Agreed upon wage....

In the previous message, I said we would look at this idea in more detail.  I was breaking down Dr. Mizzi's lesson on grace to highlight his errors which are derived from Reformed doctrine.  The words in blue are an excerpt from " "Mama, What is Grace?" 


The illustration is clear. The salary that I receive at the end of the month is not given to me as a favour. I have every right to the remuneration for which I had laboured. The employer is indebted to me; he owes me the payment.

In response, I said:

Very good.  Now, lets see what Scripture says about the laborer and the agreed upon amount:

Matthew 20

 ¹For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
 ²And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Notice that the Lord had agreed upon a wage with the first group of labourers.  

So?  Is St. Paul contradicting Jesus?  I say no.  But lets keep studying.

Ok, lets do that now. (edit: I may not have been clear before.  The point which Dr. Mizzi is making, which is in line with Catholic Teaching, is that "grace" is a gift of God.  The Catholic Church agrees, but also accepts that there are strings attached to certain gifts.  And that the gift of salvation is one of those.  I'm not addressing either of those two concepts below, however.)

Why do I ask whether St. Paul is contradicting Jesus?  Because St. Paul said:

Romans 4:4

King James Version (KJV)

 ⁴Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.


In other words, if a labourer contracts for a job, then he is paid the agreed upon wage.  That is not a free gift, the labourer worked for that wage.


So, then, what is the agreed upon wage which Jesus is talking about?  It is the oath which God made in the Old Testament:The point which Mizzi is making and St. Paul also, is that grace is "free".
Joshua 24:15

King James Version (KJV)

 ¹⁵And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

 ¹⁶And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
 ¹⁷For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
 ¹⁸And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.
 ¹⁹And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
 ²⁰If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
 ²¹And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.witnesses. ²²And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are  ²³Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
 ²⁴And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

On that day, the Jews agreed to obey God.  For His part, God promised to save those who obey Him:

Deuteronomy 5:10
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

So, what then is the free gift of grace of which St. Paul speaks?  I believe it is the gift of Sanctifying Grace which is given us in everyone of the Sacraments.

In the Sacraments, we don't labour, we simply believe God's promises and accept His gift of grace.  The Sacraments are an outcome of the Crucifixion.  Jesus was going to establish them whether we agreed upon them or not.  Those of us who obey Him, have the right to receive them.  In so doing, we become members of the Heavenly Jerusalem and mingle with the Saints:

Hebrews 12:23

King James Version (KJV)

 ²³To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Anyway, that's what I think.

Let me know your comments.

Sincerely,

De Maria