“JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ACCORDING TO ROME”
are as follows.
The
correct answers to be a
Christian:
1(a);
2(a); 3(a); 4(b); 5(a); 6(b);
7(b); 8(a); 9(a); 10(a). Now read on -
Christians are surprised that Rome agrees that
salvation is by grace alone (Rom 3:24, 28; 4:5; 11:6; Gal 2:16-19,20-21;
Eph
2:8-10; Titus 3:5-8) and how feely Catholic authors quote the Bible.
Christian,
be warned – IT IS A DIFFERENT SORT OF GRACE!!!
The Canons of the Council of Trent in 1547 declared
“If anyone says that man can be justified before God
by his own works, whether done by his own natural powers or through the
teaching of the law, without divine grace through Jesus Christ, let him
be
anathema.” Furthermore, “If
anyone says that without the predisposing inspiration of the Holy
Ghost, and
without his help, man can believe, hope, love or be repentant as he
ought, so
that the grace of justification may be bestowed on him, let him be
anathema.”
Q:
What is justification?
A:
It is a grace which makes us friends with God
Q:
Can a sinner merit this justifying
grace?
A:
No, he cannot; because all the good works which a sinner performs
whilst he is
in a state of mortal sin, are dead works which have no merit sufficient
to
justify.
Q:
Is it an article of the Catholic
faith, that the sinner in mortal sin, cannot merit the grace of
justification?
A:
Yes; it is decreed in the seventh chapter of the sixth session of the
Council
of Trent, that neither faith, nor good works, preceding justification,
can
merit the grace of justification.
Q:
How then is the sinner justified?
A:
He
is justified gratuitously by the pure mercy of God, not on account of
his own
or any human merit, but purely through the merits of Jesus Christ; for
Jesus
Christ is our only mediator of redemption, who alone, by his passion
and death,
has reconciled us to his Father.
Q:
Why then do Christians charge with
believing, that the sinner can merit the remission of his sins?
A:
Their ignorance of the Catholic doctrine is the cause of this, as well
as many
other false charges.
Those
who imagine that Roman Catholic theologians teach a bald righteousness
by man’s
own works, are not prepared to recognize the doctrine of the
mystery of
iniquity. Rome believes justification is God’s renovating act WITHIN
man. Without the regenerating act of the Holy Spirit within man, Rome
declares
that sinners can never be justified. In Rome’s Douay Version the
footnote on
Romans 3 and 4 reads:
“The
justification of which St Paul here speaks is the INFUSION of
sanctifying
grace which alone renders a person supernaturally pleasing in the
sight of
God. But justification, that is an infusion of sanctifying grace cannot
be
merited by us, it is an entirely gratuitous gift of God.”
Rome’s
doctrine of justification is accurately presented as follows:
1.
Justification
is the internal renovation
and renewing of man
2.
Justification
comes by an infusion of
God’s grace of what the Holy Spirit has done in man
3.
Justification
means that man himself is made
just and pleasing to God within his own person.
In
common language, God’s grace acting within a vile and wicked
sinner
changes him into a person that pleases God. The devout Catholic says “I
cannot
save myself, but by faith I can receive God’s transforming grace that
will
change my heart, and by his grace within my heart I will be
acceptable
in God’s sight.”
The issue central to the Reformation of the sixteenth century was that of Justification by faith. “Should the doctrine of justification be lost, then all is lost.” (Martin Luther)
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