"Catholics think they can work their way to heaven. But Paul says salvation is a gift, 'not from works, so no one may boast.'" Is that charge true?
Short answer: No. The Church teaches that "no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification" (CCC 2010). Salvation begins, continues, and ends in God's grace. God does reward the good works His grace produces in us, but even those merits "are gifts of the divine goodness" (CCC 2009).
Key verses on grace and works
- "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8)
- "For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance" (Ephesians 2:10)
- "For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work." (Philippians 2:13)
- "eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works" (Romans 2:7)
- "without me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)
Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
What Catholics Actually Teach
The Catechism is direct: "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" (CCC 1996). Even our first openness to God is His doing: "The preparation of man for the reception of grace is already a work of grace" (CCC 2001).
Quoting the Council of Trent, the Catechism says man cooperates with grace, "and yet, without God's grace, he cannot by his own free will move himself toward justice in God's sight" (CCC 1993).
What about "merit"? The Church means God's reward for what His grace does in us, not a wage we can demand. "With regard to God, there is no strict right to any merit on the part of man" (CCC 2007). And: "Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life" (CCC 2010).
Even that merit is grace: "The merits of our good works are gifts of the divine goodness" (CCC 2009), and "The charity of Christ is the source in us of all our merits before God" (CCC 2011). The Catechism quotes St. Thérèse of Lisieux: "In the evening of this life, I shall appear before you with empty hands" (CCC 2011).
What Catholics do not teach:
- That we can earn our way into God's favor. No one can merit the first grace of justification (CCC 2010).
- That good works put God in our debt. There is "no strict right to any merit" (CCC 2007).
- That faith and works are two separate deposits. Grace comes first, is received by faith, and bears fruit in love: "faith working through love" (Galatians 5:6).
The Biblical Case
1. Salvation is a gift
"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" (Ephesians 2:8–9). "They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). "Not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us" (Titus 3:5).
2. Grace produces good works
St. Paul doesn't stop at verse 9: "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" (Ephesians 2:10). Good works are not our ticket in. They are what God made us for. Jesus says the same: "Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit" (John 15:5).
3. We work because God works in us
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work" (Philippians 2:12–13). Both are true at once. We really act, and God is the source of our acting.
4. God really rewards works done in grace
God "will repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through perseverance in good works" (Romans 2:6–7). Jesus says the Son of Man "will repay everyone according to his conduct" (Matthew 16:27).
5. The crown is still a gift
Near death St. Paul wrote, "I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day" (2 Timothy 4:7–8). A just judge awards it. Yet St. Paul also asks, "What do you possess that you have not received?" (1 Corinthians 4:7). The reward is real, and the ability to earn it was itself received. That is exactly what Catholics mean by merit.
Objections Answered
(a) "Paul says a wage is earned, but salvation is credited to the one who does not work."
At its strongest: "A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:4–5). "But if by grace, it is no longer because of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Romans 11:6). Any talk of merit seems to turn grace into a wage.
Answer: Catholics agree with St. Paul here. He is talking about how the ungodly are first justified, and the Church says no one can merit that (CCC 2010). But the same St. Paul says believers "will receive wages in proportion to his labor" (1 Corinthians 3:8) and that "the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit" (Galatians 6:8). Works done on our own, to put God in our debt, earn nothing. Works God does in us, after He justifies us, He freely promises to reward. For more, see Is Salvation by Faith Alone?
(b) "Merit means you can boast."
At its strongest: Salvation is "not from works, so no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:9). If even part of salvation rests on our merits, we have something to boast about.
Answer: Only if the merit came from us. Catholic teaching says it doesn't: "the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful" (CCC 2008). The Catechism quotes St. Augustine: "Our merits are God's gifts" (CCC 2009). A child who draws with crayons his father bought, guided by his father's hand, has nothing to boast about when his father praises the picture. He still receives the praise.
(c) "Isaiah says our righteous deeds are filthy rags."
At its strongest: The prophet confesses, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6 (KJV)). The NABRE, which follows the Hebrew verse numbering here, renders it "all our just deeds are like polluted rags" (Isaiah 64:5). If even our best deeds are filthy before God, how can God reward them, much less call them meritorious?
Answer: Read the line in context. Just before it, the prophet says, "Indeed, you are angry; we have sinned, we have acted wickedly" (Isaiah 64:4). This is Israel confessing deeds done in rebellion, not a verdict on works God Himself produces in the righteous. The same book prays, "LORD, you will decree peace for us, for you have accomplished all we have done" (Isaiah 26:12). Works God accomplishes in us are not rags. The New Testament says so plainly: "For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones" (Hebrews 6:10). And Jesus will say to His servant, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21). Our Lord does not praise filthy rags.
The Early Church Agrees
The earliest Christians held both truths together: justification is God's free gift, and God rewards the good He works in us.
- Pope St. Clement I (St. Clement of Rome) (Letter to the Corinthians, c. AD 96) says we "are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men" (ch. 32). In the very next chapter he asks, "Shall we become slothful in well-doing, and cease from the practice of love? God forbid that any such course should be followed by us!" (ch. 33).
- St. Ignatius of Antioch (Letter to the Ephesians, c. AD 107): "The tree is made manifest by its fruit." And: "For there is not now a demand for mere profession, but that a man be found continuing in the power of faith to the end" (ch. 14).
- St. Justin Martyr (First Apology, c. AD 155) explains to the emperor what Christians believe: "that each man goes to everlasting punishment or salvation according to the value of his actions" (ch. 12).
- St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies, c. AD 180), following St. Paul, says that those who do good "shall receive glory and honour, because they have done that which is good when they had it in their power not to do it" (4.37.1). Real reward for real, free cooperation.
- St. Augustine of Hippo (On Grace and Free Will, c. AD 426) gives the classic Catholic summary: "If, then, your good merits are God's gifts, God does not crown your merits as your merits, but as His own gifts" (ch. 15).
Conclusion
Catholics don't believe they can earn salvation. We believe what St. Paul believed: we are saved by grace, created for good works, and God, who works in us, rewards what He does through us.
If you've heard that Catholics try to buy heaven with good deeds, read the Catechism for yourself. You'll find saints who come before God "with empty hands," still running the race to the end.
Come home. The grace that saves us and the good works it bears in us are received and lived in their fullness in the Catholic Church. Christ did not found many churches. He founded one, on St. Peter and the apostles (Matthew 16:18), and that Church is the Catholic Church. "It is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained" (CCC 816). If you are a baptized Christian, you already share "a certain, although imperfect, communion" with her (CCC 838). Every truth you already hold is a call to the rest of the way. Christ is calling you into the Catholic Church.
Your next step: Come to Mass this Sunday at your local Catholic church. You can find one near you at MassTimes.org. Everyone is welcome; if you're not yet Catholic, pray with us but don't receive Communion yet. When you're ready to become Catholic, call the parish office and ask about OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. They will walk you through every step. Read our guide: How Do I Become Catholic? Not ready yet? Get our free pocket guide below and keep learning.
FAQ
Do Catholics believe in salvation by grace alone? Yes, in the sense that every step of salvation, from first conversion to final perseverance, is God's grace. "Our justification comes from the grace of God" (CCC 1996).
Then why do Catholics talk about merit? Because Scripture talks about reward (Romans 2:6–7; 2 Timothy 4:8). Merit is God's promised reward for what His grace does in us.
Can a Catholic be sure of salvation? A Catholic can have confident hope in God's promises. But Scripture also warns believers to persevere: "in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
Sources
Scripture (NABRE, bible.usccb.org): Isaiah 26:12; Isaiah 64:4–5; Matthew 16:18; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:21; John 15:5; Romans 2:6–7; Romans 3:24; Romans 4:4–5; Romans 11:6; 1 Corinthians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 5:6; Galatians 6:8–9; Ephesians 2:8–10; Philippians 2:12–13; 2 Timothy 4:7–8; Titus 3:5; Hebrews 6:10.
Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican.va): 816, 838; 1993; 1996, 2001; 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011.
Church Fathers (newadvent.org): Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians 32–33 (ANF vol. 9); Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians 14 (ANF vol. 1); Justin Martyr, First Apology 12 (ANF vol. 1); Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.37.1 (ANF vol. 1); Augustine, On Grace and Free Will 15 (NPNF1 vol. 5).