One of the fundamental things that Protestants often get wrong in soteriology is the relationship between works and salvation. For example, I truly believe that it is theologically sound to say that works are necessary for salvation—something many Protestants would object to. However, I would push back on this objection and argue that if one is to make an objection, the objection should be in relation to how works relate to our salvation, not whether or not they do. That they do seems obvious enough throughout all of Scripture which commends the works of those in Christ as truly having a salvific weight to them. Now to be clear, these works do not secure our right standing before God. Justification is sealed in the merits of Christ. However, as Paul emphasizes throughout Romans, justification is received by faith—a living faith. This is what it means to have obedient faith (Romans 1:5). An obedient faith is a faith that is accompanied by the Holy Spirit working renewal and good works in the life of the Christian to demonstrate the declaration of "righteous." In some sense, including this understanding of obedience, we can speak of justification in a robustly Trinitarian way: The Father declares us righteous on the basis of the Son, and the Holy Spirit confirms and works that righteousness in us throughout our lives unto glorification. If any of these pieces are missing salvation is incomplete. Thus, the obedience of faith is ultimately rooted in grace, through which God works in our lives—received by faith—not simply to declare us righteous, but to make us such. A faith given by God (sola gratia) is an obedient and working faith. This, in my mind, is what I believe Paul is getting at when he refers to the obedience of faith.
What do you think?
This is the first video reflection for the Great Fast.
Welcome to the Mere Catholicity Locals Community! Here, you will find like-minded Christians with a desire to live ecumenically and pursue Christ in all things.
The Mere Catholicity movement runs only through listener support. The work that I (Jonah) do requires time and money. Without the financial support of my Locals community, I would not be able to continue making content. Simple as that. It is only thanks to this group that I can continue providing you with content that (hopefully) both edifies and challenges!
The good news for you is that joining the community itself is completely FREE! Once you sign up, you will be able to see most posts, live streams, and even content posted by other users. However, you will only be able to observe. You will not be able to comment, post, or see any exclusive content. This might be a good way to see if you want to support later down the line. So please join! Even if you cannot afford to give at this time!
Now, for those who do wish to give ...
Friends - as I consider the various platforms that I operate, I find Substack to the most conducive to the model of online ministry that I am aiming for. Though I still plan to post here, as many of you still support me through this platform, Substack is where I will be focusing the majority of my time. If some of you wish to move your subscription from here to Substack, you are welcome to do that. Those who continue to support here, I will continue to post here — mostly the stuff that is behind the paywall on Substack so that you are getting the exclusive content regardless of where you are subscribed.
Hope you all are doing well. Lord bless you.
- Rev. Jonah
I've been gone again for a time preparing for my ordination. I was ordained a Deacon in the Holy Catholic Church on March 8th, 2025.
It was a joy beyond words. I am now back in full swing with ministry, media, and work.
I hope you all have been doing well. More to come soon.
Good morning everyone. I wanted to quickly update you on the Mere Catholicity Podcast. I’ve been posting videos on my channel, but it has been quite sometime since my channel has had a podcast episode release.
With my new job as a classical teacher, scheduling interviews has been a challenge. However, my plan is to use my summer breaks as time to double down on planning and recording new podcasts. The idea will be to record a ton of interviews that will then slowly release throughout the school year, expiring around the time the following summer arrives. This will ultimately result in a consistent once a month interview.
All that to say, the podcast will resume here in May or June of 2025 with some excellent interviews lined up!
Blessings on your Sunday!
