Friday, December 30, 2011

Maintaining Salvation

File:McVey wide skyscraper.jpg
In a recent article in the CARM anti-Catholicism forum, Matt Slick challenged Catholics to comment upon his understanding of the Catholic faith saying:
Here are some articles I've just written. I'll continue to polish them based on feedback.Catholicism is bankrupt!
The following are his comments in blue and my response in black.

Maintaining Salvation, Part 2 of 3
According to Roman Catholicism, after receiving initial justification in baptism,

Initial justification is not taught by the Catholic Church.  Conversion is the closest thing to "initial justification".  Baptism is the perfection of the process of justification which begins at conversion:

TRENT 6 CHAPTER V
THE NECESSITY OF PREPARATION FOR JUSTIFICATION IN ADULTS, AND WHENCE IT PROCEEDS
It is furthermore declared that in adults the beginning of that justification must proceed from the predisposing grace of God through Jesus Christ, that is, from His vocation, whereby, without any merits on their part, they are called; ….

9 The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, effecting justification in accordance with Jesus' proclamation at the beginning of the Gospel: "Repent, for the ... 

which removes original sin, grace is also infused into a person (Catechism of the Catholic Church, herein referred to as CCC, par. 1999).

Correct.  In Baptism, the work of God, the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Spirit, God Himself washes us of all sin.

However, with each sin a person commits after baptism, there is a loss of justifying grace.  The more a person sins, the more grace he loses.  Venial sins (lesser sins), result in incremental losses of this grace, but mortal sins (greater sins), bring an instantaneous loss of all grace -- if a person dies after committing mortal sin, he goes to hell.  In order to replace the grace that was lost, he must participate in the sacraments (mainly penance) administered by a properly ordained priest  the Roman Catholic Church.  This regaining of grace enables him to do good works and keep himself in a state of justification before God.  This is how the Roman Catholic maintains his salvation.

We call it "state of grace" but there is very little difference.

The infused grace must be maintained through a series of sacraments.
Infused grace: “The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism,” (CCC 1999)
Infused grace: "Sanctifying grace is the gratuitous gift of his life that God makes to us; it is infused by the Holy Spirit into the soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it," (CCC 2023)
Sacraments necessary for salvation: “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation,” (CCC, par. 1129).
Obtaining grace: "The principal ways of obtaining grace are prayer and the sacraments, especially the holy Eucharist," (The New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism, No. 2, Answer to Question 117).
As you can see, grace is infused into a person via the sacraments.  This is necessary in order to regain the justifying grace if lost so that a sufficient level of justifying grace can be maintained which enables the person to remain justified.  Penance is one of the main sacraments used to maintain a person's salvation. 

What is important is that being right with God is not by faith alone but by faith and penance.

Your characterization is correct.  Scripture teaches that it is not by faith alone that we are justified.  But only the doers of the law are made just by God:
Romans 2:13
King James Version (KJV)
 13(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Penance necessary for salvation: "And this sacrament of Penance is, for those who have fallen after baptism, necessary unto salvation," (Council of Trent, Session 14, Chapter 2)
Regain justification through penance:  "As regards those who, by sin, have fallen from the received grace of Justification, they may be again justified, when, God exciting them, through the sacrament of Penance they shall have attained to the recovery, by the merit of Christ, of the grace lost: for this manner of Justification is of the fallen the reparation: which the holy Fathers have aptly called a second plank after the shipwreck of grace lost," (Council of Trent, Session 6, Decree on Justification, Chapter 14)
Regaining justification is not by faith alone:  "If any one saith, that he, who has fallen after baptism, is not able by the grace of God to rise again; or, that he is able indeed to recover the justice which he has lost, but by faith alone without the sacrament of Penance, contrary to what the holy Roman and universal Church-instructed by Christ and his Apostles-has hitherto professed, observed, and taught; let him be anathema," (Council of Trent, On Justification, Canon 29).

Penance is necessary for salvation, for the regaining of justifying grace which cannot be regained by faith alone.

That is true.  As noted, Scripture rejects the idea of justification by faith only:
James 2:24
King James Version (KJV)
 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
in Christ's work alone.

Scripture also teaches that those who have faith in the work of Christ, will likewise, follow in His footsteps:
1 Peter 2:21
King James Version (KJV)
 21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
Scripture does not teach that we are to sit on our laurels proclaiming our faith alone.

Because of this, Catholicism teaches that good works are necessary in order to persevere so as to maintain sufficient grace so as to remain saved.

That is in Scripture:
Romans 2:7
King James Version (KJV)
 7To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Grace of final perseverance: “The children of our holy mother the Church rightly hope for the grace of final perseverance and the recompense of God their Father for the good works accomplished with his grace in communion with Jesus,” (CCC 2016).
Persevering in the faith, keeping commandments, and participating in the sacraments are all part of the salvation process.  This is why salvation is never guaranteed in Catholicism for the average Catholic.  It can't be because it depends on a person's faithfulness and effort.  In Romanism, infused grace is necessary because it produces good works which in turn are necessary for maintaining one's salvation.

That is all true as is spoken in Scripture:
Revelation 22:14
King James Version (KJV)
 14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
"The specific precepts of the natural law, because their observance, demanded by the Creator, is necessary for salvation,” (CCC 2010).
“The Decalogue contains a privileged expression of the natural law. It is made known to us by divine revelation and by human reason,” (CCC 2080).
"...the Second Vatican Council confirms: 'The bishops, successors of the apostles, receive from the Lord . . . the mission of teaching all peoples, and of preaching the Gospel to every creature, so that all men may attain salvation through faith, Baptism and the observance of the Commandments,'" (CCC, par 2068).

All that is correct and in accordance with Scripture.  It is written:
Revelation 22:12
King James Version (KJV)
 12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Two Kinds of Sin:  Venial and Mortal
There are two main kinds of sin in Roman Catholicism:  Venial and Mortal.  Since venial sins don't forfeit salvation but mortal sins do, we'll discuss venial sins in this article and mortal sins in the article Regaining Salvation in Roman Catholicism
Venial Sins are such sins as drunkenness, lying about something trivial, etc. Venial sin is a lesser sin against the Law of God committed accidentally and/or without full consent of the will.  Venial sins do not damn a person.  But, they result in the loss of some justifying grace.  If enough venial sin is committed it can lead to mortal sin and the loss of sanctifying grace (salvation).  So, venial sins can be repaired and grace can be regained through the sacraments - mentioned above.  Let's take a look.

Mortal sin can also be repaired.

Venial sin is sin without complete knowledge:  “One commits venial sin when, in a less serious matter, he does not observe the standard prescribed by the moral law, or when he disobeys the moral law in a grave matter, but without full knowledge or without complete consent," (CCC, par. 1862).
Venial sin does not remove sanctifying grace: “However venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God's grace it is humanly reparable. "Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness," (CCC, par. 1863).
The Eucharist forgives venial sins:  "Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicant's union with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins. Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the bonds of charity between the communicant and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ," (CCC 1416).
Perfect contrition remits venial sins:  "When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called "perfect" (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible," (CCC 1452).
Penance restores to us God's grace: "The whole power of the sacrament of Penance consists in restoring us to God's grace and joining us with him in an intimate friendship." Reconciliation with God is thus the purpose and effect of this sacrament," (CCC 1468).
Regain justification through penance:  "The spiritual effects of the sacrament of Penance are: reconciliation with God by which the penitent recovers grace," (CCC 1496).
We can see that in the process of maintaining one's salvation, participation in the Eucharist (CCC 1416), having proper contrition (CCC 1452), and participating in penance (CCC 1468, 1496) are means by which the proper level of sanctifying grace is maintained so that salvation is not lost.

All that which you posted from the Catechism is true.  

Biblical Response
As is the case in the first of the three related articles (Attaining Salvation in Roman Catholicism), the response is the same.  Therefore, I've reproduced the biblical response here….

If that is the case, I've already responded to it in my previous post.

Sincerely,

De Maria

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