You're missing the point entirely. The acts he's calling "meritorious" are those performed by the justified. He doesn't need to perform any acts to earn salvation, he already has it.
The Council of Trent's first canon on justification flatly denies that justification can be earned by keeping the law apart from divine grace.
>>You're missing the point entirely. <<
I believe that my post was right on point... The context of my question "Has there ever been a time in your own personal life when you believed that you had done enough "meritorious deeds" to warrant God's salvation"; was in direct response to a statement that basically said that "faith plus meritorious works are necessary for salvation.."
There seems to be much confusion on this issue.. I'll reiterate a previous statement that I made that may provide some clarification to all concerned... "Good works are the FRUIT of salvation, NOT the ROOT of salvation"...
Salvation is a free grace gift which is received by faith... IF a person has actually received this gift, good works will result. Good works are the EFFECT of salvation, Good works are NOT the CAUSE of salvation. Good works are the evidence of salvation, they are not the means of one "meriting" salvation.
The Bible has much to say about "Justification"... We're told that we are justified by "grace" and by "faith", that is the "means" by which God conveys justification to us. We are justified by blood, that is the "price" of our justification... We are justified by the resurrection of Christ, that is the "proof" from God of our justification, and we are justified by "works", that is the practical "evidence" that we have been justified..
Have you ever asked yourself this question.. If you were standing at the gate of Heaven and were asked "Why should we allow you to come in?", what would your answer be? Would you say, "because I'm Catholic", or "because I've done the best I could", or "because I've got a lot of people praying for me", or would you say, "because God promised that if I believed that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose for my justification that I would have a home in Heaven forever."
Which answer best fits your reply to such a question?