" 5Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' 6Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.'" -- John 14:5-6
How do we get to God? 99% of Christians will tell you it is through His grace, through Jesus, but is that all we need, or is there more? Like anything else, Christianity is a spectrum. On one side you have people who say we must earn our place, that God's Grace is conditional. On the other side you have people who say that we do not earn His grace, but there is some one we need to go through in order to get to Jesus, to get to God. Do we earn God's grace? Does God really put conditions on the gift He gives us, or is it free? If it is free, do we need to go through anyone to get to Jesus? If so, who? What does the Bible say about all this? I would like to use this very first issue to examine exactly how it is we get to God. We will look at two different doctrines and compare both of them to God's Word, and then we will see what God's word says about how we get to Him.
The Catholic Church also believes that Jesus Christ is the way to eternal life:1996 Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life.
1997 Grace is a participation in the life of God. It introduces us into the intimacy of Trinitarian life: by Baptism the Christian participates in the grace of Christ, the Head of his Body. As an "adopted son" he can henceforth call God "Father," in union with the only Son. He receives the life of the Spirit who breathes charity into him and who forms the Church.
1999 The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification:
Therefore if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself.
1695 "Justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God," "sanctified . . . [and] called to be saints," Christians have become the temple of the Holy Spirit. This "Spirit of the Son" teaches them to pray to the Father and, having become their life, prompts them to act so as to bear "the fruit of the Spirit" by charity in action. Healing the wounds of sin, the Holy Spirit renews us interiorly through a spiritual transformation. He enlightens and strengthens us to live as "children of light" through "all that is good and right and true."Where Catholics differ from Protestants is Mary. The Catholic Church holds Mary to be equal to Jesus Christ in regards to our salvation. They feel that because Mary was present at Jesus' crucifiction and suffered at watching her son die, that she shares in the redemptive aspects of the crucifiction:1696 The way of Christ "leads to life"; a contrary way "leads to destruction." The Gospel parable of the two ways remains ever present in the catechesis of the Church; it shows the importance of moral decisions for our salvation: "There are two ways, the one of life, the other of death; but between the two, there is a great difference."
964 Mary's role in the Church is inseparable from her union with Christ and flows directly from it. "This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to his death"; it is made manifest above all at the hour of his Passion:Also, according to the official catholic doctrine, again, the catechism, Mary is the Mother of Grace. She bestows God's Grace upon us on behalf of her son, Jesus Christ. She is the co-mediator with Christ. In order to get to God, we need to first go through Mary to get to the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Mary herself has a full and active part in doling out the charity and grace of our Lord and Savior:
Thus the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim, born of her: to be given, by the same Christ Jesus dying on the cross, as a mother to his disciple, with these words: "Woman, behold your son."967 By her complete adherence to the Father's will, to his Son's redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church's model of faith and charity. Thus she is a "preeminent and . . . wholly unique member of the Church"; indeed, she is the "exemplary realization" (typus) of the Church.
968 Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. "In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace."The Catholic Church says that Mary is the benefactor of grace, bestowing it on behalf of Jesus. She is a co-mediator with Christ, a "mediatrix". There is even a movement in the catholic chuch to declare her co-redeemer along side with Christ. In fact, the pope has referred to Mary as "Coredemtrix" not once, not twice, but five times (click here to see)! There is a problem with this. Nowhere in any of the Bible is Mary mentioned as a redeemer, mediator or benefactor. Nowhere in all of scripture is Mary mentioned in having any role in our salvation. In no place in God's Holy Word does Mary even have a position in His Church. What is in God's Holy Word, however, is a clear delineation of our mediator, our redeemer, our savior:969 "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation .... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix."
"5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. 7And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles." -- 1 Timothy 2:5-7 "14How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! 15For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." -- Hebrews 9:14-15 "9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He isThe catholic church holds Mary as equal to Jesus in regards to salvation, however that is based on the traditions of men and not of the Bible. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is our only mediator, our only source of salvation. God's grace comes through Jesus Christ, our only advocate, and Him alone.
" 'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone. 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." -- Acts 4:9-12 "1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." -- 1 John 2:1-2
"It is frequently asserted that whereas “works” are the result of salvation, they do not play any role in the securing of one’s redemption. There is simply no truth to this allegation. Faith, repentance, and immersion are all conditions preliminary to the reception of salvation. It is utterly incredible that some, professing an acquaintance with the New Testament, deny the role of works (obedience) in the sacred scheme of redemption. Jesus plainly taught that one must “work” for that spiritual sustenance which abides unto eternal life" (JUSTIFICATION: By Faith or Works?, Wayne Jackson)These same people claim that God's Grace is conditional, based upon what we, ourselves, do. "Grace is not bestowed unconditionally; rather, it is given to those who humble themselves in submission to the will of God." (The True Grace of God, Wayne Jackson). In other words, we need to merit the unmerited favor that God bestows upon us. The dictionary defines grace of God in the following way: "the free and unmerited favor or beneficence of God". Grace is defined as free, undeserved, unmerited favor, yet some teach that the grace of God is not free or unmerited. They teach we must meet certain conditions in order to receive God's grace:
"God has so designed His plan for the salvation of man that His grace is given conditionally. He could have devised His plan whereby man was saved unconditionally but chose not to do so. Man can receive the benefits of God's grace only when he complies with the conditions imposed by God. Even as there is a divine and human side to the salvation of the alien sinner, there is similarly a divine and human side to salvation of the unfaithful Christian. God does not unconditionally forgive the unfaithful child of God anymore than He unconditionally forgives the alien sinner" (Truth Magazine XXII: 33, pp. 531-533, Mike Willis).People will go to great lengths to try and prove that God's grace is conditional, that we must earn God's favor, by submitting to Him and doing good works. They put conditions on God's people, but does God put conditions on His own people? You just saw how the dictionary defines the grace of God, but how does the Bible define it?
The Bible defines God's Grace as unmerited favor, bestowed by Him:
God's unmerited favor is also a gift..."17Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. 18 Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy." -- Daniel 9:17-18
"Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all." -- Romans 4:16
"12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." -- 1 Timothy 1:12-14
...that He gives freely...Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." -- John 4:10
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Romans 6:23
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." -- Ephesians 2:8-9
...to all men:"22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." -- Romans 3:22-24
"In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." -- Ephesians 1:5-6
According to the Bible, we cannot earn God's Grace. Our salvation does not come from anything we have done:"16Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." Romans 5:16-18
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men." -- Titus 2:11
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." -- 2 Peter 3:9
"4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life." -- Titus 3:4-7Some men try to put conditions on God's grace. They say we can only access His grace by doing righteous works. The Bible says the exact opposite. We are saved by God's, not by our righteous works, but by His mercy!!! God has mercy on us sinners, so He has given us the gift of eternal life through faith in His only Son, who He sent to die in our place! We do not and cannot earn this favor. The only thing we can earn is death. God gives us life, BY HIS GRACE!
"Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified." -- Gal 2:16
So how do we get to God? Though many people in many different sects of His church, try to make that question unseemingly complicated, the answer is actually quite simple. Jesus. We get to God through Jesus. Not through Jesus' mother and Jesus. Not through our works and Jesus. Just Jesus. By His own words, Jesus Christ is the way...not one of many, but the way! Jesus is our only mediator between us and God. How do access that mediator? By God's mercy. Jesus has done all the work. His obedience to the Father washes away our sins and restores us to Him, bringing us life. This is God's grace: we deserve, we earn death, but God sent His Son, Jesus, to become man, to take our sins upon Him and die in our place. Now, it is possible for us to be restored to God! All we need to do is submit ourselves to him. All we need to do is go through Jesus. Jesus alone is our way to God. All we need is Jesus.