by Bob Sullivan
Recently, I received an email from Robert, who took issue with my claim that Catholics do not believe that we can earn our way to Heaven by performing “good works.” Robert claims that Catholics do not know this, citing that he has talked to many Catholics who profess that they can earn their way to Heaven by performing good works.
The heresy of Pelagianism taught that one could merit or earn Heaven by a natural faith, without grace. It would be impossible for the Catholic Church to teach Pelagianism since the Church itself declared this a heresy in 418 A.D. at the Council of Carthage. The findings of the Council of Carthage are still available today, including Canon 113 which states that, “without the grace of God we can do no good thing.”
Without questioning Robert’s research or assuming that Robert is speaking with very poorly catechized Catholics, I will simply point to the Church’s clear, and easily accessible teachings in print, online, and upon inquiry from reliable sources such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Bible, and maybe a faithful Catholic priest near Robert.
Sections 2007 through 2010 and section 2025 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church state the following:
- “… there is no strict right to any merit on the part of man.”
- “… The fatherly action of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man’s free acting through his collaboration, so that the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man’s merit, moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit.”
- “Filial adoption, in making us partakers by grace in the divine nature, can bestow true merit on us as a result of God’s gratuitous justice.”
- “… The merits of our good works are gifts of the divine goodness. “Grace has gone before us; now we are given what is due. . . . Our merits are God’s gifts.”
- “Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life.” [Emphasis added]
- “… Merit is to be ascribed in the first place to the grace of God, and secondly to man’s collaboration.”
The order is essential: First faith, then grace, then the good works in collaboration with the grace we have received. Think of it like being awarded employee of the year for a business. Unless you have accepted employment and are on the payroll, no amount of good work will earn you the title of employee of the year. In the same way, your good works will not merit you anything unless you are first baptized into the family of God.
The concept of merit and good works can be confusing. The key is getting the order of events right. After baptism and the receipt of the grace of baptism, good works done in cooperation with the Holy Spirit, in response to the grace, and for the love of God and neighbor, can merit sanctifying grace. This leads to salvation. This is why we are taught that before our baptism, we were dead in sin, but with our baptism, and “moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, and so accepts forgiveness and righteousness from on high.” [CCC 2018]
Anyone confused by this topic should start by learning more about Pelagianism, the Church’s condemnation of Pelagianism, and the consistent teaching of the Church which has always held that you cannot earn your way to Heaven without the grace of God. For non-Catholic Christians, I suggest starting with Scripture which shows the basis for the teachings of the Church.
In James 2:14-26, we read that faith without works is dead. Other passages to assist us are: Matthew 5:16; Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Titus 2:7-14; Titus 3:8; Hebrews 13:16; 1 Peter 2:20; 1 Peter 4:19.
St. Paul explains it most clearly: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. [Emphasis added] Ephesians 2:8-10.
It is not our doing, it is God’s. It is not by faith alone, but by grace through our faith (Or to say it another way, faith working through love. Galatians 5:6). God created us for good works. It has all been prepared for us by God, and it is to be our way of life whether you are Catholic or a member of a non-Catholic Christian faith.
There are many more verses and passages which show the Catholic teaching, but one is sufficient, so take your pick.
The undeniable fact is, you are not saved by good works nor by faith alone. A person is saved by the grace of God. God prepared a plan for our salvation, and it includes many conduits for grace, such as baptism and the other sacraments. However, salvation can be lost when the Christian commits a deadly sin.
Robert and other like-minded people run the risk of concluding that good works are not necessary or even beneficial for salvation. I would encourage them to pray about this, especially with Matthew 25:14-28.
