45 min (1 CD / MP3)

For almost five hundred years, Catholics and Protestants have been debating the relationship between faith and works. On the one hand, many Protestants will claim that we are saved by “faith alone” and that Catholicism teaches a false “works-righteousness.” In support of this, they turn to the teaching of Paul: We are “saved” but “not because of works” (Ephesians 2:9). On the other hand, many Catholics will point out that the only time the New Testament says “faith alone” is when the letter of James teaches that we are “justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). What are we to make of these passages in the New Testament? How are we saved? And do the teachings of St. Paul and St. James contradict one another?

In this important presentation, Dr. Pitre unpacks the Catholic Church’s true teaching on justification—which is nothing other than the New Testament’s teaching on justification. In this presentation, you will learn about:

• The importance of Original Sin for St. Paul’s teaching about Works
• The relationship between Grace, Faith, and Works in our Salvation
• The Church’s Real Teaching: “No One Can Merit the Initial Grace of Salvation”
• St. Paul’s teaching on the role of Good Works after Initial Justification
• How St. Paul and St. James are teaching the same truth
• Where Catholics and Protestants agree on the primacy of Grace

If you’ve ever wanted to understand the biblical doctrine of salvation in a way that includes both St. Paul and St. James, or if you’ve ever worried that Catholicism was really a religion of ‘works-righteousness’, then this clear and insightful study of a crucial topic is for you.

*** While there is some overlap between this set and What Must I Do To Be Saved?, this set spends more time focusing on Ephesians 2 and James 2, and would be ideal for someone looking to focus on the topic of salvation as found in these two books of the Bible.***