Justification by Faith Alone Part One

 "The very reason why the apostle Paul so often declares that righteousness is imputed to us not out of our works, but our faith, whereas faith rather works through love, is that no man should think that he arrives at faith itself through the merit of his own works; for it is faith, which is the beginning whence good works first proceed; since (as has already been stated) whatsoever comes not from faith is sin.''--- Saint Augustine of Hippo 1*

We have all heard this debate before. How is a man justified? Did Martin Luther invent the doctrine of sola fide? Did the Protestants break from the traditions of the early church fathers?

I obviously realize that this debate cannot be covered all in one blog post. Indeed, theologians on both sides of the justification argument have written massive books on this very topic defending their point of view. I will, then, only be scratching the surface on an issue that divided Christendom into what we now call Roman Catholics and Protestants. This post is just the first part into my discussion on this matter. 

The debate over justification by faith is intertwined with our understanding of how we are saved from God's wrath toward unbelievers. The Bible teaches concerning salvation, ''For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any should boast. ''*2


While Roman Catholics and Protestants agree that salvation is by God's grace, they differ on how we attain that grace before God. Traditionally, both affirm that free will cannot bring one to God before God has prevenient grace brought to them, by which they are drawn to the Creator. The principle difference then between Roman Catholics and Protestants is their understanding of what justifies. To simplify, Protestants believe man is accounted as righteous only by the work of Christ, paid for them at the cross---which is imputed to them by faith alone. As a result, Protestants are to have good works as obedience to God as sure signs of a legitimate faith.


 In addition, salvation is understood as a process by traditional Protestant theology (once saved always saved was a later Evangelical/Fundamentalist teaching). But ultimately, good works are not what saves a person from eternal damnation to traditional protestants; it is faith alone that justifies.


Roman Catholics on the other hand, have the understanding that one is justified by faith in the taking of the sacraments, deeming them free of mortal sin. Catholics also believe keeping the Ten Commandments are necessary for salvation. In essence, the Catholic understanding of justification is broader than a single man or woman being imputed faith by God. Within, a believer is gradually infused grace by continuing to take the sacraments and living free from mortal sin. The long-held debate over justification became a serious issue of contention during the sixteenth century. That a man is declared righteous by God by justification through faith alone in the redemptive work of Christ for sinners can be proven by the Holy Scriptures, the Latin Church fathers, and, to a lesser extent, some of the greatest Medieval theologians. What here will be demonstrated is the fact that Roman Catholicism added to the traditional understanding of justification rather than Protestantism, which kept a closer theological understanding to the saints and church fathers before them. 


The Holy Scriptures teach justification by faith. This is certainly the case for Galatians 2:16-17:


''Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law , but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.''


While Roman Catholics claim this passage is talking only about those Jews that thought they were justified by their ceremonial works, Paul seems to divert any attention from even the Ten Commandments justifying a man here. If true, this is quite problematic for the Roman Catholic position as the Council of Trent taught the keeping of the Ten Commandments is necessary for salvation. 


One of the most important Scriptural texts in support of sola fide is also from Paul the Apostle. In Romans 4: 1-5 Paul says,

''What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. ''

Here, Paul is pretty clear, Abraham had nothing to boast about. It was God that ultimately justified Abraham, not Abraham that justified himself. But what about James? Didn't James teach justification by works? 

 "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." --- James 2:14-26

As to the context however, James is a little more complicated. Roman Catholics often point to James 2 to disprove faith alone. Especially, because James is quite explicit here that Abraham was justified by works which may seem to contradict the Apostle Paul in Romans 4. Also James teaches that faith alone doesn't justify a man. 

If we look more deeply at the two texts of Romans 4 and James 2, however, we see that neither Paul nor James is contradicting the rest of the Holy Scripture. Paul is speaking of a man being declared righteous before God while James is speaking of a man's works being evidence of his faith in Christ before other men. Ultimately, then, James does not teach against faith alone---but rather against those who say they have faith, but have no works of repentance as evidence. 


Now that the Holy Scriptures have been discussed, let us turn to the Latin fathers of the church in the first few centuries after the Apostle Paul. After all, as some Roman Catholics would reason, these saints lived before us, and thus had a closer understanding to the theology of the Apostolic era. As we shall see, many of the church fathers of the Latin West, honored daily by many Roman Catholics, actually teach at minimal an early understanding of sola fide. 
  

Clement of Rome taught justification by faith. Regarded as the fourth pope of the Roman Catholic Church by Papist, it is interesting that his view makes no mention of good works justifying. Clement of Rome was not alone in spouting this doctrine, and justification by faith was taught by many Latin church fathers. 

The fourth century bishop, Ambrose of Milan, also taught justification by faith. Ambrose wrote, ''God chose that man should seek salvation by faith rather than by works, lest any should glory in his deeds and should thereby incur sin.'' 3* ---Repentance, by Ambrose of Milan

 Augustine of Hippo understood justification as attained through love according to some scholars, including Alister Mcgrath. This certainly shows definite contrast to that of the later Protestant reformers. However, Augustine did not reflect an identical view to that of the Council of Trent. At times, Augustine seemed to understand justification and sanctification as running parallel to each other as Roman Catholics believe; elsewhere, however, Augustine conveyed justification as a legal act which precedes sanctification. Some Evangelical scholars however, disagree with Mcgrath and claim Augustine understood justification by faith.  For more on the complexities of Augustine's view, see Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian doctrine of Justification by Alister Mcgrath and Long Before Luther: Tracing the Heart of the Gospel from Christ to the Reformation by Nathan Busenitz.


Prosper of Aquitaine was a student of Augustine of Hippo. Prosper also held to justification by faith rather than justification by faith and works.

 But if our Roman Catholic friends acknowledge some form of justification by faith in the early Latin fathers, surely by the later Middle Ages such a teaching of faith alone would have been condemned? Actually, no. Not only would sola fide not be condemned by the Roman Church until the sixteenth century, but actually before that several Medieval theologians taught a type of justification by faith. 


Fast forward now to the later Middle Ages. Justification by faith was particularly alluded to by Augustinian theologians such as Fulgentius of Ruspe, Julian of Toledo, and Bede the Venerable.  Bede the Venerable taught ''The apostle Paul preached that we are justified by faith without works.'' Anselm of Canterbury taught justification by faith. 

“Come, then, while life remains in you. In his death alone place your whole trust; in nothing else place any trust;….with this alone cover yourself wholly; and if the Lord your God wills to judge you, say: Lord, between your judgment and me I present the death of our Lord Jesus Christ; in no other way can I contend with you. And if he shall say that you are a sinner, say: Lord, I interpose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between my sins and you. If he should say that you deserve condemnation, say: Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between my evil deserts and you, and his merits I offer for those which I ought to have and have not. If he says that he is angry with you, say: Lord, I oppose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between your wrath and me. And when you have completed this, say again: Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and you.” 

So, long before the Reformation era, justification by faith had been taught. It was first affirmed in the Holy Scriptures, confirmed by the Latin fathers, and to a lesser extant, the later Medieval theologians. In the second part of this post, I will address the justification debate particularly as it evolved and contributed to both the Protestant Reformation and to the Counter Reformation of the sixteenth century. 

''No man can say that it is the merit of his own works, or by the merit of his own works, or by the merit of his own prayers, or by the merit of his own faith, that God's grace has been conferred on him; nor suppose that the doctrine is true which those heretics hold, that the grace of God is given us in proportion to our own merits.'' --- On the Spirit and the Letter by Saint Augustine of Hippo

"Sin abounded by the Law because through the Law came knowledge of sin and it became harmful for me to know what through my weakness I could not avoid. It is good to know beforehand what one is to avoid, but, if I cannot avoid something, it is harmful to have known about it. Thus was the Law changed to its opposite, yet it became useful to me by the very increase of sin, for I was humbled. And David therefore says: 'It is good for me that I have been humbled (Psalm 119:71).' By humbling myself I have broken the bonds of that ancient transgression by which Adam and Eve had bound the whole line of their succession. Hence, too, the Lord came as an obedient man to loose the knot of man’s disobedience and deception. And as through disobedience sin entered, so through obedience sin was remitted. Therefore, the Apostle says: 'For just as by the disobedience of one man the many were constituted sinners, so also by the obedience of the one the many will be constituted just (Romans 5:19).'"


Here is one reason that the Law was unnecessary and became necessary, unnecessary in that it would not have been needed if we had been able to keep the natural law; but, as we did not keep it, the Law of Moses became mandatory to teach men obedience, and to loosen that bond of Adam’s deception which had ensnared his whole posterity. Yes, guilt grew by the Law, but pride, the source of guilt, was loosed, and this was an advantage to me. Pride discovered the guilt and the guilt brought grace.


Consider another reason. The Law of Moses was not needful; hence, it entered secretly. Its entrance seems not of an ordinary kind, but like something clandestine because it entered secretly into the place of the natural law. Thus, if she had but kept her place, this written law would never have entered it, but, since deception had banished that law and nearly blotted it out of the human breast, pride reigned and disobedience was rampant. Therefore, that other took its place so that by its written expression it might challenge us and shut our mouth, in order to make the whole world subject to God. The world,  however, became subject to him through the Law, because all are brought to trial by the prescript of the Law, and no one is justified by the works of the Law; in other words, because the knowledge of sin comes from the Law, but guilt is not remitted, the Law, therefore, which has made all men sinners, seems to have caused harm.

But, when the Lord Jesus came he forgave all men the sin they could not escape, and canceled the decree against us by shedding his blood [Colossians 2:14]. This is what he says: “By the Law sin abounded, but grace abounded by Jesus” [Romans 5:20], since after the whole world became subject he took away the sins of the whole world, as John bears witness, saying: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” [John 1:29] Let no one glory, then, in his own works, since no one is justified by his deeds, but one who is just has received a gift, being justified by Baptism. It is faith, therefore, which sets us free by the blood of Christ, for he is blessed whose sin is forgiven and to whom pardon is granted-Epistle 73 ---Ambrose of Milan

1*Long before Luther: Tracing The Heart of the Gospel from Christ to the Reformation by Nathan Busenitz pp. 124. 

2*Ephesians 2: 8-9

3*http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/djw/lutherantheology.ambrose.html#note15

Further Sources: Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification Fourth Edition by Alister Mcgrath, The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent translated by Rev. H. J. Schrouder. Trent: What Happened at the Council by John O' Malley, Long Before Luther: Tracing the Heart of the Gospel from Christ to the Reformation by Nathan Busenitz.