Episode 30: Response to Bishop Barron and Ben Shapiro: Can Jews be saved apart from faith in Christ?

Specifically paragraph 16.

16. Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are related in various ways to the people of God.(18*) In the first place we must recall the people to whom the testament and the promises were given and from whom Christ was born according to the flesh.(125) On account of their fathers this people remains most dear to God, for God does not repent of the gifts He makes nor of the calls He issues.(126) But the plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place amongst these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God, who on the last day will judge mankind. Nor is God far distant from those who in shadows and images seek the unknown God, for it is He who gives to all men life and breath and all things,(127) and as Saviour wills that all men be saved.(128) Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.(19*) Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life. Whatever good or truth is found amongst them is looked upon by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel.(20*) She knows that it is given by Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have life. But often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become vain in their reasonings and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator.(129) Or some there are who, living and dying in this world without God, are exposed to final despair. Wherefore to promote the glory of God and procure the salvation of all of these, and mindful of the command of the Lord, “Preach the Gospel to every creature”,(130) the Church fosters the missions with care and attention.

From Catechism of the Catholic Church:

847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience – those too may achieve eternal salvation.337

848 “Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men.”338

The Church and non-Christians

839 “Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways.”325

The relationship of the Church with the Jewish People. When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People,326 “the first to hear the Word of God.”327 The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God’s revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews “belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ”,328 “for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.”329

St. Paul does not mean that Jews are saved apart from faith in Christ because they first received the covenant and the promises. Rather, he writes in Romans 3, after saying that the Jews have the advantage, because to them was entrusted the oracles of God (3:1-2), “Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin…” He then says, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction (namely, no distinction between Jew and Gentile), for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith.” Romans 3:20-25

841 The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. “The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day.”³³⁰

Muslims deny the Holy Trinity, deny that Jesus is God, deny that He died for our sins, deny that He rose from the dead. Muslims claiming to worship the same God of Abraham does not mean they worship Him. Even Aaron said that the golden calf led them out of Egypt (Exodus 32:8, see also 1 Kings 12:28).

Gabriel Biel (1420-1495): If you do what in you lies, God will not deny grace.

However, Lumen Gentium also states under Chapter II, On the People of God, paragraph 14: “Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.” This seems to conflict with what I quoted before from this same chapter. Therefore, there are different interpretations, so not every Catholic would approve of what Bishop Baron said.

The chapter also states, “He is not saved, however, who, though part of the body of the Church, does not persevere in charity.” This again brings doubts. How do you know that you have persevered in charity? So, while trying to give hope of salvation to those outside the Christian faith, it still leaves doubt of salvation for those who profess the Christian faith! “All the Church’s children should remember that their exalted status is to be attributed not to their own merits but to the special grace of Christ. If they fail moreover to respond to that grace in thought, word and deed, not only shall they not be saved but they will be the more severely judged.”

However, this view that people can be saved apart from personal faith in Christ himself is not unique to Roman Catholicism. Fredrick Bruner for example, a 20^th century Presbyterian theologian, in his exegesis of Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus says to the righteous that as often as they did an act of mercy to one of the least of these His brothers, they did it to Him, argues that this teaches how those who never heard the Gospel can be saved. “What about those who have never even heard of Jesus Christ? Followers of Jesus are forewarned and forearmed by this story classically: the millions upon millions who for thousands of years have never heard of Jesus will face a judgment in which a wonderful amnesty will have been won for the whole human race by the very Judge who faces them. At that judgment, human beings will be examined solely against the norm of love, and by the Lord of love.”[1] Elsewhere, he writes, “The merciful will get into the kingdom only because of Christ’s blood shed for them, not because of their mercy, in the same way that believers, too, get into the kingdom on the basis of Christ’s work, not on the basis of the strength or weakness of their faith. Some people accept Christ, even unconsciously, in other people. ‘In the deed of love the confession to Jesus occurs. This is the final revelation of the final revelation speech of Jesus’ (Grundmann, 528).”[2]

However, this theory is unscriptural, because Scripture teaches only faith as the instrument which receives salvation (Romans 3:28, Ephesians 2:8; Galatians 2:16).

Bishop Baron shows that the Catholic Church is a church of salvation by works. Jews and Muslims are saved, not through faith in Christ, but through love. Yet, no one can know love except through faith in Christ. He tries to draw a wedge between faith in Christ and John 14:6, where Jesus says that no one can come to the Father except through me.

Shapiro states that Judaism is an act based religion and that he understands Christianity as faith based. He asks Baron if Catholicism is act based or faith based. He says that it is love based. But whose love?

He says Luther was wrong by saying sola gracia, grace alone, instead of prima Gracia, grace first. However, St. Paul says that we begin and end with grace: 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Galatians 3:2-3 and Romans 11:6 and 1 Corinthian 15:10, God’s grace, not Paul working.

Our love does not make atonement for our sins.

Why did Stephen get stoned calling the Jews to repentance in Acts 7? Why did Paul suffer so much by the hand of the Jews, calling them to faith in Jesus Christ? Why was James beheaded and Peter imprisoned?

If this is not enough to prove that the Roman Catholic Church has the wrong principles of biblical interpretation, I don’t know what does! Here a so-called Bishop in the church had a golden opportunity to confess Christ as the only Savior of sinners to a man, who does not believe in Christ. Yet, he fumbles it and tells him faith in Christ Jesus is not necessary, and that he will probably still be saved. How is this loving? How is Ben Shapiro’s faith, which is based on him keeping 613 commandments, any different than the young man, who was not willing to sell all he had and follow Jesus (Matthew 19:20-22), or Caiaphas or Annas or any of the Scribes and Pharisees, who rejected Jesus?

Faith alone saves, because Christ alone saves. Grace alone saves, because God alone saves. God is love. His love saves. Our love is a fruit of saving faith, which will go on forever into eternity. But we must make a distinction between God’s love and our love when it comes to our salvation. Only God’s love merits our salvation. 1 John 4:10: In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.; Romans 5:8: but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Our love testifies of our salvation. Remember when I talked about the difference between the sacrifice of atonement and the sacrifices of thanksgiving?

Mark 16:16: Whoever does not believe will be condemned. All of John 6. Jesus tells the Jews that they must have faith. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” John 6:53

John 8:24, Jesus says to the Jews, “I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins.”

This is why Paul preached in the synagogues whenever he went to a new city, because the Gospel of Christ is the power of salvation to all who believe, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16-17).

There is not a different way of salvation for the Jews than that of the Gentile. Rather, God shows no partiality, but calls Jews and Gentiles to be members of one flock: Jesus says, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” John 10:16

[1] Bruner, Fredrick Dale. Matthew A Commentary: The Christbook, 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004. 2:582.

[2] Brunner, 2:572-73.