You have missed a key point that Paul explained several times: we cannot be righteous apart from the saving grace of Christ. God counts us righteous, not because we lead an exemplary life, following all the commandments, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us.
Not at all. It is Catholic teaching that we are saved by grace alone. Just as faith without works is dead so are works without faith useless.
God counts us righteous, not because we lead an exemplary life, following all the commandments, but because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us.
Here is the great mistake of Protestantism. We are not just imputed with righteousness but are infused with it through grace. We are not just declared righteous but are made righteous through the merits of Jesus Christ. But, as the passages I quoted clearly show, we must cooperate with the grace of God to live holy lives. The Protestant teaching of faith alone cannot be reconciled with this clear teaching of the Bible.
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Read Matthew 7 until it sinks in.
What do you think “iniquity” is? (living without Torah)
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