Church handles indulgences today, they are defined by “The Handbook of Indulgences – Norms and Grants” as:

“An indulgence is the remission in the eyes of God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose culpable element has already been taken away.  The Christian faithful who are rightly disposed and observe the definite, prescribed conditions gain this remission through the effective assistance of the Church, which, as the minister of redemption, authoritatively distributes and applies the treasure of the expiatory works of Christ and the saints.”

The question is asked by many Protestant Christians as to where the Catholic Church thinks it has such power to do this.  The answer is in the Bible.  Let us look at this in some detail.

First we will go to Matthew 6:17-19:

17 Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. 18 And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. 19 l will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

At this time Jesus gave Simon a new name Peter (the Rock), and then gave him the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven to open or close the gates as needed, as well as the power to bind our sins or release us of our sins.

At this point the contention is that Jesus died for our sins so we do not need to be bound or released by man, as Jesus already has.  Yes, Jesus died for our sins.  But this means that even though we are still sinners, if we follow His Commandments, have faith in Him, become Baptized by water in the Trinity and “eat His Body and drink His Blood” (John 6:53), our sins are forgiven and we MAY make it to Heaven.

At all times through the Bible, sins had to be “paid for”, often in suffering and hardship.  We are told that only the holy in spirit and body may go to Heaven, and that the gates are narrow.  So we must atone for our sins, and the Catholic Church teaches, through tradition and the Old Testament, that this is done through a cleansing process we call Purgatory for lack of another name.  This is a time of temporal punishment to remove the stain of sins we commit so as to allow us to go into Heaven and behold our Lord and Savior, as impure things  and beings may not enter into Heaven.

After Jesus is Crucified and came back to the Apostles and Disciples we hear Him tell all of His Apostles (John 20:21-23) “21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. 23  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” ” Thus giving the Apostles the ability to bind and unbind us from our sins.  We are told that we are released from our sins with the Death of Jesus, and that is true, but we are not released from the effects of those sins, and that requires further pardoning by God or His Disciples, whom He has granted permission to do so.

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The Catholic Church and Saints

One of the issues I had early on in life and most Protestants still have is the perceived way the Catholics deal with Saints.  Early on, this was a factor for me that kept me away from the Catholic Church and from looking at it seriously.  I felt that instead of praying to God, the Catholics were making “minor gods”, in the Saints, and using icons of Saints to worship them.

How wrong I was, and the Protestants are!

All people who die and go to heaven are felt, by the Catholic Church, and to the best of my knowledge, all Christian based faith systems, to be saints.  A way to look at it are saints (those who die and go to heaven) and Saints (those who lead, at least at last parts of their life, a life of Christ and in Christ) being two categories of Saints, in the Catholic Church.

To be labeled as a Saint, big S vs little s, by the Catholic Church there are some steps to go through.  First the last years of the life of the person must have been lived well by the standards of the Bible.  By that I mean that the person used the Life of Christ as a way of life themselves.  It may include being a martyr on behalf of Christ (and if you die fight for Christ, you almost automatically get Saint status).  Next, after at least 5 years from the death of the person, a petition can be submitted to have the person Sanctified, or Sainted.

A background investigation is done to verify that, at least at the ends of that person’s life, they lived a good life, that they were not breaking the law of the Church, were helping the poor, etc..  If they meet a long list of requirements they are then reviewed to see how they have interceded on behalf of “the people”.  In the old days, there had to be at least 5 “miracles” attributed to intercessory request of that person by “the people”.  Today the requirement is 2 or 3, depending on the “severity” of the miracle.

What does being a Saint, vs a saint, mean?  ALL it means is that the life, at least the later part, of this person is one that we should emulate and/or learn from.  We should look at the good qualities of this person and strive to add them into our life as well.

Does the Catholic “worship” and pray to them?  No, a good Catholic person does not.  The Catholics believe that those in Heaven, all saints and Saints, are able to hear our pleas and request, and we “talk to the Saints” asking for their Intercessory prayers to God our Father.  EVERY conversation with a Saint should be followed by a prayer to God asking God for what you asked the Saint to intercede on your behalf to God for.

Why the icons/statues/etc?  They are to be reminders of the life of that person, to help you focus yourself on their attributes that took them to Heaven.  They are not “idolized”, prayed to, etc.  They are a focus of our memory to remind us what we should be doing!

Why pick “Patron Saints”?  The Patron Saint(s) you select should have the attributes that you are lacking and want to have in your life.  These may change as you grow in Christ and in life.  They don’t always have to remain the same as you change.  So, if you see a statue or other representation of a Saint at a friends house, it means, or should mean, that person is wishing to emulate and learn, or has learned from that person’s life.

Now, this all said, SOME Catholics are not fully aware of what the Saints are, and how the interaction with them is best suited, per the Church.  We are all human, and not all have been educated in the ways of the Church, as many Protestants or other faith systems, have not been fully indoctrinated in their system.  SOME people MAY pray to a Saint INSTEAD of God, or leave out the prayers to God asking for what they are “praying to the Saints”  for.  This is NOT the standard of the Church though!  It is NOT the main way the majority of the Catholic faithful use the Saints either.  The vast majority of the Catholic faith actually follow the guidelines and teachings of the Church!

In Christ!

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