How is a Person Saved?
The ultimate question before us is how we can obtain forgiveness of sin?
In this section I will outline the doctrines of Roman Catholicism.
Note: Portions designated “ “ are from the Catechism Of the Catholic Church 1995, with the sections indicated.
Rome teaches that the way to the life and salvation is through the Church and its Priesthood. (1129) “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are necessary for salvation.” (1131) “The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine grace is dispensed to us.” That through the sacraments, beginning with Baptism, a person engages in a process of justification whereby the gift of grace is infused, or pouredinto, one’s soul. Rome speaks of justification being conferred in baptism as making people inwardly just. That Baptism is the sacrament which effects remission of sins and regeneration.
The sacrament of Penance embraces several elements, including confession, priestly absolution and works of satisfaction.(1446) “..for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as ‘the second plank of salvation after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace.’”
Note: The following section is condensed for clarity and focus.
“ V. The Many Forms of Penance in Christian Life”
“(1434) The interior penance of the Christian can be expressed in many and various ways…as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins.”
(1436) “Eucharist and Penance. Through the Eucharist those who live from the life of Christ are fed and strengthened. In it is made present the sacrifice of Christ. It is a remedy to free us from our daily faults and to preserve us from mortal sins. Through proper penance, one finds source and nourishment in the Eucharist.”
(1437) “Reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Our Father-every sincere act of worship or devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of our sins.” (1438) “The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (lent and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice. …for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and charitable and missionary works.”
Rome’s Council of Trent (1545-1563), which became the formal response to the Reformation movement, declared the following: The grace of justification can be lost through mortal sin by which one is cut off and severed from Christ and is subject once again to eternal damnation. The grace of justification can be regained only through a repentance of the sin from the heart, sacramental confession and absolution, and the performance of deeds of satisfaction such as fasts, alms, prayers and other devout exercises. The works which an individual does in the state of grace, which are empowered by Jesus Christ, fully satisfy the divine law and merit eternal life.
A review of Roman Catholicism:
Rome teaches that the forgiveness of sin and ultimately one’s salvation is obtained through the sacramental system of the church. It is a meritorious system where one is rewarded for good works. It is performance based whereby a faithful, devout Catholic can earn sufficient graces and merit to be judged worthy or be justified in the eyes of God. To perform enough good deeds or works of satisfaction to be deemed pure enough to enter heaven.
When the works of merit, penance, indulgence and the Eucharist are insufficient to remove all punishment due to sin, Rome teaches that the sufferings of Purgatory are required to purge the soul of any remnants of sin and thereby enable the individual to enter heaven.
The other critical part of Roman Dogma is the ultimate Authority of the church and its doctrines. Rome has always declared a shared authority. The church teaches: (80) “Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are bound closely together and communicate with one another.” (82)”Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.” (88) “The Church’s Magisterium exercises authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas”. As stated, Rome derives its Doctrines and Authority from Sacred Scripture plus oral traditions plus its Magisterium and Church councils.
References:
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1995
The Church of Rome at the Bar of History, William Webster
In my next article, Doctrine of Justification – Reformed Part 1, I will present the Protestant view of Divine Authority and the Doctrine of Justification.