Good job; you completely ignored the emphasis that I gave you.
The RCC catechism says directly that “we can merit for ourselves graces needed... for the attainment of eternal life.” Which is the exact opposite of what Scripture says.
Or are you telling me that eternal life doesn’t equal salvation?
(The paragraph is 2010, incidentally, though I would have thought that a priest or someone who claims to know all kinds of things about Roman Catholicsm would have known that already. It must be annoying that a Lutheran knows more about the RCC catechism than you.)
Grace cannot be merited.
If you merit grace, grace is no longer grace but wages due for work performed.
And there they are saying that you through *meriting grace*, can attain salvation.
Nope. Either salvation is a gift as Scripture says, or you earn it.
Romans 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
Isn't it fascinating how Rome turns everything so inward to the person who thinks they are going to hell.
We look at these verses....
Ephesians 2:1-10 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
And clearly see that salvation if a gift, and that we are created to do works which God has prepared in advance for us to walk in. Even the works are a gift of His grace.
We see those works as the opportunity to minister to a lost and dying world, to show them the love of Christ in our lives so that they may come to salvation. They are a work of ministry to people, with no thought of benefit to ourselves.
They see those works as turned inward to *merit* grace so that they might be, maybe, at the end of the day, if they've jumped through enough hoops, might be qualified to actually perhaps get into heaven.
Their works are all them centered, for what they can get out of it when everything we do should be other centered, as Jesus gave Himself freely to minister to us and bring us to salvation.
We do them for the joy of seeing someone come to saving faith in CHRIST, not *a* church or our church, but JESUS.
They do it out of fear of hellfire and brimstone, hoping to save their own souls.
Typical, you ignore the first sentence that no one merits the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, and then don’t accept the explanation that doesn’t agree with your personal opinion by just repeating talking points.
When one goes to Mass to pray to God and worship Him, then God can share His graces with you that He feels you merit.
On the other hand, if one proclaims he has faith in God yet continues to act otherwise, they may not merit God’s graces.
Salvation restored man’s relationship with God as Jesus died on the cross. Eternal life is based on God’s judgement of each individual by truly accepting God and obeying His teachings and commandments and not dying in mortal sin.
Jesus told us to pray and ask Him for His help. He responds to our prayers as He determines on His schedule and provides His graces as He determines that we merit them.
I have not tried to insult anyone, but I may have tried to challenge them to think and accept God’s truth.
One can accept God’s truth or reject it.