Faith alone?

Martin LutherOne essential difference which divides Catholics and many Protestants is the question of faith and works in salvation. The disagreement began at the Reformation. In fact, the “material principle” of the Reformation was that we are saved “Sola Fide”, by “Faith Alone” and that works have no place in our justification whatsoever.

This subject often comes up when speaking with Protestants. I think most Catholics have had the experience at one point or another of being told by a Protestant that Catholicism doesn’t preach the Gospel, teaching instead that we have to earn our salvation. St. Paul’s epistles to the Romans and Galatians are often cited during such an exchange.

When this has happened to me in the past, I tend not to dwell too long upon the person’s interpretation of Paul’s epistles. I usually simply point out that in those letters St. Paul is contrasting faith in Christ with the works of the Mosaic Law. I turn then to the Epistle of James, since it presents a bit of a problem if someone wishes to say we’re saved by faith alone…

The Epistle of Straw…which sends Sola Fide up in flames…

Martin Luther was not a fan of the Epistle of James, in no small part because it contradicted his newly-invented doctrine of “Sola Fide”. James’ letter is the only time in Scripture that you find the words “by faith alone”, but unfortunately for Luther those words are preceded by another word: “not”!

 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone – James 2:24

This caused such a problem for Luther that in his German translation of the Bible he excluded James from the canon of the New Testament, calling it an “epistle of straw”, and relegating it to an appendix. Could you imagine a pastor doing that today?! Taking a book of Scripture out of the Bible because it interfered with his theories of salvation?!

Anyway, Luther’s followers eventually managed to convince him to move James back into the New Testament canon (phew!). However, it is still a book of Scripture which causes all kinds of problems for those who hold to the doctrine of “Sola Fide”

One way to approach the discussion…

My approach when speaking to proponents of “Sola Fide” is to ask them a series of Bible-based questions to see how well their answers fit with Luther’s 16th Century doctrine.

1. Can a dead faith save you?
2. Can a barren faith save you?
3. Can an incomplete faith save you?

Hopefully, they’ll say “No” to each of these questions. I then go on…

1. So you’re saying that you need a faith that’s alive?
2. So you’re saying that you need a fruitful faith?
3. So you’re saying that you need a complete faith?

Hopefully, they’ll say “Yes” to each of these questions. Lastly, I ask one final set of questions:

1. How is faith given life?
2. How is a barren faith made fruitful?
3. What is the difference between a complete faith and an incomplete faith?

The answer, according to the Epistle of James, is Works”. In his epistle, James teaches that faith must be living, fruitful and complete:

1. Living Faith
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead – James 2:17

2. Fruitful Faith
Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? – James 2:20

3. Complete Faith
[Abraham’s] faith was made complete by what he did – James 2:22

At no point does James complain about his readers’ faith. At no point does he tell them that they need a better faith. What he complains about is the absence of works. If you add these works, he says, you will have a saving faith.

The Catholic Church does not teach that we earn our salvation. In fact, the Church condemned such an assertion in the Fifth Century! Instead, the Church teaches that we saved by grace through faith, but not by faith alone. The most succinct Catholic teaching concerning salvation comes from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians where he says the following:

“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” – Galatians 5:6

5 comments

  • This post came up on another thread and since it wasn’t related to the topic at hand, I’m posting it here:

    > The Marian Doctrine is not the only thing that I object from the catholic church but also the doctrine of salvation by works.

    That is incorrect. We do not believe in “salvation by works” in the sense that we earn our salvation. However, we do believe that works have a part to play. The doctrine of Sola Fide is not believed by Catholics since, like Sola Scriptura, it was a novel doctrine invented in the Sixteenth Century.

    > Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by Faith ALONE

    No, it doesn’t. It says that we are “saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God”. To that, I can give a hearty “Amen!”. At the Easter Vigil last week our priest even sang a song in the homily based on that very text.

    > Read Romans chapter 4,5,6 where Paul states how we are declared righteous before God ONLY by Faith

    No, he doesn’t say that. Paul explains how we are not saved by the works of the Mosaic Law, but that we are saved by faith in Christ. You won’t find the word “alone” attached to the word “faith” at any point.

    > James 2:14-16 states “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

    Amen!…

    > However what James was trying to imply was that good works should be the evidence of our Faith in Christ (the evidence of our salvation) but not the means through which we are saved.

    …but that’s not what he says. Even Luther could see that James flatly contradicted his new doctrine of Sola Fide.

    I’d invite you to read this current post as I walk through James’ epistle and show how he rejects Sola Fide.

    James says faith without works is barren, dead and incomplete. Faith alone is barren! Faith alone is dead! Faith alone is incomplete! Works don’t just evidence faith, but make it fruitful, alive and complete.

    > Philippians 2:12 states “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling”
    But this verse is referring to something we already inherited and not something we have to earn. It is like when you inherit money from your parents, you have to work it out but you did not gain it out of your means but it was something that was given to you but you just have to put it to work.

    You actually give a pretty Catholic interpretation of this passage here. We too believe that salvation is a gift. However, like a large inheritance, it must be handled carefully and respectfully (“fear and trembling”) because it can be squandered and lost.

    > The bible clearly states in other verses that we live by Faith alone, and it cannot be contradicting itself.

    It doesn’t really state it that clearly though, does it? The only time “faith alone” is mentioned is with a big fat “not” in front of it.

    We are saved by faith…just not faith alone.

  • Another comment from Monica on another thread:

    > The verses that I gave you about salvation by Faith alone are not the only verses that state we are saved by Faith Alone there are many more

    …none of which have the words “faith alone” anywhere in them…

    > Romans 11:5-6 says works will NOT save us read carefully “So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it CANNOT BE BASED ON WORKS; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

    Save by grace? Check.
    Not by works? Check.

    But what works? What does that mean in the context of the passage? He’s talking about the Jewish people, the Law and the works of the Mosaic covenant. No Catholic problems here.

    > Read carefully Ephesians 2:8-9 “ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— NOT BY WORKS, so that no one can boast”. God will not accept our good works to be saved because God does not want us boasting that we did something to earn our own salvation

    Can we earn our salvation? Of course not! We’re saved by grace! No Catholic problems here.

    > The bible in these verses is giving a clear indication that good works will not be the means of salvation

    Are you willing to engage all the other verses which speak as though works do have a role to play in our eventual salvation? There are many, many more than those which you cite in an attempt to justify Sola Fide. You haven’t responded to any of the arguments in this article or explained where my logic is wrong.

    > Good works are the result or evidence of our faith in Christ but not the means of salvation

    This is an assertion, but it’s not substantiated. If good works are necessitated by faith, why did James have to write his epistle at all? Why tell people that they have to do good works if they’ll do them automatically because they have faith?

    > Besides that when Jesus died in the cross, the gospel of John states that he screamed “It is FINISHED”, saying that we still need to do things to obtain our salvation contradict what Jesus cried out at the cross “it is finished”

    Again, your assuming that your personal, fallible interpretation of the Bible is the only interpretation. You’re also reading an awful lot into the Lord’s three words. Here are some other things which were “finished”:

    1. His Passion
    2. His task
    3. His earthly ministry
    4. The Passover liturgy which began in the Upper Room and ended at the cross (see The Fourth Cup)

    What in the context leads you to your conclusion?

    If absolutely, positively, nothing else needs to be done following “It is finished”, does that mean everyone, everywhere is then immediately saved?

  • Dear Christian,

    Someone has convinced you that a square can be a circle. Someone has convinced you that the blood-thirsty, psychopathic god of the Old Testament is the same being as the loving, compassionate Jesus of the Gospels.

    Squares can never be circles.

    Your belief system is an ancient middle-eastern superstition. If you choose to continue to hold onto it that is certainly your right. However, you are teaching this superstition to little children. Please consider what you are doing. These children deserve to know the Truth.

    I encourage you to watch this five minute video on this subject:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqfGu6vTxFY

    Best wishes,
    Gary

  • Joe H has also done an excellent post which provides the simplest rebuttal to Sola Fide:

    http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/2015/02/faith-alone-v-forgiving-trespasses-how.html

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