@@po18guy I see you are a “half empty” type of bloke🙄 I however, am consoled by Christ’s promise that where evil abounds, God’s grace abounds all the more.
@@po18guy I cannot disagree with your last comment. As I am just out of confession, my confidence and faith in our loving Lord remains unbroken, even though I am a repetitive sinner. Jesus’ Sacred Heart will always prevail against the devil, who after all is His creation. May you and your loved ones enjoy a blessed Christmastide!
@@OzCrusader weird that Christ could not protect it from the idolatry error, the blasphemy error and having another God in place of the real God...maybe that's not His church
@@mrfuzzy2954 You are lying. The complete ten commandments are in the Catechism. You would know this if you did some non bias research. Lying and bearing false witness. Grave sins you committed there.
dude not a single protestant is saying that 🤦🏻♂️ also the demons believe that Jesus exists but Christuans surrender their lives to God. There is only one kind of faith that is saving and this kind of faith is producing the fruits of the spirit automatically THROUGH the power of the holy spirit within you. Nothing to boast from your side. Nobody says just believe Jesus existed and keep sinning 😂
@@mrfuzzy2954 Point #1: It's spelled C-A-T-E-C-H-I-S-M. _Catechism._ I hope this helps. The Catholic Church and most Protestant denominations differ slightly in the ordering and numbering of the Ten Commandments. This difference stems from variations in the way the commandments are grouped and interpreted, rather than a reordering or deletion by the Church.
I always refer to Mathew 25:31 I DON'T want to be a Goat I am Catholic, and I pray every day for the Catholics and Protestant to become one again, for I believe that until that is done, the body of Christ is not whole. WE MUST COME TOGETHER AS ONE BODY
As a Catholic, I agree that our faith in the Lord and God can save us, but on a condition that living in faith means doing God's will because if you will say that you have faith but you continue committing acts which are offensive in the eyes of God, yes, you could go to hell, unless you genuinely repent and stop sinning..
Hell is waving at you then....if you really want to be saved, turn back from evil and repent and start loving God genuinely by doing what He pleases...@PaladinOf-888
Great video! New Catholic here, after 49 years as an active Protestant, 35 years of that as an Episcopalian who was taught the importance of the Sacraments in our salvation journey (back when the Episcopal Church taught such things). At 10:35 you quoted Phil 2:13, which says that "God is at work in you both to will and to work God's good pleasure." This has been my go-to promise of God, that He will see me all the way to heaven. I will endure to the end precisely because of Christ's finished work on the cross, which allows me access to the throne room of God and the Sacraments of the Church. Also see Phil 1:6 "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Lastly, see the entire chapter of Hebrews 11, which starts out with the definition of faith, and then goes on to list all the good works that the great OT fathers and mothers did *by faith*. Anglican Bishop and theologian N.T. Wright draws a great deal of fire from his Protestant brothers for referring to faith as *faithfulness* and discussing how we must cooperate with God's grace to get us all the way to that great final hope, which is not actually heaven, but the bodily Resurrection. One Catholic brother simplified it for me, "Faith without works is dead. Works without faith are also dead."
, faith alone, without love (charity) , is nothing: "and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." 1 Cor. 13:2
@@DouglasBeaumontThat’s great. I do like charts. Personally am helped and not just as a starting point, but a guide to refer to as time passes, while I am hopefully learning, passes.
A quote states, " A text taken out of context is usually a pretext toward error. " How true. How often this occurs with our protestant brothers and sisters, so let us stand ready to give an answer for the hope we have, but do it with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3 : 15. God bless. Viva Christo Rey.
And then there's you shall not worship other gods, you shall not worship the dead. That the Bible calls these things an abomination. That Jesus stated all peoples age holy/saints. You can confess all you want to men, but unless repentance, the change in the heart, is evident, God rejects the confession. Baptism means to submerge in water. How many adults are baptized? Sprinkling on something called holy water is a dedication and not baptism. Would you worship like Jesus did on earth? Go to a black protestant church. Jesus rocks. That's what life is like when baptized in the Holy Spirit. Love to you and prosperous New Year.
Then why is it that Catholics always take their favorite verse from James out of it's context? Can anyone see the words "show" in verse 18? The context is about showing your faith. I t is not a great exposition of how to be saved which James has already spoken his peace on in ch.1, the chapter that Catholics fail to read. And James says in ch.1:18 "Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth", (no works, no baptism) and v.21 " receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls". That is his statement on salvation and not ch.2 please.
@@Jerome-72 , this is what Protestants fail to read to understand the Catholic position: " And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." 1 Cor. 13:2. Protestants have changed a gift (love of God. Rom. 5:5) into a work. Jesus wants us to love everyone so He gave us His Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:4-11. Faith alone ( belief of the truth) cannot save: " God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through SANCTIFICATION of the Spirit and belief of the truth" 2 Thess. 2:13. To accept Jesus is an act of love. Abraham's obedient faith saves:" Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Rom. 6:16. Protestants don't realize that the blood of Christ sanctifies/justifies us. There is not justification apart from sanctification.
@@Jerome-72 I was forced to attend a catholic school in the 1st grade. The nun stood over us with a yardstick forcing us to obey what the church states. The major reason people leave the catholic churches is because they read the Bible for themselves.
@@Jerome-72 I’m not Catholic (Protestant) but I will say this. Galatians 5:6 states that faith works itself out in love. The “good works” prepared for us per Ephesians 2:10 are works out of love, and this is why faith, hope and love are so linked in 1 Corinthians. We have grace through faith, but the purpose of that faith is to produce good works, and with the rest of the NT, this is clearly about walking and living in love of God and of others. Compare this with John 15, and the entire book of 1 John, and you will see that there is no issue whatsoever. James 2:8 talks about the “royal law of love”, and it is these works out of love that James 2 talks about. It isn’t the works of the Judaism’s that Paul wrote against in Galatians, but true and good works out of love by grace through faith. Also, what does James 1:18 have to with works of baptism? Doesn’t chapter 2 say that those same people have been baptised into “that glorious name”? If anything, what about James 1:27? The theme of the Bible is consistent from Old to New (look at Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Micah 6:8). This is why Jesus could say to “keep the commandments and live”, yet everlasting life can only come through Jesus, because Jesus is God become man, so only He could break the curse of sin by His passion and resurrection, and give us the grace to walk in a way that glorifies Him. Yet, our justification is not by our merit, but by His grace through faith, as it is only by Gods grace that we can truly let our faith work out in love, per Galatians 5:6. Again, read Romans, Galatians and 1 John (the whole books) with this mindset and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Works of human merit through the Old Covenant cannot save us, but our faith in Jesus Christ must work itself out in godly and true love. Those are the works referred to in James 2. I’m firmly Protestant but I have no problem acknowledging this and praying for God to help me apply this to my life.
Martin Luther was a former Catholic priest who rebelled the church and established Protestantism which doctrines of Sola scriptura and Sola fide are all HALF TRUTH. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, STAND FIRM and HOLD to the TRADITIONS that you were TAUGHT by us, either by our SPOKEN WORD or by our LETTER. James 2: 24 You see that a person is JUSTIFIED by WORKS and NOT BY FAITH ALONE.
Jesus asked if you would follow him. To know what that means you need to look at his sermon on the mount where he outlines a Christian life. Anyone who is obedient to God will live like this. This is what destroys protestantism.
Doug, Thank you so much. Your work is detailed yet easy to understand and is complete. The Catholic Church in a very risky way opened its doors wide open after Vatican II to allow all to see again the fullness of the faith. During the reformation, after much fighting the Church closed its doors allowing those that disagreed to go their way with their own erroneous beliefs. Honest protestants and poor catechized Catholics are being made aware again by people like you of the One Holy Catholic (universal) Church created by Jesus and sustained by the blood and sweat of the apostles and its successors. Again welcome home. May our Lord Jesus continue to guide your study and enlighten you with His everlasting wisdom. Keep it up.
As a retired pastor in an evangelical Wesleyan Denomination (Free Methodist), I find little to disagree with in your video. A few thoughts: 1) There is no salvation absent repentance. It is impossible to receive Jesus as Savior and reject Him as Lord. True, biblical faith always produces repentance. When working "in the trenches" I frequently asked seekers, "Who can run your life better, you or Jesus?" Most of the time, they readily agreed that Jesus could - and we saw people gloriously saved from addiction and dysfunction. I never preached or taught that salvation could be obtained without repentance. 2) True saving faith always produces a DESIRE to do right. The new saved person may very well sin, but they will likely not enjoy it. 3) While a person can indeed receive Christ and be forgiven of all sin, at that moment they must repent. If they get hit by a bus ten minutes later, God knows their heart. No repentance, no salvation. IMHO, these are not merely Catholic teachings, they are core Biblical teachings - and in practice, many who, like myself, would say that we are saved by faith alone, believe that repentance is so closely tied to saving faith as to be an inspirable part of it. As a Wesleyan, I am sure you know that we differ with many of our evangelical brothers and sisters on this issue. We also have a different take (and a higher view) of church tradition, the Fathers, etc. Thanks for a great video. As your friend Frank Turek has said, "As evangelicals, we have infinitely more in common with conservative Catholics than liberal protestants."
I have not seen you before today. Since I am very elderly, am happy to listen to your talks. Thanks! I have learned a lot from Ascension Press Bible Studies. Do listen to others like you. You do not contradict what I have learned, but add to it wonderfully.
Hey this was really good (because this issue or quote is continually thrown at Catholics - or is it only me?). I especially like the illustrations with the arrows, pointing how different or seemingly contradictory verses, are actually talking about different angles. Because - one can get into flood of words that get lost, but those arrows make it clearer. Also the past, present, future in coloured table format. Or maybe I just like visual aids!
I want to add some more verses to your wonderful work. John 3:16 Romans 3:26-28 Romans 6:23 Romans 11:6 (Ephesians 2:4-10) already mentioned by you Titus 3:4-7 In James 2:17-26, the relationship between faith and works is discussed. These verses emphasize that true faith naturally leads to good works. Faith without works is considered "dead" because genuine faith is manifested through actions and engagement in righteousness. This doesn't imply that our works justify us before God for salvation, but they are an outcome of a living and genuine faith. 🙏🏼 God bless you
@Theirabomber, "and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." 1 Cor. 13:2 The relationship between true faith (Christian faith) and really good works (works of God) is charity. Chjristian faith is an act of love on our part, which is initiated by God's grace. " For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" Mt 12:37
By ignorance we perrish. By our fruits we are known. To correct is an act of mercy. Thank you for your good works, literaly. You are being light and salt of these end of times.
Thanks, Douglas; this is a great talk. I found it interesting that the Council of Trent Declartion says neither faith nor works "merit the grace of justification". My understanding then, is that it's incorrect to say we're saved BY faith - rather, we're saved THROUGH faith (as per Eph 2:8-9). For if we're saved by faith (or by faith and works), it is no longer by grace.
It depends on the context. As much as I'd like to strictly apply Aristotelian categories to the biblical writers, they did not write that way. :) Further, they were working with a pop-level language that did not have the kind of theological precision we might want at the time (especially since they were working with new ideas). So I wouldn't get too up tight about "by" vs. "through" as such.
Douglas, it seems to me you are trying to have it both ways. First you say that protestants' doctrine is destroyed by James 2:24 when we say works are not involve in the act of saving us. Now you are saying works do not save us (and your description just prior to minute 6:42 is very well done (for what ever it's worth, I couldn't have said it better)). Remember, before speaking of 'works' in 9 and 10 of Eph 2, Paul speaks of salvation, grace and faith as a package deal, with the Grace of God alone being that which saves.
Good explanation. I grew up in a Wesleyan holiness tradition that actually teaches a definite particular work of grace, called entire sanctification to kick off what you call progressive justification, but it emphasizes more a heart transformation than a life transformation, again an act of God in response to faith, though lifestyle flowing out of this infusion of Holy Spirit love does manifest in loving works. I think at the root of Protestant argument is to put and keep the emphasis on God's action and to keep away from the nagging question of "am I good enough to be saved" and also historically the questions about what good works are the scriptural ones, and who gets to decide. The stereotype of Catholics is they are morbidly uncertain about their salvation given that good works seem to be presented as part of the equation that requires human effort from grace, though you are attempting to correct that in your explanation. But is that what the common Catholic understands? I don't know. What is officially taught and commonly understood are not always the same. The conversation then splinters into Cavinism and Arminianism in the Protestant world. Like many arguments, if everyone would ask less about what is being said and more why it is being said, maybe we could find common ground, maybe even THE common ground.
Man, grammatically and sintactically, I don’t need the word “alone or only” to be present in Ephesians 2:8, to make the case for the Sola FIDE. It is enough to ask how many means or instrumental phrases do we have modifying the periphrastical verb construction “have been saved”, the result is just “by faith” that is a circunstancial complement of means. So the word faith is alone, nothing else we have in the phrase. So it is valid and correct to say not only here, but in Rm 5:1 that salvation or justification has only a single means or instrument that causes the result of the main verb that is have been saved or the participle having being justified in Rm 5:1. On the other hand in case of James 2:24, “alone” is not modifying the word faith itself as in the phrase “only faith or faith alone from Latin Sola FIDE”, but it modified the passive faith. However, that verb is justified is present resulting in a gnomic idea, and a continuous act of declaration on God’s part as agent. But the “have been saved that is also passive, is also a perfect present. It mean that the action is being saved occurred already in the past (something Catholicism doesn’t believe as a fact) and also the resultative state or effect of that action is that of remaining saved permanently, breaking the idea of intermittent progression as in Catholicism. In addition, the context of James it is not talking about initial salvific faith as in Ephesians and Rm 5:1, but the orthodox doctrinal faith that should lead to praxis or works to be justified not before God, but before men. The context proves my case when it says: you believe Hod is one, also the demons believe and tremble. You see, believing an essential doctrine like the unicity of God (in essence or nature) it is not sufficient without practice. Demons cannot be saved, cannot do good works, however they can believe orthodox essential doctrines. But producing works derived from doctrinal demands is not possible for them, but is it for us? Yes. That is why in the same context, in James 2:14 (I believe) it says will be faith able to save him? Question save whom? The brother in need or the brother to provide? So save here just means saved from whatever need or lack a brother is facing or going through. That is explained for a variant that has it in plural and many Bibles do translates it “save them.” It is how I see it form a syntactic, contextual and grammatical point of view. Another problem is that works according to Trent Council in James is not seen as cuasal, but increasing something is already had. But is it that that James state? No, but Trent rereads and reinterprets the passage by changing is justified by a reading of increased in justification or in active way increases in justification. It is actually problematic. What do you think?
Doug, a problem which you bring into the light, and likely an issue to both sides, is our laziness and satisfaction with being "loaded with several bullets" which we have not examined for their actual function. We don't know what happens when we pull the trigger, whether we have loaded them backwards (and they will blow up), or whether the other side has armor, or that maybe our training was bad. I suspect that on both sides teachers have never truly thought things through themselves and are sure for no real reason, or are just easily satisfied. I hope that you are serving a good purpose concerning this problem . Interestingly, I listened to a Catholic on You Tube recently explaining faith and faith as related to works. I then listened to three well known Reformed men, and all four men said almost the identical explanations. I was humored by this as the Reformed are so proud of being different. But through "lordship salvationism" they have rejected their sola fide position, but they are not bright enough to recognize this. I hope that you are familiar with this lordship-ism. The soteriological implications of that position are immense. They need to be shown that, as looking in the mirror.
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.(2Thes 2:15) Oral tradition held the same weight as the written Word in the Early Church, so much for scripture alone
James 2:18 “Shew me thy faith without thy works; and I will shew thee my faith by my works” . The meaning of this verse is not saying your works save you. What it’s saying is that if you have real faith then works will show it. Ref with . Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:5, Acts 16:31,Rom 3:28;4:5;5:1, Gal 2:26;3:24, Ephesians 1:13,Philippians 3:9.
Mt. 5:20 "unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Mt. 7:21 "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Mt. 25: 41-43 "Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me." Lk. 3:8 "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance." Lk. 9:23 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 13:3 “unless you repent you will all likewise perish” Jn. 6:53-54 "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life" Jn. 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments."
If you could be saved by grace and favour alone, why didn't the Saints Peter, Paul, Stephen et al just sit at home with some nice wine, good food and a smug smile, rather than working hard and suffering terribly for their faith? Also many thanks for a very helpful overview!
@@UB7362 If a master gives his servants talents and they bury them in the ground rather than using them, what do you suppose the master will do when he returns?
I've been a good boy, but my father when he comes home from work and find that I didn't do anything in the house when he was gone, he gets mad at me. It's like saying that I'm not a bad person but I didn't do anything good either.
I wonder if Protestants consider the fact that early Christians were persecuted and that many, including Paul, were in prison, and thus could not do ANY good works apart from praying? Christians of that era were like the good thief beside Jesus on the brink of death and could do no work. Perhaps they needed reassurance that their lack of works won't be detrimental to their salvation. It was enough that they believe in Jesus despite their pitiful situation. But what if you could do something but didn't? What did Jesus say? " ~"Whatever you do or did not do for the least of My brothers, you do or did not do for Me!"
It could take more than that to destroy Catholicism.. Catholicism is fully integrated to the vision of Jesus and the Gospel. Just to say "I believe" and live detached from the gospel values is utter folly
The (one of them anyway) situation for me and many other Protestants, is that while many protestant churches say the same thing you are, nevertheless, in the ones I have grown up in, they would say that you are not rightly dividing the scriptures. They would say that the synoptic Gospels, most of the first part of Acts, and most of the last part of Revelation are geared towards the Jews, while the rest of the NT is towards the Gentiles. I know that the RCC will say, What! We've had it wrong since the days of the Apostles?! Well, maybe yes, maybe no. They DO make sense, and it DOES clear up a lot of issues and between the various books of the NT. Two Gospels, for two different groups, for two different Kingdoms, and dispensations. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter and James were preaching the kingdom of God, Paul was preaching the kingdom of Heaven, and if they're correct, as stated explains a lot of things. Believe in Jesus as Christ for salvation and the Kingdom of God, and believe in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected for salvation by grace through faith, for the Kingdom of Heaven. YMMV. Anyway, I'm glad you guys are putting out good quality and informative videos, I can't say that I agree with all of them, but sometimes they are very enlightening. Grace and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 🙏✝️👑🙏
Question: I was waiting to hear it addressed, the Apostle Paul in Romans 4, particularly verse 5 - “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,…” followed closely by Romans 5:1-2 - “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. …”. How does this fit in to the discussion in this video?
Go to the channel “How to be Christian”. They have a series on Romans there. Absolutely fantastic. And they analyze much more of Protestant agenda thoroughly. God bless!
@@masterchief8179Protestant agenda?? Of what…. Actually believing and valuing the Bible. The only agenda I see is the Popes agenda to turn Christianity into a woke, one world religion with no Gospel.
@@masterchief8179 Thank you for the direction, Master Chief. I did go there and may yet start weeding through all the videos, most of which are between 30 and 55 minutes in length. Still, you at least gave me a definite starting point. Most folks, PERHAPS “fellow believers,” when responding about these sorts of things, will just tell me to “google it,” and THAT is a NON-starter for me. (In a “former life,” I had to verify a potential author’s sources, and if I could not, or they had none listed, the potential product would not be released. Conversely, the faster and more easily I could find their source material and verify their input, the faster their work could get published.)
@Ahuntrgw2013, "his faith is counted as righteousness" refers to Abraham's obedient loving faith: " " though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:.." Rom. 4:11. " For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." Gal. 5:6. Protestants conflate Luther/Calvin's faith and Abraham's obedient, full of love, faith. Faith without love is nothing ( 1 Cor. 13:2)
It has been baffling to me how anyone could take Ephesians to teach Faith Alone, its obvious that this teaching is being read into the bible by Protestants. St. Chrysostom has a great homily on that, he believes that scripture is easily understood to teach Catholicism, except by those who are blinded by hetesy
“Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of WORKS? No, but by the law of FAITH. For we hold that one is justified by faith APART from works of the law.” -Romans 3 : 27-28 (Emphasis added)
Jesus had three favorites of the 12 apostles: John, James, and Simon Peter. Therefore, I will choose James over Martin Luther. Luther appointed himself as the arbiter of truth and removed parts of Holy Scripture that did not agree with him; talk about Pride and arrogance adding the word "alone".
As another comment mentioned, I don’t see a necessity for Paul to say “faith alone” in Eph. 2:8-9 and the fact that he doesn’t is not a refutation in my opinion. “For by Grace you have been Saved through Faith” -By what are we saved: Grace. -Through what mechanism: Faith. If someone were to read that passage they would conclude exactly what it says: By grace we are saved through Faith. I believe that is crystal clear and so Paul doesn’t need to add “Alone”. However, he does add something anyways. He adds that it is “Not a result of works” that it is a Gift. Using a similar logic to yours that the word “Alone” not being present means this refutes Salvation by Faith alone. I would ask why do no Bible translations of this verse refer to us as “being saved” or in a ‘state’ of being saved but not yet fully/finally. In fact every translation I’ve seen has “you have been saved” “you are saved” which implies a present possession of a past occurring transformation (salvation). Anyway, I am Protestant (for now anyways) so I understand the Soteriological differences between Protestants and Catholics don’t all boil down to one verse but I would appreciate your thoughts.
As I said in the video, the reason it is important that Paul did not use the word alone is that James DID. The Protestant claim that Catholicism is unbiblical when it teaches exactly what James says when Protestants have no verse that teaches what they say SHOULD be a huge issue. But it isn't because Protestants are just as dependent on their tradition as Catholics. ;)
The most important part of Christianity is believing God sent Jesus to suffer and die for us so sins could be forgiven. Believe, repent, and accept free gift of salvation. That's it and other so-called "Christians" who say this and that about we Catholics miss the point.
This is the most unbiased take I have seen so far on this subject. I don't know why we even have this argument. Protestants can't genuinely believe that simply believing in God without doing His Will (to follow his commandments) will save you. Jesus gave so many examples that contradict that; but most Protestants serious about their Faith believe that Faith implies what Catholics call "works".
Catholics view salvation as a _process_ rather than a one-time _event._ Therefore, when asked by a street preacher, "Are you saved?" a Catholic should respond biblically by affirming: "I have been saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved." Here are scripture verses supporting this view: “I have been saved" (Initial Justification) "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) "I am being saved" (Ongoing or Progressive Justification or Sanctification): "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18) "I hope to be saved" (Final Justification / Future Salvation / Glorification): "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”(Romans 5:9) +++ The Catholic Church does not teach that initial justification is by works. However, ongoing justification or sanctification is by works, and there is no verse in scripture which contradicts this.
Doug, at 12:40 minutes you state "noone teaches that initial salvation is by works". Going along with salv./ Just. being as though synonymous, what then is James 2:21,24, and 25 saying? "Justified by works" three times. What tense of salv/just then is James referring to?
Honest question. What would be the point of Paul constantly talking about initial justification to already baptized believers? The entire new testament is written for the church, and Pauls letters are written to baptized, believing Christians. So if everytime Paul mentions justification by faith, what good is it? They're already initially justified, shouldn't his letters just be about good works and penance? Especially Galatians, Paul spends most of the letter scolding the Galatians for adding circumcision. Then goes on about justification by faith apart from works. Why? That point is past. Seems redundant. Shouldn't he just direct them to the sacraments and penances?
This is actually a good question, thank you! First, I disagree that Paul is "constantly" talking about initial justification. The verses that most often come under scrutiny between Catholics and Protestants may make it seem that way - but that's because it's generally those verses whose subject Protestants confuse with others. For example, in the book of Romans has been widely understood to take one through the process of salvation - and where do the vast majority of Protestant proof texts come from? The earlier portions of Romans. :) I had no trouble finding an equal number of verses for all three phases (see douglasbeaumont.com/2023/12/22/does-ephesians-28-9-teach-salvation-by-faith-alone/). Second, we need to remember that St. Paul was a travelling evangelist planting churches in a social context that had zero exposure to Christianity and at a time when only one Church council had ruled on a potential error (Acts 15). It is not at all surprising that many of his letters (many of which were prompted by mistakes that had to be corrected) were aimed at people not losing their salvation by failing to remember what they were initially taught. It might even be considered surprising that that is not ALL he did!
In Mt 16:13-19, Jesus who is God divinely founded his church to spread and preserve his teachings. The bible is inspired, holy and sacred. Jesus gave only his authority, power and commandment to teach, preach and interpret the inspired word to his church, the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church received the teachings of Jesus and transmit to all generation. Non Catholics do not have the truth so they resort to private interpretation. Result, 45,000 denominations. The Holy Spirit guides and protects the Catholic church but not non Catholics because they are sinners and self centered. How can a sinner interpret accurately the bible that is inspired? Impossible. Only the Catholic Church. I am a Catholic forever.
@@DouglasBeaumont Thank you. Your use of Aristotelian metaphysics to explain the full meaning of Ephesians 2:8-10 is the hammer that hits the nail on the head. The Council of Trent likewise used Aristotelian language in its Decree on Justification. We can better understand how justification and sanctification relate to each other in Paul's theology by examining the metaphysics of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. For our viewers, he postulated that all created things exist on the principle of four causes: efficient, material, formal, and final. Our concern lies with formal causality since the Council of Trent defined sanctification as “the single formal cause (causa formalis) of justification” in the instrumental application of our redemption: “… the single formal cause is the justice of God, not that by which He Himself is just, but that by which He makes us just, that, namely, with which we being endowed by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our mind” (Decree on Justification: Chapter 7). Yes, our justification is a process whose purpose is to free us from all guilt in our relationship with God and whose end is our predestination for glory. Without its principal determinant - the essence of sanctity - the process of justification could not accomplish its purpose and achieve its end. Unless our righteousness (not Christ’s alien righteousness imputed to us) surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:20).
You said, "It is partially by good works that we increase our justification and head toward final justification." Here is part of the disagreement, because Protestants believe that good works cannot increase our justification. Catholics say justification must be infused into the person to a point where he contains enough merit in himself to be worthy of eternal life with God, right? Protestants see from Romans 4 that justification is imputed (tallied to our account) by God, in His grace, through faith. (Justification and righteousness are more or less equivalent terms.) Rom 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. Rom 4:5 And *to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,* Rom 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: Rom 4:7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Rom 4:8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.” Rom 4:20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, Rom 4:21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Rom 4:22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” Rom 4:23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, Rom 4:24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, Rom 4:25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Add this scripture to the mix: 2Co 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. To be counted as righteous (justified) by God is to have God bestow His own perfect, spotless righteousness to our account. Jesus, who knew no sin, was accounted sinful ("made sin") for us when He bore our sins (and the penalty for them) on the cross. In a divine exchange, God has chosen to account His righteousness to all who trust in Jesus' sacrifice for their sins as the fully efficacious, fully complete propitiation for those sins. Jesus took our sin-guilt so that we could receive His righteousness. How does God dispense grace unto righteousness and eternal life? Through faith. Just as Jesus' sacrifice is once-for-all, likewise our justification is once-for-all when we come to faith in Him. This is why there is no such distinction as between "initial" and "final" justification; there is just justification, period. Further sanctification may be infused through works done by the leading and enablement of the Holy Spirit, but sanctification is not salvific because saving grace is received in a once-and-done event through faith. (Baptism is expected to follow as an act of obedience, but baptism is not the instrumental means through which God dispenses saving grace, contrary to Catholic doctrine.) The continuing Christian life includes works, but no one cooperates perfectly with the indwelling Holy Spirit in producing the good works He wants us to do. And this is the Catholic dilemma: the Catholic can never know when he has done enough works to sufficiently increase his justification, whereas the Protestant knows he can never do enough and therefore he throws himself on God's mercy by trusting in Christ. That is why, when I ask the average Catholic on the street what one must do to be justified before God, his answer almost always will be something to the effect of, "Be a good person," or "Do good works;" the typical Catholic has *a works mentality* that negates the grace of God and subconsciously places the Catholic under the law. In contrast, the typical Protestant will respond, "Believe in Jesus." Protestants are taught to regard most highly the foundational truth of salvation by grace through faith, but Catholics tend to regard their reception of Sacraments and their good works as the most important elements of their salvation, with faith in Jesus "bringing up the rear." Our faith in Jesus is counted (imputed) as righteousness (justification) because Jesus became sin for us. Since Rom. 4:5 specifically excludes works as a means of receiving this gift of righteousness, we can conclude that nothing can supplement faith in this transaction. Besides faith and works, what else is there? Nothing. Therefore, by process of elimination, it is by faith only (or faith alone) that we are justified. Even though the phrase does not appear as such in Scripture, the concept is present. Merry Christmas. 😊
It's nit a dilemma that Catholics don't follow Protestant theology. As I showed in the video, the Church's hisotirc view fits the scriptural data just fine if you don't start with Protestant errors.
@@DouglasBeaumont You mean, it fits if you ignore Romans 4. That's what you did in the video, and that's what you are still doing. Is the letter to the Romans a "Protestant error" now? 😂
We must examine all of the Scriptures in order to properly understand what Paul is specifically teaching. Paul is not speaking against the Law - God forbid he says. He is simply stating a fact that we have been saved (redeemed) by the precious blood of our Savior - not because anything we did - so that "no man can boast". Paul is saying to every believer, get it out of your head that you have "been good" and therefore you have been chosen and saved. No. We have been saved by the grace of our Lord. This ALSO does not means that the Law is done-away with - this is contrary to Scripture and anyone who believes this must read these Bible verses. Also, remember that "faith without works is dead". [see 1 John 2:4, 1 John 5:2-3, John 14:15, Luke 6:46, 1John 3:4, John 8:11, Matt 5:48, Matt 22:36-38, Mark 12:28-30, Luke 10:25-27, 2 Peter 3:16-18, Rev 12:17, Rev 14:12] "Sin" is the transgression of the Law. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, "Go, and sin no more". In other words, "Go, and keep the Law". We need to properly understand what Paul is saying, and what he is not saying as well.
Man you are good ! 👍👍👍 I am Protestant and I do believe that when you become a believer you are to do works . If you have Christ in your heart you have a desire to do works.
@7:45 To the protestant, but wouldn't initial justification involve complete sanctification if that justification is to be transformative? How can you have progressive sanctification come out of something that is non-sanctifying? See what I mean? @13:56 A declaration without a transformation is a fiction. It is God who puts the amazing in grace! It is God who is the celestial physician and He heals the person who is actually lacking (original sin) and sick (venial and mortal sin). He doesn't just call or declare us healed which would be a righteousness of the pharicee.
Works are not the cause of salvation but only the fruit of salvation. James is dealing with the person who claims to believe but has no works that proves he believes. Salvation=faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone. See John 3:16, Romans 5:1, 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Timothy 1:9-10, Titus 3:5-7
Jeremiah 17:5- Trust in God, not in human beings * Better to obey God than men. * The evil doers will only find themselves fighting against God.. * We are in the greatest spiritual warfare and destitution in all of human history. This is a God vs. evil war to the death worldwide. *Our daily Godliness and prayerfulness are a matter of life and death from now on. * The cowardly and diabolical abandonment of exorcisms, spiritua warfare, deliverances, St. Michael prayers, and Godly Holy Spirit infilling has caused all the troubles of the world, past and present
It is entirely true that the one verse in the Bible that contains the exact phrase “faith alone” seems to argue against salvation by faith alone. James 2:24 reads, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (ESV). However, rejecting the doctrine of salvation by faith alone based on this verse has two major problems. First, the context of James 2:24 is not arguing against the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Second, the Bible does not need to contain the precise phrase “faith alone” in order to clearly teach salvation by faith alone. James 2:14-26, as a whole, and especially verse 24, has been the subject of some confused interpretations. The passage definitely seems to cause serious problems for the “salvation by faith alone” concept. First, we need to clear up a misconception, namely, that James means the same thing by “justified” in James 2:24 that Paul means in Romans 3:28. Paul is using the word justified to mean “declared righteous by God.” Paul is speaking of God’s legal declaration of us as righteous as Christ’s righteousness is applied to our account. James is using the word justified to mean “being demonstrated and proved.” The 2011 NIV provides an excellent rendering of James 2:24: “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone” (emphasis added). Similarly, the NLT translation of James 2:24 reads, “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone” (emphasis added). The entire James 2:14-26 passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works (cf. Ephesians 2:10). The works are the demonstration and proof of faith (James 2:18). A faith without works is useless (James 2:20) and dead (James 2:17); in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone. (Above excerpt from GotQuestions.org)
The fact that this view is best expressed by an amateur website, a Bible paraphrase, and a translation with objective protestant bias should be a signal. In any case, thus understanding of James doesn't threaten Cathokic theology - at best it just doesn't threaten Protestant theology (I think Luther knew better though.)
But the logic uniting Paul and James is a one-way condition. Where St. Paul says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast," it is, like James, clear. The rational principle from James defines what kind of faith is real. What kind of faith is it that saves (the gift of which is the means of the grace that alone saves)? The kind attended by works, just as explained here. The remainder of that Eph. passage as presented here explains exactly how Protestant theology sees Pauline justification. And no, as a Protestant, I don't think James isn't talking about justification. He certainly is. He and Paul must agree and they do. And we, Catholics and Protestants, are indeed exceedingly close on this point, not as divergent as it's commonly made out to be (though the point is well made that Protestants don't generally know any of this, nor do they all adhere to this way of seeing things-however, Catholics don't commonly have the catechesis to understand the implications either). In the end, how is the Catholic position not comparatively merely a rich theological explanation of "Christians" walking away from the faith? In any case, Orange's definitions are very helpful to me for clarification of the early early views.
The problem is, neither side teaches salvation by works, so this verse doesn't help or hurt either view. Once faith is defined as including works, then sure Catholics are on board. But this is precisely what many Protestants deny.
Thank you kindly for this explanation, but the problem is still purgatory and Mary worship, not even mentioning all the monstrosities of the previous popes and the present one, who is supposed to be St.Peter in flesh. 😢 The RC deviated many times from the original Orthodox Church and therefore from the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Purgatory refers to final cleansing of souls before entering into God's presence. Our souls are not pure and perfect because we have sin of commission and omission. Now, if you believe in sanctification to be a process, when do final sanctification takes place for a believer? Is it at the born again event or at the moment of death or after death?
I never thought about the verses of "faith alone" as the initial salvation. That makes sense. Now, what constitutes "works"? Tie works with physical action!
Not necessarily - a willed act doesn't have to result in physical movement (some may not be able to, ibn fact). Prayer can be thought only, as another example.
You need to look at Matthew 25:31-46 this part of the chapter is titled the sheep and the goats read what Jesus says. And look at what Jesus says what to do. Jesus gives direct examples. Jesus also gives an explanation of what will happen if you don't do. This is what Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Look at what he says in verse 10. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Excellent - whenever, I listen to Protestant v Catholic teaching, I always realise that the teaching of the catholic church is simply the true faith - 2000 years of understanding and remembering Our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be surpassed by a priest who wanted to have an affair with a consecrated nun. Why would anyone ignore the first 1500 years of Christian teaching by brilliant minds, the apostles, Church Father and holy Saints ❤who were willing to die for the truth. and agree with a guy who founded his belief on rebellion - sin. This goes for the Anglican as well as the Lutheran church. These men were prideful and did not want to follow the 10 commandments. No truth comes out of sin. I doubt neither Luther nor Henry VIII would have been willing to sacrifice their lives for Jesus Christ if they could not even sacrifice their chastity for him.
It's likely referring to the end-times apostasy when the faith of many will grow cold and they will abandon the faith, even betraying and hating one another. (Confer Mt. 24:4-14; Lk 17:22-37) St. Paul describes a "mass apostasy" before the Second Coming, which will be led by the "son of perdition," the "Man of Lawlessness," the "adversary who exalts himself above every so-called god proposed for worship." This "lawless one" is part of the work of Satan, and with power, signs, wonders and seductions will bring to ruin those who have turned from the truth. However, "the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth and annihilate him by manifesting His own presence." (Cf. 2 Thes 2:3-12) The Catechism affirms, "God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the last judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world" (www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/second-coming-of-the-lord--the-last-judgment-926)
Good thing Catholics aren't pelagian. Protestants believe in faith alone. Catholics don't believe in works alone. The whole point of works is God's grace anyway
All worldly religions are based on works. Satan makes sure of that. He even changes his bibles from “saved” to “being saved”. And Satan created purgatory. How do your works/faith get you saved from purgatory based on yourself? Or is your salvation from purgatory based on the actions of others? Blessings to all
Very interesting. But I do celebrate also those of the Protestant faith. We are all on the same team, we have to face those who are trying now to destroy all of Christianity.
To me the real question is how is works defined? Is it “works” as in labor? Helping around the church, helping the poor, etc? Or is works synonymous with fruit? Fruit being that you live your life so others can see Christ in you?
That is a good question and if Luther had answered it correctly we might have avoided this whole mess. Do a study on St. Paul and "works of the law" and see what you fjnd.
I think you could simplify the claim by focusing on 2v9, "not of works so that nobody may boast". Why do works here not save? Let's do a substitution and see: "by grace you have been saved by faith and not by good works"... Why would good works not save? There's really no explanation why, so we can safely say "works" here don't mean "good works". Protestantism absolutely believes that good works save us, so they mentally insert a false qualification saying that Paul is actually saying the problem is our works aren't actually good (so we must run to faith instead). Paul never says our works are tainted by sin. In fact, for Protestantism the very concept on Imputation is that Jesus did the lifetime of good works in our place and credited that to us such that God looks at us as if we had lived a lifetime of good works. So Protestants technically hold to works alone, ultimately. So if the "works" here in 2v9 plainly can't be good works, then that leaves only two options: sinful works or neutral works. Doing the substitution again: "by grace you have been saved by faith and not by evil/tainted works so that nobody may boast" ... Why would someone boast that their sinful or tainted works saved them? That's plainly not feasible, so the "works" here in 2v9 must be some third category: neutral works. Well if this refers to works like running, jumping, fishing, camping, playing guitar, then that's clearly irrelevant to the discussion, so it can't be merely neutral works. The only feasible reading that you are literally forced to conclude is that these are "works of the law" like kosher eating. This not only makes the verse intelligible, it fits the context (2v11-12ff which is ignored by everyone) and the rest of Paul's Epistles. Paul in fact connects "boasting" to works of the law elsewhere, like Romans 3. If someone truly does good works and got saved, then of course they could rightly boast, so there's no reason why Paul would want to prevent boasting in itself. However, boasting is bad when you're doing it to elevate yourself above others, which is what works of the law did by saying the jews were a superior race, hence the "dividing wall of hostility" in 2v14 where Gentiles were excluded from the covenant. Protestantism thinks the "boasting" here is someone bragging BEFORE GOD that they lived a perfect life and didn't need Jesus nor faith to be saved. That's a silly and outrageous reading. Even the Jews didn't consider themselves sinless, so nobody was ever thinking about "saving themselves" and bragging before God that they didn't need Him to get into heaven. In reality, most boasting comes from people who didn't earn what they have, such as a rich kid who shows off his fancy car that he didn't earn. This is the real boasting that Paul is concerned about. The Jews were bragging that they were born into a privileged position and the Gentiles were not, and the works of the law testified to this superior birth status. In this way, the Jews held to grace alone because they were just born with the silver spoon in their mouth and their using of the silver spoon was their way of bragging that they were already rich. It is ironic that Protestantism claims to care about the Bible, yet Ephesians 2 is literally one paragraph or 4 sentences long, yet broken up into 20 "verses". Since when do you claim to take someone seriously when you only read 1-2 sentences of their work but ignore the complete paragraph? To ignore v11 onward is to intentionally refuse to hear what someone is saying, and here Paul is clearly saying the Gentiles are no longer aliens from the covenant blessings because the works of the law excluding them are now obsolete. These works of the law aren't bad, nor are they "good" in the sense of loving one another, they are something between. Paul never saw Baptism as a work and nobody was boasting that getting baptized was saving themselves nor was apart from grace. Nobody is saying "not by grace filled works" so that nobody may boast, as if people actually thought grace filled works allowed for boasting. Grace filled works are just as much a gift as grace filled faith. If grace filled gift of works allow boasting then so would grace filled gift of faith, thus Paul's argument would be incoherent no matter how the Protestant tries to frame it. The only coherent reading is "works of the law" (different from "good works").
You can't receive grace unless you have faith. Therefore, we are saved by faith. Good works come through this gift of faith because if you truly believe, you will want to do the work. It's a natural outcome of faith. It's the same with love. If you truly love someone, you will want to work for that person's well-being. It doesn't matter if it's Catholic or Protestant. We are each called to do different things, and it's important to stay on our own path. Each person's relationship with God is unique and personal. God relates to us in the same way a parent relates to each of their children. Each child is different even though they come from the same parents and have the same upbringing. I asked my mother once why the other kids got more attention than me. She said, "I go where I'm most needed." I interact with each of my children differently without favoritism because they are quite different from each other. If you're called to be a Catholic, then that's your path, but that's not everybody's path.
The gates of hell shall not prevail against my Church
Amen
@@po18guy
However, Christ’s promise remains, that He protects His Catholic Church from falling into error.
@@po18guy
I see you are a “half empty” type of bloke🙄 I however, am consoled by Christ’s promise that where evil abounds, God’s grace abounds all the more.
@@po18guy
I cannot disagree with your last comment. As I am just out of confession, my confidence and faith in our loving Lord remains unbroken, even though I am a repetitive sinner. Jesus’ Sacred Heart will always prevail against the devil, who after all is His creation. May you and your loved ones enjoy a blessed Christmastide!
@@OzCrusader weird that Christ could not protect it from the idolatry error, the blasphemy error and having another God in place of the real God...maybe that's not His church
Never heard of your channel, came here ready to battle, I was humbled, thank you for your work Look forward to your videos!
Great job Douglas!! Keep on contending for the One Holy Catholic & Apostolic Church
John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments...."
Simply believing is not enough.
Then why did the Cataclysm take out the fourth commandment and split the third commandment into two commandments?
@@mrfuzzy2954 You are lying. The complete ten commandments are in the Catechism. You would know this if you did some non bias research. Lying and bearing false witness. Grave sins you committed there.
dude not a single protestant is saying that 🤦🏻♂️ also the demons believe that Jesus exists but Christuans surrender their lives to God. There is only one kind of faith that is saving and this kind of faith is producing the fruits of the spirit automatically THROUGH the power of the holy spirit within you. Nothing to boast from your side. Nobody says just believe Jesus existed and keep sinning 😂
@@mrfuzzy2954 we didn't take anything out of the Ten Commandments, ya dud. Lol. What are you on about?
@@mrfuzzy2954 Point #1: It's spelled C-A-T-E-C-H-I-S-M. _Catechism._ I hope this helps.
The Catholic Church and most Protestant denominations differ slightly in the ordering and numbering of the Ten Commandments. This difference stems from variations in the way the commandments are grouped and interpreted, rather than a reordering or deletion by the Church.
Excellent presentation Douglas! I pray you and your family enjoy a blessed commemoration of the Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour🙏
Thank you kindly, and the same to you and yours!
@@DouglasBeaumontThere's No Such Thing As Destroying Catholicism They Have Always Been The Dominant Church Since Pentecost
I always refer to Mathew 25:31
I DON'T want to be a Goat
I am Catholic, and I pray every day for the Catholics and Protestant to become one again, for I believe that until that is done, the body of Christ is not whole. WE MUST COME TOGETHER AS ONE BODY
As a Catholic, I agree that our faith in the Lord and God can save us, but on a condition that living in faith means doing God's will because if you will say that you have faith but you continue committing acts which are offensive in the eyes of God, yes, you could go to hell, unless you genuinely repent and stop sinning..
We have confession, that is 7 sacraments because we are humans. We make mistakes.
per fidem spem et caritatem.
By Faith hope and love.
Hell is waving at you then....if you really want to be saved, turn back from evil and repent and start loving God genuinely by doing what He pleases...@PaladinOf-888
@DixieCrusader-X- Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.
Matthew 15:11
If one keeps sinning the same sin, did he ever really love Jesus?
Great video! Thanks and Merry Christmas or should I say Merry Christ’s Mass!
Yes! Thank you!
I love that!!! ❣️
Great video! New Catholic here, after 49 years as an active Protestant, 35 years of that as an Episcopalian who was taught the importance of the Sacraments in our salvation journey (back when the Episcopal Church taught such things). At 10:35 you quoted Phil 2:13, which says that "God is at work in you both to will and to work God's good pleasure." This has been my go-to promise of God, that He will see me all the way to heaven. I will endure to the end precisely because of Christ's finished work on the cross, which allows me access to the throne room of God and the Sacraments of the Church. Also see Phil 1:6 "And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." Lastly, see the entire chapter of Hebrews 11, which starts out with the definition of faith, and then goes on to list all the good works that the great OT fathers and mothers did *by faith*. Anglican Bishop and theologian N.T. Wright draws a great deal of fire from his Protestant brothers for referring to faith as *faithfulness* and discussing how we must cooperate with God's grace to get us all the way to that great final hope, which is not actually heaven, but the bodily Resurrection. One Catholic brother simplified it for me, "Faith without works is dead. Works without faith are also dead."
But faith works and religion wars,
Faith lives religion binds
, faith alone, without love (charity) , is nothing: "and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." 1 Cor. 13:2
Any chance you can make public the 'justification chart' with the Bible verses that point to the stages of justification?
Yeah I can put it on the corresponding webpage soon. Good idea!
@@DouglasBeaumontThat’s great. I do like charts. Personally am helped and not just as a starting point, but a guide to refer to as time passes, while I am hopefully learning, passes.
I was looking for your JUSTIFICATION chart. Did I miss it?
Thorough as always. Really appreciate the way you presented this. Thanks and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Same to you!
Eye opening, profound. Thank you Sir!
Very welcome!
One Eternal Catholic Church, 40 odd thousand Protestant churches and more to come.
Great video and Merry Christmas!
A quote states, " A text taken out of context is usually a pretext toward error. " How true. How often this occurs with our protestant brothers and sisters, so let us stand ready to give an answer for the hope we have, but do it with gentleness and respect. 1 Peter 3 : 15. God bless. Viva Christo Rey.
And then there's you shall not worship other gods, you shall not worship the dead. That the Bible calls these things an abomination. That Jesus stated all peoples age holy/saints. You can confess all you want to men, but unless repentance, the change in the heart, is evident, God rejects the confession. Baptism means to submerge in water. How many adults are baptized? Sprinkling on something called holy water is a dedication and not baptism. Would you worship like Jesus did on earth? Go to a black protestant church. Jesus rocks. That's what life is like when baptized in the Holy Spirit. Love to you and prosperous New Year.
Then why is it that Catholics always take their favorite verse from James out of it's context? Can anyone see the words "show" in verse 18? The context is about showing your faith. I t is not a great exposition of how to be saved which James has already spoken his peace on in ch.1, the chapter that Catholics fail to read. And James says in ch.1:18 "Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth", (no works, no baptism) and v.21 " receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls". That is his statement on salvation and not ch.2 please.
@@Jerome-72 , this is what Protestants fail to read to understand the Catholic position: " And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." 1 Cor. 13:2. Protestants have changed a gift (love of God. Rom. 5:5) into a work. Jesus wants us to love everyone so He gave us His Spirit. 2 Cor. 3:4-11. Faith alone ( belief of the truth) cannot save: " God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through SANCTIFICATION of the Spirit and belief of the truth" 2 Thess. 2:13. To accept Jesus is an act of love. Abraham's obedient faith saves:" Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Rom. 6:16. Protestants don't realize that the blood of Christ sanctifies/justifies us. There is not justification apart from sanctification.
@@Jerome-72 I was forced to attend a catholic school in the 1st grade. The nun stood over us with a yardstick forcing us to obey what the church states. The major reason people leave the catholic churches is because they read the Bible for themselves.
@@Jerome-72 I’m not Catholic (Protestant) but I will say this. Galatians 5:6 states that faith works itself out in love. The “good works” prepared for us per Ephesians 2:10 are works out of love, and this is why faith, hope and love are so linked in 1 Corinthians. We have grace through faith, but the purpose of that faith is to produce good works, and with the rest of the NT, this is clearly about walking and living in love of God and of others. Compare this with John 15, and the entire book of 1 John, and you will see that there is no issue whatsoever. James 2:8 talks about the “royal law of love”, and it is these works out of love that James 2 talks about. It isn’t the works of the Judaism’s that Paul wrote against in Galatians, but true and good works out of love by grace through faith.
Also, what does James 1:18 have to with works of baptism? Doesn’t chapter 2 say that those same people have been baptised into “that glorious name”? If anything, what about James 1:27? The theme of the Bible is consistent from Old to New (look at Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Micah 6:8). This is why Jesus could say to “keep the commandments and live”, yet everlasting life can only come through Jesus, because Jesus is God become man, so only He could break the curse of sin by His passion and resurrection, and give us the grace to walk in a way that glorifies Him. Yet, our justification is not by our merit, but by His grace through faith, as it is only by Gods grace that we can truly let our faith work out in love, per Galatians 5:6.
Again, read Romans, Galatians and 1 John (the whole books) with this mindset and you’ll see what I’m talking about. Works of human merit through the Old Covenant cannot save us, but our faith in Jesus Christ must work itself out in godly and true love. Those are the works referred to in James 2.
I’m firmly Protestant but I have no problem acknowledging this and praying for God to help me apply this to my life.
Solid teaching brother. Merry Christmas! 🎁🎄
Same to you!
Martin Luther was a former Catholic priest who rebelled the church and established Protestantism which doctrines of Sola scriptura and Sola fide are all HALF TRUTH. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers, STAND FIRM and HOLD to the TRADITIONS that you were TAUGHT by us, either by our SPOKEN WORD or by our LETTER. James 2: 24 You see that a person is JUSTIFIED by WORKS and NOT BY FAITH ALONE.
Nice explanation. Merry Christmas!
Thanks, you too!
Very good explanation. Clear and logical. 🙏🏻
Glad it was helpful!
Jesus asked if you would follow him. To know what that means you need to look at his sermon on the mount where he outlines a Christian life.
Anyone who is obedient to God will live like this. This is what destroys protestantism.
Yeah He didn't just say, "Affirm the Gospel facts and then do nothing"! :)
Have to love the casual condescension throughout the vid. That *really* makes you look like a fair, trustworthy presenter.
If only I had thought to add sarcasm.
Good information and delivery. Now people will understand why Luther was wanting to remove both James and Revelation with the other he did remove
💯 changing Scripture to fit his ideology. I think that sins up the entire “Reformation.”
The same who say, “faith alone” also say “scripture alone.” Yet scripture doesn’t say salvation is by “faith alone “.
Doug, Thank you so much. Your work is detailed yet easy to understand and is complete. The Catholic Church in a very risky way opened its doors wide open after Vatican II to allow all to see again the fullness of the faith. During the reformation, after much fighting the Church closed its doors allowing those that disagreed to go their way with their own erroneous beliefs. Honest protestants and poor catechized Catholics are being made aware again by people like you of the One Holy Catholic (universal) Church created by Jesus and sustained by the blood and sweat of the apostles and its successors. Again welcome home. May our Lord Jesus continue to guide your study and enlighten you with His everlasting wisdom. Keep it up.
As a retired pastor in an evangelical Wesleyan Denomination (Free Methodist), I find little to disagree with in your video. A few thoughts:
1) There is no salvation absent repentance. It is impossible to receive Jesus as Savior and reject Him as Lord. True, biblical faith always produces repentance. When working "in the trenches" I frequently asked seekers, "Who can run your life better, you or Jesus?" Most of the time, they readily agreed that Jesus could - and we saw people gloriously saved from addiction and dysfunction. I never preached or taught that salvation could be obtained without repentance.
2) True saving faith always produces a DESIRE to do right. The new saved person may very well sin, but they will likely not enjoy it.
3) While a person can indeed receive Christ and be forgiven of all sin, at that moment they must repent. If they get hit by a bus ten minutes later, God knows their heart. No repentance, no salvation.
IMHO, these are not merely Catholic teachings, they are core Biblical teachings - and in practice, many who, like myself, would say that we are saved by faith alone, believe that repentance is so closely tied to saving faith as to be an inspirable part of it.
As a Wesleyan, I am sure you know that we differ with many of our evangelical brothers and sisters on this issue. We also have a different take (and a higher view) of church tradition, the Fathers, etc.
Thanks for a great video. As your friend Frank Turek has said, "As evangelicals, we have infinitely more in common with conservative Catholics than liberal protestants."
Right on!
Amen!
Oh stop it!
Powerfull teaching. Thank you brother. Amen
You are very welcome
I have not seen you before today. Since I am very elderly, am happy to listen to your talks. Thanks! I have learned a lot from Ascension Press Bible Studies. Do listen to others like you. You do not contradict what I have learned, but add to it wonderfully.
I love the presentation, I will keep it in screen shot. Tkuuuu
Hey this was really good (because this issue or quote is continually thrown at Catholics - or is it only me?). I especially like the illustrations with the arrows, pointing how different or seemingly contradictory verses, are actually talking about different angles. Because - one can get into flood of words that get lost, but those arrows make it clearer. Also the past, present, future in coloured table format. Or maybe I just like visual aids!
I get teased all the time for my spreadsheets, thanks for the vindication! :)
Well, to be blunt, nothing can destroy Catholicism.
I want to add some more verses to your wonderful work.
John 3:16
Romans 3:26-28
Romans 6:23
Romans 11:6
(Ephesians 2:4-10) already mentioned by you
Titus 3:4-7
In James 2:17-26, the relationship between faith and works is discussed. These verses emphasize that true faith naturally leads to good works. Faith without works is considered "dead" because genuine faith is manifested through actions and engagement in righteousness. This doesn't imply that our works justify us before God for salvation, but they are an outcome of a living and genuine faith.
🙏🏼 God bless you
Well done.
@@DouglasBeaumont Hebrews 4:12 🙏🏼
@Theirabomber, "and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." 1 Cor. 13:2 The relationship between true faith (Christian faith) and really good works (works of God) is charity. Chjristian faith is an act of love on our part, which is initiated by God's grace. " For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" Mt 12:37
"did a Catholic just quote the bible from memory?!" LOL subscribed .
By ignorance we perrish.
By our fruits we are known.
To correct is an act of mercy.
Thank you for your good works, literaly. You are being light and salt of these end of times.
Thanks, Douglas; this is a great talk.
I found it interesting that the Council of Trent Declartion says neither faith nor works "merit the grace of justification".
My understanding then, is that it's incorrect to say we're saved BY faith - rather, we're saved THROUGH faith (as per Eph 2:8-9). For if we're saved by faith (or by faith and works), it is no longer by grace.
It depends on the context. As much as I'd like to strictly apply Aristotelian categories to the biblical writers, they did not write that way. :) Further, they were working with a pop-level language that did not have the kind of theological precision we might want at the time (especially since they were working with new ideas). So I wouldn't get too up tight about "by" vs. "through" as such.
Great explanation Dr. Beaumont!
Superb!
Douglas, it seems to me you are trying to have it both ways. First you say that protestants' doctrine is destroyed by James 2:24 when we say works are not involve in the act of saving us. Now you are saying works do not save us (and your description just prior to minute 6:42 is very well done (for what ever it's worth, I couldn't have said it better)). Remember, before speaking of 'works' in 9 and 10 of Eph 2, Paul speaks of salvation, grace and faith as a package deal, with the Grace of God alone being that which saves.
Good explanation. I grew up in a Wesleyan holiness tradition that actually teaches a definite particular work of grace, called entire sanctification to kick off what you call progressive justification, but it emphasizes more a heart transformation than a life transformation, again an act of God in response to faith, though lifestyle flowing out of this infusion of Holy Spirit love does manifest in loving works. I think at the root of Protestant argument is to put and keep the emphasis on God's action and to keep away from the nagging question of "am I good enough to be saved" and also historically the questions about what good works are the scriptural ones, and who gets to decide. The stereotype of Catholics is they are morbidly uncertain about their salvation given that good works seem to be presented as part of the equation that requires human effort from grace, though you are attempting to correct that in your explanation. But is that what the common Catholic understands? I don't know. What is officially taught and commonly understood are not always the same. The conversation then splinters into Cavinism and Arminianism in the Protestant world. Like many arguments, if everyone would ask less about what is being said and more why it is being said, maybe we could find common ground, maybe even THE common ground.
Excellent points!
Man, grammatically and sintactically, I don’t need the word “alone or only” to be present in Ephesians 2:8, to make the case for the Sola FIDE. It is enough to ask how many means or instrumental phrases do we have modifying the periphrastical verb construction “have been saved”, the result is just “by faith” that is a circunstancial complement of means. So the word faith is alone, nothing else we have in the phrase. So it is valid and correct to say not only here, but in Rm 5:1 that salvation or justification has only a single means or instrument that causes the result of the main verb that is have been saved or the participle having being justified in Rm 5:1. On the other hand in case of James 2:24, “alone” is not modifying the word faith itself as in the phrase “only faith or faith alone from Latin Sola FIDE”, but it modified the passive faith. However, that verb is justified is present resulting in a gnomic idea, and a continuous act of declaration on God’s part as agent. But the “have been saved that is also passive, is also a perfect present. It mean that the action is being saved occurred already in the past (something Catholicism doesn’t believe as a fact) and also the resultative state or effect of that action is that of remaining saved permanently, breaking the idea of intermittent progression as in Catholicism. In addition, the context of James it is not talking about initial salvific faith as in Ephesians and Rm 5:1, but the orthodox doctrinal faith that should lead to praxis or works to be justified not before God, but before men. The context proves my case when it says: you believe Hod is one, also the demons believe and tremble. You see, believing an essential doctrine like the unicity of God (in essence or nature) it is not sufficient without practice. Demons cannot be saved, cannot do good works, however they can believe orthodox essential doctrines. But producing works derived from doctrinal demands is not possible for them, but is it for us? Yes. That is why in the same context, in James 2:14 (I believe) it says will be faith able to save him? Question save whom? The brother in need or the brother to provide? So save here just means saved from whatever need or lack a brother is facing or going through. That is explained for a variant that has it in plural and many Bibles do translates it “save them.” It is how I see it form a syntactic, contextual and grammatical point of view. Another problem is that works according to Trent Council in James is not seen as cuasal, but increasing something is already had. But is it that that James state? No, but Trent rereads and reinterprets the passage by changing is justified by a reading of increased in justification or in active way increases in justification. It is actually problematic. What do you think?
Waiting for answers!!!
I'm waiting for a comment that doesn't sound like it was written by a broken ChatGPT.
Doug, a problem which you bring into the light, and likely an issue to both sides, is our laziness and satisfaction with being "loaded with several bullets" which we have not examined for their actual function. We don't know what happens when we pull the trigger, whether we have loaded them backwards (and they will blow up), or whether the other side has armor, or that maybe our training was bad. I suspect that on both sides teachers have never truly thought things through themselves and are sure for no real reason, or are just easily satisfied. I hope that you are serving a good purpose concerning this problem . Interestingly, I listened to a Catholic on You Tube recently explaining faith and faith as related to works. I then listened to three well known Reformed men, and all four men said almost the identical explanations. I was humored by this as the Reformed are so proud of being different. But through "lordship salvationism" they have rejected their sola fide position, but they are not bright enough to recognize this. I hope that you are familiar with this lordship-ism. The soteriological implications of that position are immense. They need to be shown that, as looking in the mirror.
Another thing, Jesus talks about the Church in the gospel but never mention about starting a Bible faith alone
Jesus himself was all about doing good for others. So I agree with your summary although I don’t know as much as you about the Bible. God bless you.
Thanks for standing up for the church!
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.(2Thes 2:15) Oral tradition held the same weight as the written Word in the Early Church, so much for scripture alone
James 2:18 “Shew me thy faith without thy works; and I will shew thee my faith by my works” . The meaning of this verse is not saying your works save you. What it’s saying is that if you have real faith then works will show it. Ref with . Ephesians 2:10, Titus 3:5, Acts 16:31,Rom 3:28;4:5;5:1, Gal 2:26;3:24, Ephesians 1:13,Philippians 3:9.
I agree. 😊
Yet it doesn't say that.
Mt. 5:20
"unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Mt. 7:21
"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
Mt. 25: 41-43
"Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me."
Lk. 3:8
"Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."
Lk. 9:23
“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Luke 13:3
“unless you repent you will all likewise perish”
Jn. 6:53-54
"unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life"
Jn. 14:15
"If you love me, keep my commandments."
Excellent excellent.. clear as crystal
If you could be saved by grace and favour alone, why didn't the Saints Peter, Paul, Stephen et al just sit at home with some nice wine, good food and a smug smile, rather than working hard and suffering terribly for their faith?
Also many thanks for a very helpful overview!
@@UB7362 If a master gives his servants talents and they bury them in the ground rather than using them, what do you suppose the master will do when he returns?
Great video Douglas. Thank you very much.
Very welcome
Thank you once again Douglas. God Bless you Sir
I've been a good boy, but my father when he comes home from work and find that I didn't do anything in the house when he was gone, he gets mad at me. It's like saying that I'm not a bad person but I didn't do anything good either.
Almost sounds like a parable.... :)
I wonder if Protestants consider the fact that early Christians were persecuted and that many, including Paul, were in prison, and thus could not do ANY good works apart from praying? Christians of that era were like the good thief beside Jesus on the brink of death and could do no work. Perhaps they needed reassurance that their lack of works won't be detrimental to their salvation. It was enough that they believe in Jesus despite their pitiful situation.
But what if you could do something but didn't? What did Jesus say? "
~"Whatever you do or did not do for the least of My brothers, you do or did not do for Me!"
It could take more than that to destroy Catholicism.. Catholicism is fully integrated to the vision of Jesus and the Gospel.
Just to say "I believe" and live detached from the gospel values is utter folly
Fr Mike Schmitz says we’ll be judged by how we love (works) ❤ Love willing the good of the other as other.
The (one of them anyway) situation for me and many other Protestants, is that while many protestant churches say the same thing you are, nevertheless, in the ones I have grown up in, they would say that you are not rightly dividing the scriptures. They would say that the synoptic Gospels, most of the first part of Acts, and most of the last part of Revelation are geared towards the Jews, while the rest of the NT is towards the Gentiles. I know that the RCC will say, What! We've had it wrong since the days of the Apostles?! Well, maybe yes, maybe no. They DO make sense, and it DOES clear up a lot of issues and between the various books of the NT. Two Gospels, for two different groups, for two different Kingdoms, and dispensations. John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter and James were preaching the kingdom of God, Paul was preaching the kingdom of Heaven, and if they're correct, as stated explains a lot of things. Believe in Jesus as Christ for salvation and the Kingdom of God, and believe in Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected for salvation by grace through faith, for the Kingdom of Heaven. YMMV.
Anyway, I'm glad you guys are putting out good quality and informative videos, I can't say that I agree with all of them, but sometimes they are very enlightening. Grace and peace in our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 🙏✝️👑🙏
this was great, if u dont mind can u make a video debunking Orthodoxy?
You should subscribe and click the notification bell because I just did! :)
I'd love to see you interact with Dr. Gavin Orlund on this and other topics.
I'm a protestant. Thanks for the helpful explanation.
Glad it was helpful!
Question: I was waiting to hear it addressed, the Apostle Paul in Romans 4, particularly verse 5 - “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,…” followed closely by Romans 5:1-2 - “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. …”. How does this fit in to the discussion in this video?
Go to the channel “How to be Christian”. They have a series on Romans there. Absolutely fantastic. And they analyze much more of Protestant agenda thoroughly. God bless!
@@masterchief8179Protestant agenda?? Of what…. Actually believing and valuing the Bible. The only agenda I see is the Popes agenda to turn Christianity into a woke, one world religion with no Gospel.
It's referring to initial justification. This is born out by those verse's position in Romans too. :)
@@masterchief8179 Thank you for the direction, Master Chief. I did go there and may yet start weeding through all the videos, most of which are between 30 and 55 minutes in length. Still, you at least gave me a definite starting point. Most folks, PERHAPS “fellow believers,” when responding about these sorts of things, will just tell me to “google it,” and THAT is a NON-starter for me. (In a “former life,” I had to verify a potential author’s sources, and if I could not, or they had none listed, the potential product would not be released. Conversely, the faster and more easily I could find their source material and verify their input, the faster their work could get published.)
@Ahuntrgw2013, "his faith is counted as righteousness" refers to Abraham's obedient loving faith: " " though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:.." Rom. 4:11. " For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." Gal. 5:6. Protestants conflate Luther/Calvin's faith and Abraham's obedient, full of love, faith. Faith without love is nothing ( 1 Cor. 13:2)
It has been baffling to me how anyone could take Ephesians to teach Faith Alone, its obvious that this teaching is being read into the bible by Protestants.
St. Chrysostom has a great homily on that, he believes that scripture is easily understood to teach Catholicism, except by those who are blinded by hetesy
Let me know the source if you have it!
@@DouglasBeaumont Homily 33 on Acts, its being covered in this video: ruclips.net/video/Ws1n_ViOaYM/видео.htmlsi=DwxFnbIgAe3gu-A9
Great vid, GB
“Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of WORKS? No, but by the law of FAITH. For we hold that one is justified by faith APART from works of the law.”
-Romans 3 : 27-28
(Emphasis added)
Jesus had three favorites of the 12 apostles: John, James, and Simon Peter.
Therefore, I will choose James over Martin Luther. Luther appointed himself as the arbiter of truth and removed parts of Holy Scripture that did not agree with him; talk about Pride and arrogance adding the word "alone".
Hey, Luther was just trying to help St. Paul and the Holy Spirit out....
As another comment mentioned, I don’t see a necessity for Paul to say “faith alone” in Eph. 2:8-9 and the fact that he doesn’t is not a refutation in my opinion.
“For by Grace you have been Saved through Faith”
-By what are we saved: Grace.
-Through what mechanism: Faith.
If someone were to read that passage they would conclude exactly what it says: By grace we are saved through Faith.
I believe that is crystal clear and so Paul doesn’t need to add “Alone”.
However, he does add something anyways. He adds that it is “Not a result of works” that it is a Gift.
Using a similar logic to yours that the word “Alone” not being present means this refutes Salvation by Faith alone. I would ask why do no Bible translations of this verse refer to us as “being saved” or in a ‘state’ of being saved but not yet fully/finally.
In fact every translation I’ve seen has “you have been saved” “you are saved” which implies a present possession of a past occurring transformation (salvation).
Anyway, I am Protestant (for now anyways) so I understand the Soteriological differences between Protestants and Catholics don’t all boil down to one verse but I would appreciate your thoughts.
As I said in the video, the reason it is important that Paul did not use the word alone is that James DID. The Protestant claim that Catholicism is unbiblical when it teaches exactly what James says when Protestants have no verse that teaches what they say SHOULD be a huge issue. But it isn't because Protestants are just as dependent on their tradition as Catholics. ;)
The most important part of Christianity is believing God sent Jesus to suffer and die for us so sins could be forgiven. Believe, repent, and accept free gift of salvation. That's it and other so-called "Christians" who say this and that about we Catholics miss the point.
This is the most unbiased take I have seen so far on this subject. I don't know why we even have this argument. Protestants can't genuinely believe that simply believing in God without doing His Will (to follow his commandments) will save you. Jesus gave so many examples that contradict that; but most Protestants serious about their Faith believe that Faith implies what Catholics call "works".
Catholics view salvation as a _process_ rather than a one-time _event._ Therefore, when asked by a street preacher, "Are you saved?" a Catholic should respond biblically by affirming: "I have been saved, I am being saved, and I hope to be saved."
Here are scripture verses supporting this view:
“I have been saved" (Initial Justification)
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
"I am being saved" (Ongoing or Progressive Justification or Sanctification):
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)
"I hope to be saved" (Final Justification / Future Salvation / Glorification):
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”(Romans 5:9)
+++
The Catholic Church does not teach that initial justification is by works. However, ongoing justification or sanctification is by works, and there is no verse in scripture which contradicts this.
Awesome video thanks for making it 👍
Thanks for watching!
Doug, at 12:40 minutes you state "noone teaches that initial salvation is by works". Going along with salv./ Just. being as though synonymous, what then is James 2:21,24, and 25 saying? "Justified by works" three times. What tense of salv/just then is James referring to?
The problem is our conflicting concept of salvation which is in reality a process that ends in perfection to be glorified.
Honest question.
What would be the point of Paul constantly talking about initial justification to already baptized believers? The entire new testament is written for the church, and Pauls letters are written to baptized, believing Christians. So if everytime Paul mentions justification by faith, what good is it? They're already initially justified, shouldn't his letters just be about good works and penance? Especially Galatians, Paul spends most of the letter scolding the Galatians for adding circumcision. Then goes on about justification by faith apart from works. Why? That point is past. Seems redundant. Shouldn't he just direct them to the sacraments and penances?
This is actually a good question, thank you!
First, I disagree that Paul is "constantly" talking about initial justification. The verses that most often come under scrutiny between Catholics and Protestants may make it seem that way - but that's because it's generally those verses whose subject Protestants confuse with others. For example, in the book of Romans has been widely understood to take one through the process of salvation - and where do the vast majority of Protestant proof texts come from? The earlier portions of Romans. :) I had no trouble finding an equal number of verses for all three phases (see douglasbeaumont.com/2023/12/22/does-ephesians-28-9-teach-salvation-by-faith-alone/).
Second, we need to remember that St. Paul was a travelling evangelist planting churches in a social context that had zero exposure to Christianity and at a time when only one Church council had ruled on a potential error (Acts 15). It is not at all surprising that many of his letters (many of which were prompted by mistakes that had to be corrected) were aimed at people not losing their salvation by failing to remember what they were initially taught. It might even be considered surprising that that is not ALL he did!
In Mt 16:13-19, Jesus who is God divinely founded his church to spread and preserve his teachings. The bible is inspired, holy and sacred. Jesus gave only his authority, power and commandment to teach, preach and interpret the inspired word to his church, the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church received the teachings of Jesus and transmit to all generation.
Non Catholics do not have the truth so they resort to private interpretation. Result, 45,000 denominations. The Holy Spirit guides and protects the Catholic church but not non Catholics because they are sinners and self centered. How can a sinner interpret accurately the bible that is inspired? Impossible. Only the Catholic Church. I am a Catholic forever.
Wishing you and your loved ones a Blessed Christmas. 🙏
You and yours as well!
@@DouglasBeaumont Thank you. Your use of Aristotelian metaphysics to explain the full meaning of Ephesians 2:8-10 is the hammer that hits the nail on the head. The Council of Trent likewise used Aristotelian language in its Decree on Justification.
We can better understand how justification and sanctification relate to each other in Paul's theology by examining the metaphysics of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle. For our viewers, he postulated that all created things exist on the principle of four causes: efficient, material, formal, and final. Our concern lies with formal causality since the Council of Trent defined sanctification as “the single formal cause (causa formalis) of justification” in the instrumental application of our redemption: “… the single formal cause is the justice of God, not that by which He Himself is just, but that by which He makes us just, that, namely, with which we being endowed by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our mind” (Decree on Justification: Chapter 7). Yes, our justification is a process whose purpose is to free us from all guilt in our relationship with God and whose end is our predestination for glory. Without its principal determinant - the essence of sanctity - the process of justification could not accomplish its purpose and achieve its end. Unless our righteousness (not Christ’s alien righteousness imputed to us) surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven (Mt 5:20).
You said, "It is partially by good works that we increase our justification and head toward final justification." Here is part of the disagreement, because Protestants believe that good works cannot increase our justification. Catholics say justification must be infused into the person to a point where he contains enough merit in himself to be worthy of eternal life with God, right? Protestants see from Romans 4 that justification is imputed (tallied to our account) by God, in His grace, through faith. (Justification and righteousness are more or less equivalent terms.)
Rom 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
Rom 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.
Rom 4:5 And *to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,*
Rom 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works:
Rom 4:7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered;
Rom 4:8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”
Rom 4:20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
Rom 4:21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Rom 4:22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.”
Rom 4:23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone,
Rom 4:24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
Rom 4:25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
Add this scripture to the mix:
2Co 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
To be counted as righteous (justified) by God is to have God bestow His own perfect, spotless righteousness to our account. Jesus, who knew no sin, was accounted sinful ("made sin") for us when He bore our sins (and the penalty for them) on the cross. In a divine exchange, God has chosen to account His righteousness to all who trust in Jesus' sacrifice for their sins as the fully efficacious, fully complete propitiation for those sins. Jesus took our sin-guilt so that we could receive His righteousness. How does God dispense grace unto righteousness and eternal life? Through faith. Just as Jesus' sacrifice is once-for-all, likewise our justification is once-for-all when we come to faith in Him. This is why there is no such distinction as between "initial" and "final" justification; there is just justification, period.
Further sanctification may be infused through works done by the leading and enablement of the Holy Spirit, but sanctification is not salvific because saving grace is received in a once-and-done event through faith. (Baptism is expected to follow as an act of obedience, but baptism is not the instrumental means through which God dispenses saving grace, contrary to Catholic doctrine.) The continuing Christian life includes works, but no one cooperates perfectly with the indwelling Holy Spirit in producing the good works He wants us to do.
And this is the Catholic dilemma: the Catholic can never know when he has done enough works to sufficiently increase his justification, whereas the Protestant knows he can never do enough and therefore he throws himself on God's mercy by trusting in Christ.
That is why, when I ask the average Catholic on the street what one must do to be justified before God, his answer almost always will be something to the effect of, "Be a good person," or "Do good works;" the typical Catholic has *a works mentality* that negates the grace of God and subconsciously places the Catholic under the law. In contrast, the typical Protestant will respond, "Believe in Jesus." Protestants are taught to regard most highly the foundational truth of salvation by grace through faith, but Catholics tend to regard their reception of Sacraments and their good works as the most important elements of their salvation, with faith in Jesus "bringing up the rear."
Our faith in Jesus is counted (imputed) as righteousness (justification) because Jesus became sin for us. Since Rom. 4:5 specifically excludes works as a means of receiving this gift of righteousness, we can conclude that nothing can supplement faith in this transaction. Besides faith and works, what else is there? Nothing. Therefore, by process of elimination, it is by faith only (or faith alone) that we are justified. Even though the phrase does not appear as such in Scripture, the concept is present.
Merry Christmas. 😊
It's nit a dilemma that Catholics don't follow Protestant theology. As I showed in the video, the Church's hisotirc view fits the scriptural data just fine if you don't start with Protestant errors.
@@DouglasBeaumont You mean, it fits if you ignore Romans 4. That's what you did in the video, and that's what you are still doing. Is the letter to the Romans a "Protestant error" now? 😂
All Protestant Churches were started by men. Jesus only started One church the Catholic Church because every early church father said so
We must examine all of the Scriptures in order to properly understand what Paul is specifically teaching. Paul is not speaking against the Law - God forbid he says. He is simply stating a fact that we have been saved (redeemed) by the precious blood of our Savior - not because anything we did - so that "no man can boast". Paul is saying to every believer, get it out of your head that you have "been good" and therefore you have been chosen and saved. No. We have been saved by the grace of our Lord. This ALSO does not means that the Law is done-away with - this is contrary to Scripture and anyone who believes this must read these Bible verses. Also, remember that "faith without works is dead". [see 1 John 2:4, 1 John 5:2-3, John 14:15, Luke 6:46, 1John 3:4, John 8:11, Matt 5:48, Matt 22:36-38, Mark 12:28-30, Luke 10:25-27, 2 Peter 3:16-18, Rev 12:17, Rev 14:12] "Sin" is the transgression of the Law. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery, "Go, and sin no more". In other words, "Go, and keep the Law". We need to properly understand what Paul is saying, and what he is not saying as well.
Thank you Señor, yes is by Grace and obeying the 10 commandments and doing good, but mostly is GRACE.
You too!
Merry Christmas!
Man you are good ! 👍👍👍
I am Protestant and I do believe that when you become a believer you are to do works .
If you have Christ in your heart you have a desire to do works.
I don't think anyone disagrees with that. :)
@7:45 To the protestant, but wouldn't initial justification involve complete sanctification if that justification is to be transformative? How can you have progressive sanctification come out of something that is non-sanctifying? See what I mean? @13:56 A declaration without a transformation is a fiction. It is God who puts the amazing in grace! It is God who is the celestial physician and He heals the person who is actually lacking (original sin) and sick (venial and mortal sin). He doesn't just call or declare us healed which would be a righteousness of the pharicee.
Yes those things are a problem for Protestants.
Doug, if you debate James White, you might note that in a video on James two he states "nowhere does Paul ever say 'by faith alone ' ".
Works are not the cause of salvation but only the fruit of salvation. James is dealing with the person who claims to believe but has no works that proves he believes.
Salvation=faith alone in Christ alone by grace alone. See John 3:16, Romans 5:1, 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2 Timothy 1:9-10, Titus 3:5-7
Doug, thank you for your explanation. It seems to me that God initiates, and then call us to participate in our salvation.
Very good.
May those that truly love Jesus unite….because we all have Jesus in common.
Peter's name literly meant rock, i dont think thats a coincidence considering Matthew 16:18
Can you do a video defending treasury of merit?
Jeremiah 17:5- Trust in God, not in human beings
* Better to obey God than men.
* The evil doers will only find themselves fighting against God..
* We are in the greatest spiritual warfare and destitution in all of human history. This is a God vs. evil war to the death worldwide. *Our daily Godliness and prayerfulness are a matter of life and death from now on.
* The cowardly and diabolical abandonment of exorcisms, spiritua warfare, deliverances, St. Michael prayers, and Godly Holy Spirit infilling has caused all the troubles of the world, past and present
It is entirely true that the one verse in the Bible that contains the exact phrase “faith alone” seems to argue against salvation by faith alone. James 2:24 reads, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (ESV). However, rejecting the doctrine of salvation by faith alone based on this verse has two major problems. First, the context of James 2:24 is not arguing against the doctrine of salvation by faith alone. Second, the Bible does not need to contain the precise phrase “faith alone” in order to clearly teach salvation by faith alone.
James 2:14-26, as a whole, and especially verse 24, has been the subject of some confused interpretations. The passage definitely seems to cause serious problems for the “salvation by faith alone” concept. First, we need to clear up a misconception, namely, that James means the same thing by “justified” in James 2:24 that Paul means in Romans 3:28. Paul is using the word justified to mean “declared righteous by God.” Paul is speaking of God’s legal declaration of us as righteous as Christ’s righteousness is applied to our account. James is using the word justified to mean “being demonstrated and proved.”
The 2011 NIV provides an excellent rendering of James 2:24: “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone” (emphasis added). Similarly, the NLT translation of James 2:24 reads, “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone” (emphasis added). The entire James 2:14-26 passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works (cf. Ephesians 2:10). The works are the demonstration and proof of faith (James 2:18). A faith without works is useless (James 2:20) and dead (James 2:17); in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone.
(Above excerpt from GotQuestions.org)
The fact that this view is best expressed by an amateur website, a Bible paraphrase, and a translation with objective protestant bias should be a signal. In any case, thus understanding of James doesn't threaten Cathokic theology - at best it just doesn't threaten Protestant theology (I think Luther knew better though.)
But the logic uniting Paul and James is a one-way condition. Where St. Paul says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast," it is, like James, clear. The rational principle from James defines what kind of faith is real. What kind of faith is it that saves (the gift of which is the means of the grace that alone saves)? The kind attended by works, just as explained here. The remainder of that Eph. passage as presented here explains exactly how Protestant theology sees Pauline justification. And no, as a Protestant, I don't think James isn't talking about justification. He certainly is. He and Paul must agree and they do. And we, Catholics and Protestants, are indeed exceedingly close on this point, not as divergent as it's commonly made out to be (though the point is well made that Protestants don't generally know any of this, nor do they all adhere to this way of seeing things-however, Catholics don't commonly have the catechesis to understand the implications either). In the end, how is the Catholic position not comparatively merely a rich theological explanation of "Christians" walking away from the faith? In any case, Orange's definitions are very helpful to me for clarification of the early early views.
The problem is, neither side teaches salvation by works, so this verse doesn't help or hurt either view. Once faith is defined as including works, then sure Catholics are on board. But this is precisely what many Protestants deny.
Thank you kindly for this explanation, but the problem is still purgatory and Mary worship, not even mentioning all the monstrosities of the previous popes and the present one, who is supposed to be St.Peter in flesh. 😢
The RC deviated many times from the original Orthodox Church and therefore from the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Can't cover everything in one video.
Purgatory refers to final cleansing of souls before entering into God's presence.
Our souls are not pure and perfect because we have sin of commission and omission.
Now, if you believe in sanctification to be a process, when do final sanctification takes place for a believer? Is it at the born again event or at the moment of death or after death?
@@justthink8952
Can't find it in the Bible.
Is this one of those Trent inventions?
@@dirkbindemann1852
Euthanasia, test tube babies, cloning, internet etc are also not found in the Bible. So these things don't exist I hope.
@@justthink8952 So therefore could you bring anything from outside of the Bible into your church?
Merry Christmas and healthy 2024.
I never thought about the verses of "faith alone" as the initial salvation. That makes sense. Now, what constitutes "works"?
Tie works with physical action!
Not necessarily - a willed act doesn't have to result in physical movement (some may not be able to, ibn fact). Prayer can be thought only, as another example.
As Christians, we should focus more on what unites us, not what divides us.
Thank you for teaching . Who are you again?
Just some guy. :) douglasbeaumont.com/about/
You need to look at Matthew 25:31-46 this part of the chapter is titled the sheep and the goats read what Jesus says. And look at what Jesus says what to do. Jesus gives direct examples. Jesus also gives an explanation of what will happen if you don't do.
This is what Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Look at what he says in verse 10. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Excellent - whenever, I listen to Protestant v Catholic teaching, I always realise that the teaching of the catholic church is simply the true faith - 2000 years of understanding and remembering Our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be surpassed by a priest who wanted to have an affair with a consecrated nun. Why would anyone ignore the first 1500 years of Christian teaching by brilliant minds, the apostles, Church Father and holy Saints ❤who were willing to die for the truth. and agree with a guy who founded his belief on rebellion - sin. This goes for the Anglican as well as the Lutheran church. These men were prideful and did not want to follow the 10 commandments. No truth comes out of sin. I doubt neither Luther nor Henry VIII would have been willing to sacrifice their lives for Jesus Christ if they could not even sacrifice their chastity for him.
I am not a chatolic but I would love to hear your thouts on 1. Timothy 4:1-3 (sorry on bad eng grammar)
It's likely referring to the end-times apostasy when the faith of many will grow cold and they will abandon the faith, even betraying and hating one another. (Confer Mt. 24:4-14; Lk 17:22-37) St. Paul describes a "mass apostasy" before the Second Coming, which will be led by the "son of perdition," the "Man of Lawlessness," the "adversary who exalts himself above every so-called god proposed for worship." This "lawless one" is part of the work of Satan, and with power, signs, wonders and seductions will bring to ruin those who have turned from the truth. However, "the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth and annihilate him by manifesting His own presence." (Cf. 2 Thes 2:3-12) The Catechism affirms, "God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the last judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world" (www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/second-coming-of-the-lord--the-last-judgment-926)
Good thing Catholics aren't pelagian. Protestants believe in faith alone. Catholics don't believe in works alone. The whole point of works is God's grace anyway
Well said!
All worldly religions are based on works. Satan makes sure of that.
He even changes his bibles from “saved” to “being saved”.
And Satan created purgatory. How do your works/faith get you saved from purgatory based on yourself? Or is your salvation from purgatory based on the actions of others?
Blessings to all
@@crossing3790Jesus said ask me anything I will do it all you have to do ask God you want the truth
Very interesting. But I do celebrate also those of the Protestant faith. We are all on the same team, we have to face those who are trying now to destroy all of Christianity.
The genuine faith is faith that bears fruit in feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, etc, thus good works .
To me the real question is how is works defined? Is it “works” as in labor? Helping around the church, helping the poor, etc? Or is works synonymous with fruit? Fruit being that you live your life so others can see Christ in you?
That is a good question and if Luther had answered it correctly we might have avoided this whole mess. Do a study on St. Paul and "works of the law" and see what you fjnd.
I think you could simplify the claim by focusing on 2v9, "not of works so that nobody may boast". Why do works here not save? Let's do a substitution and see: "by grace you have been saved by faith and not by good works"... Why would good works not save? There's really no explanation why, so we can safely say "works" here don't mean "good works". Protestantism absolutely believes that good works save us, so they mentally insert a false qualification saying that Paul is actually saying the problem is our works aren't actually good (so we must run to faith instead). Paul never says our works are tainted by sin. In fact, for Protestantism the very concept on Imputation is that Jesus did the lifetime of good works in our place and credited that to us such that God looks at us as if we had lived a lifetime of good works. So Protestants technically hold to works alone, ultimately. So if the "works" here in 2v9 plainly can't be good works, then that leaves only two options: sinful works or neutral works. Doing the substitution again: "by grace you have been saved by faith and not by evil/tainted works so that nobody may boast" ... Why would someone boast that their sinful or tainted works saved them? That's plainly not feasible, so the "works" here in 2v9 must be some third category: neutral works. Well if this refers to works like running, jumping, fishing, camping, playing guitar, then that's clearly irrelevant to the discussion, so it can't be merely neutral works. The only feasible reading that you are literally forced to conclude is that these are "works of the law" like kosher eating. This not only makes the verse intelligible, it fits the context (2v11-12ff which is ignored by everyone) and the rest of Paul's Epistles. Paul in fact connects "boasting" to works of the law elsewhere, like Romans 3. If someone truly does good works and got saved, then of course they could rightly boast, so there's no reason why Paul would want to prevent boasting in itself. However, boasting is bad when you're doing it to elevate yourself above others, which is what works of the law did by saying the jews were a superior race, hence the "dividing wall of hostility" in 2v14 where Gentiles were excluded from the covenant. Protestantism thinks the "boasting" here is someone bragging BEFORE GOD that they lived a perfect life and didn't need Jesus nor faith to be saved. That's a silly and outrageous reading. Even the Jews didn't consider themselves sinless, so nobody was ever thinking about "saving themselves" and bragging before God that they didn't need Him to get into heaven. In reality, most boasting comes from people who didn't earn what they have, such as a rich kid who shows off his fancy car that he didn't earn. This is the real boasting that Paul is concerned about. The Jews were bragging that they were born into a privileged position and the Gentiles were not, and the works of the law testified to this superior birth status. In this way, the Jews held to grace alone because they were just born with the silver spoon in their mouth and their using of the silver spoon was their way of bragging that they were already rich. It is ironic that Protestantism claims to care about the Bible, yet Ephesians 2 is literally one paragraph or 4 sentences long, yet broken up into 20 "verses". Since when do you claim to take someone seriously when you only read 1-2 sentences of their work but ignore the complete paragraph? To ignore v11 onward is to intentionally refuse to hear what someone is saying, and here Paul is clearly saying the Gentiles are no longer aliens from the covenant blessings because the works of the law excluding them are now obsolete. These works of the law aren't bad, nor are they "good" in the sense of loving one another, they are something between. Paul never saw Baptism as a work and nobody was boasting that getting baptized was saving themselves nor was apart from grace. Nobody is saying "not by grace filled works" so that nobody may boast, as if people actually thought grace filled works allowed for boasting. Grace filled works are just as much a gift as grace filled faith. If grace filled gift of works allow boasting then so would grace filled gift of faith, thus Paul's argument would be incoherent no matter how the Protestant tries to frame it. The only coherent reading is "works of the law" (different from "good works").
You can't receive grace unless you have faith. Therefore, we are saved by faith. Good works come through this gift of faith because if you truly believe, you will want to do the work. It's a natural outcome of faith. It's the same with love. If you truly love someone, you will want to work for that person's well-being. It doesn't matter if it's Catholic or Protestant. We are each called to do different things, and it's important to stay on our own path. Each person's relationship with God is unique and personal. God relates to us in the same way a parent relates to each of their children. Each child is different even though they come from the same parents and have the same upbringing. I asked my mother once why the other kids got more attention than me. She said, "I go where I'm most needed." I interact with each of my children differently without favoritism because they are quite different from each other. If you're called to be a Catholic, then that's your path, but that's not everybody's path.