Discussions with a Protestant, Part Two

Last month, I wrote an article concerning discussions I am having with a Protestant friend. He claims that we are saved by “faith alone,” a Lutheran doctrine which is not in the Bible. This belief is actually refuted by James 2:24, which says that we are NOT justified by faith alone. So this month, I intend to show my friend my research – all from the Bible – on how Catholics are saved.  

I found the following truths:

By believing in Jesus

John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 

Acts 16:31: And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

By repentance

Acts 2:38: And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” 

2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 

By baptism

John 3:5: Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” 

1 Peter 3:21: Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit,  

Acts 2:38: And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

By the work of the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:8: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. 

2 Corinthians 3:6: …who has qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. 

By our declarations before men

Luke 12:8: “And I tell you, every one who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 

Romans 10:9: …because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

By physically eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Jesus

John 6:27: Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” 

John 6:31: Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.”34 They said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 

John 48: “I AM the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bead which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.” 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink  indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.”

By good works (not works of the law in the Torah)

Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 

Romans 2:6: For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 

James 2:24: You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead. 

Revelation 20: 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.  

By grace (a share of divine life)

Acts 15:11: But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” 

Ephesians 2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God.

By His blood

Romans 5:9: Since, therefore, we are now justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 

Hebrews 9:22: Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. 

By His righteousness

Romans 5:17: If, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 

2 Peter 1:1: Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.

By keeping the commandments

Matthew 19:17: 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 

John 14:15: If you love me, you will keep my commandments.                 

By our words

Matthew 12:37: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Through childbearing

1 Timothy 2:15: Yet woman will be saved through bearing children, if she continues in faith and love and holiness, with modesty. 

By love

Luke 6:35: But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. 

Romans 13:8: Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 

1 Corinthians 13:2: And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 

1 Corinthians 13:13: So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 

Galatians 5:14: For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

By faith

Acts 26:18: to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ 

Romans 1:17: For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “He who through faith is righteous shall live.” 

By avoiding sin

Galatians 5: 19: Now the works of the flesh are plain: immorality, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God 

Revelation 21:8: But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” 

By coming to the knowledge of the truth

1 Timothy 2:3: This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Hebrews 10:26: For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 

By forgiveness

Matthew 18:34: And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

By suffering

Colossians 1:24: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.

Romans 8:17: …and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Summary

We are saved by grace and the love of Jesus!