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Thanks to the Pope, Catholics Agree,
Salvation is by Faith, not Works
We're a
little late reporting this - 6 years late - but in 1999 Pope
John Paul agreed with Martin Luther that salvation comes by
faith, not by good works.
In
an apology and agreement with the Lutheran Church, Pope Paul
cited the words of Ephesians 2:8-10 that salvation comes by
faith, and only after we are saved can we do the good works
that God has foreordained for our lives by following the
indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit which we receive when
we accept Christ as Lord and Savior:
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For by grace are ye aved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God
Not by works, lest any man should boast.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
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John
Paul's historic pronouncement has been slow in filtering
down to the faithful in both the Catholic and Protestant
world. Surprisingly, it is not really a new doctrine for
Catholics. Paragraph 161 of the Catholic Catechism
states:
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Believing in Jesus Christ an in the One who sent
Him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining
that salvation. 'Since without faith it is
impossible to please [God]' and to attain
to the fellowship of his sons, therefore without
faith no one has ever attained justification, now
will anyone obtain eternal life 'but he who endures
to the end'
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The
Catechism quotes Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is
impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him."
Justification
is different than salvation. Justification is the process by
which we draw closer to God and become more like Christ by
obeying the Holy Spirit to fulfil God's purpose for our
lives. The Catechism states clearly that there are no works
we can do to achieve justification without first being saved
by faith.
The
Catechism then quotes Jesus's statement from both Matthew
and Revelation. Matthew 13:13 says "And ye shall be hated of
all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved." This does not mean that
we can lose our salvation, it means that the real test of
our salvation is not whether we simply mouth the words that
we accept Christ but whether we have truly accepted Christ
in our hearts. True faith changes your life for your whole
life, and is manifested by the good works you do in
obedience to the Holy Spirit which you can only receive by
true faith.
Even
PBS reported
this!
For
anyone who studies the writings of Christian thinkers of 200
years ago that influenced America's Founding Fathers, this
is a monumental change in the church's position.
It
does not alter the prophecies of scripture that suggest that
the apostate church will assist the anti-Christ and
ultimately be destroyed by him. We already see the spirit of
anti-Christ in the Marian position of some so-called
Catholics, the pro-gay and abortion position of some
so-called Protestants, and in Islam.
But
Pope John Paul's pronouncement opens the door for those
raised in the Catholic church - like me - to become true
Christians by finally learning that the Bible teaches that
you can only be saved by coming to true faith in Jesus
Christ.
Praise
God!
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