Your comment: “I tried to write a response that we both could agree on.
YOU had to start turning it into another Protestant-bashing spree.”
I am interested in the Truth, not agreeing with your false understanding of Catholic doctrine. I did not bash, but stated facts. You seem to be the one mocking, name calling and misrepresenting the teachings of Jesus and His Church.
Catholic doctrine does not state that salvation is earned by our works, on the contrary is is a free gift of God that we can either accept through Baptism having Faith and love in God (and not dying in mortal sin) or reject it. The Church encourages us to do works of Mercy as Christ did. Hopefully doing ‘good works” will lead us into a holy life following God’s will and become closer to Christ.
Perhaps you should read and understand James chapter 2.
Faith and Works.* 14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?i 15If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?j 17So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
“You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.”
St Paul when he refers to works, means works of the Mosaic law.
If you are going to quote Catholic Church doctrine, then you should really understand it and state it correctly so that you do not blaspheme.
May you truly find God’s Truth.
Has Rome started teaching that by grace you are saved through faith and not by works, so that no man may boast?
No? They pay lip service to the direct words of the Apostle while still teaching the exact opposite?
Why on earth should I believe anything you have to say if you can’t get one of the plainest, simplest statements of all of the Word of God correct?
Oh, and James 2? Either you’re telling me that James contradicts both Paul and Jesus, or you have no idea what Paul and Jesus actually say. Oh, and John too.
Then again, Catholics tend to accuse Protestants of all kinds of evil without paying any attention to what we actually believe. So I’ll spare you the commentary on James until I have a promise that you’ll actually read what I write.