What Is Righteousness?

[MorphRC]

No such thing as Faith alone ICHTUS. Do you believe that Jesus could have just had faith in His Father, and not go through with the suffering [work]?

[ICTHUS]

[quote name='Apotheoun' date='Aug 24 2004, 07:16 PM'] The theological position which holds that a man justified by grace merely receives an extrinsic and imputed righteousness is heretical, and no one believed that prior to the 16th century Reformation. Salvation is by grace alone, for it is grace that empowers a man to make an act of faith in Christ, and it is grace that simultaneously pours into man's soul the infused gifts of hope and love as well. Faith, without love, is dead, and cannot justify anyone, because even the demons believe in God [cf. James 2:19], but they lack love, and so they are not justified.
[/quote]
We believe that a man is justified by faith alone, not that that faith is barren! That should be evident!

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='ICTHUS' date='Aug 25 2004, 04:46 PM'] We believe that a man is justified by faith alone, not that that faith is barren! That should be evident! [/quote]
It's good to hear that you don't believe in a barren faith, but if justifying faith cannot be barren, if it requires other things in order to translate a man from a state of mortal sin to a state of grace, then it logically follows that faith alone isn't enough. But regardless, the Catholic Church teaches that faith alone cannot justify a man, because faith must be infused with charity in order to be a living reality.

The Catholic Church teaches that man is justified by grace alone, which empowers him to make an act of faith in Christ, and which simultaneously pours the theological virtues of hope and charity into his soul. Moreover, unlike the Reformers, the Catholic Church holds that justification is an ongoing process; in other words, the justified man grows in justice and holiness throughout his life as he is assimilated more and more to the uncreated life of the Triune God. Grace is a dynamic principle of life, it is not merely "divine favor" as the Reformers asserted; instead, it is a real participation in the uncreated Energy of God, which deifies man, making him a son of God in the only begotten Son of God.