cathApol,<br><br>I am only making a response to one portion of your post. I will leave the qoutes from the RCC catechism to those most familiar with them. The only comment I could make is "So What" church teaching is not authoritative.<br><br>My comment is on something you mentioned about the middle of the PS<br>you say:<br><br>[color:purple]"Catholicism is not a "works = salvation" system at all.<br>for without GRACE - works are nothing.<br>without WORKS there is no sanctification.<br>without SANCTIFICATION there is no justification.<br>without JUSTIFICATION there is no SALVATION."</font color=purple><br><br>I don't know about the others but I have never thought that RCC was a "works = salvation" system. The Romanist is always quick to add grace and attempt to show grace as a necessity, and that is not the contention protestants (those that are aware of the real issues) have problems with. I would think more accurately, and even shown by what you have posted in your time here, that Catholicism is a "grace + works = salvation". Sadly this is why catholicism is outside of the circle of christianity because when another gospel is preached it is no longer a gospel, and "grace + anything = nothing". I do find your 'logical' if/then scheme (I forgot the technical name for it) interesting. You are able to accomplish this unbiblical solution due to working with some false assumptions and working backwards (from sanctification back). I almost didn't catch it for it is a nicely setup strawman (one of the betters ones I've seen). If we were to set it up properly it would come out something like the following:<br><br>without Grace no salvation,<br>Grace is without works,<br>salvation is without works<br>without Faith-no salvation<br>Faith is a Gift of God,<br>Salvation is a Gift of God <br>(eph 2:8-10)<br><br>Of course all the previous clarifications included (ie christian life will have works as a fruit, this is for salvation itself, etc.). Also a note here, since gift by nature are unearnable then we see here that salvation is unearnable (even with the Grace of God). We add absolutely 0% to our become saved.<br>

By His Grace Alone,
Five Sola