Summary: The Roman Catholic mountain is Unregenerate on account of favoring a kind of salvation by works that are not by faith in the indwelling One who comes to reside in us only after a conversion experience.

The Roman Catholic church do hold to the dictum that Christianity does NOT impose an exclusivity of its faith on other faiths. And therefore does not require people of other faiths to "convert" to Christianity. However, as adequately clarified in the "Be Born Again" article, Jesus does require us to be "converted." If one is not converted he does not have the Holy Spirit. If one does not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the question of doing God's bidding does not arise!

I wrote at StudyLightForums.org:

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We have to do God's work, God's way, otherwise it is no good at all.?

John oxios who is a Roman Catholic, replied:

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And what pray tell is God's way' To give freely, expecting Nothing in return. Whatever adds to the Love relationship IS Gods' Will; whatever breaks the Love relationship is NOt Gods' Will.?

That is precisely why i said the Roman Catholics are pursuing a righteousness as if it were by works just like the Pharisees of yesteryears. For works of righteousness to be counted at all, they have to be imparted works of righteousness. Works are imparted when they are done according to the will of God in regard to a given matter. The "Gods' will" or should i say God's will you are referring to, is the general will of God, which no doubt is whatever adds to the Love relationship and whatever breaks it is not. For God is love. But all love is not God.

Often times God's will can be hazy or fuzzy to our mind and there are critical decisions to immediately make at times. We mustn't lean on our own understanding. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 16:25). And this applies even to a regenerated one who has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit because the peace he thinks he has is most probably a lullaby of feeling that the devil is singing to him. Usually it is in the midst of great noise and storms that we have to make the right decision and not in the midst of peace. The real peace, confidence, courage and strength that our Lord gives comes with His Word in regard to a given matter. Therefore we have to make sure that "whatever" word you possess is in fact God's will for that "Love relationship" to blossom. For, what you think may add to the Love relationship may actually be detrimental to it. A case in point is the way you discipline your child.

So it boils down to finding the will of God for any specific matter. As Brother Bakht Singh says, "The greatest privilege for man is to know God's will and to do it." What is more, we have to ask only what is in God's will (1 John 5:14) for our prayers to be heard and answered. Many wrote about how to find the specific will of God for a given matter. But i find George Mueller's--as found in "Answers to Prayer"--aligning more with how God wants us to find His will.

We have to not only know God's will but we have to do it against all odds. Only then in the final analysis we will be labelled, "Justified" in God's sight.

John oxios questioned:

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How do you DO anything? without working at it??

Whoever is talking about doing anything without working at it? In fact i believe we have to "strive through the narrow gate!" But strive we must in faith, leaning on the Holy Spirit to direct our path. Otherwise our works are no better than those of the Pharisees.

So our salvation is a collaborative or synergistic work. Note Isaiah 61:10:
"I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

The imputed righteousness of Christ was good in so far as it was necessary to wipe away all our sins up until the time we are born again is concerned. The work of belief (John 6:29) in faith that we mustered at that time is only what i call diaper righteousness. It is a righteousness that we cannot boast about.

As for the Imputed righteousness of Christ Himself, it is spent for an atonement--for wiping away "sins previously committed" (Romans 3:25).

We need imparted righteousness from then on to "further clothe" ourselves "so that what is mortal will be swallowed up with life" (2 Corinthians 5:4 ESV). Imparted righteousness is not self-righteousness. It is the works that the indwelling Holy Spirit tells us to do or not to do. These are good works that the Bride of Jesus should adorn herself with (1 Timothy 2:9-10). In the final analysis, these righteous acts are the fine linen, bright and clean that the saints will wear at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:8). He who does not have these wedding garments on, will be thrown into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13).

So the question to ask oneself is: Are you naked and in diapers like the Calvinists or in dirty clothes like the Roman Catholics or in your wedding dress, which i believe are the Arminians?

No one can be Justified and be a member in the body of Christ without being Just (humble) and having leaned on the finished work of Christ. No one can begin to become Just (righteous) without being Justified by grace through faith in Christ. No one can end here on earth, "Justified," without him being Just (humble & righteous) himself through faithful obedience to the Holy Spirit.
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© 2006-2015 Caleb S. Motupalli

~Most of our problems will be solved if only we yield our freewill to the Lord's will.~