Some thoughts as a former Catholic....
The Roman Catholic Church and Catholics on Justification (narrow)....
1. OFFICIALLY, the RCC is all over the map on this subject. I suspect you can find any and all views about it officially declared somewhere at some time. There appears to be no subject about which the RCC is more confused, more divergent, more variant. SOME statements are identical to Lutheran (which of course the RCC claims is apostate and heretical on this subject), some the opposite. You can find anything and everything.
2. CATHOLICS (including official teachers such as pastors, deacons, etc.) often teach views entirely different than those of the RCC. Many will insist "The Catholic Church says" when it says no such thing. I've learned - in time, after leaving that denomination - much of what I was taught actually wasn't Catholic at all. Theological education in Catholicism is often pathetic.
3. A LOT of confusion happens because Protestants and many Catholics use the same words but sometimes with nearly opposite definitions. For example, in this context (Justification, narrow), Protestants define "grace" as unmerited favor, blessing, gifts. "God's Riches At Christ's Expense." Unconditional, unearned, perhaps even unrequested love. Catholics however usually define it as, "God's enabling, empowering, strength." As our teachers taught us, "Grace is like the gas God puts in your tank so that you can get yourself where God calls you to be." True - both definitions have biblical support but only one applies to justification (at least Protestants would insist). Thus, both Catholics and Protestants can say, "We are justified by grace" and mean nearly opposite things. Or consider the word "salvation." Protestants tend to use this work narrowly and essentially as a synonym for narrow justification, Catholics usually use this word in the very broadest, widest sense to refer to all that happens between God and man, all that happens in terms of Christian faith and life. Thus, Catholics and Protestants can be talking about "salvation" and be totally talked past each other, about totally different things. Again, both definitions have biblical support but we're using them very differently. IMO, Catholics often mislead Protestants (perhaps unintentionally) by saying, for example, "Jesus is our Savior" but mean something nearly opposite of what the Protestant "hears."
4. On this issue of narrow Justification, here is what our Catholic teachers taught us (VERY consistently): God helps those who help themselves. Jesus opened the gate to heaven but you have to get yourself through them. Jesus made salvation POSSIBLE but you actually do it... and we get sufficient enabling to accomplish that so if we adequately tap the help we get, we will eventually achieve heaven (although finishing the job in Purgatory). That "help" comes from The Catholic Church, the saints currently and officially declared so by The Catholic Church, the "treasury of merits" of The Roman Catholic Church, the exactly SEVEN Sacraments that are owned and doled out by The Catholic Church, the Queen of Heaven (Mary). I don't recall Jesus ever been mentioned as being of any current role but I suspect most Catholic teachers would throw him in somewhere (Jesus' role was to 'open the door to heaven' and he's done with that; NOW the emphasis is on The Roman Catholic Church, Mary and all the Saints - as HELPERS, enabling us to save ourselves). Frankly, the idea of Jesus as Savior in the Protestant sense never occurred to me in my Catholic days, it was an epiphany that happened after I left that denomination.
5. Looking back.... listening to my Catholic family members.... listening to Catholics in person and on the internet.... has convinced me that much of the problem, much of the reason for the entangled MESS of Catholicism on this point, is because it does not distinguish between Law and Gospel, sanctification (Christian discipleship and growth) and Justification, self and Christ. All these are entirely mixed, entangled, confused, blended.... GOOD stuff is thrown together in the mixer, watered down with oceans of water, the "hi" button pushed, it runs for centuries, and then the entangled, mixed-up, blended, water-down MESS is poured out. IF (big word).... IF you can actually sit down with a Catholic..... IF you have patience as big as Jupiter..... IF you can either use non-churchy words or agree on vocabulary..... eventually, in time, often..... you can untangle the MESS their denomination has been pouring down their souls - and end up with a solidly Lutheran or Reformed person (professing the very thing the RCC excommunicated Luther for 500 years ago). I'm convinced...... deep down...... IN SPITE OF what their pastors, deacons, First Communion, RCIA, parish school teachers have taught them.... IN SPITE OF the RCC..... there are a LOT of Lutherans in the pews of the local RCC owned and operated parish. But it SURE is hard to tell. I credit two - a LCMS pastor and a Bible study leader - who untangled the MESS the RCC had poured down me. It was a life changing, enormous epiphany for me!!!!!
Thank you.
Pax Christi
- Josiah
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