What is needed for salvation?

I believe that we are saved only by the means of God's free gift of grace which we receive when we first accept Christ as Lord of our souls. I believe that God offers His saving grace to everyone, though sadly, everyone does not accept it. So how exactly do you accept that grace? I've heard people say that only faith is needed, the doctrine of sola fide, or faith alone. Others sadly believe they can earn their way to heaven by their own good works. The bible is very clear on both of these doctrines being wrong.

What I believe and what the Catholic Church and the bible teach is that both faith and good works done in grace are needed for salvation. I want to be very clear of what I mean when I say good works done in grace. Examples of these are clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting the imprisoned (Matthew 25.31-36)- all done, of course, with faith in Christ to share His love as he commanded us. Do not confuse good works with works of the law which include Mosaic law, and any of the legal, ceremonial type law that is found in the Old testament. An example of a work of the law is abstaining from pork because it was considered ritually unclean under Mosaic law. Christ fulfilled the old law in His coming to set forth a new covenant (Matthew 5.17).

When some people hear that I believe good works play a role in salvation, they automatically think I think I can earn my salvation. I most certainly do not. I realize that as an imperfect sinner, I fall short of God's high standard. I also realize, that this is why Christ came to die for my sins. His perfect sacrifice covered all of my shortcomings and washes away my sins when I repent. I cannot more clearly say that I believe we are saved by God's free gift of grace. I do, however, want to share why I believe both faith and good works play a role in salvation and why they are needed together.

James 2.14-26: "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is illl-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to him, "Go in peace and be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith, by itself, if it has no works, is dead."
But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not faith alone... For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead."

That one passage alone is very clear that faith without works is dead, so it is necessary for salvation and I think it alone trumps the doctrine that faith alone is needed. But just in case you want more...

Galatians 5.6: "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working in love."

1 Corinthians 13.2 "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." (This is my own wondering, but if you had all faith, so as to move mountains, wouldn't that be enough if you were using the doctrine of "faith alone"? Yet it says here you are nothing.)

Matthew 19. 16-17: "And behold, one came up to him, saying, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?' And He said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? On there us who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.'". (Here Jesus says we must DO something, keep the commandments, not just believe in Him)

John 14.12: "He who believes in me will also do the works I do."

Luke 10. 25-28: "And behold, a lawyer stood up to out him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, 'What is written in the law?' And he answered, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.' And He said to him, 'You have answered right; do this and you will live."

And what does Jesus say about loving him?

John14.15: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments."

John 14.21 "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me, and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him."

Matthew 7.21: " Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."

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So, I hope this has been sufficient to explain why I believe faith and good works done in grace are necessary for salvation of souls, all through the free gift of God's grace. To me, the faith part is like how we show God we love Him, by trusting in Him. And the good works we do are how we love our neighbor as ourselves and how we bring Christ 's love to others!