JUSTIFICATION - WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH?
Introduction
The Catholic view of salvation is often misunderstood by Protestants. Many Protestants think that Catholicism teaches salvation by works. When they see or hear of a Catholic performing good deeds they immediately think that the Catholic is trying to 'work his way to heaven.' The fact is that the Catholic Church does not teach salvation by works. The Catholic Church teaches that we are saved by God’s grace alone. Not by our faith alone and not by our works alone, but by God’s grace alone. Grace is a gift given to us by God without any merit on our part. The whole initiative is God’s. He chooses to save us out of his love for us because of who he is not what we do. The free gift of salvation can be seen in Titus 3:4-5, "But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy." Without his grace, we are not saved. Both Protestants and Catholics agree upon the need for grace. This is our common ground. The difference is how grace is used in our lives. In other words, how are we justified (to make righteous). Protestants hold to the view that we are justified by faith alone. In fact, the doctrine of faith alone (sola fida) was one of the major reasons for the Protestant Reformation. According to Protestant theology, God only declares us to be righteous. Therefore, our justification is a one-time event as God declares us innocent. Although Protestants affirm the importance of good works, they deny the fact that works play any role in justification. The Catholic teaching is that we are justified by faith and works. The grace of God enables the Christian to have the saving faith that works in love. Another way to look at it is that Protestants think justification is a one-time event (accepting Jesus) while Catholics refer to justification as an ongoing process (accepting Jesus as well as works throughout one’s life). This justification is something that begins when we first become Christians and continues throughout one’s life until the end of life in which it will be complete as we stand before the throne of God. The fact that justification is an ongoing process and not a one-time event can be seen by looking at the life of Abraham. We are told that Abraham was justified in Genesis 15 and later justified in Gen 22. The example of Abraham's justification is inconsistent with Protestant theology, since it states that justification is an on-time event.
In emphasizing the importance of works, the Catholic Church in no way degrades the importance of faith. The emphasis is in the need for both. If I were to say that I need both my right and left hands to paint the house, I am not degrading my right hand by saying that I need my left hand. I am simply saying that both are needed. One should note that the Catholic Church does not have a problem with saying that Christians are justified by faith. It is the ‘alone’ that Catholics do not like. The Church understands that faith does bring salvation, provided that it is made alive by works of charity. However, the phrase "faith alone" excludes everything else including good works. Discounting good works in this manner contradicts the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. This document briefly explores both the Catholic and Protestant position on justification.
The Protestant View of Justification
Since the Reformation, Protestants have held to the belief that justification is by faith alone. Although works are important to the believer, they do not help justify. This type of justification is more of a legal declaration in which God declares us righteous at the moment we believe in him. This declaration is not dependent on anything we do, therefore, good works are not necessary to be justified. The faith alone doctrine has a minefield of problems, not the least of which is that the belief itself is unbiblical. In other words, the Bible no where teaches that we are justified by faith alone. The Bible does not even imply the belief. Protestants, however, base their belief of justification by faith alone primarily on Romans 3:28, "For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law." They believe that Paul was discounting good works and saying that we are saved by faith alone. Looking back at the passage, there are two things wrong with this interpretation. First, Paul does not say we are justified by faith alone. The word 'alone' does not even appear in the verse. Paul used the word 'alone' in many of his writings, but he never used it in conjunction with 'faith.' Secondly, the 'works' that he is referring to are not "good works." If you read the verse in context you will see that Paul is referring to "works of the law." What law? The Jewish law in which the Jewish people observed in the Old Covenant. These works refer to the Old Covenant rituals, ceremonies, animal sacrifices, and dietary regulations. These were all part of the "law." Paul is saying that the old law (for example circumcision) does not save. This is evident because if you read Romans 3:28 in context you see that people who are not under the law (the Gentiles) are now saved. In the next verse (Romans 3:29) Paul says, "Does God belong to Jews alone? Does he not belong to Gentiles, too? Yes, also to Gentiles," An example of the "works of the law" is circumcision which is stated in the next chapter. Romans 4:9 says, "Does this blessedness apply only to the circumcised, or to the uncircumcised as well? Now we assert that "faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness."" Here Paul is stressing the non-necessity of circumcision. Paul stresses this point in much of his writings. In Galatians 5:6 Paul says, "For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love." Faith working through love does not sound like a "faith alone" concept. Love is most certainly "works" and "working" is most certainly a term used to describe something that is ongoing. If Paul meant that works were not important why would he add, "faith working through love?" The bottom line is that in Romans 3:28 Paul is not saying that good works are unimportant. He is saying that "works of the law" are no longer effective.
The fallacy of the faith alone belief can be exposed by studying all of Paul's writings. If Romans 3:28 taught the faith alone doctrine, then it would be in direct contradiction with other writings of Paul in which is links works with faith and salvation. Here are just a few examples:
In reference to judgement, Paul says that God will "repay everyone according to his works: eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality through in good works" (Romans 2:6-7).
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul says that love, not faith, is the greatest. 1 Cor 13:13, "So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
If works were not critical for salvation, Paul would not have said in Philippians 2:12, "work out your salvation with fear and trembling" If faith is all that is necessary, why does Paul use the words "work", "fear", and "trembling?"
In order to counter these verses, Protestants typically point to several verses that say the our own works can not save us. This type of argument is faulty since the Catholic Church also condemns the idea that we can save ourselves. Therefore, those who support the faith alone position do not prove their position based on texts that imply salvation through faith alone. Rather, they support their position based on a multitude of verses that say that we can not save ourselves and that salvation is a gift. For example, a commonly used verse used against the Catholic belief is Titus 3:4-5, "But when the kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared, not because of any righteous deeds we had done but because of his mercy, he saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the holy Spirit." Notice that this passage does not deal with how we are justified, but it explains God’s reason for giving us salvation. Once again, the Catholic Church agrees with Titus 3:4-5 and teaches that salvation is a free gift of God’s mercy. Another verse used by Protestants to support the "faith alone" doctrine is Ephesians 2:8-10, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast." Protestants often use this verse to prove that we are not saved by works. The fact is, the Catholic Church agrees. This passage clearly states that we are saved by grace. Paul is not comparing works against faith. He is comparing works against grace. Paul is not trying to explain justification, rather he is emphasizing the free gift of God’s grace. The Protestant who uses this verse to prove that works are unimportant to justification is simply not reading the passage clearly.
Another reason Protestants hold to the faith alone belief is because of many passages in Scripture that say that we are justified by faith. For example, Romans 3:28, "For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law" and Romans 5:1, "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." These types of passages are numerous in the New Testament. The Protestant observes all the passages and says, "These passages do not mention anything about works. They do not say faith and works, but just faith. If works are important at all why do these passages not include works?" With this form of reasoning, the Protestant derives the justification by faith alone doctrine. This interpretation, however, has a minefield of problems. The Protestant should note the following things when interpreting these passages.
1. Notice that the word ‘alone’ does not follow the word ‘faith’ in any of these passages. The Protestant who believes that was what Paul meant is making a huge assumption. It is an interesting fact that Paul used the words "alone" or "only" more than any New Testament author, but he never used these words coupled with the word 'faith.'
2. The thought that Paul taught justification by faith alone violates the consistency of Scripture. It is interesting to point out that the only time that the words ‘faith alone’ are used in the New Testament is when James is condemning the belief. James 2:24 states, "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." Since we believe that the Bible is the Word of God, we know that it does not contradict itself. On these grounds, we know that just because Paul does not specifically mention works does not mean he was stating that we are justified by faith alone. For if that were true, he would be contradicting James (which we know is not possible if we believe the Bible is the Word of God). The context of James 2:24 reveals that James is teaching that works must be intentionally added to faith to complete the justification process. Since this verse clearly contradicts the faith alone doctrine, Protestants have offered many explanations to discount James' inclusion of works. Protestants typically try and prove that James and Paul meant something different by the term justification. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Paul and James used the term justification differently. In fact, the Greek term for 'justification' is the same for both Paul and James' writings. Martin Luther himself did not even try to support his belief in faith alone by asserting that Paul and James had different types of justification in mind. He took a much more drastic approach. Instead of trying to reconcile the writings of Paul and James, Martin Luther wanted to remove the book of James from the Bible referring to it as an 'epistle of straw.'
3. Just because Paul only uses one word (faith) when preaching about justification, that does not automatically imply that everything else is excluded. The necessity of works coupled with faith is present throughout Paul's writings. For example: Paul opens and closes Romans speaking of the 'obedience of faith' (Romans 1:5 and Romans 16:26), he says that eternal life will be granted based on our works (Romans 2:7), and he says that faith must work in love (Gal 5:6). To assert that Paul means that we are justified by faith alone based on the fact that Paul mentions that we are justified by faith is faulty reasoning. Not only does it fail to consider all of Paul's writings, it fails also on a practical level. For example, if I were to tell you that I love my wife because she has a sense of humor, I am not implying that her sense of humor is the only thing I love her for. I might love her for many reasons including spiritually, intelligence, and moral values. Therefore, by assuming Paul meant 'alone' when discussing faith is bad reasoning. The above interpretation also explains why James says, "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (James 2:24). Catholics recognize that James was not saying that only works are important, but that works are part of justification. Consequently, Protestants have difficulty reconciling James 2:24 with Romans 5:1 because of the exclusivity of the faith alone doctrine.
The Catholic View of Justification
The idea of justification is fundamentally different to the Catholic. The Church does teach that faith is necessary, but faith by itself can not justify. The faith that a believer has must express itself through love and obedience. Good works done by the believer are results of God's grace, just as faith comes from God's grace. The ironic thing about the faith alone doctrine is that the only time the words ‘faith alone’ are used together in the New Testament is when James is condemning the ‘faith alone’ belief. James 2:24 states, "See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." The Holy Spirit inspired one New Testament writer to write these words. How can any Protestant believe in faith alone! The necessity of works is stated very clearly in James 2:14, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well," but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead." Also in verse 26, "For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." This is exactly the Catholic position. Even Jesus himself preached the necessity of works in Matthew 19:16-17, "Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."" The idea of continual faith and works is also taught by Jesus in Matt 24:13 which says, "But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved." Using the term 'perseveres' implies that a person's faith and works must be present until the end for that person to be saved. Furthermore, Jesus emphasizes the importance of works in Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven." The Gospel of Matthew includes many examples of the necessity of performing good works. For instance, the parables of the unfaithful servants (Matt 24:45-31), the talents (Matt 25:14-30), and the sheep and the goats (Matt 25:31-46) all teach the necessity of works.
Some people are afraid to believe that works of any kind can help us reach eternal life. They have a hard time distinguishing between mere human works that are purely legalistic and good works done through the grace of God. The Catholic Church teaches that just as faith comes from God's grace, so do good works. Neither faith nor good works take anything away from God. To the contrary, when we perform good works we are glorifying God who helps us accomplish these works. The works of a Christian should not be thought of as a person on a stage trying to impress God who is watching in the front row. This type of thinking separates the Christian from God. The correct way to view works is to understand that it is God working through the Christian to produce good works. This 'teamwork' idea can be seen in many passages in Scripture. For example:
Phil 2:13, "For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work."
Phil 4:13, "I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me."
John 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."
John 3:21, "But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God."
Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them."
These passages reveal a central truth of Christianity: God works through his people. The works we do with the grace of God is related to our justification. Through these works we actually become sons and daughters of God. This idea is not based on righteousness through works, but based on the principle that faith works through love. In summary, there is no instance in the Bible where the concept of justification by faith alone is taught. In fact there are several passages (James 2:24 being the strongest) that speak against the ‘faith alone’ doctrine. Since justification by faith alone is unbiblical, the Catholic Church does not hold to the belief. The Catholic Church teaches that both faith and works are important parts of justification. The Church also teaches that good works alone will not earn a person salvation. Catholics believe that salvation is only obtainable by the grace of God and that justification is a process of both faith and works. Both faith and works are a direct result of God’s grace, therefore, we can take no credit for our salvation. To say the works are unimportant is to deny biblical teaching! By accepting the faith alone doctrine the Protestant is ignoring a critical part of the gospel that Jesus and his apostles taught. Justification by faith and works is the way God designed it, therefore, as Catholics we must hold to his truth.