Apologetics for the Masses #432 - Question from a 14-yr. old Catholic

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Topic

Question about evangelization from a 14-yr. old.

General Comments

Hey folks,

If you live in the Birmingham area, I want to let you know about a luncheon we'll be having on December 2nd, at the Vestavia Country Club, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM. The luncheon will feature a dialogue between Rabbi Adam Wright, of Temple Emanu-El here in Birmingham, and Fr. Ryan Muldoon, who is a priest at St. Patrick's parish in Yorktown Heights, NY. They will be discussing Passover and the Eucharist. It should be a very interesting dialogue to listen in on.

You can register for the luncheon here: https://cbapn24.wildapricot.org/sys/website/?pageId=7741.

Space is limited and we're getting a lot of interest for this, so if you plan on attending, better to register sooner rather than later.

Introduction

Okay, so this week I had planned on following up on the "homework" assignment I gave you last week - https://www.biblechristiansociety.com/newsletter/617-apologetics-for-the-masses-431-what-do-catholics-believe-from-a-protestant - by taking apart what Protestant writer Lisa Loraine Baker had to say in her article titled, "What Do Catholics Believe?" But, I'm going to put off doing that for one more week. Instead, this week I am going to answer the question of a 14-yr. old who wrote to me asking for help in regards to apologetics and evangelization.

This young lady had just taken my online course, Blue Collar Apologetics, that is offered through Homeschool Connections - https://homeschoolconnections.com/courses/blue-collar-apologetics/ - and she had a question in regard to putting into practice some of what she had just learned in the course. So, below is her question, and then my response.

Next issue I'll start in on analyzing "What Do Catholics Believe?"

Challenge/Response/Strategy

Hello, Mr. Martignoni!

I am a 14-year-old Catholic high schooler watching recordings of your Blue Collar Apologetics course on Homeschool Connections. I just finished studying your arguments against Sola Fide, and I am really excited about using these ideas in defending my faith to my Protestant friends. I do have a question, though.

If I were to use the argument "If all men are redeemed, but only some are redeemed and saved, then the difference between the two would be something that the saved person did that the unsaved person didn't do" and a Protestant answered, "Yes, it was an act, or work, but you are not earning your salvation through a work" how would I respond?

-Maria E.

My Response

Maria, thanks for the question. I'm going to break my response up into two parts: one that is about technique and one that is about content. First, let's tackle the technique part. What I would recommend, is that instead of making a declarative statement about the difference between the redeemed and saved vs. the redeemed and unsaved, turn it into a question. So, instead of stating, "If all men are redeemed, but only some are redeemed and saved, then the difference between the two would be something that the saved person did that the unsaved person didn't do," try asking: "What is the difference between the redeemed and saved and the redeemed and unsaved? Is it something the redeemed and saved did that the redeemed and saved didn't do, or is it something Jesus did for the redeemed and saved that He didn't do for the redeemed and unsaved?"

By making it a question, instead of a declarative statement, you put the onus on the Protestant to figure things out for themselves. From here they can't yet make their statement about "not earning your salvation". At this point, the onus is on them to answer the question. If they say that Jesus did something for the saved that He didn't do for the unsaved, then they're in a pretty difficult position because Jesus died on the Cross for all mankind, at least, according to the Bible. So, no, He didn't do anything for the saved that He didn't do for the unsaved. He did the same thing for everyone - He died on the Cross for the sins of all men (1 Tim 2:6 and 4:10; 1 John 2:2). But, if they say the difference is something the saved do that the unsaved do not do - make an act of faith, say a sinner's prayer, accept Jesus into their hearts as their personal Lord and Savior, etc. - then they are admitting that we have to DO something in order to be saved, and anything we do is a work - whether it be an ACT of faith, ACCEPTING Jesus into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, SAYING a sinner's prayer, or whatever.

It's important to remember to ask questions whenever possible instead of simply stating things. If you simply state something, there is no burden on the other person to say anything at all. But, if you ask a question, now there is a burden on them to give you an answer. If you're in a classroom and the teacher says, "2 + 2 = 4". There is no response called for. But, if the teacher says, "What does 2 + 2 = ?" Now a response is called for. And to give you an answer to yoour question, it is going to cause the other person to really have to stop and think. And, by asking questions, you can lead them to a place where they might be able to start recognizing some of the problems and contradictions in their belief system. Once you ask a question like this, you will quite often see in their eyes that they recognize they have a problem. They probably won't admit it, but they'll know that they're in a tight spot. And just their recognition of the fact that you have, essentially, set a trap for them using their own theology, will, hopefully, plant a seed in their mind and heart that there just might be a problem or two with their theology, which might make them go and do some searching. Which is a good thing.

Okay, that's the technique part - questions instead of statements whenever possible. Now for the content part. Once you have asked your question about the difference between the redeemed and saved and the redeemed and unsaved, just kind of stand there and wait for an answer. Again, the only sensible, as well as biblical, answer, is that Jesus did the same thing for the unsaved that He did for the saved - He died on the Cross. Which means the only possible coherent answer to your question is that the difference between the redeemed and saved and the redeemed and unsaved, is something the redeemed and saved did that the redeemed and saved didn't do. Now, the Protestant you're talking to will probably not admit to that, at least not directly, so at this point you simply say it for them. If they try to wiggle away by changing the subject or saying something that doesn't make any sense, just keep bringing them back to the fact that the only difference between the two groups of people is something the saved did that the unsaved did not do.

At this point the Protestant might say, "Well, you're not earning your salvation through a work!" To which you can respond, "I agree 100%. In fact, it is a dogmatic teaching of the Catholic Church that our works do not save us. However, we do not receive the saving grace of Christ if we do not do something. Jesus doesn't make us do it. Jesus doesn't do it for us. We have to cooperate with the grace He is giving us in order to have that grace applied to our lives for our salvation. We have to, by the grace of God, make a decision to believe in Christ and a decision to follow Christ. That decision - that act - does not save us, but it opens the door for the grace of God, earned for us by Jesus' death on the Cross, to come into our lives and save us from eternal death! But, getting back to the original point, it is a work that the saved do, that the unsaved do not do that is the difference in being redeemed and saved and being redeemed and unsaved."

In other words, faith and at least one work - the work of believing, accepting, repenting, and confessing - are necessary for salvation. We have to DO something in order to be saved. We can't just sit there and automatically be saved because Jesus died on the Cross for us. Which means, salvation is not by faith alone! So, no, our work does not earn our salvation - Jesus' death and resurrection did that for us. But, we have to be an active participant in that process of salvation.

Hope that helps, Maria. Thanks for the question.

Closing Comments

Next issue I will begin the process of dissecting the article, "What Do Catholics Believe?" by Protestant writer Lisa Loraine Baker. Have a great week!

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