Living Out the Call to Salvation

The relationship between faith and works in the journey to salvation is a cornerstone of Christian teaching, often debated yet consistently illuminated by Scripture. While James 2:24 famously declares we are "justified by works and not by faith alone," this truth is echoed throughout the New Testament with remarkable clarity. Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:43-45: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." The Greek "hópos genésthe" signifies a purpose clause, directly linking the action of loving enemies and praying for persecutors to the ultimate goal of becoming "sons of your Father." This isn't merely a suggestion; it's a prerequisite for reaching our final destiny in heaven, as evident from the entirety of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus' profound "how to get to heaven" discourse.

Pope Benedict XVI consistently emphasized that faith is not a static intellectual assent but a dynamic encounter that demands a response. He taught that "being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction." This encounter, for Benedict, naturally leads to action, to living out the implications of that faith. Just as Jesus told the rich young man that keeping the commandments and ultimately following him by selling his possessions were necessary for eternal life (Matthew 19:16-22), so too does our faith call us to concrete deeds. While not everyone is called to literally "sell everything," the underlying principle remains: everything we possess ultimately belongs to God, and our faith must inspire us to use our gifts and resources in service of His kingdom and our neighbor.

Ultimately, the message from Christ and the New Testament is undeniable: true faith is always an active faith. From the call to be "perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48) to the warning against having a "name of being alive, and you are dead" (Revelation 3:1-5), the Scriptures consistently demonstrate that our works are not incidental but integral to our salvation. As Pope Benedict XVI beautifully articulated, "Faith without works is dead" because it fails to embody the very essence of love which is the heart of the Christian life. To genuinely believe in Christ is to be transformed by His love, and that transformation inevitably expresses itself in actions that reflect His will, leading us towards eternal life.

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