How the Catholic Church Defines "Grace" (by former Catholic priest, Richard Bennett)

You ask me to show how the Catholic Church defines grace incorrectly. The official Roman Catholic definition of God's grace to man is the following, "Grace is the help God gives us to respond to our vocation of becoming his adopted sons. It introduces us into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life." [Catechism of the Catholic Church Para 2021]

Thus, according to Rome, human beings are presumed to be good enough to respond to the help that God gives to them. Thus, grace is not a manifestation of God's sovereign and sole action in salvation but merely a "help" given to humans. The Vatican teaching contradicts the very concept of biblical grace. As the Scripture states, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8, 9). God is the only All Holy One. God's holiness is the distinguishing factor in all His essential characteristics. This is the reason why we need to be in right standing before the one and only All Holy God on the exact terms He prescribes. When by His grace we turn to Him in faith alone for the salvation that He alone gives, by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, which is based on Christ's death and resurrection for His own, we believe on Him alone.

To regard grace as being linked with works of any kind, the Scripture states, "And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace" (Romans 11:6). The concept of grace being merely a helping hand for us in acquiring our salvation through our own efforts denies the Scriptures.

The Catholic is also taught that with God's help, he can claim merit of his own before God. This is because of the grandiose idea of an "associate partnership" of God and man together in the work of salvation. Under the same general heading, "Grace and Justification," Rome states, "We can have merit in God's sight only because of God's free plan to associate man with the work of his grace. Merit is to be ascribed in the first place to the grace of God, and secondly to man's collaboration. Man's merit is due to God." [Catechism of the Catholic Church Para 2025] The wording, "to associate man with the work of his grace" attempts to gainsay the clarity and truth of the Scripture. The work required by God was solely that of the God-man, Christ Jesus, not man in general.

The Apostle Peter summarize the true message of salvation in 1 Peter 1:2-3, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Romans 11:5- 6 does not state that man is forced to accept God's free gift. It states that salvation cannot be obtained partly by grace and partly by works. It is not because people can advance any claims to the favor of God; but from His unmerited grace alone.

A person that is not willing to obtain eternal life in that way, cannot obtain it at all. The doctrines of election and of salvation by grace alone cannot be more explicitly stated than they are in this passage.

We still come back to your question, is man is forced to accept God's free gift? I do not think that even in heaven we will be able to in any way adequately understand how human responsibility and God's grace can fit together and not contradict each other. We have texts that declare that we are saved by God's grace alone. Then also have texts that clearly outline man's responsibility to believe. In some ways, it is summarized in the Lord's commandment in John 6:29 where He said to the sincere Jews, "This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he has sent." This shows that it is God's work of grace to believe and at the same time it is man's responsibility.

My story that I sent to you is also on my website at:
http://www.bereanbeacon.org

If you have broadband you can see it on my DVD called, 'A Priest's story on location.' The presentation includes photos from my early life, including a photo taken on the day of my ordination. Included also are 1996 video shots taken in Dublin at the Jesuit school that I attended, at the priory where I was trained, and the church where I was ordained to the priesthood. These shots, together with photos from Trinidad, WI, where I served as a priest, make this DVD a unique insight into an account my conversion as a Priest.
It is located at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8745214671202633718

Yours in the love and grace of the Lord,

Richard