Justification by Faith Alone: Catholics and Protestants Together?

http://www.cin.org/users/james/ebooks/gospjust/faith_a.htm ^ | 1996 | James Akin

[InterestedQuestioner]

I have a few thoughts on this, but would be very interested in hearing a Protestant perspective on the article. gscc, I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts. Is there anyone you would like to invite for a discussion?

[Mr. Lucky]

I dunno. If the last couple of paragraphs had been cut off by the copier, I wouldn't have much to take issue with.

There are doctrines (such as the virgin birth) which are derived from the explicit statement of one or two verses of Scripture, while there are doctrines (such as the perpetual virginity of Mary) which are implicit from Scripture more generally.

[Logophile]

The term pistis is used in the Bible in a number of different senses, ranging from intellectual belief (Romans 14:22, 23, James 2:19), to assurance (Acts 17:31), and even to trustworthiness or reliability (Romans 3:3, Titus 2:10). Of key importance is Galatians 5:6, which refers to "faith working by charity." In Catholic theology, this is what is known as fides formata or "faith formed by charity." The alternative to formed faith is fides informis or "faith unformed by charity." This is the kind of faith described in James 2:19, for example.

This paragraph caught my eye. I was not aware of the terms fides formata and fides informis before.

The important point the author makes is that the word pistis can have different meanings. A stubborn insistence that it must always be interpreted the same way can lead to misunderstandings.

[InterestedQuestioner]

How important would you say the doctrine of sola fide is to Christianity?

[InterestedQuestioner]

"The important point the author makes is that the word pistis can have different meanings. A stubborn insistence that it must always be interpreted the same way can lead to misunderstandings."

The author asserts it's dangerous to interpret "faith" in the formulation, "saved by faith alone," as intellectual assent. Would you agree with that assertion?

[InterestedQuestioner]

"Without going into the subject of what kind of justification is being discussed here (which is misunderstood by most Evangelical commentators on Catholicism, see below), the phrase "faith alone" is itself rejected. Even though Protestants can give the phrase orthodox theological content, the phrase itself is unbiblical. If we wish to conform our theological language to the language of the Bible, we need to conform our usage of the phrase "faith alone" to the use of that phrase in the Bible."


Thus, if we are to conform our language to the language of the Bible, we need to reject usage of the formula "faith alone" while at the same time preaching that man is justified "by faith and not by works of the Law" (which Catholics can and should and must and do preach, as Protestants would know if they read Catholic literature). James 2:24 requires rejection of the first formula while Romans 3:28 requires the use of the second.


I would have to agree with the author on this point. It turns out that the phrase "saved by faith alone" never occurs in Scripture, hence it's unbiblical, and the formulation itself contradicts Scripture quite directly.

"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (Jas. 2:24)"

[topcat54]

Like all Catholic documents of the period, it uses the term "faith" in the sense of intellectual belief in whatever God says. Thus the position being condemned is the idea that we are justified by intellectual assent alone (as per James 2). We might rephrase the canon:

The thesis seems to hinge on the historical accuracy of this comment. I find it difficult to believe that RC documents of the period would limit "faith" to intellectual assent. Indeed, if you read the documents of Trent you will find that "faith" hardly ever means mere intellectual assent.

No, the problem of Trent is that justification is based upon faith plus works, not faith alone. Trent speaks of the "increase of Justification". The Reformation speaks of justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ through the instrument of faith alone. No "increase of justification" is possible with such an understanding. Trent wanted no part of that idea, and thus condemned the protestants.

Modern Catholics and Protestants Together are just poor historians, not to mention poor theologians.

[topcat54]

One more point. Neither Luther nor Calvin could be described as antinomian, but yet is was their teachings that were the object of Trent's wrath. If they were fundamentally correct, as this writer seems to assert, why the big deal?

[Salvation]

**How important would you say the doctrine of sola fide is to Christianity?**

Since it was added into the Bible by Luther, who know?

PS. It is not a DOCTRINE!

[RnMomof7]

No, the problem of Trent is that justification is based upon faith plus works, not faith alone. Trent speaks of the "increase of Justification". The Reformation speaks of justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ through the instrument of faith alone. No "increase of justification" is possible with such an understanding. Trent wanted no part of that idea, and thus condemned the protestants.

The ECT found the NON CATHOLICS (as opposed to protestants) returning to the doctrines of Rome in compromise. The PROTESTERS from Rome (PROTESTANTS) turned over in their graves. There is still a remnant however and that is all that the Bible promises

ECT

[RnMomof7]

**How important would you say the doctrine of sola fide is to Christianity?** Since it was added into the Bible by Luther, who know?

Actually it was "added" to the legalisms of the jews salvation by works by Christ Himself

Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

Jhn 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Jhn 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Jhn 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Jhn 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Even the man you believe was the "1st pope" took Christ at his word

1Pe 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

1Jo 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

2 Cor. 5:21 says, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  Additionally, we are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1) apart from works of the Law (Rom. 3:28). 
     To be saved means that God has delivered us (saved us) from His righteous wrathful judgment due us because of our sins against Him. It means that we will not be judged for our sins and be sentenced to eternal damnation.  To be saved means that we are justified before God.  Only Christians are saved.  Only Christians are justified.  The issue at hand is whether or not this salvation, this justification, is attained by faith or by faith and something else. 
     Following is a list of verses that show that salvation/justification is by faith.  Bold references are particularly pointed.
     

1. John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
2. Rom. 3:22, "even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction."
3. Rom. 3:24, "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;"
4. Rom. 3:26, "for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."
5. Rom. 3:28-30, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. ²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one."
6. Rom. 4:3, "For what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."
7. Rom. 4:5, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,"
8. Rom. 4:11, "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,"
9. Rom. 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all."
10. Rom. 5:1, "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
11. Rom. 5:9,  "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."
12. Rom. 9:30, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith."
13. Rom. 9:33, "just as it is written, ?Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.?
14. Rom. 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
15. Rom. 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; ¹⁰ for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
16. Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."
17. Gal. 2:16, "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."
18. Gal. 2:21, ?I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.?
19. Gal.3:5-6, "Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? ⁶Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."
20. Gal. 3:8, "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations shall be blessed in you."
21. Gal. 3:14, "in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
22. Gal. 3:22, "But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."
23. Gal. 3:24, "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith."
24. Eph. 1:13, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation?having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise."
25. Eph. 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."
26. Phil. 3:9, "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith."
27. 1 Tim. 1:16, "And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life."

http://www.carm.org/doctrine/justification_verses.htm

Luther did not add it to scripture He simply showed men what Gods word says as opposed to what men say.

Sola Fide

[ksen]

Justification by Faith Alone: Catholics and Protestants Together?

Not unless the Catholic church renounces Trent........and I'm not holding my breath.

[solafiducia]

"[Justification by faith alone] is the article upon which the church stands or falls." ~ Martin Luther

[annalex]

I had a discussion with PetroniusMaximus about this not long ago. See in particular this post of mine, Roman Catholicism: 'Hail Mary' Is More Than a Football Play #19, from which I quote:

Well, the faith is the key. The Catholic teaching is that works without faith is vanity; at the same time, faith without works is dead:

James 2

20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou that faith did cooperate with his works and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God.

24 Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only?

25 And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers and sending them out another way?

26 For even as the body without the spirit is dead: so also faith without works is dead.

It is possible to create a kind of code language in which you declare that first, there is salvation, and then there are fruits of the salvation, and the fruits of the salvation are good works. We certainly can agree that, speculatively speaking, God, Who is outside of time, knows His elect and so His grace enables all good works, and frustrates the bad works that do not come from the operation of the free will. But this is an innatural reading of the entire Gospel, because the Gospel is written not from the eternal view of God but from the practical view of man. In that view, works are not predicated on the elect status, which is unknowable, but on the operation of the free will toward sainthood.

Man can reject the grace or he can cooperate with it. When he does, there is the fruit, and Christ promised to view it favorably. When he does not, there is sin, and then the judgement of Christ will weigh the sin against the faith. Despite the natural interest, even in the Gospel, to describe the dramatic and the unusual, there are clear passages that point to the gradual character of Christian faith: St. Peter walks on water the distance proportionate to his faith, the Apostles attempt and fail to heal the sick; St. Thomas and, repeatedly, St.Peter have lapses of faith; St. Paul dwells on the imperfections of his faith.

I put together a collection of verses, primarily from the Epistles, that point to this gradual buildup of faith, possible through grace, which is accomplished through works. But before I make the quotes, let me mention that th eissue is a bit like discovering a name of a continent on a map, which is spaced across the names of many geographical features and is diffucult to find only because the mental focus is on smaller print. If one is to summarize the pragmatic content of the Gospel in one word, that would be Christ's moral teaching, which is all about what to do and what not to do -- about works

***

Eph 2

8 For by grace you are saved through faith: and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God.

9 Not of works, that no man may glory.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.

Eph 4

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the word of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Until we all meet into the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ:

I Cor 4

11 Even unto this hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no fixed abode.

12 And we labour, working with our own hands. We are reviled: and we bless. We are persecuted: and we suffer it.

13 We are blasphemed: and we entreat. We are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all, even until now.

I Cor 15

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmoveable: always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord

II Cor 4

9 We suffer persecution: but are not forsaken. We are cast down: but we perish not.

10 Always bearing about in our body the mortification of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodies.

And then, of course, direct and clear references to the necessity of good works:

Mt. 16

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels: and then will he render to every man according to his works.

Phil 2

12 Wherefore, my dearly beloved, (as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but much more now in my absence) with fear and trembling work out your salvation.

13 For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.

*** With fear and trembling work out your salvation.

St. Francis had a friend, who was overcome with worry. His worry was, -- Am I saved? St. Francis, upon learning of his friend's anguish, said: -- You are saved. Now, go do something about it.

Amen

[Gamecock]

***Not unless the Catholic church renounces Trent........and I'm not holding my breath.***

It is my understanding that the Catholic Church teaches that justification is infused, whereas the traditional Protestant teaching is that it is imputed.

Those stands are as far apart as night is from day and I will contiue to protest that distinction.

[Dr. Eckleburg]

It is my understanding that the Catholic Church teaches that justification is infused, whereas the traditional Protestant teaching is that it is imputed.

Amen, GC. "Infused" by earthly hands or "imputed" by His blood from before the foundation of the world.

No small distinction.

[Gamecock]

***No small distinction.***

Indeed, Grace is inside a leaky container. It is constantly leaking out and needs to be replenished by fulfilling rituals and penance.

Sound familiar? I am not talking about Catholics, but rather many Evangelicals.

What are the rituals and penance? Repeated altar calls with prayers ending with the caveat "If you really meant it in your heart..." Evangelicals are left wondering did I really mean it.

[Logophile]

The author asserts it's dangerous to interpret "faith" in the formulation, "saved by faith alone," as intellectual assent. Would you agree with that assertion?

I am inclined to agree.

James wrote, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)

The devils believe that God exists (indeed, they know that God exists). Nevertheless, their belief does not cause them to trust or rely on God; nor does it lead them to charity. Apparently, belief in this sense cannot save.

[ksen]

...I will contiue to protest that distinction.

Maybe we should go and stay outside the Vatican and set up Camp Calvin or Camp Luther.......think we'd get any press? ;^)