Justification by Faith

[Brother Adam]

The work I'm writing by now "Justification by Faith: Salvation Explained Simply" is coming right along. I've been working on it every day for about two weeks and have some of the best profs here helping me with it. Here is an outline:

Introduction
--Catholic Ecumenism
--What is Justification?
--The Purpose of this work

Defining Basic Terms
--Authoritative Catholic definitions on many words such as grace, faith, free will, salvation, merit, and good works.

Heresies concerning salvation
--Pelagianism
--Semi-Pelagianism
--Reformation theology (Luther, Calvin, Wycliffe, Anabaptists (Zwingli), Evangelicals, Fundamentalists)

How to be Saved, A Simple Yet Accurate Guide

Four Main Points of Salvation
--By the Grace of God
--By the Response of faith in man through the Holy Spirit
--Through faith in Jesus Christ
--By obedience to the New Covenant, Jesus Christ

Basic Biblical Facts about Salvation
--15 doctrines starting with "Man sins of his own free will" to 'Faith is fostered by the grace of God", each with an explanation quoting scripture and the Fathers of the Church.

Biblical Confusion
--A case-in-point study of Romans 2:5-10 and Ephesians 2:8-9

Conclusion

I've got everything written, at least in its basic form except for all of the 15 points and the conclusion.

Hope to have it done by the middle of January.

[Brother Adam]

The idea is that this will be under 50 pages and easily accessible to anyone interested in reading about the topic. The deepest it will go is a 5 page study on the two passages. The rest of it will basically say it like it is, without forcing the reader to dig through complex theological texts to find the answers so many people need today.

[Laudate_Dominum]

that's phat

I hope you post it or something when you're done.. Or perhaps its will be on flyfree?

[Paphnutius]

I would be very interested in reading it as well if I may. Justification is what I consider my weakest area in understanding and it would do me good to read a comprehensive explination from someone with your understanding. Let me know how it comes along.

[phatcatholic]

[quote]Biblical Confusion
--A case-in-point study of Romans 2:5-10 and Ephesians 2:8-9[right][snapback]837835[/snapback][/right][/quote]
for Romans 2, these articles may be helpful:
[b]--[url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=37197"]Rescuing Romans from the Reformers[/url]
--[url="http://catholic-legate.com/dialogues/rescuingromans.html"]Rescuing Romans from the Reformers [i]Again[/i][/url]
--[url="http://groups.google.com/group/CIN-Daily-Word/browse_thread/thread/275b900525bdbab8/80e33bb164e19c80?q=Romans+2&rnum=1#80e33bb164e19c80"]Rom 2:1-11, The Navarre Commentary[/url][/b]

also the following from the Ignatius Study Bible:[list][b]2:4 forbearance:[/b] The time that God gives the sinner to repent is a grace (Wis 11:23; 2 Pet 3:9). To make light of this opportunity is to show contempt for his mercy.
Forbearance differs from patience in that God is forbearing to those who sin out of weakness, but he endures with patience those who sin deliberately and brazenly. And this patience has limits, as seen when God finally acts to drown the generation of the flood and destroy the godless of Sodom (Origen, [i]Commentary on Romans[/i] 2, 3).

[b]2:6 according to his works:[/b] paul looks ahead to the Last Day, when the life of every person is unrolled before God, and every thought (1 Cor 4:5), word (Mt 12:36), and deed (2 Cor 5:10) is weighed in the balance of divine justice. That God will determine his verdict on the basis of human works is a teaching that originates in the OT (Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12). It was later confirmed by Jesus (Mt 16:27) and reiterated by the apostles (2 Cor 5:10; 1 Pet 1:17). Paul is here stressing that Jews and Gentiles will be held to the same standard of judgment (CCC 682).

[b]2:8 those who are factious:[/b] Or, better, "those who are selfish".

[b]2:11 no partiality:[/b] The Jews can expect no favoritism over the Gentiles on the day God judges the world (Acts 10:34-35). It matters only that people repent of evil in time to live fro God (2:7) instead of themselves and their shallow ambitions (2:8).
[/list].....and the Word Study from the ISB on "Justified":[list][i]Justified[/i] (2:13)

[i]Dikaioo[/i] (Gk.): the verb means to "acquit", "vindicate", or "pronounce righteous" and is used 15 times in Romans and 24 times in the rest of the NT. It can describe how men make themselves out to be righteous (Lk 16:15) or verbally acknowledge the righteousness of God (Lk 7:29). In a legal context, a judge justifies the innocent when he acquits them of unproven charges (Ex 23:7; Deut 25:1; 1 Cor 4:4). Great theological significance is attached to this term when God is the one who justifies. Especially in Paul's writings it describes how God establishes man in a right covenant relationship with himself. This was made possible by the death of Christ (Rom 5:9), which frees us from sin (Acts 13:39; Rom 6:7) through the free gift of grace (Rom 3:24). This grace is received by faith (Rom 3:26; 5:1) in the liturgical context of Baptism (1 Cor 6:11). When God acquits the sinner, he also adopts the sinner as one of his own children, making him an heir of eternal life (Tit 3:7). For Paul, the justifying decree of God effects an inward transformation that makes us holy and righteous in his sight (Rom 5:19) (CCC 654, 1987-95).
[/list]there is also some good stuff in the Jerome Biblical Commentary, but its too much to type out here.

as for Eph 2:8-9, see the following:[list]Navarre Bible Commentary
[b]Eph 2:8-9. [/b]Salvation is the work of God, a gratuitous gift of God: it originates in God's mercy. It acts in man by means of faith, that is, by man's acceptance of the salvation offered him in Jesus Christ. But even faith, St Paul tells us, is a divine gift; man cannot merit it by his own efforts alone; it is not exclusively the outcome of human freedom; at all stages, from the very beginning, recognition and acceoptance of Christ as Savior means that God's grace is at work.

On the basis of this passage in Ephesians and other passages of Scripture, the Church taught: "According to the passages of Sacred Scripture and the explanations of the Holy Fathers [specified] we, with God's help, must believe and preach the following. The free will of man was made so weak and unsteady through the sin of the first man, that, after the Fall, no one could love God as was required, or believe in God, or perform good works for God unless the grace of divine mercy anticipated him [. . .] Even after the coming of Christ this grace of faith is not found in the free will of all who desire to be baptized, but is conferred through the generosity of Christ, according to what has already been said and according to what the Apostle Paul teaches: 'It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake' (Phil 1:29). And also: 'he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ' (Phil 1:6). And again: 'By grace you have been saved though faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God' (Eph 2:8). And the Apostle says of himself: 'As one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy' (1 Cor 7:25; cf. 1 Tim 1:13) [. . .] . And Scripture says further: ' What have you that you did not receive?' (1 Cor 4:7. And again: 'Ever good endowment and every gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights' (Jas 1:17). And again: 'No one can receive anything except what is given from heaven' (Jn 3:27)" (Second Council of Orange, [i]De gratia[/i], conclusion).

The Second Vatican Council provides the same teaching: "'By faith man freely commits his entire self to God [. . .]; before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior help of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth' ([i]De gratia[/i], can. 7; [i]Dei Filius[/i])" ([i]Dei Verbum[/i], 5).

When St. Paul says that faith does not come from works (v. 9), he is referring to things man can do on his own, without the help of grace. If faith did come from works, then man would have something to boast to God about, something that would bring salvation without dependence on Christ--which would be inadmissible, because then our Lord's death would make no sense, nor would even the Incarnation of the Word, whom "God has made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption; therefore, as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord'" (1 Cor 1:30-31). See also the notes on Jas 2:14; Rom 3:20-31; 9:31.
[/list]if you need the commentary from the ISB and the Jerome Biblical Commentary just let me know.

pax christi,
phatcatholic

ps: i too would very much like to read your work when it is finished.

[journeyman]

add me to the list . . . posting when completed (or at final proofreading stage?) would be great

[Brother Adam]

A copy just went to one of the professors today for an orthodoxy check. It's working out pretty good. Once the work is completely finished I will send it to three more profs, and once I'm through their feedback will be looking for a means to publish it on paper. I will also publish a copy online. I figure the final copy will be ready by the end of January as I'm working on it about 4 hours a night.

Thanks phatcatholic, actually I do quote that passage of the Navarre Bible at one point, though not in the case study.

Edited December 29, 2005 by Brother Adam

[Brother Adam]

A second draft is finished I'm pretty excited. I was going to share parts of it with you today, but of course, even with the network upgrade you aren't allowed to use jumpdrives at the school

[Fides_et_Ratio]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Jan 9 2006, 11:26 AM']A second draft is finished I'm pretty excited. I was going to share parts of it with you today, but of course, even with the network upgrade you aren't allowed to use jumpdrives at the school
[right][snapback]850277[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]
no jumpdrives?


You're teasing us now!

It does sound like an awesome endeavor and I'm anxious to check it out when you finish it!

[Brother Adam]

I'm not going to post everything here today, though I finally got onto a computer that works, but I want to give you a taste of things to come, and you are welcome to give imput...




~Justification by Faith
Salvation Explained Simply

Contents

1. Introduction
2. Defining Basic Terms
3. Heresy concerning salvation
4. How to Be Saved
5. Basic Biblical Facts about Salvation
6. Biblical Confusion? A case study
7. Conclusion: Covenants and Kingdoms
8. Scriptures concerning the End of the Age
9. Additional Help and Resources

Dedication
Deo ad gloriam per nos (To the glory of God).

Three Fold Approach
Bible Version – The RSV-CE (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition is used here. The RSV was headed by Protestant Scholars with the aid of Catholic scholars. It is approved for use by members of the Catholic Church. (Sacred Scripture)

Catechism – The Catechism of the Catholic Church is quoted extensively as proof that the teachings here are authentic Catholic doctrine. The Catechism is the “sure norm of teaching the Catholic faith”. (Magisterium)

Church Fathers – The Church Fathers (especially Pre-Nicene) are quoted whenever possible to show the solid grounding and tradition in which the Church teaches. (Tradition)

Introduction

There is no greater story in the history of man, than the story of man and His creator, God. Beauty gives testimony to the creator that is responsible for our existence. The unfathomable riches of the earth and the universe bring us to a place of inspiration and awe. When man searches out His creator, he finds that God loves him more deeply than he is capable of understanding. He finds a God who reaches out to him and wants to know him personally. God was willing to die for his creation out of love, even if that meant a death on the cross. The cross at once becomes a symbol of man at his darkest hour when he crucifies the Son of God and the symbol of new life, of victory over death and Satan forever. The Paschal Mystery, the crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ is the very center of history and of recorded time as we know it. There is nothing more important than man’s relationship with his creator. To have a relationship with his creator means the hope of life everlasting. Without a relationship with his creator means death and destruction at the end of time. This is why men come to profess their faith in Christ, because under no other name can man be saved. By no other Way is the truth and life found.

Jesus knew the great importance of his earthly mission. He knew how much the Father loved each one of us and the Fathers desire to pour his love out on every man. This is why Christ desired that His apostles share “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:3-6), and why he gave the apostles a guarantor of the fullness of the faith, the Holy Spirit, so that that they would have all of the truth, and never be caught teaching error (John 16:13). Yet, in our day in age many men have taken the Christian faith and gone their own way teaching biblical interpretations that are in error (2 Peter 1:20) and straying from tradition (2 Thess 2:15, 3:6). When each man professes his own creed the Church lacks unity and its witness to a lost and dying world is lessened. It is damage that Christ, at the Last Judgment will call an account for. When men, even well intentioned, and even those who are in love with Jesus, teach doctrine that is in serious error, especially doctrine having direct consequence to our salvation, it is a fearful thing. When God calls us to be one regarding our faith, and gives us a visible authority in the Apostles and those who succeed them, and we choose to ignore that for divisions and dissensions we endanger the very souls we are suppose to be evangelizing. The purpose here then is to look at those teachings about salvation that are so important to our faith and explain them in a simple way that is fully orthodox, so everyone can have a proper understanding of the single most important teaching of our faith: our relationship with God.

Protestants have taken that other road, and have trusted in their own biblical interpretations instead of in that of the Apostles and their successors, leaving many people in a state of confusion. Many Catholics even hold to Lutheran and Calvinistic doctrines without meaning to because of the influence these doctrines have at times had on our priests and catechists. We need to be able to reach out then to everyone with the doctrines of salvation so that everyone may understand. In aiding ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Non-Catholic Christians it is very important to discuss the differences on the doctrine of justification especially, but also others as well. When Non-Catholics, especially Fundamentalists and Baptists ask the question “Are you saved?” they are actually asking a question of justification. They believe they are asking a person, if they were to die today, is their broken relationship through original sin restored, and will they inherit eternal life? Justification is “the gracious action of God which frees us from sin and communicates ‘the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ’ (Romans 3:23). Not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of interior man.” Man lost his perfect relationship with God through original sin, and thus needs to be redeemed. By being justified, man is made ‘worthy’ before God again; he is “shown to be right, just, and free from blame.” The question man grapples with, and has for thousands of years, is, how are we to be justified before God? How is it that we are saved? Coming up with a precise answer is not easy, and it is in fact not difficult to fall into heresy. We have to appropriately balance man’s free will and response to God, the predestination of the elect to God, and how grace, faith, and good works operate in the economy of salvation. A clear understanding of the history of the debates on these matters helps in understanding complex ideas. As we see the development of these doctrines throughout history we can see the blatant errors that the Church faced, and how these doctrines are balanced out. When we do that, we can see how the passages on salvation in the Bible do not have to seem so confusing.
We will look at the theology of salvation, especially the doctrines that separate Catholics and Protestants, and use the Bible to show where it is that truth is, and where it is that misunderstandings and misrepresentations about the scriptural texts lie. The idea is to do this in as simple a manner as possible and as straightforward as possible so anyone interested can read and understand it. For the sake of brevity then we can hardly discuss every biblical passage that has importance, or every argument that gives credence to either side of the discussion. We will touch on what is most important to understanding what salvation is, why we need to be saved, and how to be saved, and we will highlight the differences with what the Bible truly teaches about salvation. If you are a Protestant, perhaps a Baptist, Non-denominational Christian, or Fundamentalist, I strongly urge you to carefully consider what is written here, and to continue to explore the Catholic faith with orthodox works on Catholic apologetics, and with Catholic friends who know the faith well and are fully obedient to the Church.


How to be Saved
A simple, yet accurate guide.

As Christians, one of the most fundamental questions we ask is: Why are we here? Our answer is: to know, love, and serve God. St. Augustine, a famous convert to the Catholic faith from Paganism stated “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Because our broken relationship with God must be restored, the Bible presents two major possibilities to make this happen:

(1) Through the old covenants (via Mosaic Law or “works of the law”)
(2) Through the New Covenant (via the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ).

St. Paul’s theology as well as the teaching of Jesus himself, tell us that the works of the law cannot save us. Even the Mosaic Law itself testifies to its “planned obsolescence”; that is planned failure (Deuteronomy 30:1-6). Observing the law and trying to obligate God to repay us with eternal life through observing the law is fruitless. We cannot obligate God to repay us with eternal life because of our broken relationship with God. The penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23).

Salvation is a free gift of God through faith in Christ because it does not require us to fulfill the tenant’s of Mosaic Law (the only other possibility that God allows to restore our relationship with Him), an impossible task in its very nature. Original sin must be dealt with. As all have died in Adam, we are born again as adopted children in Jesus Christ (Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 15:22). We become members of the family of God (covenantal compared to legal salvation), as God’s firstborn, adopted children. As God’s adopted children we do not have to hold to the Mosaic Law. This however does not mean that we do not have to be obedient to Christ.

Salvation is a free gift of God (grace) through faith (an action verb). If faith is “alone”, that is, without good works, it is dead (James 2:24). If faith is dead when we die, we will not inherit eternal life. As believers and adopted sons of God, God gives us the grace to love and serve Him. The works that we do by the grace of God is different than the obligating works of the law. They are works of love, and they are justifying not in the sense that we are obligating God to repay us with the wages our works have earned, but in the same sense that St. Paul mentions when he says: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” (1 Colossians 1:24) As believers, and adopted sons of God, we are called to work in the vineyard of the Lord (Matthew 20). God repays us all equally for our work in his vineyard, for the kingdom. The man who is baptized and immediately dies receives the same inheritance as the man who grew up in a Christian home and dedicated his whole life to corporal and spiritual works of mercy – eternal life. The only difference may be the treasures that are stored up (Matthew 6:19-20).

Perhaps to clarify further, in case the idea of how works justify a man in the New Covenant remains unclear. Let’s say I work for an employer in a widget factory for 40 hours for one week. The factory owner has agreed to pay me $10 an hour. At the end of the week the factory owner is obligated to pay me $400 – a just wage. Now, if I were to attempt to do the same in the kingdom of heaven, work for 40 hours and demand the wage for my good works, I would be repaid not with eternal life, but death because I am wounded by sin and my relationship with God is broken. Now lets say I am a friend with the owner of the widget factory. I have lost my home and family so the owner, out of his mercy, takes me in and adopts me into his family. The owner in turn asks that I obey the rules of his house and I obey them out of gratitude. I can choose to shun the owner for his generosity, spit in his face, steal his things and forsake him, leaving the house and never looking back, and though I may still be considered an adopted son, my inheritance is at stake. This is how works operate in the kingdom. No amount of works we do can ever obligate God to repay us – repayment is always death, however through faith in Christ we become adopted sons in God’s family and totally sustained on the grace of God, we are able to work in his kingdom – an act of faith. And it is this faith that is saving faith!

If you are still unsure, that’s okay. There is plenty more when it comes to biblical evidence for our salvation, after all – it is the Bible! Let’s take one more biblical example.

Hebrews 11:17 “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your descendants be named."

James 2:21-23 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’; and he was called the friend of God.”

Works matter, but they matter within the economy of grace. Works, apart from the grace of God as we mentioned is Semi-Pelagianism. Works done by faith are justifying because they verify our faith. Good works are an action of faith and we see this exemplified beautifully in Abraham. If Abraham said “I believe in God”, but refused obedience to God, it could not be credited to Him as righteousness. Our actions, because they are free, are important and our faith is made real by our obedience to God. We are justified, made righteous before God, not only in our initial choice to follow God, but in carrying out that choice by being obedient to the will of God, just as Abraham was. This choice of obedience is sustained completely by, and made available totally by the grace of God through redemption in Jesus Christ. Without Jesus Christ, and without the grace of God, this covenant would not exist and salvation would be lost.

Keep in mind then that “works salvation” what Protestants often claim Catholics teach, is not what Catholics believe or teach. “Works salvation” is Pelagianism or Semi-Pelagianism, and the Catholic Church affirms it is heresy. Rather the Catholic Church teaches what Divine Revelation has revealed – that we are saved by faith, through Christ, and that faith is not alone. And any good works done by man is done only by the grace of God and the strength that He gives us freely to overcome temptation, a choice that we in turn are free to carry out.

Let’s put this together in four concise points that make up the basics on what Catholics believe regarding salvation. It would be helpful to memorize these points as they explain a lot to non-Catholic Christians about what Catholics believe, without delving too deeply into a theological discussion. You will notice that these four simple points sharply contrast Lorianne Boettner, author of the anti-Catholic work Roman Catholicism, when he makes a chart in which he tries to explain how Catholics attempt to ‘save themselves’. This chart grossly misrepresents the reality of the economy of grace. He does, however, illuminate how confusing Catholic Christianity seems to those who wade through the mess of erroneous scholarship on the Catholic faith that has been written by Protestants.

So how is one saved?
1. By the grace of God. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
2. By the response of faith in man; this is made possible by the action of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:37-38)
3. Through faith in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
4. By obedience to the New Covenant, Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:5; 2:6-8)

In its most elementary form, this is how man is saved. Catholics do not reject the Bible. Catholics affirm each and every passage of the Bible as true, good, divinely inspired, infallible, and inerrant. Catholics believe and profess John 3:16. I hope that you are beginning to see why some people may have misunderstood Catholic teaching. When Protestant leaders misunderstand Catholic theology, and when they are able to interpret the Bible however they choose to, it leads to their congregations misunderstanding the Christian faith, and so on. However, only in Catholic theology does not only passages like John 3:16 make sense, but passages like Romans 2:6-8 make sense and don’t seem confusing or have to be explained away, and they make sense even without falling into a ‘works salvation’ trap – which we have shown is heresy. Our last goal will be to look at a case study of two seemingly conflicting passages on salvation, and how Catholic theology shows that they are not conflicting, but beautifully compliment each other to share the full story of our salvation.

Why then, does it need to get more complex than these four points? As some of us know, too often we get into arguments with each other that seem to spin in circles, each person feeling like they are getting no where. If you remember, early on we defined several terms. When people misunderstand what these terms mean, and when they fall into heresy concerning biblical teaching, and the teachings of those with authority, the Church (1 Timothy 3:15), they must be engaged in dialogue. This dialogue expands on these most basic precepts of salvation. For instance, take number 3. Just what is faith, how does it operate, and how is it made available to man? These types of questions must be answered, and as we expand on them, as we will do next, we, in a way, discover nature of an infinite God and his plan of salvation – that when you dig into it, it is more complicated than it may seem at first. Simply knowing that it takes the grace of God to be saved is easy to understand. Explaining the nature of grace and the way it operates in salvation is complicated, and easy to misunderstand. Also, by the nature of theological discussion, man is called to explore the Sacred Scriptures. The Church, as the teaching authority, expands on what we already know contemplating the very depths of our existence, of divine revelation, and of those great saints who have gone before us. Salvation is accessible to every person, no matter what intellectual capabilities they have. It does not need to be complicated, but for those who have the capacity to understand what the simple precepts of the faith mean, we have an obligation to do so in such a way that it is accurate and within the teaching authority of the Church.

[phatcatholic]

[thessalonian]

Have you read the stuff in "spirit of Catholicism" by Karl Adam concoerning this topic. It's phantastic.