<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]Hannah,<br><br>Do you believe that the RCC teaches in her official doctrine that man's good works are meritorious before God with respect to salvation? In other words, does man's good works contribute to the merit they need to stand before God and be saved? Or, is the merit of Christ alone imputed to us by grace through faith sufficient to save us?<br><br>In His Grace,<br><br>Ron</font><hr></blockquote><p><br><br><blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>[color:"blue"]Catholics do not believe that human effort saves us. Only grace.</font><hr></blockquote><p><br><br>"If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified…let him be anathema.” Canon and Decrees of the Council of Trent: On Justification, Canon XXXII<br><br>Hannah, <br><br>"Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." Romans 4:4-5 <br><br>The Roman Catholic Church will say with you: "Nothing, whether faith or works, apart from the grace of God, can save us. We are saved by grace through faith which works by love." <br><br>No one from a Reformed perspective would argue that we are not saved by grace through faith, but we would add the word alone. We believe that we are saved by grace alone, through faith in alone, in Christ alone -- apart from works of merit. Roman Catholicism on the other hand teaches that man needs intrinsic merit to stand before God. This merit is not only intrinsic, it is something that is obtained by co-operating with grace. The merit, in other words, is not a result of pure operative grace or unconditionally bestowed by God. Accordingly, even the said merit is not received by grace alone since Roman Catholic theology teaches that each man actually causes himself to differ from another. However, the word of God rejects such a notion with statements such as: "For who makes you to differ from another... now if you did receive it, why do you glory, as if you had not received it?" 1 Corinthians 4:7<br><br>The simple truth is, the official teaching of Roman Catholicism on this matter is that man's good works are meritorious before God. Moreover, man must cause himself to differ from another. Therefore, in the final analyses, the devout Roman Catholic will not agree with the conclusion of the apostles and all the saints, which is: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." Romans 4:28 Added to this, "...and whom he justified, them he also glorified" Romans 8:30c. All this is to say, God causes one sinner to differ from another. God justifies sinners apart from their works. And finally, God will keep all of his in his grace; which is to say God grants his people everlasting life.<br><br>In Mercy and Grace,<br><br>Ron<br><br>