Merit

The same Catholic MERIT post, with Protestant replies in the form of bold inserts, and Catholic counter.

By his good works the justified man [I agree, we need to be justified FIRST by grace alone before our good works are acceptable to God] really acquires a claim [one need not claim, God certainly rewards us because He is just - Hebrews 6:10] to supernatural reward from God.

Well, yes and no.

1. By “justified” above I refer to a Catholic adult who has been baptized and has not fallen into mortal sin; also, to an adult who has been baptized, fell into mortal sin, but recovered his justification through (a) perfect contrition (with intention to have sacramental confession later), or (b) sacramental confession. So it’s different from your “justified” man.

2. It might not be correct to say that grace justifies. What’s more correct would probably be to say that grace is an INIDISPENSABLE requirement before any justification can happen.

So let me note that down.

1. You believe that works of the Rom 4:2-13 type justify
2. You believe that God rewards works of the Rom 4:2-13 type

Note that this is not the same as what you are right now thinking: reward for actions which precede grace, BUT rewards for actions PRECEDED BY GRACE. In other words, grace – specifically antecedent grace- which is UNMERITED, PRECEDES actions in order that they may be accomplished meritoriously. [ To simplify the formula: GRACE + FAITH = JUSTIFICATION = GOOD WORKS, where God gives GRACE, the sinner responds by FAITH and he is JUSTIFIED then he needs to produce good works as an expression of love and gratitude to what God did.]

Well again, yes and no.

1. Grace moves one to faith which is the start of justification which may or may not produce good works. Protestants believe that when the button of faith is pushed, the conveyor belt of good works starts moving. Not so with Catholics.

2. Justification is, for Catholics, a process, not a one-time event.

3. Not only faith, but also fear (Sirach 1:28), hope (Rom 8:24), charity (Luke 7:47), penance with contrition (Luke 13:3), and almsgiving (Daniel 4:24) are involved in the preparation for justification. In fact, faith is not the most important, it is love (1 Cor 13:2)

The Church teaches that for the justified, eternal life is BOTH a gift or grace promised by God AND a reward If that's the case again, then how do you reconcile this with Romans 6:23? While the RC church teaches that, which one should we follow?]

Well what about Rom 6:23? “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If you mean to say eternal life being a gift cannot be a reward, then you don’t agree with Paul (Rom 2:6-7, Heb 6:10; 1 Cor 3:8; Heb 10:35; Heb 11:6; Col 3:24). Catholics follow both.

for his own good works and merits . As God’s grace is the presupposition and foundation of (supernatural) good works, by which man merits eternal life, so salutary works are, AT THE SAME TIME gifts of God AND meritorious acts of man. I’m referring here to TRUE merit, i.e., of meritum de condigno (a technical term).
To clarify my position, as far as JUSTIFICATION or SALVATION or ETERNAL life is concerned, our good works has nothing to do with it. Why because it is purely GRACE or GIFT which becomes ours the moment we put our trust on the merit of what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross.

Let me see if I got your right:

1. For you, good works, although they automatically result from justification, do not by themselves justify.

2. For you it’s ALL grace in the sense that man has nothing to do with it, man being just a passive entity here.

3. For you, salvation (aka Justification, eternal life) is a GIFT, in which case it CANNOT, just CANNOT be a reward.

My questions please, however:

1. God certainly rewards us because He is just - Hebrews 6:10. Your words. So how come you’re saying now salvation’s PURELY a gift?

2. Rom 6:23 certainly says eternal life is a gift. I don’t, however, see “alone’ anywhere there ,and not seeing it there, I have to assume it’s not the intention of the writer to have it there. This is a recurring tendency of Protestants, I seem to notice: the tendency to see “alone” where none exists nor is even intended. What makes me say “gift ALONE” is not intended? Number 3 below.

3. Rom 2:6-7 clearly says that God REWARDS perseverance with eternal salvation. Surely Paul couldn’t be wrong?