Salvation rests in God

HW:How I feel sorry for you if you think salvation rests in following the commandments.

Salvation rests in God. God only saves those who keep the Commandments.

Revelation 22:14

King James Version (KJV)
¹⁴ Blessed 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.

If that were true then Jesus' death is useless.

I don't know why that should be so? Jesus Himself comanded it:

John 14:21

King James Version (KJV)
²¹ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

And the Apostles taught it:
1 John 2:2-4

King James Version (KJV)
² And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
³ And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
⁴ He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Who needs a savior when all you need is to keep the commandments?!

Do you think it simple to keep the Commandments? Try doing it without the grace which Jesus gave us through His sacrifice on Calvary.

It is precisely because of the fact that the Commandments are so hard to keep by our own efforts that the Protestants abandoned them.

But we are taught that when we keep the Commandments it is not we who work but God who works through us and to bring His plan into fruition:
Philippians 2:11-13

King James Version (KJV)
¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
¹² Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
¹³ For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Who can keep the commandments perfectly other than Jesus Christ?

He who has faith in God.

Matthew 19:26

King James Version (KJV)
²⁶ But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Scripture tells us if you keep them all and break one you are breaking all of the commandments.

That is true.

All these laws, these commandments, are to show how broken we are. We can't be saved by keeping the commandments because no one other than God is perfect enough to keep them.

That is not from Scripture. You are merely reading into Scripture your tradition of men.

Luke 1:6

King James Version (KJV)
⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Your problem is you think that we believe that once we become Christian we can do anything we want and we will be okay.

Not true. I've known many Protestants who actually understand they have to amend their ways. But I've known some who don't.

That is a big misconception many Catholics have.

The misconception you have is that you believe all Protestants understand that doctrine the same way.

The commandments do not save.

Who said they did? The Protestant misconception on this is that Catholic's teach that the Commandments save anyone. That is not true.

Only Jesus Christ saves.

Here's the difference between Protestant and Catholic.

We believe Jesus saves those who obey Him:
Hebrews 5:9

King James Version (KJV)
⁹ And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

We believe Jesus saves those who love and provide for their fellow man:
Matthew 25:31-46

King James Version (KJV)
³¹ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:....
⁴⁰ And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.....
⁴⁵ Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
⁴⁶ And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.


Revelation 22:12-15

King James Version (KJV)
¹² And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
¹³ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
¹⁴ Blessed 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.
¹⁵ For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Whereas you believe those who merely proclaim faith in Christ will be saved:
Matthew 7:21

King James Version (KJV)
²¹ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 10:38

King James Version (KJV)
³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

However, when we follow Jesus Christ, we will want to be obedient to Him.

That is the essence of the Catholic Teaching.

The problem is we are still imperfect human beings who will continue to fall. The good news is that we have this awesome God who forgives us and lifts us back up, and get this...actually forgets our sin, when we humbly come to Him and ask Him to forgive us.

Yeah. In the Sacraments. 

I sincerely hope, for your soul, that one day His Word will penetrate your heart.

I hope the same for you.

"For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Have you not read in Scripture what it says about Abraham?

Genesis 26:5

King James Version (KJV)
⁵ Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Abraham's faith was not dead. He was of a strong faith which led him to obey God from the moment he heard Him:
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

The Law does not justify us. But God does not justify those who do not keep the Law.
Romans 2

King James Version (KJV)
1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
² But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
³ And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
⁴ Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
⁵ But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
⁶ Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
⁷ To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
⁸ But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
⁹ Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
¹⁰ But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
¹¹ For there is no respect of persons with God.
¹² For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
¹³ (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.


Sincerely,

De Maria