How are we saved?

[Leevo]

I ask because I want to know how salvation works within the teachings of the Church. How does she view salvation/justification? What leads one to ultimately end up in heaven?

In the Baptist churches I used to attend before converting, it was as follows 1) Believe in Christ, and what he did for you on the cross and 2) you are saved. Simple, yet I never really bought into it due to seeing too many luke warm Christians from that ideal.

So, how does salvation come about in the eyes of the Church?

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

I am sure that their are fellow Catholics here that can give the Churches formal reasons. But for me being saved is an ongoing process of picking up our crosses daily and following Christ.
It is not a one and done, it is ongoing and many times arduous.

 

[Leevo]

I am sure that their are fellow Catholics here that can give the Churches formal reasons. But for me being saved is an ongoing process of picking up our crosses daily and following Christ.
It is not a one and done, it is ongoing and many times arduous.

That is how I have always felt as well, seeing that much of the NT warns about falling away from the faith.

 

[eastcoast_bsc]

That is how I have always felt as well, seeing that much of the NT warns about falling away from the faith.

Absolutely. I fall short every day of my life. Christ clearly tells his diciples that in the world they will have trouble but to take heart for he has overcome the world.

 

[Rhamiel]

yeah, Eastcoast put it well


I am going to be more long winded if that is ok

and if I am wrong about anything please correct me


ok first off, we are born outside of friendship with God, born in a "state of sin" or spiritual death

the normal way to become born again is through Baptism

then you have to choose to follow Jesus, lots of times in the Gospels we see Jesus saying stuff like "pick up your cross and follow me" or stuff likes that

but we have to remember, we are not earning our salvation, we can do nothing to earn that
all of our good works are only through the grace of God, Christ working within us allows us to do good

 

[Maria214]

One must persevere in the traditional Catholic faith and die in the state of grace in order to be saved. That is the teaching of the Church.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Salvation comes from God alone.



CCC
169 Salvation comes from God alone; but because we receive the life of faith through the Church, she is our mother: "We believe the Church as the mother of our new birth, and not in the Church as if she were the author of our salvation."55 Because she is our mother, she is also our teacher in the faith.

620 Our salvation flows from God's initiative of love for us, because "he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins" (1 Jn 4:10). "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself" (2 Cor 5:19).

Jim