It is easy enough to find Scripture quotes to support the simplistic position that the Jews are not saved by following the law:

“For in his presence no flesh shall be justified by the works of the law.” (Romans 3:20)

“For the Promise to Abraham, and to his posterity, that he would inherit the world, was not through the law, but through the justice of faith. For if those who are of the law are the heirs, then faith becomes empty and the Promise is abolished.” (Romans 4:13-14)

“For you are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)

And this assertion is true, but only if we consider that “the law” refers to external actions, such as following the Old Testament disciplines: the dietary laws, animal sacrifice, and other mere rules apart from the moral law.

Even so, we Christians should not have disdain for the Old Testament disciplines. For the New Testament and the Catholic Faith also have disciplines: practices, rules, rulings, liturgical forms, etc. And although no one is saved by the discipline of the Old Testament, nor of the New Testament, discipline has is usefulness. So discipline can be a part of the path of salvation, even though salvation does not depend upon it.

If we consider that “the law” includes external conformity to the eternal moral law, then, in this sense, following the law becomes more important as a part of the path of salvation. Do not steal, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not commit perjury, etc. Refraining from exterior actions that are gravely immoral is fundamental to our salvation. If anyone does sin, he can still be saved by repentance, but it is far better to avoid all mortal sins. No one is saved merely by avoiding all exterior actions that are gravely immoral; for grave sin can also be committed interiorly, in the heart and mind. Moreover, it is possible to sin gravely by a decision not to act. Sins of commission violate the negative precepts (“you shall not…”). Sins of omission violate the positive precepts (“you shall…”), such as: you shall love the Lord your God.

But there is one more way to consider the law, even as it is found in the Old Testament and in the Jewish Faith.

[Matthew]
{22:35} And one of them, a doctor of the law, questioned him, to test him:
{22:36} “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
{22:37} Jesus said to him: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God from all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
{22:38} This is the greatest and first commandment.
{22:39} But the second is similar to it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
{22:40} On these two commandments the entire law depends, and also the prophets.”

The term “the law” can also be used as in the above teaching from Jesus. The entire law — the Old Testament law in the Jewish Faith — is summed up by the two commandments, to love God above all else and to love your neighbor as yourself. Is this sufficient to obtain eternal life? In an act of bold defiance to ultra-conservative Catholic bloggers, Jesus says: “Yes”.

[Luke]
{10:25} And behold, a certain expert in the law rose up, testing him and saying, “Teacher, what must I do to possess eternal life?”
{10:26} But he said to him: “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
{10:27} In response, he said: “You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart, and from your whole soul, and from all your strength, and from all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
{10:28} And he said to him: “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”

Jesus teaches us all that whosoever follows the law to love God and neighbor will have eternal life.

So the position that the Jews cannot be saved by following the Old Testament law is not entirely true. They can’t be saved by the Old Testament disciplines, mere external acts, even of worship. But neither can conservative Catholics be saved by the Latin Mass, Communion only in the hand and only when kneeling, and many other points of external action. Discipline is useful in religion, but anyone, Jew or Catholic, who tries to base his or her salvation on mere external action has gone astray from the teachings of Divine Revelation.

Even so, “the law” in the Old Testament does not consist solely in external actions. The “expert in the law” who spoke with Jesus (Lk 10:25-28) was a Jew, telling Jesus what he thought the Old Testament law required so as to obtain eternal life. And he was right. Jesus agrees, without qualification. For the heart of the Old Testament law, and the heart of the New Testament, and the heart of all that is called “Catholicism”, is the love of God and neighbor.

Jews can be saved by the love of God and neighbor. Muslims can be saved by the love of God and neighbor. Any believer in God can be saved by the love of God and neighbor. Any unbeliever or doubter can be saved by the love of neighbor, which is implicitly the love of God. Salvation is available to all and attainable by all.

Certain false teachers in our midst are trying to convince their fellow Catholics that Jews (who know about Christianity) cannot be saved unless they convert. But that is not the teaching of the Church. See my “seven points on the salvation of sinners” below:

1. The gift of salvation cannot be limited to those who explicitly believe in Christ and have entered the Church.

2. Since salvation is offered to all, it must be made concretely available to all.

3. Above all, the state of grace is absolutely necessary at the moment of death; without it, salvation and supernatural happiness — the beatific vision of God — are impossible.

4. An act of love is sufficient for the adult to obtain sanctifying grace and to supply the lack of baptism.

5. In order to take effect, saving grace requires acceptance, cooperation, a “yes” to the divine gift. This acceptance is, at least implicitly, oriented to Christ and the Church.

6. Belonging to the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, however implicitly and indeed mysteriously, is an essential condition for salvation.

7. It is a mysterious relationship; it is mysterious for those who receive the grace, because they do not know the Church and sometimes even outwardly reject her.

Even if a Jew or another person knows about Christianity, and yet outwardly rejects the Christian Faith, he or she can still be saved. For everyone who truly loves his neighbor, truly loves God. And everyone who truly loves God and neighbor has obtained eternal life. If you die in the state of grace, which includes the theological virtue of love, the love of God and neighbor, then you are saved — even if you know about Christianity and never convert through the last moment of life.

Is it a mortal sin of omission to know about Christianity and yet never convert? Yes, it is an objective mortal sin. But only an actual mortal sin causes the loss of the state of grace. Only an actual mortal sin deserves eternal punishment in Hell. So if a person is not culpable to the extent of an actual mortal sin for his failure or refusal to convert, he can still be saved.

Heaven is a place of eternal love of God and neighbor. And so those who are given the gift of eternal life in Heaven are not those who perform certain exterior acts, but those who live a life of true selfless love. The Jews are not saved by the external acts of Old Testament discipline. But no Catholic is saved by any exterior act of New Testament discipline. Certain ultra-conservative Catholics exalt themselves above all other Catholics, all other believers, and all other human persons because they perform certain exterior acts. They attend the Latin Mass, and they refuse to receive Communion in the hand, and they despise the sign of peace during the Mass, and so on. But they would do well to remember that, like the Jews, they cannot be saved by exterior actions alone.

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and
translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.