Answer Key: Gods Good News of Salvation

For instructor use only. Do not distribute to students before the test is completed.

---

PART ONE: TRUE OR FALSE — Answer Key

1. TRUE
The Greek word euangelion, translated "gospel," means "good news." (Section 3)

2. FALSE
The Council of Trent teaches that the instrumental cause of justification is the Sacrament of Baptism — not a personal decision. (Section 6)

3. TRUE
The lesson explicitly states that the Gospel, by its very nature, must be good news for the sinner, the struggling soul, and the one weighed down by the burden of his transgressions. (Section 3)

4. FALSE
Saint James writes: "Faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26, ESV-CE). The Council of Trent teaches that saving faith is fides caritate formata — faith formed by charity, alive and active through love. (Section 6)

5. TRUE
The Council of Trent calls Penance the "second plank after shipwreck" — the means by which a soul fallen into mortal sin after Baptism is restored to grace. (Section 6)

6. TRUE
Pope Leo XIII, in Satis Cognitum, taught that Christ established the Church precisely as the instrument through which His saving grace flows to all generations. (Section 4)

7. FALSE
The lesson is explicit: the Gospel is not ours to reshape. It has been given by God, defined by the Church in her councils and papal teachings, and must be proclaimed faithfully. (Sections 5 and 6)

8. TRUE
Fides caritate formata (Fee-days Kah-ree-tah-teh For-mah-tah) is defined in the lesson as faith formed by charity — the living, active faith that works through love, as taught by the Council of Trent. (Section 6)

9. FALSE
The Council of Trent teaches that God actually makes us righteous through the infusion of sanctifying grace — He does not merely declare us righteous from a distance. (Section 6)

10. TRUE
Saint Paul writes in Galatians 1:8 (ESV-CE): "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed." (Section 6)

11. TRUE
Ex opere operato (ex Oh-peh-reh Oh-peh-rah-toh) means the sacraments confer grace by the very act performed — not by the merit of the minister or the recipient. (Section 7)

12. FALSE
The lesson explicitly states that counting the cost is proper adult preparation — a free cooperation with the grace God offers — in keeping with Our Lord's own teaching in Luke 14:28. (Section 7)

13. TRUE
Saint Paul writes: "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV-CE). The resurrection is an integral part of the Gospel. (Section 4)

14. TRUE
Pope Pius XI, in *Mortalium Animos*, reminded the faithful that the fullness of revealed truth subsists in the Catholic Church alone. (Section 6)

15. TRUE
The Catechism of the Council of Trent states that pastors have a solemn duty to explain the Gospel faithfully and fully to the faithful entrusted to their care. (Section 2)

---

PART TWO: FILL IN THE BLANKS — Answer Key

1. Instrumental
(The instrumental cause of justification is the Sacrament of Baptism — Council of Trent, Session VI)

2. Futile
("And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." — 1 Corinthians 15:17, ESV-CE)

3. Charity
(Fides caritate formata = faith formed by charity)

4. Herald
(Pope Benedict XV: the preacher is "a herald of the King, bound to deliver the King's message exactly as it was given.")

5. Plank
("Second plank after shipwreck" — Council of Trent's description of the Sacrament of Penance)

6. Water
("Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." — John 3:5, ESV-CE)

7. Joy
("Good news of great joy that will be for all the people." — Luke 2:10, ESV-CE)

8. Makes
(The formal cause is the justice of God "by which He makes us just.")

9. Works
("Faith apart from works is dead." — James 2:26, ESV-CE)

10. Reconciling
("In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself." — 2 Corinthians 5:19, ESV-CE)

---

PART THREE: MULTIPLE CHOICE — Answer Key

1. B — Our Lord Jesus Christ, by His most holy Passion on the Cross
(Council of Trent, Session VI — the meritorious cause of justification)

2. C — The Good News of salvation accomplished by Christ and communicated through the Church and her sacraments
(This is the central thesis of the entire lesson)

3. B — He taught that total surrender to Christ was a condition of salvation, contradicting the primacy of grace
(Section 5 — First illustration: salvation is rooted in grace received through faith and the sacraments, not the perfection of our surrender)

4. C — The sacraments confer grace by the very act performed, not by the merit of the minister
(Ex opere operato — Section 7)

5. C — Faith formed by charity — living, active faith that works through love
(Section 6 — fides caritate formata)

6. C — The Sacrament of Baptism
(Council of Trent, Session VI — the instrumental cause of justification)

7. B — He claimed the authority to make the Gospel as difficult as he chose, treating it as his own to reshape
(Section 5 — Second illustration: "I determined to make the Gospel as difficult as I could")

8. C — Satis Cognitum by Pope Leo XIII
(Section 4)

9. C — It is proper adult preparation — a free cooperation with the grace God offers, in keeping with Our Lord's own teaching
*(Section 7 — Luke 14:28)*

10. B — Those who desert the true Gospel and turn to a distorted version, whom he says are accursed
(Section 6 — Galatians 1:6–8, ESV-CE)

---

SCORING GUIDE

| Score | Grade | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 95–100 | A+ | Exceptional mastery of Catholic doctrine |
| 85–94 | A | Strong comprehension — review any missed items |
| 75–84 | B | Good foundation — revisit Trent Session VI and sacramental theology |
| 65–74 | C | Adequate — significant review of the lesson recommended |
| 55–64 | D | Partial understanding — full re-study of the lesson required |