Episode 68: Year B – 4th Sunday of Lent
In this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word, there are two details in the readings for this upcoming 4th Sunday of Lent, Year B that we’re going to focus on that are relevant for apologetical discussions. The first comes from the second reading, taken from Ephesians 2:4-10, and it relates to the important topic of the relationship between our good works and salvation. The second detail comes from the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 3:14-21. The relevant topic there is the nature of the “eternal life” promised to those who believe, and whether such life proves the doctrine of “once saved, always saved.”
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Hey everyone,
Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings and pick out the details that are relevant for explaining and defending our Catholic faith.
I’m Karlo Broussard, staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers, and the host for this podcast.
In this episode, there are two details that we’re going to focus on that are relevant for apologetical discussions. The first comes from the second reading, taken from Ephesians 2:4-10, and it relates to the important topic of the relationship between our good works and salvation. The second detail comes from the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 3:14-21. The relevant topic there is the nature of the “eternal life” promised to those who believe, and whether such life proves the doctrine of “once saved, always saved.”
So, let’s get started with the second reading. Again, it’s taken from Ephesians 2:4-10. Paul writes,
Brothers and sisters:
God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —,
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.
The detail that I want to focus on here is Paul’s teaching, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.” For some Protestants, this is clear evidence that the Catholic Church is wrong in its teaching that eternal life will be given at our judgment as a reward for our good works. For example, in chapter twenty-six of its Decree on Justification, the Council of Trent states, “Unto them who work well unto the end, and hoping in God, life eternal is to be proposed, both as a grace mercifully promised to the sons of God through Jesus Christ, and as a recompense which is to be faithfully rendered to their good works” (emphasis added). How can Catholics believe that works contribute to our salvation, when Paul clearly teaches here that we’re not saved by works lest we boast?
I deal with this objection in my book Meeting the Protestant Challenge: How to Answer 50 Biblical Objections to Catholic Beliefs. I’m not going to rehearse all the responses. However, I will share two.
First, Paul can’t be saying that works have nothing to do with our salvation in any sense, because he elsewhere teaches that works do contribute to our salvation.
Take the very next verse of the passage in question: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). We also know that Paul can’t be denying works in an absolute sense because elsewhere in his writings he affirms that works do have some role to play in our salvation. The following passages are illustrative:
- Philippians 2:12: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
- Galatians 5:6: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.”
- 2 Corinthians 6:1: “Working together with him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain.”
- Romans 2:6-7: “For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
Either Paul is contradicting himself, or the claim that Ephesians 2:8-9 says works are not necessary for salvation in any sense must be wrong.
So why would Paul say that works have nothing to do with our salvation and then in the same breath say that they do? Our next response to this challenge will show how Paul’s statements can be reconciled.
Here’s a second response. The quotation from the Council of Trent that I rehearsed earlier refers to our final salvation—that’s to say, receiving eternal life at the end of our lives. For the Church, it’s that stage of salvation that our works come into play. In fact, the Council of Trent teaches that James 2:24, which states that “by works a man is justified, and not by faith only,” applies only to those who have already been initially justified and seek to increase in that justice (10).
Paul, on the other hand, is referring to the initial stage of salvation, which, according to Catholic teaching cannot be merited by works of any kind.
The key to understanding Paul’s apparent contradiction lies in Paul’s references to different stages of salvation. Verses 8-9 of the passage in question, where Paul says we’re not saved by works, refer to that initial stage of salvation—the salvation we receive when we initially enter into relationship with Christ. The Catholic Church teaches that good works cannot obtain the grace for this stage of salvation (CCC 1996, 2010, 2022).
The preceding context (vv. 1-6) supports this view. Paul describes himself and the Ephesians as “dead in their offenses, and sins” while they were “children of unbelief” (v.2) and “children of wrath” (v.3). Then in verses 5-6, Paul describes their passage from unbelief to belief:
Even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
For Paul, therefore, the grace by which they were saved apart from works is the grace of initial conversion.
Now, if Ephesians 2:8-9 only proves that works have nothing to do with receiving salvation initially, isn’t it possible that works could play a role in other stages of our salvation, such as when we’re judged to receive eternal life at the end of our lives? The answer is yes. And Paul’s next statement in verse 10 illustrates this perfectly: “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them” (10). So, after we are “made alive in Christ” (v.5), we can walk in the works that God prepared for us (vs.10) and, as Paul says in Gal. 6:8, “reap eternal life.”
The bottom line: this text from Paul in no way contradicts the Council of Trent’s teaching. The Council and Paul are referring to two difference stages of salvation.
For more responses to this objection, again, see my book Meeting the Protestant Challenge.
Let’s now turn to the Gospel reading, which, again, is taken from John 3:14-21. Jesus says to Nicodemus,
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
The detail that I want to zero in on here is Jesus’ promise that those who believe in him will have “eternal life.” For many Protestants, like the late Norman Geisler, such promises by Jesus for believers to have “eternal life” is evidence that “those who truly believe now can be certain now that they will be in heaven later.” This leads Geisler to conclude, “Eternal life is a present possession the moment people believe, and this assures Christians they will never be condemned.”
I offer several responses to this interpretation in my article “Don’t take eternal life for granted,” found at catholic.com Rather than repeating them all here, I’ll just offer a few.
First, Geisler is mistaken in interpreting “eternal life” as indicating the “once saved, always saved” doctrine because Jesus never says that a person who currently possesses eternal life via belief will always remain in a state of belief. That’s what Jesus would have to say for him to be revealing the “once saved, always saved” doctrine.
Secondly, the mere affirmation of the present status of a believer possessing eternal life doesn’t entail this either. It only proves that as long as a person believes, he has eternal life. And having such life when we stand before Christ in judgment at the end of our lives is what excludes us from condemnation.
Finally, the New Testament teaches that a believer can fall away from faith, and thus lose possession of eternal life. For example, in reference to some who “hear the word” and “receive it with joy,” Jesus says, “they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13). Since a believer can fall away from faith, it follows that a believer can lose the eternal life that is presently possessed. This being the case, the present possession of eternal life via belief doesn’t mean the believer will never be condemned.
As I said before, if you’re interested in more responses to this objection, check out my article “Don’t Take Eternal Life for Granted” at catholic.com.
CONCLUSION
With that said, we come to the end of this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word. The readings for this upcoming Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B give us good material for the important topic of salvation, and particularly the . . .
- The relationship between our good works and salvation, and
- Whether the salvation we receive initially is secure or not.
As always, I want to thank you for subscribing to the podcast. And please be sure to tell your friends about it and invite them to subscribe as well at sundaycatholicword.com. You might also want to check out the other great podcasts in our Catholic Answers podcast network: Cy Kellet’s Catholic Answers Focus, Trent Horn’s The Counsel of Trent, Joe Heschmeyer’s Shameless Popery, and Jimmy Akin’s A Daily Defense, all of which can be found at catholic.com.
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I hope you have a blessed 4th Sunday of Lent, Year B. Peace!