Why isn't Jesus suffering and death enough? How can a sinful person complete work that the sinless Son of God did, or didn't do? If what Jesus did wasn't enough, how can puny man's sinful and corrupt additions make any difference?
If one adds anything to the finished work of Christ on the cross, it tells two things. First is that Jesus and what He did wasn't good enough on its own to save mankind, and the other is that what one is really trusting in for one's salvation is the thing that one added to Jesus.
If what Jesus did wasn't enough, how can puny man's sinful and corrupt additions make any difference? If one adds anything to the finished work of Christ on the cross, it tells two things. First is that Jesus and what He did wasn't good enough on its own to save mankind, and the other is that what one is really trusting in for one's salvation is the thing that one added to Jesus.I like "puny" as a definitive word. Of course man's suffering, faith & works, hope, fasting, prayer, and so on, is small considering the largeness of Christ. But, so what? Any deed done with pure Love, is a deed done for Christ. Parents like when their children do nice things for them without being prodded to do so. So does Jesus.
And what THAT statement shows is a failure to deal with Colossians 1:24 and its implications AND a misunderstanding of what Paul means when he talks about being "in Christ."
He says, (Gal 2:20) "nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me:"
Real people in real life cannot go around all the time, "now I'm going to go read my office and pray the rosary, yet not I, but Christ lives in me."
You all think when we talk about "another Christ" that we're saying something unscriptural, and when we talk about good works, we're talking about something we did, or Mary did, or Dominic did.
So, who did the good works that Paul did? Answer: "nevertheless I .. yet not I but Christ."
We say it and say it. But you all go and find every place that we say it and discount it, or say we don't mean it, or say that that is not what Mrs Irene Concetta McGilliguddy down the street says and she's been poisoning the neighbors cats and going to Mass every morning at 3;30 AM everyday since her poor, dear husband (heaving a sigh of relief) passed from this life.
Sister Mary Sadistica didn't say that to the first graders, and spent most of her time trying to persuade the 13 year old girls not to wear patent leather shoes and the 13 year old boys that even to THINK about bare, nekkid ladies was going to to send them to hell.
You know what's truly stupid? Going to Sister Mary Sadistica or Mrs. McGilliguddy for theological depth. THAT's what's stupid.
YOU'RE the ones who rely on men. Me, if a priest says it, I 'trust but verify.' If I say it, I trust but verify.
But YOU guys ..., "Father Jack Daniels Drinklotski said such and such, so that's how I know what Catholics teach."