THE NECESSITY OF FAITH
We know that faith is necessary for salvation, as attested by the gospels and other books of the New Testament.
“As the eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised.
“He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:14-16)
In most instances Jesus required faith as a precondition for God to work miracles.
“He departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished.
“They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him.
“So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.” (Mark 6:1-3, 5-6)
Jesus did not impose the same requirement on, for example, the man at the pool of Bethsaida (Matthew 5:2-9). This case appears to be the exception rather than the rule.
Faith is a gift of God. If we lack faith, we can and should ask for it from God.
Jesus said to him, “Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24)
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” (Luke 17:5)
We look to Abraham as one among the greatest witnesses to God’s gift of faith.
“The Lord took him outside and said: Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so, he added, will your descendants be.
“Abram put his faith in the Lord, who attributed it to him as an act of righteousness.” (Genesis 15:5-6)
The same promise is made to Isaac.
“The Lord appeared to Isaac and said: Do not go down to Egypt, but camp in this land wherever I tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I will give all these lands, in fulfillment of the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.
“I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth will find blessing—this because Abraham obeyed me, keeping my mandate, my commandments, my ordinances, and my instructions.” (Genesis 26:2-5)
Photo courtesy of Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.
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Gonzalinho
IS FAITH NECESSARY FOR SALVATION?
ReplyDeleteThe words of Scripture appear to be explicit on this point.
“As the eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised.
“He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:14-16)
It’s apparent as well, however, that there are many indeed who through no fault of their own have not received the gospel or the opportunity for baptism or the chance to profess their faith in the gospel. What about them?
Citing the teachings of Vatican II, the Roman Catholic Church, in continuity with the teachings of the Council of Trent, declares that the unbaptized may be saved through implicit baptism or what has been termed the Baptism of Desire.
“Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.” [Gaudium et Spes, 22, section 5; cf. Lumen Gentium 16; Ad Gentes 7] Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1260)
Presumably, those who implicitly desire baptism also implicitly express their faith in the gospel.
Both baptism and faith in the gospel are absolutely necessary for salvation, whether they are explicit or implicit.
Gonzalinho