lol.
romansism is really no different than judiasm.
they both deny the grace of God
they both claim they are Gods chosen
they both claim we are made right with God by our works.
ps. I do not protest any church, you must consider a church real before you can protest it
my suggestion to you is stop following men and follow God
no we make no such claim!
justification is by the grace of God!
dogma first
109. There is a supernatural intervention of God in the faculties of the soul, which precedes the free act of the will.
110. There is a supernatural influence of God in the faculties of the soul which coincides in time with man’s free act of will.
111. For every salutary act internal supernatural grace of God (gratia elevans) is absolutely necessary.
112. Internal supernatural grace is absolutely necessary for the beginning of faith and of salvation.
113. Without the special help of God the justified cannot persevere to the end in justification.
114. The justified person is not able for his whole life long to avoid all sins, even venial sins,
without the special privilege of the grace of God.
so ask and you shall receive!
matt 7:7
our merits spring from our participation in the life of Christ, even as the fruit of the branches depends upon their union with the vine! Jn 15:1-5
in Christ by grace "all things" apart from Christ and devoid of grace (life) " nothing"!
phil 4:13 Jn 15:5
baptism is the grace of justification. mk 16:16 matt 28:19 Jn 3:5 acts 2:38 acts 8:36-39
washes away sin acts 22:16
titus 3:5
Justification by Faith and Works:
Trent countered the Protestant understanding of justification by faith alone, arguing that while faith is the beginning, it is not the sole means of salvation. Good works, infused by divine grace, are also essential.
(((Supernatural works)))
also gifts of God!
virtures of Jesus Christ and the gifts of the Spirit!
three are eternal Faith, Hope, and Charity and the greatest is not "faith alone", but charity! 1 cor 13:13
1 cor 13:2 even all faith without charity avails nothing!
Grace as a Starting Point:
The Council affirmed that God's grace is the first step in justification, drawing individuals into a relationship with him and enabling them to begin the process of salvation.
Cooperation with Grace:
Trent taught that individuals are not passive recipients of grace but must actively cooperate with it, through actions such as prayer, good deeds, and adherence to the teachings of the Church.
Perseverance and the Importance of Good Works:
The Council emphasized the importance of continuing to work out one's salvation in fear and trembling, recognizing that final perseverance in faith and good works is necessary for attaining eternal life.
Rejection of "Eternal Security":
Trent condemned the idea of eternal security, or the belief that once someone is saved, they cannot lose their salvation, as it undermines the necessity of perseverance.
Role of Sacraments:
The Council affirmed the importance of the sacraments, particularly Baptism and Penance, as means of grace and pathways to salvation.
Justification as a Process:
Trent's understanding of justification was not as a single act, but as a continuous process of sanctification, where individuals progressively grow in holiness through faith, grace, and good works.
The Catholic teaching is that justification means the reception of (sanctifying) grace for the first time. This grace changes us, making us share in the divine nature (2 Peter 1. 4) which is far different from being totally corrupt. It gives us the basic ability to take part in the face to face vision of God in the next life (1 Cor 13:12). So the soul becomes even now the temple of the Holy Spirit: 1 Cor 6:19 - could we imagine God joining Himself for eternity to a soul that is totally corrupt? Rather, "who can stand when He appears? For He is like the refiner's fire": Mal 3:2).
This is a tremendous thought. When I look at you, I do not take you into my mind, I take in an image of you. But no image could let me know what God really is, so there must be no image in the process (Defined thus by Benedict XII: DS 1000). So it must be that God joins Himself directly to the human soul or mind, without even an image in between so that the soul may know Him face to face.
2 Peter 1;4 said by this grace we share in the divine nature. So we are made children of God, "heirs of God, fellow heirs with Christ - provided that we suffer with Him so that we may be glorified with Him": Rom 8:17. We notice the condition attached at the end. We are saved and made holy if and to the extent that we are members of Christ, and like Him. So we are not saved alone, we are saved as brothers of Christ, sharing the same divine nature with Him (2 Pet. 1:4).
Now the child of a Father has a claim to inherit. So we have, by justification, a claim to inherit from our Father, to inherit a place in His mansions. But, a merit is simply a claim. So we could say that having grace is a merit. Yet we gained that first grace without any merit of our own. We got our ticket to heaven for free:DS 1532; DB 801. We can, however, merit increases in it (DS 1582; DB 842), since we then have the dignity of sons of God. If we keep that grace, we will enter His mansions. But we could lose it by mortal sin. So Trent defined (DS 1574; DB 834): "If anyone says that the justification that is received is not kept and even increased before God by good works. . . A. S. ." But this presupposes reception of grace for the firs time without any merit at all. As to "keeping" justification: All concrete actions are either good or evil. If we commit evil, mortally, we lose that grace. If we do not commit mortal sin, then this grace is kept.
We achieve justification by faith. But Luther, without any checking, simply assumed that faith means confidence that the merits of Christ apply to me. Then I would be infallibly saved, for in a ledger for myself, on the credit page I would write infinity, the merits of Christ; on the debit page, the number for my sins. Hence no matter how much I have sinned, am sinning, will sin - all is outbalanced by the infinite merits of Christ. So I have infallible salvation.
The trouble is that, as we said, Luther made no effort to see what St. Paul meant by faith. If we read all of Paul, we find three things:1) If God speaks a truth, we believe it in our mind; 2) If He make a promise, we are confident in it; 3) If He tells us to do something, we must do it-- "the obedience of faith" : Rom 1:5. -Even a standard Protestant reference work, Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, in Supplement, p. 333, describes Pauline faith just as we have done). But poor Luther did not see that faith includes obedience to God, and so he wrote: "Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. . . . No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit fornication and murder a thousand times a day." (Weimar ed. vol. 2. p. 372; Letters I, Luther's Works, American ed. vol. 48, p. 282. Luther in his Exposition on the Psalms 130. 4; wrote:"If this article [justification by faith] stands, the church stands;' if it falls, the church falls." Since he did not know what St. Paul meant by faith, his church never did stand. -- and further, he had no means of knowing which books are part of Scripture. He tried to say that if a book preaches justification by faith strongly, it is inspired
1. There is justification by faith, without works. Examine each of the three words:
a) Justification;Means getting right with God. It makes us adopted sons (Rom 8. 17) and sharers in the divine nature (2 Pt. 1. 4) and temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6. 19). That is not a spatial presence, spirits do not take up space. A spirit is present wherever he causes an effect. What effect? The transformation of the soul making it radically capable of the vision of God in the next life: 1 Cor 13. 12.
2) Faith It is itself a gift (Eph 2. 8). It includes three things according to Paul:belief in mind, confidence, obedience.
3) Without works: which works? Not just the ceremonial and dietary works for that could imply that other works can justify us. But they cannot do that for no man is just before God by his own power (Rom 3. 24:we are justified gratis). Abraham had works other than those, but they did not earn justification, if they did, he would have a boast, but not before God.
Final salvation is an inheritance: 1 Cor 6. 9-10. We could not earn the inheritance, nor need we do it, but we could earn to lose it: ibid. We are adopted children. But children do not earn their inheritance, though they could earn to lose it: Rom 6. 23. We get a claim not of ourselves, but inasmuch as we are brothers/members of Christ, who did earn, and are like Him in all things, including work of rebalancing the objective order: Rom 8.17. Yet we do have a claim, inasmuch as first grace, unmerited, makes us children of God, who as such, have a claim to inherit. 2. What of the OT "justifications"? They did not of themselves give this grace, but promised temporal reward: Probably did not know eternal reward until time of Antiochus IV. -- And no OT sacrifice was provided for sins be , but only for .
3. Why good works? Because faith includes obedience, which results in them. Also, out of gratitude to so good a Father who even gives us by grace an inclination to good works. He, being Holiness, loves all that is good, and so is pleased with our good works. But they do not at all earn salvation in primary sense (Cf. DS 1532 above): if they did, we would have a boast.
thks
