Many Protestants assume that Catholics teach that you need faith and works to be saved. Catholics, similarly, often assume that Protestants teach that works are irrelevant to salvation. The reality for both is more nuanced.

For instance, Pope Benedict XVI taught the following: “Being “just” simply means being with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Further observances are no longer necessary. “Luther’s phrase ‘faith alone’ is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life.” (General Audience, Nov. 19, 2008)

This sounds very similar to what a Protestant would say. To get at the difference between how Catholics and Protestants understand faith and works, there are several questions to ask.

Does faith alone save a person?

The Book of Acts tells the story of the Philippian jailer. In Acts 16:30, he asks one of life’s most essential questions, “What must I do to be saved?” Your answer to that question determines what you understand about religion. Paul’s answer was simply, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). Regardless of whether you consider yourself a Catholic or a Protestant, you need to come to terms with whether you would answer the question the same way that Paul did. Would you say that faith in Jesus is a good start, but then add a list of other things that are required? Not adding to this essential requirement of faith in Jesus is what Protestants mean when they say that a person is saved by faith alone.

Is faith necessary to save a person?

Both Catholics and Protestants teach that faith in Jesus Christ is necessary for a person to be saved. Protestants have criticized Catholics, however, for giving the impression that it isn’t. For example, the Catholic Catechism (#1277) teaches that, “In accordance with the Lord’s will, [baptism] is necessary for salvation.” While they would clarify that it’s faith that actually saves rather than the act of baptism, the fact is that most Catholics are baptized as babies when they don’t yet possess faith. Even though Catholics call baptism “the sacrament of faith,” if a person’s sins are declared forgiven before they possess faith, the punishment for sins is pardoned before they articulate faith, and the path is cleared for the person to enter the kingdom of God without their faith, the impression seems to be given that baptism is necessary for salvation while faith isn’t.

To be sure, there are verses that seem to teach that baptism is necessary for salvation. In response to his sermon at Pentecost, for instance, Peter declared, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38). Protestants understand Peter to be calling people to faith. Baptism is just the normal way that people express their faith in Jesus Christ. But just as the thief on the cross could be declared saved because of his faith (Luke 23:43) even though he hadn’t been baptized, Protestants believe that it’s faith that’s necessary for salvation not baptism.

Does the faith that saves a person lead to good works?

While Protestants believe that a person is saved by faith alone, they are sometimes misunderstood to believe that how a person lives doesn’t matter. Calvin clarified the Protestant position like this: “It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone.” This is a way of capturing what James communicated when he spoke of those whose faith was “dead” because it wasn’t accompanied by faith (James 2:17), or when he asked (James 2:14), “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” Notice that he doesn’t say that “faith is good, but you need to add works to it in order for it to be enough.” The fact that a person’s faith doesn’t lead to good works makes him question whether they have genuine saving faith.

How would you answer the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Do you think that there’s some religious act you can do to save you? Do you trust that God will save you partially because of Jesus and partially because of you? Or do you trust that salvation is a gift that you receive by faith alone? If so, is there evidence that your faith is real, or do people have to take your word for it because they can’t really see any change in your life? There’s nothing more important than understanding and responding to the salvation that God has made available in Jesus Christ.

In awe of Him,

Paul