What Did The Early Church Believe About Faith and Works?

[@learnbibleversethroughpict6027]

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[@PatrickSteil]

It seems to me that the public both Catholics and nonCatholics are greatly understating what salvation is and what it means. To start with what is God saving us from? It’s not just the judgment of our sin in a quart room. Although that is part of it. It’s not just him saving us from ourselves in thinking that we can determine what is good and true and beautiful on her own even though we are just a simple creation and not the creator himself. Although that’s part of it. It’s also not just the fact that when we idolize fame or power or money for set that we end up losing everything that makes our lives meaningful and purposeful and valuable. But it’s also this. Our relationship with God and the salvation that he gives us freely is so much more and bigger and has huge implications beyond just believing in in him or a simple formula of faith plus works. Like Jesus said love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. And so every Christian should dedicate his entire life to finding out what that means. To think because one night at youth group you pray the same prayer or even the fact that you had first communion when you were in second grade or any other single moment of your life is proof of your salvation is under stating the value of the relationship. A great marriage doesn’t just come from saying I do nor doing a certain at once or twice a year but ideally dedication and commitment to the relationship and to see that it grows bigger and stronger and more meaningful every single year. The question shouldn’t be how do I accomplish the transaction of being saved but rather how do I live a life devoted to Jesus. In other words it should never even enter into your daily relationship as to whether or not you are doing the things to be saved, you should just be loving God ever more deeply every single day. And yes this does require your faithfulness and obedience and loyalty call and selflessness and patience and kindness and all the other virtues. It should be our joy to spend the rest of our lives improving on all virtues so that we can love God and love our neighbor more and better every day.