Do good works contribute to the forgiveness of sins?
The Catholic Catechism teaches that
“Reading Sacred Scripture, praying the Liturgy of the Hours and the Our Father—every sincere act of worship or devotion revives the spirit of conversion and repentance within us and contributes to the forgiveness of sins” (para. 1437).
Do sincere acts of worship or devotion contribute to the forgiveness of sins? If they do, then forgiveness is not given freely but must be at least partially earned, merited, or deserved.
In contrast, the Bible teaches that
“In him [Jesus] we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions [sins], in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us” (Ephesians 1:7, 8).
We have forgiveness of sins in accord with the riches of God’s grace, which He has lavished upon us. Think about these two points: (1) grace is undeserved and unmerited favor, and (2) something that is lavished is given freely and abundantly. So, in accord with the riches of God’s grace, even though we do not deserve or merit forgiveness, our sins are forgiven freely and abundantly through the blood of Jesus. We receive forgiveness of sins through His blood when we confess our sins to God. First John 1:9 says,
“If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.” (John 1:9)
Therefore, no matter how sincere our acts of worship or devotion may be, they do not contribute to the forgiveness of our sins, because we are forgiven freely by the blood of Jesus.
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