The Role of Works in Salvation — A Transcript
By: Leo, Baldiethelimey
Tags: Salvation, Catholic, Works, Christianity, Justification

Video version.

Summary of the doctrine.

The Catholic view of the role of works in Salvation and Justification is a simple one. Presented in a basic summary it is:

Initial Justification is not a result of good works but a gift of God received through faith. Justification is then maintained and increased by good works. Salvation being for those who endure to the end is kept by good works. Justification and Salvation require both faith and works to complete. All works and faith proceed from grace, and we cannot claim that we merited it alone, but by the gift of God.

Definitions of key terms.

The Catholic uses the key terms of faith, belief, works, justification, and salvation differently to how a Protestant might. For the benefit of the viewer, here is a quick definition of each;

Faith. The action of man in obedient response to God. “By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.2 With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer (sic). Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, “the obedience of faith”.” CCC 143. It comes from the Greek word ‘pis-tos’. Which Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines as “trusty, faithful; of persons who show themselves faithful in the transaction of business, the execution of commands, or the discharge of official duties” (See Trent, Chapter 8 for the role of Faith) Belief. The act of submitting one’s intellect to God, then acting in accordance with that submission. The carrying out of faith. Works. Good works are not that which justifies a man, but that which completes faith. Faith after being an intellectual assent to God, is completed through good works such as charity. If one has faith but no works, one cannot be justified in the end as Paul reminds us if, “I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing”.(I Corinthians 13:2)”. Initial justification is through faith, faith being made complete by works. Justification. Justification is a free gift of God received in faith. There is a difference between initial and continuing justification. Initial justification is a gift offered to the believer, which, when accepted in faith, cleanses us from sin.”For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God — ” (Ephesians 2:8). Continuing Justification (2 Corinthians 4:16) is a continual process and is completed by works, wherein one justifies one’s faith through good works. “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24) Salvation. The process through which Catholics are drawn closer to God. Throughout our lives we are in a continual process of being saved. Through graces administered by God through his Church and Sacraments, God is saving us until we shall eventually complete the process and be ‘saved.’ “For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6–7) Indeed, salvation is something that must be carefully kept and worked out for one’s whole life. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

So How Do We Become Saved?

1). God offers us grace with which we may be saved through Baptism. Notice how Ephesians 2 uses the same language as Romans 6 on this point.

“By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” — Romans 6:2–4. “ But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)” — Ephesians 2:4–5. [Note: Paul in Ephesians 2:4–5 is alluding to Romans 6:2–4, his earlier work, wherein he is explaining the theology behind the Sacrament of Baptism.)]

2). After hearing God’s offer, we believe what he has said and obey his terms, trusting that he will do as he promised in those terms. Thus baptism cleanses us not as washing dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, wherein we die to sin.

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ — 1 Peter 3:21

In adults, we begin justification with a profession of faith (while it is completed by baptism), given that children are not able to confess themselves. As it says in Trent, chapter 8,

“But when the Apostle says that man is justified by faith and freely,these words are to be understood in that sense …that we are therefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God”

3). Now we have been ‘raised into newness of life’ through our Baptism after our profession, we begin the life of faith. It is now time to ‘work out [our] faith with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12–13). This involves good works which complete our intellectual faith.

I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing — I Corinthians 13:2) What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead — James 2:14–17 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works — James 2:22 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity — Galatians 5:6

4). By faith, we also partake in the Sacramental life of the Church. The Church, as the Body of Christ, can be seen as the branches of Christ the true vine and the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist, can be seen as the nourishing sap we receive from the true vine that is Christ.

From the Latin sacramentum, a word which denoted the oath of loyalty sworn by soldiers to their earthly lord, the emperor. It was applied by Tertullian around 200 AD to the Christian mysteries, by which man adhered to God. It thus acquired, as a technical term, the same implication as the Greek word mysterion, mystery, which is used to this day for the sacraments in Eastern Christianity.— Colin B. Donovan, STL I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. — John 15:1–11

Following his commandments includes the consumption of his body and blood, the Eucharistic miracle that occurs at every Catholic Mass;

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever. — John 6:53–58 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. — Matthew 26:26–28

5). After living the course of our lives, if we keep the faith, we will reach our final salvation wherein we shall go on to eternal life with God. It is only once we are in Heaven with Christ that we may say we are ‘saved’ in the truest sense of the word. Our earthly life allows us to co-operate with God’s grace, which continually works for our final salvation. When we are asked if we are saved, we shall say “I am being saved.”

For I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith — 2 Timothy 4:6–7 But he who endures to the end will be saved. — Matthew 24:13 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth — Matthew 24:45–51 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. — Matthew 25:41–46

Thank You

Thanks to Maximus Confesses for helping me to ensure that this video was inline with the teaching of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I ask you, my viewers, to please head over to the Liturgical Legion blog at www.medium.com/the-liturgical-legion to see Max’s plethora of articles defending the Catholic faith.

Please keep an eye on the channel in the next few days, as there will be a Liturgical Legion live podcast on the role of works in Salvation on the 17th of June at 5pm London UK time.

All verses taken from the Catholic edition of the RSV, with the exceptions of Galatians 5:6 (Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition), and I Corinthians 13:2 (King James Version).