Salvation | Man’s Work
In the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, the idea has developed that there is an “associate partnership” between God and man. According to this notion, God and man are working together to accomplish that individual’s salvation. The Catholic person is taught that with God’s help, his or her efforts in “being good” have merit in the eyes of God and contribute to the righteousness required by God for salvation. This teaching is contrary to Bible. It covers with confusion the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The work required of God for the salvation of souls was entirely and solely fulfilled by the God-man Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus death has become our justification, His perfect and sinless life it is the basis of all true believers salvation. To teach that a partnership exist with man and God in which man by his obedience to “the Law of God” can merit his salvation is absurd. In other words, if you are trying to live by a strict set of rules in order to merit salvation, you are in essence saying that the perfect, sinless and obedient life of Jesus Christ is of no effect. The Apostle Paul states, “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:21
The Catechism Says:
Under the general heading “Grace and Justification” the Catholic Church states:
#2025. “We can have merit in God’s sight only because of God’s free plan to associate man with the work of his grace. Merit is to be ascribed in the first place to the grace of God, and secondly to man’s collaboration. Man’s merit is due to God.”
The Bible Says:
Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Titus 3:5. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.
The Catechism Says:
#1521 “Suffering, a consequence of original sin, acquires a new meaning; it becomes a participation in the saving work of Jesus.”
The Bible Says:
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.
The Catechism Says:
#618 “The cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ, the ‘one mediator between God and men.’ But because in his incarnate divine person he has in some way united himself to every man, ‘the possibility of being made partners, in a way known to God, in the paschal mystery’ is offered to all man.
The Bible Says:
Job 9:20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
This Catholic teaching of “being made partners” with God in Christ’s sacrifice is irreverent and utterly perverse. There is no Scriptural basis to the concept of being made partners with Christ in His sacrifice. His sacrifice was that of His own free will, He gave himself to be crucified for the sins of His people. God finally and fully accepted His sacrifice for complete remission of all the sins of all His people (Hebrews Chapter 10). To suggest anything other is an utter lie because it denies the repeated statements of God’s truth found throughout the Bible. The work of redemption is “by Himself”, “without the deeds of the law”, “not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Hebrews 1:3, Romans 3:28, Ephesians 2:8-9).
God has promised to be a Father to true believers, that they shall be His sons and His daughters. This is the greatest honor possible to mankind. How ungrateful a thing, then, must it be if those to whom this dignity and privilege is explained should degrade themselves by attempting to add their own merit to His all sufficient sacrifice. Christ Jesus has promised that “all that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37 Trust on Him alone.