Questions / Salvation, heaven and hell
Aren’t we saved by faith alone?
Answered on video by Bishop Robert Barron
Video: Are We Saved by Faith Alone? - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon, Bishop Robert Barron, published Sep 9, 2023. Checked 10 October 2026. Loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only when you press play. Watch on YouTube
In short: The Church agrees the first grace is pure gift. No one can earn the start of forgiveness. CCC 2010
The answer, in writing
Because God always takes the first step, no one can merit the first grace of forgiveness and justification. CCC 2010
Moved by the Holy Spirit and by love, we can then cooperate with grace and grow in it. CCC 2010
James writes, “You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith.” James 2:24
Catholics and Lutherans actually signed a joint statement in 1999 agreeing on a lot of this. The Catholic emphasis: faith that’s alive shows up in love, and God’s grace gets the credit for both.
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Sources on this page
How we know · 1 Catechism paragraph · 1 Bible passage
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2010 (official text on vatican.va).
- Scripture (World English Bible, Catholic edition, public domain; modern verse numbers, Douay-Rheims numbers in brackets where they differ): James 2:24.
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