Being Catholic

SANCTIFICATION & JUSTIFICATION

But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared,
not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior, so that
we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.
Titus 3, 4-7

Paul’s Epistle to Titus 3:4-7 emphasizes several key theological themes central to Catholic teaching, particularly regarding salvation, grace, and the nature of God. The text begins by highlighting the “kindness and generous love of God our Savior,” which reflects the core belief in God’s nature as loving and merciful. This kindness is not based on human merit or righteous deeds, but solely on God’s mercy. This underscores the fundamental Catholic understanding that salvation is a gift rather than something earned through good works.

Titus 3:4-7 emphasizes the transformative power of God’s salvation, stating that humanity is saved “through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” This phrase is widely interpreted as referring to the sacrament of baptism, which is integral to Catholic theology and salvation. In the Catholic tradition, baptism is viewed not only as a ritual act but also as a means of divine grace. It is believed to cleanse the individual from original sin, which, according to Catholic doctrine, is inherited from Adam and Eve’s disobedience.   

Additionally, baptism represents a profound rebirth into the Christian faith, marking the believer’s formal entry into the Church and their incorporation into the Body of Christ. This sacrament is often accompanied by the invocation of the Holy Spirit, symbolizing spiritual renewal and empowerment for the Christian life. The communal aspect of baptism highlights its role in building up the Church by fostering a sense of belonging among the faithful.

The text highlights the Holy Spirit’s “richly poured out” work among believers, underscoring the abundance and generosity of God’s grace. In Catholic teaching, the role of the Holy Spirit is pivotal in both the Church’s communal life and each believer’s personal journey. The Holy Spirit is seen as the divine guide, leading individuals towards truth and holiness, sanctifying them through the sacraments, and renewing their hearts and minds to reflect Christ more fully.

This renewal by the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event; it symbolizes the ongoing process of sanctification each believer undergoes throughout their spiritual life. This ongoing transformation encourages individuals to strive for a deeper relationship with God, fostering virtues such as love, patience, and humility. The presence of the Holy Spirit is also a source of inspiration and strength, empowering believers to live out their faith actively and to serve others in love, thereby embodying the teachings of Christ in their daily lives.

In Catholic theology, sanctification is the transformative process by which a person is made holy and conformed to the image of Christ. It is closely tied to justification, the act of being declared righteous in God’s eyes. Sanctification involves both the internal renewal of the believer and the external expression of faith through good works in charity and grace. This process is made possible by the grace of God, primarily through the sacraments, prayer, and the ongoing cooperation of the individual’s will. Thus, sanctification is a crucial principle that underpins and enriches the understanding of justification, emphasizing that true justification leads to a life of holiness and virtue.

Titus 3:7 asserts that we are “justified by his grace,” underscoring a foundational aspect of Catholic doctrine on justification. This doctrine teaches that while individuals can respond to God’s grace through both faith and good works, it is ultimately God’s grace alone that justifies and saves us. This perspective aligns with the Catholic understanding that faith and works are not separate or conflicting but are inherently intertwined in the process of salvation. Faith is seen as the initial response to God’s revelation, while works, fueled by that faith, are expressions of one’s commitment and cooperation with divine grace. Thus, the Catholic Church emphasizes that true faith must be lived out through charity and moral actions, reflecting the belief that while salvation is a gift, humans have a role in accepting and nurturing it through their actions.

In his concluding remarks to Titus, the author emphasizes that believers are “heirs in hope of eternal life.” This statement reflects the foundational Catholic doctrine that promises eternal life through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The phrase underscores the profound significance of hope as a theological virtue, essential to Catholics on their spiritual journey. This message offers assurance and encouragement to the faithful: through God’s limitless grace and mercy, they can look forward to attaining eternal life in joyful communion with God. This hope serves as a guiding light, motivating believers to live virtuously and remain steadfast in their faith amidst life’s challenges. It reinforces the belief that salvation is a gift from God, contingent upon their acceptance and adherence to His will.

In essence, Titus 3:4-7 captures several foundational elements of the Catholic faith, particularly emphasizing the transformative nature of God’s love and mercy. This passage highlights how God’s kindness and love for humanity lead to salvation, underscoring the importance of divine grace in justification. A critical aspect of this scripture is its affirmation of the sacraments, especially baptism, which is viewed as the means through which believers are cleansed from sin and incorporated into the Church. The text also underscores the Holy Spirit’s continued presence and action in the lives of the faithful, guiding, empowering, and sanctifying them.

These themes collectively illuminate the Catholic understanding of grace—an unmerited gift from God that enables individuals to seek Him and grow in holiness. The ultimate hope expressed in this passage is the promise of eternal life, a cornerstone of Catholic theology that offers believers assurance of their place in God’s kingdom. Together, these elements form not only the core teachings of the Church but also reflect the lived experience of faith within the Catholic community.

St. Augustine wisely teaches us that it is insufficient for us to be merely and formally declared justified based solely on the merits of Christ’s righteousness. To truly inherit the kingdom of heaven and be deemed just in the eyes of God, we must cultivate a righteousness of our own, which is developed through divine grace—grace made accessible to us through the meritorious work of our Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. This righteousness cannot be passive; it necessitates our active cooperation with God in His dispensation of grace. We are called to bear fruit that endures and leads to eternal life. As stated in the Gospel, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven will enter” (Mt 7:21). This underscores the importance of aligning our actions with God’s will, highlighting that mere verbal acknowledgment of Christ is inadequate for our salvation.

God justly declares us to be inherently righteous and just in His sight, not due to any merit of our own but because of the transformative work He has completed in us through our collaboration with His grace (Eph 2:8-10). This partnership with the divine is essential; through our faith, combined with our works that reflect that faith, we fulfill our heavenly calling and cultivate a relationship with God that leads to eternal life.

Saving faith is characterized by our active participation. Simply having belief and knowledge is insufficient for achieving justification. Engaging in good works, particularly those driven by charity and grace, is essential for fulfilling our faith and positively impacting our souls. Through spiritual sacrifices and acts of self-denial, we replace our selfish desires with those that align with God’s will. This process helps us to diminish our excessive self-love in favor of God’s love and goodness. Such actions are meritorious because they stem from divine grace. God considers us just because that aligns with His original intention, but this requires us to respond sincerely and invite the Holy Spirit to work within us.

EARLY SACRED TRADITION

Clement of Rome (A.D. 98)
Epistle to the Corinthians, 30

“Seeing, therefore, that we are the portion of the Holy One, let us do all those things which pertain
to holiness, avoiding all evil-speaking, all abominable and impure embraces, together with all drunkenness, seeking after change, all abominable lusts, detestable adultery, and execrable pride.
‘For God,’ saith [the Scripture], ‘resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.’ Let us cleave,
then, to those to whom grace has been given by God. Let us clothe ourselves with concord and humility, ever exercising self-control, standing far off from all whispering and evil-speaking,
being justified by our works, and not our words.”

Polycarp (A.D. 135)
To the Philippians, 2

“But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness,
love of money, evil speaking, falsewitness; ‘not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing,’ or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again; and once more, “Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.’”

Justin Martyr (A.D. 155)
 First Apology, 6

“We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, and chastisements, and good rewards, are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions. Since if it be not so, but all things happen by fate, neither is anything at all in our own power…But this we assert is inevitable fate, that they who choose the good have worthy rewards, and they who choose the opposite have their merited awards. For not like other things, as trees and quadrupeds, which cannot act by choice, did God make man: for neither would he be worthy of reward or praise did he not of himself choose the good, but were created for this end; nor, if he were evil, would he be worthy of punishment, not being evil of himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made.”

Clement of Alexandria  (A.D. 202)
The Stromata, 6:14

“‘And other sheep there are also,’ saith the Lord, ‘which are not of this fold ‘–deemed worthy of
another fold and mansion, in proportion to their faith. ‘But My sheep hear My voice,’ understanding the commandments gnostically. And this is to be taken in a magnanimous and worthy acceptation, along with the recompense and accompaniment of works. So that when we hear, ‘Thy faith hath saved thee, we do not understand Him to say absolutely that those who have believed in any way whatever shall be saved, unless also works follow. But it was to the Jews alone that He spoke this utterance, who kept the law and lived blamelessly, who wanted only faith in the Lord. No one, then, can be a believer and at the same time be licentious; but though he quit the flesh, he must put off the passions, so as to be capable of reaching his own mansion.”

Cyprian of Carthage (A.D. 252)
 On the Lord’s Prayer, 14

“We add, also, and say, ‘Thy will be done, as in heaven so in earth;’ not that God should do what He wills, but that we may be able to do what God wills. For who resists God, that l He may not do what He wills? But since we are hindered by the devil from obeying with our thought and deed God’s will in all things, we pray and ask that God’s will may be done in us; and that it may be done in us we have need of God’s good will, that is, of His help and protection, since no one is strong in his own strength, but he is safe by the grace and mercy of God.”

Gregory of Nazianzen (A.D. 383)
 Oration 37:13

“For when you hear, Not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy, I counsel you to think the same. For since there are some who are so proud of their successes that they attribute all to themselves and nothing to Him that made them and gave them wisdom and supplied them with good; such are taught by this word that even to wish well needs help from God; or rather that even to choose what is right is divine and a gift of the mercy of God. For it is necessary both that we should be our own masters and also that our salvation should be of God. This is why He saith not of him that willeth; that is, not of him that willeth only, nor of him that runneth only, but also of God. That sheweth mercy. Next, since to will also is from God, he has attributed the whole to God with reason. However much you may run, however much you may wrestle, yet you need one to give the crown.”

Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 411)
On Forgiveness of Sins and Baptism, II:5

“Now for the commission of sin we get no help from God; but we are not able to do justly, and to fulfill the law of righteousness in every part thereof, except we are helped by God. For as the bodily eye is not helped by the light to turn away there from shut or averted, but is helped by it to see, and cannot see at all unless it help it; so God, who is the light of the inner man, helps our mental sight, in order that we may do some good, not according to our own, but according to His righteousness.”

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