Salvation: What Every Catholic Should Know

by Michael Barber

Series SummaryThe new What Every Catholic Should Know series is intended for the average faithful Catholic who wants to know more about Catholic faith and culture. The authors in this series take a panoramic approach to the topic of each book aimed at a non-specialist but enthusiastic readership. Forthcoming titles planned for this series literature, salvation, mercy, history, art, music and philosophy.Book SummaryEvery Sunday, Catholics confess that Jesus came down from heaven "for us men and for our salvation." But what does "salvation" mean? In this robust and accessible book, Scripture scholar and theologian Michael Patrick Barber provides a thorough and deeply biblical answer. He deftly tackles this complex topic, unpacking what the New Testament teaches about salvation in Christ, detailing what exactly salvation is, and what it is not. In easy and readable prose, he explains what the Cross, the Church, and the Trinity have to do with salvation. While intellectually stimulating, What Every Catholic Should Know is profoundly spiritual, and at its core is the salvific message that God is love, and his love is one of transformation and redemption.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Theology, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Faith, Christian

191 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2019

About the author

Michael has his Ph.D. in Theology from Fuller in Pasadena, CA. His dissertation was on the Historical Jesus and Sacramental Eschatology under the world famous scholar, Colin Brown. He has an MA in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and received his B. A. in Theology and Philosophy from Azusa Pacific University. He is the author of several books, including, 'Coming Soon: Unlocking the Book of Revelation and Applying Its Lessons Today' (Emmaus Road, 2006) and most recently, 'Genesis to Jesus: Studying Scripture from the Heart of the Church' (Servant, 2007), a Bible study co-authored with Kimberly Hahn. He is a Senior Fellow for the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology, founded by Dr. Scott Hahn.

Dr. Barber has been granted the mandatum by Robert Brom, bishop of San Diego, as an ecclesial recognition of Michael's posture and commitment to teach always in communion with the Church.

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 5 out of 5]

They were giving these away at my sister’s parish this Easter and I will be forever grateful for this book. As the author writes, ‘Salvation, at the end of the day is not fully attainable in this world; evil will only be defeated once and for all on the last day.’

So, am I saved? Not yet, but I hope and pray I’m working on it in fear and trembling along with the rest of the Church Militant for our collective salvation, and with much help from the Church Triumphant and Church Suffering, under the guidance and with/through the Grace of My LORD and SAVIOR, Jesus Christ.

Excellent book! Highly recommended for ALL Catholics!

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely readable book. Michael Barber does a great job in both explaining the Catholic view and answering objections.

[James Breyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title makes it sound like salvation for dummies, but it’s denser than that, I actually learned a lot from this

[Casey Ehrman · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Salvation is not simply about being forgiven of sin. It is, in the final analysis, about being united to God. Humanity is created for a purpose, namely, to share in the Trinity’s own life of love”

was expecting this to be purely intellectual formation, but it presented the importance of both the intellectual and the spiritual. overall, it’s a great book that simplifies Catholic teaching on salvation without reducing it to just head knowledge

[Jacob Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid introduction into Catholic soteriology. This book was at parts, a bit cumbersome to get through, but the last half of it I was able to read in a day. Barber does an excellent job at detailing the differences between Catholic and Protestant understanding of salvation, particularly justification and sanctification. I've come away from this book more convinced of the Catholic understanding of justification and that our right standing before God does necessitate good works in order to be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. This understanding meshes well with the literal teachings of Jesus, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount and in Matthew 25 where Christ separates the sheep from goats only on the basis of the works we did for the hungry, thirsty, naked, strange, sick, and imprisoned. Overall, Berber has awakened in me the seriousness of salvation, that it's impossible from my own power, and is ultimately ever to happen because of Divine grace being poured out into my heart through the message of the Gospel and the empowerment of the Spirit to actualize real transformation in my life. Protestants and Catholics alike will be convicted of our human nature to deemphasize the horror of sin and be challenged to turn to Jesus, the only one wo can save us from our sin, and can gain a more holistic understanding of the doctrine of salvation.

[Tim Maddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't let the title of this book fool you - for both Catholics and Protestants, this should be an illuminating and easy-to-digest book that deepens one's understanding of Catholic views on salvation. I found this even more accessible than Jimmy Akin's 'The Drama of Salvation' (and that was reasonably accessible) with lots of Protestant-friendly language. Although the book intentionally does not get into immense detail in addressing each individual doctrinal issue (so one looking for a detailed scholarly read will be disappointed here), the book is clearly well-researched and does an impressive job of covering a wide range of key topics that divide Protestants and Catholics. In making the case for the Catholic position, it was also satisfying to see Dr Barber addressing some of the strongest objections from a Protestant perspective. Unfortunately I understand this is not always expected with apologetics books such as these (on both sides). Finally, the chapter structure helps in ensuring that the overarching concepts stick in your head. Really stoked to have come across this book and have learned a lot. I look forward to reading more of Dr Barber's material in the future.

[Noah Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I do wish the title were different. I agree that every Catholic should know what Barber included in his work, but the title seems to limit the intended audience. Christians of any creed can learn much from Barber's efforts here and perhaps a title to bring in a wider audience would serve to dispel popular misconceptions of Catholic belief.

Barber encapsulates the major Catholic salvation beliefs in concise sections that are clear and poignant, writing in a manner that's quick and easy to read while maintaining the depth native to the topic. I first heard of this book on the Kresta in the Afternoon radio show and am very pleased that I picked it up.

Beyond the title there were two obstacles to me adding a fifth star to my rating. My copy does not list an imprimatur (though not a theologian I didn't find anything theologically unsound, but without the imprimatur I doubt I would have picked it up in a store has I not heard Al Kresta extol its virtues on air). Also, the footnotes list a number of resources for further reading, but I would have appreciated a compiled list of resources at the end or even a more thorough recommended reading list rather than the sprinkling throughout the pages.

Overall a great book with very minor issues that I'll recommend to anyone who will listen.

[Jessica Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciate this book and sincerely recommend it to everyone, Catholic or not, well-versed in the Catholic faith or not. The author explains topics like justification and how our works contribute to our salvation in a way that makes sense and actually gives me confidence to have conversations with other people about these parts of the Catholic faith that can seem really confusing. The explanations in the book are meant to be accessible to anyone, so while the content is spiritually challenging and intellectually engaging, it is a fairly easy book to read.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plan to do a longish review of this, but for short, it's really good and useful. It discusses ten ways of approaching the title subject using lots of scriptural references, the Catechism and other sources. I'm considering suggesting this as an adult study book in my parish.

[Dominic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for Christians to understand the nature of our Salvation. Sobering, informative, and scriptural. A wake-up call to Catholics -- Salvation is ongoing, what are we doing about it?

[Stanky Leg II · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. I liked how each chapter was a different point. It was organized well. Some of the terms were confusing, but the book was otherwise straightforward.

[Margaret Timm]

Describing what salvation is was the task at hand for Dr. Barber. He accomplished his goal in very clear with humorous examples that made difficult concepts understandable.

[Kiely Gaertner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as part of a book study, and I will admit I probably wouldn’t have picked this up otherwise. It was definitely dense and academic (which I do like!) but, like many books in this genre, felt slightly repetitive and was definitely splitting hairs at some points. That said, I definitely learned a lot and appreciate how well researched this book is! Timely with the Easter season too.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salvation is a difficult topic and one that doesn’t seem to pop up too much in Catholic circles, so theology professor Michael Patrick Barber offers this book as a way of solving that problem. Barber blows apart the myth that Catholics don’t think as deeply about salvation as Protestants do, and attempts to answer searching questions, such as: Can we be saved by faith alone, or do we need to do good works too? Is salvation possible individually, and in isolation, or must we join a community of fellow Christians? And is there really a hell we risk going to if we turn away from our salvation? If you ever wonder about any of these, then this book is a great place to start.

Among the ideas presented in this book, written in an academic but accessible way, a few lines stood out to me. First, ‘salvation in Christ entails nothing less than being changed: in him, we are truly remade’. The meaning of ‘conversion’, or a ‘turning back from [the world]’ and ‘turning to [Christ]’ is investigated here and Barber states in no unclear terms that we must look for salvation first and foremost in Christ, becoming one with him.

Likewise, this salvation is to be secured among a community of believers, a church, with Barber stating that ‘those who are saved receive salvation through communion with Christ’s body’. He points out the obvious, that we cannot baptise ourselves. Of course not. So salvation is thanks to God’s love and grace, and baptism is the sacrament presided over by a Christian - in Catholicism an ordained priest - to welcome them into a wider community of believers, of those who are in Christ. It’s a more important message than it at first appears because in today’s world, there are many who are ‘spiritual but not religious’ and many Christians who, upset with the church, have been deterred from attending any longer. Actually, it’s crucial to say that we are supposed to be with others who share our faith, and share in our salvation.

Putting my more critical hat on, I would say that I did come away from this book unconvinced by the case that Barber seems to be making that works are of equal importance to faith in how we are saved. The answer to St Paul’s famous assertion that we are ‘justified by faith’ is somewhat tackled here, with Barber arguing in response that ‘good words are necessary’, but I always get to thinking that this becomes a question of how many good deeds we do versus how many bad deeds, and how people tend to excuse or distract from their awful behaviour by pointing to acts of charity that may outweigh them. My mind goes to Dismas the Good Thief, on the cross next to Christ, who declared his faith and was saved—no doubt he did many bad things, but in the end he professed faith, and Christ saved his soul. Of course this was in the category of deathbed conversion and there was no time for any good deeds following the declaration of faith, but are we to take it there are exceptions where good deeds are unnecessary or should we think that good deeds are at all times unnecessary? This is something I am definitely keen to research more as I’m currently inclined to agree with St Paul’s reasons for justification by faith alone, and good deeds then proceeding from faith, more than the alternative quasi-Buddhist argument, that there is some kind of tally of good and bad and we are only saved if the good outweigh the bad.

So there’s a lot to think about here and I will be sharing this book with friends who are curious about exploring salvation on a deeper level.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

My parish gave out this book to read for Lent (it took me a while). The writing style is a bit more casual than I usually like my books about religion to be. The author’s thesis with the book is that Catholics neglect and misunderstand the idea of salvation, dismissing it as a “Protestant thing,” and how that negatively impacts our faith lives. He tries to explain the concept, including with insights from the Catechism, various Popes and Saints, and Biblical scholarship. I didn’t outright disagree with any of his points, and found some of them insightful while I was reading, but to be honest, even while in the middle of reading when people would ask me what the book was about, I had a really hard time remembering particular points he’d made to pass on. It might be because I often read at night in bed, but I don’t usually have a problem retaining books just because that’s when I read them. Something about the writing style, while I found it pleasant enough to read, made the author’s points slip right out of my head as soon as I was done reading them. So I’m left with an overall sense that he made worthwhile —and even some very important —points, but unable to really remember any of them. It’s a really weird problem to have, and I can’t think of any change to the writing that would have fixed it. All I’m really left with in my head is the list of chapter titles. But these actually captured his points pretty well, so I’ve gotten a decent amount of the message from the book just from remembering that. So I guess that list and an overall positive impression are far from the worst things I could be left with after reading a book. Maybe if I went back and reviewed it, possibly with some aid from note-taking, I would retain more, but considering how many other books (religious and otherwise) are on my too-read list, that seems like way too much effort for a book that made useful but by no means earth -shattering points.

[Justine Olawsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a helpful, concise guide to Catholic soteriology! Dr. Barber did an excellent job both in delineating the differences between Catholic and broadly Protestant (focusing in primarily on the Reformed theology of most American evangelical churches) understandings of salvation and in explaining the many dimensions of the Catholic doctrine of salvation. He is a brilliant student of Scripture and weaves his solid knowledge of the sacred texts into the teachings of the Church to reveal ever more fully what salvation in Christ means, entails, costs, and promises. Worth the price of the book alone is the final chapter, "Not Merely About the Future" and our invitation to share in the New Adam's victory over Satan. Dr. Barber writes, "Salvation is not merely a future reality awaiting us only in heaven. The new life the the new creation involved overcoming sin through the grace of union with Christ even now. This involved more than lofty ideals. It is nothing less than entering into a spiritual battle with the enemy" (176).

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this 5 stars, because this book does exactly what its subtitle indicates: it provides an overview of Catholic teaching on the topic of salvation. Drawing heavily on Scripture and the Catechism--both of which readers should easily be able to access, if they would like to read more--Barber's text is easy to understand. He gently explains how the Catholic understanding of salvation is Scriptural and how it differs from the understanding of many of our Protestant brothers and sisters. He also draws on the Church Fathers and secondary sources and provides footnotes for those who would like to follow up on those sources, but this is not a heavy theological text. This would be a great text for a Catholic book study and for Catholic high school students.

[Jen Bergeron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh
I loved the premise of the book, why do Protestants ask if someone is saved while Catholics shirk away from that language?
But the way he answered it was kinda weird, with each chapter being centered around a negative idea - like “not for everyone” “not faith alone”. And maybe I didn’t pay enough attention but it felt like the through line was getting lost. It felt like he was just reading Bible passages that mention salvation and only had limited theology (those were the best parts). I actually wouldn’t mind if he was aiming for this to sound like a homily, but it wasn’t a very good one.
I definitely have a few take away points so it wasn’t all for nothing. But feel like I’m missing something here

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of the Catholic understanding of salvation. And as I mentioned, this book is overflowing with scripture references! It covers questions about justification, purgatory, universalism, whether one must be Catholic to be saved (the short simplified answer: no), Heaven and hell, and more.

I wish parishes would give this book out to Protestants joining RCIA. And Protestants should read it if they think Catholics believe they are saved by works. If only I had read it earlier.

For those whose parishes subscribe to Formed, this is a free audiobook with that resource and well read (I’m 99% sure it’s read by the author, given that it sounds exactly like his voice).

[Lisa Consiglio-Wolff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my faith based, spiritual readings I had picked this up at my church in 2019 and put it on hold till I needed it most. Now, more than ever in the year 2020 I'm trying to understand my Faith as it pertains to my own personal spiritual journey.

A very deep read, this book gets you thinking and digging deep into where you are and where you want to be with your personal walk with God.

Not a book to pick up and zip through. My suggestion is take your time with it to grasp the deeper connections between Old and New Testaments.

Solid faith based read.

[Emily Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read ! It's accessible to anyone who would like to learn more about Salvation, but detailed enough for the average theology student to grab a decent amount of research for further study. Barber is heavily reliant on scripture which was very helpful and enjoyable for me, and what's more he framed a lot of his arguments through protestant theology, something I think about often having studied with them for years. It's a great resource for anyone who would like a quick yet deep dive into the mystery salvation.

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A clear, very readable outline of what salvation is and (mainly) isn’t to the Catholic believer. Although the basic concept is similar to the Protestant view of salvation there are many smaller differences that have caused dissension and these are discussed, as well.
I would have rated the book higher but I did not find it to be material that wasn’t already covered by many other previous authors or the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

[Paul Rubio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offered a pretty thorough look at the subject on salvation. It drew from lots of Scripture, and dialogued effectively with other Christian viewpoints. There were a couple of chapters that got bogged down in lots of detail so that I had trouble following the points he made.

Overall, it was a good read. He offered some heartfelt personal perspective, and it even helped me reflect on my own spiritual life.

[Gina V]

This was a reading for Lent that we studied here with Fr. Adam. I’m using it for CEUs for Catechism, but it was a fantastic dive into how we define Salvation as Catholics and simply as humans.

We are human. We don’t like being reminded that we need saving. It’s a great book that helped me ground my understanding of salvation as an ongoing process. Not a one and done idea.

#Lent2024 #FaithJourney #faithformation #catechist

[Sarah Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazingly thorough book for those who want to hear the Catholic arguments about why your works matter (when Christ died for our sins), purgatory as a place of redemption, and how grace changes us as people. It was given to me as a gift, and I didn't expect to get into it, but I found it fascinating. I highly recommend it.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deeper theology than I usually read. Interesting but not as inspiring personally. Helps get at the question that Protestants often ask Catholics..."...yes, but are you saved." Helps with the theology in how to respond as a Catholic.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply fantastic explanation about the different aspects of what salvation is and how to live out a life infused with the grace of Christ without which salvation is impossible. Thank you Dr. Barber for breaking it down so coherently!

[James Daly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book! The author uses common language to describe complex theological principles. This is a must read for all Catholics and for anyone who would like to know what Catholics think.

[Dave Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael, thanks for writing this book. I loved chapter 8. It shifted my thinking about scenarios where we are asked if we are saved away from a defensive debating mind set to one of openness to sharing.

[Laura Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes clear the what and what not of salvation, great biblical analysis and clear definition of salvation, faith, and sin are provided. The authors explains the ecclesial nature of salvation in simple yet profound terms. No need to be theologian to embark on this journey!