The Catholic Church does not now, nor has it ever, taught a doctrine of salvation by works .... Catholics believe that the faithful are saved by God’s grace. Additionally, nowhere in the holy scriptures is it teaught that we are saved by “faith alone.”
When you make up your mind, let us know. Is Jesus the Savior or is self? WHOSE works justify us? You can direct us to the Cross or to the Mirror... which is it?
The passion to make Christ small and self big is disturbing.
Catholics also believe that the faithful need to respond to God’s grace.
EVERYONE believes that. EVERYONE always have. NEVER, EVER, has this this a subject of dispute or disagreement.
TRY, my friend, to stay on topic. This point of dispute is NOT what "the faithful.... the Christian.... the Justified..... do or should do. The issue has NEVER, EVER been Sanctification (the response of faith, Christian discipleship, Christian living, the process of becoming more Christ-like). Luther went to ENORMOUS lengths to make it uber-clear he was not addressing that issue (where the RCC and Luther were in full agreement), he was addressing the issue of Justification (Gaining faith, spiritual life, a changed relationship to God). Catholicism at the time also went to great lengths to make it uber-clear that it understood this which is why it was so careful to say its dispute with Luther was in JUSTIFICATION (not Sanctification, discipleship, etc.)
While there were several issues in the Reformation, the enormous problem the RCC had (and has) with Protestantism was JUSTIFICATION - the teaching that we contribute NOTHING to our Justification, that it is purely "the free gift of God." THAT is what the RCC made the centerpiece of the Reformation, the reason for it splitting itself (again), for excluding about one-third of Christians at the time. It was SO horrified by this teaching that Jesus is the Savior, that we contribute NOTHING.... that Justification is all the result of JESUS' work. Friend, as we all know, NEVER was Sanctification even an issue.... because there was no disagreement on that. Not before the 16th Century, not during the 16th Century, not after the 16th Century. Which is both Catholics and Protestants for 500 years have STRESSED the issue was and is JUSTIFICATION (the changed relationship, the gaining of spiritual life). Trent repudiated Lutheranism for its stand on Justification, not discipleship.
As we all know, it all began with the RCC's desperate financial situation and its selling of Indulgences. The salesmen had a sales pitch, a sermon..... and it was a HORRIBLE and extreme application of synergism and Pelagianism. As a Doctor of the Church (whose role included informing the church of false teachings), Luther was required to point out this heresy, which he well documented and noted clear violations of the Council of Orange, etc., etc., etc., etc. He reasonably thought he would be thanked for this and the denomination would quickly act to correct the extreme Pelagainism of these salesmen. While it took a few months, Luther realized the RCC determined to defend the false teaching of the Indulgence sellers and, eventually, excommunicate him and split itself in order to support the theology of these indulgence sellers.
Cconsider what is written in Galatians 5:6 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumsion is of any avail, but faith working through love” Faith working through love is what matters and that is precisely what the Catholic Church teaches.
EVERYONE DOES. EVERYONE
always has. Try, my brother, to stay on topic..... try.
This is why the RCC for 500 years has been so uber-careful to note that its horror is NOT over what Lutherans say about Sanctification, discipleship, Christian living (because it's the same as the RCC - and always has been) - it could not and cannot rebuke Lutherans on that topic without equally condemning itself. No. The issue is JUSTIFICATION, whether Jesus is the Savior or self, whether JUSTIFICATION is monergistic or synergistic, if Pelagius is a heretic or a hero.... are we justifiied by CHRIST'S works or our own. THAT was the issue that the RCC made the centerpiece of the Reformation, the issue the RCC stressed was the "problem." NOT Christian living, NOT anyone's response to faith: That was never in dispute. You are simply TRYING to change the topic: the problem is that thus you are making the RCC's actions in the Reformation all founded on something it actually passionately AGREES with.
While the WORD "justification" is used, the context shows James is talking about sanctification (the entirely book is written to those who are ALREADY Christians, ALREADY with faith, ALREADY the Justified).
NO ONE disputes that "faith is busy with love" (Luther). Old Protestant proverb: "We are saved by faith alone but faith is never alone." Protestants stress this point as much as Catholics. It's just we don't substitute Sanctification for Justification, we don't insist that we are justified by OUR works rather than Jesus', we don't dogmatically insist that WE not only DO contribute to our Justification but that OUR works is actually what justifies. The Indulgence sellers were preaching that (in fact, OUR works can justify OTHERS, they said) - Luther rejected that, the Catholic Church dogmatized it and excommunicated Protestants for not going along with it - pushing out one third of Christians over THIS issue... NOT the issue of Sanctification, NOT the issue of Christian living, NOT the issue of responses to faith, NOT the issue of how faith is busy in love.... the RCC could not disagree with Protestants on this because as all sides knew, there was no disagreement on that. None. Not at all.
Again, TRY my friend to stay on topic....
NO ONE disagrees with this. NO Christian (well, I don't think a Buddhist would, either). But Paul is writing to the JUSTIFIED, to CHRISTIANS, to those WITH FAITH..... he is not addressing dead, unjustified, faithless pagans who NEED to becpme Justified. The issue of 1 Corinthians 13:13 was NEVER an issue in the Reformation (or since) because there was and is no disagreement on it. Which is why your denomination went to such GREAT lengths to stress the dispute with Protestants was not about discipleship, not about our love - it's about JUSTIFICATION, where the RCC insisted Protestants are terrible heretics for holding that we contribute nothing to our Justification, that we are not Justified by our works but Jesus' works.
.
