We are told many times in Scripture that we must believe in Christ if we want to be saved. John 3:15-18, 3:36, 6:40, 6:47, 11:25, 20:31, Acts 16:31, Rom. 10:9-11, 1 Cor. 1:21 1, Tim. 1:16 and 1 Pet. 1:6-9, 1 John 5:10-13 all speak of how we are saved by believing in Christ. However, many do not fully understand just exactly what it means to believe. Having faith in Christ is a grace from God that requires our cooperation.
In recent years, it seems that we have been inundated with a barrage of feel-good, “easy-believism”. Many claim the Catholic Church has complicated the very “simple” message of Christ that all we have to do is believe in him in order to be saved. The Church does believe that we are saved by faith – but only if that faith is one that includes cooperation and obedience. Having true faith in Jesus is not an easy task, as we are reminded of in the Bible. Our cooperation and obedience includes:
- Being baptized (Matt. 28:19-20, John 3:5, Rom. 2:29, Col. 2:12-17, 1 Peter 3:21)- Picking up our cross daily to follow him (Matt. 16:24, Luke 9:23)- Works of mercy and charity (Matt. 19:21, 25:31–46, Luke 18:22)- Obeying his commandments (John 15:10)- Doing the will of the Father (Matt. 7:21)- Dying and being buried with him through Baptism (Rom. 6:1-11)- We must suffer with Christ (Matt. 10:38, 16:24, Mark 8:34, John 12:24, Rom. 8:17, 2 Cor. 1:5-7, Eph. 3:13, Phil. 1:29, 2 Tim. 1:8, 1 Peter 2:19-21, 4:1-2).
We must remember that the Bible is a Catholic Book - written by Catholics, for Catholics - yet the truths contained in it have been twisted (2 Pet. 3:16) by some who have usurped the Church’s teaching authority. The Church is the fullness of Christ to which we must remain obedient (Matt. 18:15-18) because it is the very Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12) which he compared his very self with (Acts 9:4-5). Are we doing what has been commanded of us? Are we obedient to Jesus and his Church? Or have we accepted the falsehood of easy-believism?
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