Rome's tactics.

[Josheb]

To answer this post risks continuing further off-topic, I think.

Yep.


So I reiterate the op-relevant point: Works in the mindset of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) is inherently intertwined with works of social justice. To further the point, most, if not all, of the participants in this thread know how I construe the Ephesians 2:5-10 text to say we are...

• Saved by grace,
• Saved through faith,
• Saved for works (or more specifically, for good works God planned for us to perform before He saved us).

Therefore, works cannot be excluded as a necessary aspect or component of salvation. They simply are not causal to or the cause of one's salvation and that is where the conflict between the RCC and Protestant soteriologies ensues. The conflict is exacerbated because the RCC conflates justification with salvation when most Prots see some form of distinction, even though we would all agree there is no salvation without also having been justified. We are saved through faith and justified by faith; never saved by faith. All of that gets conflated in RCC soteriology. The specific matter of works, however, is........ (believe it or not the correct word fails me now but I'm going to proceed anyway) elaborated, complicated, divided up into different categories of works with aid to others. The RCC discriminates between "corporal" works and "spiritual" works and their doctrines and rituals elaborate elaborately. they do the same with sin, btw. For the RC, a "work" is supposed to be an action that demonstrates faith and obedience, whereas for the Prot a soteriological "work" is considered to be one prompted, inspired, empowered by the Spirit at work within the regenerate because anyone - even the dead sinner - can be nice. Therefore, the phrases "saved by faith and works," and "justified by faith and works" have very specific meanings to the RCC and it's quite common for both sides to either assert strawmen, ambiguity, or categorical errors (same terms with different meanings). Unblessedly, even RCC commentary on social justice neglects the foundational aspect of serving God.

"Social justice is an integral part of Church teaching. It is based on the rights that flow from and safeguard human dignity, and it inclines us to work with others to help make social institutions better serve the common good."​

No "common good" is served apart from God or His will, but that is digressive. The point being (because I do not want to belabor social justice, is that "works" (doctrinally speaking) means something entirely different to the RCC than they do to Prots, and even if Prots and RCs manage to work (no pun intended) from common definition, there's many different kinds of works that save (and don't save).

So what?

A straw man is never a godly work .

 

[Eleanor]

You should really try Google more often before posting. An entire book or three would even be

Justice applies to all arenas. . .it's one and the same justice. . .giving one what they have earned, what they are due, what they are owed.

Not to be confused with charity.

 

[Eleanor]

In any text-based medium it is necessary to write in a manner that precludes ambiguity because one of the most basic facts of text-based mediums is that if something can be misinterpreted then it certainly will be misinterpreted by someone. If the post was misread then I will gladly acknowledge that and reply accordingly once that's made clear.

Do you believe in the Trinity; i.e., three distinct persons--Father, Son, Holy Spirit--in the one God?