Posted on 01/02/2002 1:15:38 PM PST by Theresa
There is considerable confusion about the Catholic teaching of salvation. I found this on the internet. It was written by a former Presbyterian who became Catholic as an adult. It should be easy to understand he explains the docterine very well. .........
The phrase (in Latin, "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus" or "Outside the Church there is no salvation") is a very ancient one, going back to the very early days of Christianity. It was originally meant to affirm the necessity of baptism and Christian faith at a time when
(a) A number of Christians were being tempted under torture to renounce their faith and deny Christ. (He's talking about the Roman Empire and Nero's persecution of Christians, throwing them to lions and such.) (b) Large groups of Christians were being led into "pseudo-Christian" cult-type groups, which were actually just a front for pagan philosophy and religion. (Such as the cult of Mithras which I think was practiced around the time after Jesus died.)
In response, bishops repeated that, if a person were to be aware of the meaning of Christ and then freely deny him or reject him, they had essentially turned away from God and the salvation he offers.
As Christians, we believe that we are saved only through Jesus. As St. Peter reminds his audience in Acts 4:12: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." In most cases, this means that we believe baptism in water, in the name of the Trinity, is the fundamental requirement for salvation.
However, even from the beginning, the great Christian writer and teacher St. Augustine said that the salvation imparted through baptism can also be imparted through other means: specifically, through the "baptism of blood" (a non-Christian who dies defending Christian beliefs or holy places) and "the baptism of desire" (a non-Christian who has expressed a firm desire to become a Christian, and who shows all the signs of living a Christian life, but who dies before baptism). In both of those cases, the Church has always recognized that the Holy Spirit leads people to God in ways which we cannot always explain or document.
God is able to save anyone he chooses. We trust that he often does this is ways that are not obvious to us, within the hearts of individuals who are sincerely seeking the truth. Otherwise, it would imply that all of humanity was excluded from salvation before Christ came, and that much of humanity (which has not had the opportunity to hear the Christian message until recently) was doomed to be eternally separated from God. This would imply a very cruel and elitist God. Our belief as Christians and Catholics is that God desires the salvation of all people … even those who are not Christian. How he achieves that, however, is a mystery. But we know that our God is a loving God who would not allow people to suffer on account of an ignorance that they were not responsible for.
The Church teaches that baptism, faith, and a life lived in Christ are necessary for salvation. However, Vatican II also taught that, within every human heart, God places the law of conscience. Everybody has a deep sense of right and wrong which ultimately comes from God, and which will lead people to God if they attempt to follow their conscience faithfully. Because Jesus is God, those who move in the direction of God (even non-Christians) are ultimately moving in the direction of Jesus. And if they are moving in the direction of Jesus and His truth, ultimately they are expressing a desire for the salvation that God gives. The Church teaches that, while it is certainly easier to receive salvation as a Christian, it is not impossible to receive salvation in other religions.
This is a challenging situation: on one hand, we must be respectful of the good things to be found in other faiths, and encourage people to live their faiths with sincerity and love.
On the other hand, this does not mean that all religions are the same. We believe that Christ is the ultimate revealing of God to the world, and that the more we know about his message, the greater the chance that we will accept his offer and be saved. We must therefore continue to preach the message of the Gospel, and encourage interested non-Catholics to examine the claims of our faith, without in any way coercing or intimidating them.
Father Feeney was an American priest who, back in the 1940s, taught that if a person was not a Roman Catholic, they were condemned to hell. This has never been the accepted teaching of Catholicism, and Father Feeney was reprimanded by the Vatican for his mistaken understanding.
Nevertheless, there are groups which continue to hold to this strict interpretation, even after the Pope and bishops have specifically rejected it.
The phrase "Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus" teaches us that salvation is only through Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life. But God is able to save whomever he pleases, whether they are baptized in the Roman Catholic Church or not.
It is important to remember that "the Church" in this phrase does not refer exclusively to the Roman Catholic Church. Salvation is a great gift, and God is a loving Father who wants all of his children to receive it. How he works this out, however, we will only understand in heaven. That is why, whenever we quote "Outside the Church, there is no salvation", we should also remember that "God is in no way bound by the sacraments."
Until then, we continue to proclaim Jesus as Lord (evangelization) and engage in respectful dialogue with followers of other religions, to discover the truths that God had revealed to them to guide them toward salvation, and to share with them the truth as we have discovered it in Christ.
Grace: "A biblical and theological term used in a wide variety of ways. According to Catholic teaching, grace is a supernatural gift of God bestowed upon a person with a view to salvation and sanctification. Understood in this sense, there are three kinds of grace: (1) uncreated grace refers to the abiding presence of the Holy Trinity in the souls of the just; (2) created or sanctifying grace is a created sharing or participation in the life of God himself; (3) actual grace is a transient help of God which enlightens the mind and strengthens the will to do good and avoid evil. Grace is given to human beings through the merits of Jesus Christ and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. The principal means of growing in grace are prayer, the sacraments (especially the Eucharist) and good works. Sanctifying grace is lost by the commision of mortal sin."
Heres another: Grace: "A free gift of God to man (and angels), grace is a created sharing or participation in the life of God. It is given to men through the merits of Christ and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. It is necessary for salvation. The principal means of grace are the sacraments, prayer and good works.
Sanctyfing or habitual grace makes persons holy and pleasing to God, adopted children of God, members of Christ, temples of the Holy Spirit, heirs of heaven capable of supernaturally meritorious acts. With grace, God gives persons the supernatural virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The sacraments of baptism and penance were instituted to give grace to those who do not have it; the other sacraments, to increase it in those already in the state of grace. The means for growth in holiness, or the increase of grace, are prayer, the sacraments, and good works. Sanctifying grace is lost by the commission of serious sin.
Actual grace is a supernatural help of God which enlightens and strengthens a person to do good and to avoid evil. It is not a permanent quality, like sanctifying grace. It is necessary for the performance of supernatural acts. It can be resisted and refused. Persons in the state of sin are given actual grace to lead them to repentance."
Hope that helps.
"God, as we have seen, did not give man a merely natural end or destination-a destination which he could attain by the use of his natural powers of understanding and free will. From the very beginning He lifted him up to a share in the life of God, as far as a creature can share it. He destined man to see God face to face and so be happy with Him forever. He made him capable of attaining this destiny by lifting him up to a higher level of life, to a life infinitely above his natural life, to the supernatural life. In other words, God set before His rational creatures from the beginning a supernatural end, and placed them in a supernatural relation to Himself, and thus founded what is called a supernatural order. Since He was not obliged to do this, and since man had no claim to such a destiny, we call this act of God's love and mercy a Grace; that is, a favor or free gift to man. By this grace man is made a sharer in the holiness of God; hence it is called sanctifying (holy making) grace.
The supernatural order is disturbed by sin. It could only be restored by the still greater mystery of the elevation of human nature to a personal union with the Son of God. By His Passion and Death Christ not only gave adequate satisfaction to God for the sins of men, but also restored the supernatural order by gaining for men the power to be made the sons of God and heirs of Heaven. "As many as recieve Him, He gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in His name." (John 1, 12)
As far as the doctrines of the Church, I'd be happy to discuss the biblical basis for any questions you have.
We believe that Jesus founded "the Church" and leads it. I believe this, scripture points it out. I believe that Jesus Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist as He said in the Holy Bible, in all 4 Gospels, and Christ is present in every Catholic Church around the world. Our Church has what is called 'Perpetual Adoration' in which there is always someone at the Church in front of Christ, 24 hours a day. I recieve Christ in Holy Communion, how could I love Jesus any more than I can through the Catholic Church? After all, it is through the priests that Christ becomes present in the Blessed Sacrament.
Peace be with you.
Now, the next question, if you don't mind. The Bible does not really provide a "definition" of grace, but in all the places it is mentioned, there is always implied that it is favor, acceptance, or blessing of God that is provided entirely without merit or deserving, and entirely because of God's mercy, kindness, and "graciousness."
In the Catholic religion there are many things which are proscribed as being "means" to grace. But if grace is wholly unmerited, and there is nothing man can do to get it, how can there be a "means" to grace?
A "means" to grace would make it something that is purchased by certain religious acts or rituals, but of course that would not be grace, would it?
Hank
"By good works performed in the state of grace we merit:
a) An increase in sanctifying grace. In the parable of the Talents Jesus says: "To every one that hath shall be given, and he shall abound" (Matt 25)
b) Eternal salvation: "Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in Heaven." (Matt 5)
C)An increase in the glory in heaven. "Every man shall recieve his own reward according to his own labor" (1 Cor. 3,8)
d)The actual graces necessary to preserve sanctifying grace. "Ask and you shall recieve."
In the Sermon on the Mount Christ demands good works from His followers: the eight Beatitudes, Forgiveness of injuries, chastity in thought, word, and deed, almsgiving, fasting, prayer with right intention. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount Christ expressly declares; "Not every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doth the will of My Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." He cursed the barren fig tree and condemned the servant who had buried his talent. St. James is but echoing the words of his Divine Master when he says: "Even as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." (2,26)
In prayer we offer up our mind to God, by fasting our body; by almsgiving our earthly possessions: by prayer we combat pride; by fasting, sensuality; by almsgiving, avarice-the three great enemies of our souls.
"God has become our debtor not as though He has recieved something from us, but because He has promised what pleased Him. It is a different thing when we say to a man, 'You are my debtor because I have given you something,' and when we say to God, 'Give us what Thou hast promised, for we have done what Thou didst command!'
Becky
God did not just use men to write the Bible. He inspired them to write what they did. And he inspired them to write 1 John 5:17. Check it out:)
Becky
Church in the NT means a called out assembly. It has nothing to do with the building. It is the people. God's people. Christ is present in the form of the Holy Spirit in every believer. He is not locked up in the church building.
Becky
Anybody else heard this? Just find it interesting...
I have recently learned about "invincible ignorance" that the catholic church has come up with. This salvation for the Jews may be along that order. It goes like this. Any one who believes in any thing that the catholic church teaches then becomes part of the catholic church. For example, I am a fundalmental bible believer, and reject most of the catholic teachings. But since I do believe I am saved by Jesus Christ, and the chruch teaches that, that makes me a member of the catholic church. I have been assimulated into the catholic church:) IOW's
Becky
Becky
The seven sacraments are:(1)Baptism (2) Confirmation (laying on of hands) (3) Holy Eucharist (4) Penance (confession) (5) Extreme Unction (last rites) (6) Holy Orders (7) Matrimony
The name of good works is given to such voluntary actions on the part of man as are in conformity with the will of God, are performed for the love of God, and consequently will be rewarded by God. The good works most pleasing to God are these: Prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Even the most trifling works are pleasing to God if they are done with the intention of promoting His glory.
Virtue consists in proficiency in the practice of good works and the tendency of the will towards what is good, resulting frm persevering excercise.
That is just touching on the subjects, I haven't even scratched the surface. There is much to read and learn. I haven't even brought any scripture passages in for their support, but they are numerous.
My 1 John 5. 17 says "True, all wrongdoing is sin, but not all sin is deadly." I'm not sure I understand what you are saying.
Becky
God was present in the Temple, Jesus is present, Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity in the Tabernacle of every Catholic Church, under the sacramental veil.
Personally, I need the Trinity -- God, Holy Spirit, and Christ.
Becky
Becky
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