Salvation & Justification
We
Do Not Stand Alone
Todd von Kampen
From
the Editor
Marcus Grodi
Returning
Home
Rick Ricciardi
One
Saving Action
Dwight Longnecker
A
Voice From A Catholic Pulpit
Fr. Michael DeTemple, O.P.
How
ARE Catholics Saved?
Catechism
The
Early Church Fathers on Salvation
Chris Erickson
Did
Paul Teach Justification by Faith ALONE?
Robert Sungenis
Not
By Faith Alone
James Akin
Or
Is There Something Else?
Marcus Grodi
Justification
By Faith
Dr. William Marshner
Before
You Object...
Fr. Ray Ryland
Other Journals
Did
Paul Teach Justification by
Faith ALONE?
By Robert Sungenis
Today, a common teaching exists among various Protestant denominations. It is the teaching that man is justified before God by faith alone. Protestants claim that man must simply believe that Christ has done all that is required for justification. Once man believes in Christ, he is saved forever. Consequently, Protestants understand good works merely as the fruit of one’s justified state, but not meritorious for justification. Likewise, bad works do not threaten one’s justified state. They have already been forgiven.
The Catholic Church teaches that although faith is critically important, it only begins the process of justification, a process which also has a middle and an end. Justification is not a single event of faith alone, nor are works merely the fruit of such faith, but a process whereby the individual grows in justification by his faith and good works, a growth which can be retarded, or even terminated, by faithlessness and bad works, ending in damnation.
For both sides, let’s first clarify what we mean by the word justification. Basically, justification is the theological term used to denote the basis upon which man can go to heaven. It is the means by which a sinner is "justified" or "made right with God." Because God is perfect, transcendent and holy, but man is imperfect, mortal and sinful, there must be a "justifiable" reason why God would allow such a lowly creature to live with him forever. Because God must preserve his honor and holiness, he cannot just accept men into heaven without a good and justifiable reason for doing so, otherwise he would be compromising his own divine character. In order to justify our entrance into heaven, God must also remain just, honorable and holy (Rom. 3:26).
"Faith" and "Alone"
Next, let’s start this discussion by raising an important question: Did the apostle Paul teach justification by faith alone? If so, why didn’t Paul use the specific phrase "faith alone" anywhere in his New Testament writings? St. Paul used the word faith over two hundred times in the New Testament, but not once did he couple it with the words "alone" or "only." What would have stopped him from such an important addition if the solitude of faith in regard to justification was at the forefront of his mind?
A second reason that leads us to pose this critical question is that Paul used the word "alone" very frequently. Many of these instances appear right alongside the very contexts that contain teachings on faith and justification (Rm. 3:29; 4:12, 16, 23; Gal. 2:10; 3:2; 4:18; 5:13). Thus even while Paul was teaching about the nature of justification he was keenly aware of the word "alone" and its qualifying properties. Coupling it with "faith" would have made his point indisputable.
Thirdly, although the Holy Spirit prohibited Paul from using the phrase "faith alone," He allowed St. James to make a clear and forceful point to the contrary, declaring that "man is justified by works and NOT by faith alone" (Jam. 2:24). This negation comes at the precise point in the epistle where St. James questions whether faith, by itself, is sufficient for justification. We can only conclude that the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of the equally important phrase "not by," clearly shows God was concerned that some would misinterpret Scripture’s stress on faith versus works to be equal to "faith alone." But didn’t St. Paul say faith was "apart from" works?
If Paul did not intend to teach faith alone, then how do we explain his statement in Rom. 3:28, "that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law"? Could one not argue that the phrase "apart from" is very similar to the word "alone," and thus conclude that St. Paul really did teach that faith is alone in justification?
To answer this, we must realize that "justified by faith alone" does not mean the same thing as "justified by faith apart from works of the law." Grammatically, the phrase "faith alone" means that faith is the ONLY instrument for justification, while the statement "faith apart from works of the law" merely means that "works of the law"—whatever St. Paul means by them—are the only thing that cannot be coupled with faith for justification. In other words, "faith alone" excludes everything from being added to faith, while "faith apart
rom works of the law" excludes only "works of the law" from being added to faith. This leaves open the possibility that perhaps something may be added to faith that is not considered "works of the law," or, that we could understand "faith" as being associated with other virtues that are not technically related to "works of the law." [See Council of Trent, Session 6, Chapter 7].
Hence, although we must give due justice to Paul’s dictum that faith must be apart from works of the law, this does not necessarily mean that faith is completely alone, especially from other virtues like love and obedience (Gal. 5:6; Rom. 1:5; 16:26). According to certain Scriptures, there is something about "works of law" which forces Paul to separate it from his concept of faith, yet dissimilar Scriptures allow, or even require, the addition of other virtuous works, which are not necessarily associated with works of the law, in order to procure justification.
The Key: St. Paul’s Principle of "Obligation"
To begin to uncover the true relationship between faith and works, we need to understand one of the most fundamental principles in the theology of Paul—the principle of legal obligation or debt. We see this principle established in that most famous of passages, Rom. 4:4: "To the one working, the wage is not reckoned according to grace but according to obligation" (NIV).
To help us understand this principle, Paul uses the example of the employer who is obligated to pay his employee for his work. "Obligation" refers to a measured compensation which is legally owed by the employer to the employee. Since we understand work as something requiring the strenuous use of one’s faculties, the worker is someone who must be remunerated, in some manner, equal to his efforts. Commonly speaking, for an hour’s work, he must be paid an hour’s wage. Unless the employer wants to break the law, he is legally required to pay the worker what is due him. It does not matter whether the employer loves or hates, likes or dislikes, the employee. He is under legal obligation to pay him.
Establishing this principle of legal obligation, Paul introduces the foundational rule regarding anyone who attempts to "work" his way to God. If the appeal to God is based on obligation, then the relationship between God and man becomes one in which the party who works (man) is legally obligating the party for whom the work is done (God) to pay for the work performed.
Hence, in regard to justification, a man who approaches God expecting legal remuneration for his efforts thus puts God in a position of being "obligated" to deem him righteous and acceptable, worthy of living with God and being blessed by Him for eternity. Since in this situation God would be forced to owe a legal debt to the man who works, then the relationship is one based on law, i.e., a legal contract. If it is based on law, then it cannot be based on God’s personal benevolence, otherwise known as grace.
This is precisely why Paul, in Rom. 3:28, says, "a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law." In the larger picture, "works of law" refers to "works done solely under legal contract" which demand payment for performance, regardless of whether or not the person doing the work believes in and loves his benefactor.
Conversely, if man appeals to God’s graciousness, God would repay out of benevolence, but he is not legally obligated to do so. This is the primary distinction between grace and works. St. Paul reiterates this principle in Rom. 11:6 by saying: "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. [Council of Trent, Session 6, Chapter 8, Cannon 1]
Faith: The Beginning of Salvation
In contrast to works performed in an attempt to obligate God, Paul speaks of justification by God’s grace through our faith (Rom. 3:22-24). God is a personal being who wants man to relate to him on a personal level. God is not an impersonal employer whom we go to for our spiritual paycheck but then forget about Him the rest of the day. Hence, because faith is intrinsically personal, it is the ideal word to describe one who recognizes God’s true identity; one who takes a sincere interest in God’s purposes and plans; one who trusts that God is good and looking out for everyone’s best interests (Rom. 4:18- 22; Heb. 11:1-40).
Conversely, St. Paul often uses "works" or "works of law" as contractual terms connoting an impersonal employer/employee kind of relationship: someone who is under contract to do a job but has no interest in a personal relationship with his employer. He works for the sole purpose of remuneration but has no genuine regard for the goals and aspirations of his payer. He boasts of his accomplishments and expects to be paid handsomely for his work. Such attempts are an insult to God.
To St. Paul, the Jews of his day were the perfect example of his thesis. The Jews continually forced their ceremonial works in God’s face and claimed that for such meticulous observance to the legal covenant God established with Abraham, God then owed them salvation, regardless of their life-style (Rom. 2-4). St. Paul’s answer to them is clear: "Who has ever given to God that God should repay him?" (Rom.11:35).
But Do Works Justify?
Although in many Scriptures Paul takes great pains to make the sharpest distinction possible between faith and works, in other Scriptures he creates the most intimate connection between faith and obedience to God’s law. This connection is so strong that it is quite biblical to state that without obedience to the law it is impossible to be justified and enter the kingdom of heaven. St. Paul says it himself in Rom. 2:13, "For it is not the hearers of the law, but the doers of the law who will be justified [See Catholic Catechism, Para. 1963, and Council of Trent, Canon 20].
Some may find this conclusion contradictory, since we seem to be saying that law is both condemnatory and salvific. Nevertheless, once one understands the basis for Paul’s distinction between works done merely for legal remuneration as opposed to works performed under the auspices of God’s grace, the apparent contradiction disappears [See Council of Trent, Session 6, Ch. 5].
To help understand the principle of works performed under grace, or what we may now introduce as "gracious merit," we can borrow from St. Paul’s analogy of the employer/employee relationship in Rom. 4:4. We have already learned that if the employee contracts with the employer to be paid for his work, this arrangement is formalized in a written agreement and is made binding by law, i.e., it is a legal contract.
If, on the other hand, the employer asks the employee to do some personal work for him outside of the legal contract—work that is "not on company time" or is "off the clock," as it were—and promises to reward the employee, such an arrangement is not under a legal contract and thus the employer is not contractually obligated to pay the employee.
Yet because of the employer’s personal integrity, and perhaps because of a personal relationship he has cultivated with the employee, he may gladly pay what he feels the extra work is worth even though he is not legally required to do so. The employer could very easily renege on his promise to pay for work performed "off the clock," yet because he is honest and just he will not stoop to such underhanded behavior.
God’s relationship to man is very similar. Although man cannot put God in a position of being legally obligated to pay him for his work, God can reward man for his work outside of law. Because of his personal integrity, and because he has cultivated a personal relationship with the individual through faith, God will repay out of his graciousness. For God, who is fair, just and compassionate, graciously rewarding man’s good works is the proper thing to do.
This principle of God’s dealing with man is stated no better than in Heb. 6:10, "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him..."
Once we commit ourselves to view our works before God from the proper perspective, we must conclude that Paul does not teach that works of law, understood in the proper sense, is always antithetical to justification. We must maintain that St. Paul is condemning justification by works only with respect to contractual obligation, that is, when one attempts to demand payment from God for his works, but who really doesn’t care about God personally. Outside the realm of contractual obligation, obedience to God’s laws, as expressed and practiced in virtue, fully cooperates with grace in justification.
Romans 2:5-10: The Reward of Good Works is Eternal Life
Let us observe how St. Paul views the distinction between works performed under grace as opposed to works performed under legal obligation. He elaborates on this distinction in the way he describes God’s blessing for good works and God’s judgment for bad works. One of the first expressions of Paul’s positive view of works in regard to salvation occurs in Rom. 2:6-8:
...of the righteous judgment of God, who will give to each man according to his works. On the one hand, to those who persist in good work, seeking glory, honor and incorruption, [he will give] eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
St. Paul is clear that God saves or condemns based on the works performed by the individual. Consequently, it is also true that "wrath and anger" refers to the opposite of eternal life, namely eternal damnation. This is the same context he uses in Rom. 6:23 saying, "for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
In saying this, let it be clear to the reader we are not saying St. Paul teaches in Rom. 2 that a man can "earn," (in the strict, legal sense of the word), the reward of eternal life. To reiterate, Rom. 4:4 makes it unquestionably clear that when one attempts to "earn" his salvation based on works he is obligating God to "pay" him with eternal life, which is anathema.
Hence we must conclude that the works Paul requires in Rom. 2:5-10 are not those he considers as putting God in a position of obligation to pay the individual with eternal life. Rather, it is presumed that those who "persist in doing good" and who "seek glory, honor, and incorruption" are doing so under the advocacy of God’s grace and mercy.
God’s grace is introduced just one verse prior in Romans 2:4 where Paul says: "Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and his forbearance and longsuffering, not realizing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" The divine qualities of "kindness," "forbearance," and "longsuffering" are virtues of God that flow from his grace (Eph. 2:7; Tit. 3:4; Rom. 11:22). If God were not exhibiting grace, his response would be to show no mercy to men and thus destroy them at the first sign of disobedience. Moreover, God is not obligated to "lead them to repentance," or tolerate their sin. It is God’s grace that gives men the opportunity to and leads them to repent and do good works.
Since Paul speaks of "repentance" in Rom. 2:4, and follows with God giving "eternal life" to the ones who have repented and "persist in doing good," but "wrath and anger" to the ones who have not repented, all the elements of the New Testament gospel are present in this passage.
In light of this, the good works of Romans 2:6-8, being done in the context of repentance from sin, are works which presuppose faith in God, as well as an acknowledgment of personal sin. One cannot repent to God and do good works (i.e., works that are done for the purpose of "honoring God and seeking immortality"), without truly believing in God. Hence, the works of Rom. 2:6-8, accompanied by faith and repentance, are NOT works done under the principle of debt or obligation that Paul repudiates in Rom. 4:4, but works done with a godly attitude and which seek recognition and reward from within God’s grace.
If Paul lifts the doing of works for obtaining eternal life to such a height as he does in Rom. 2:6-10, what, then, can we conclude about Paul’s understanding of works in relation to justification? The conclusion must be that works are necessary for justification, and, in fact, are one of the principle determining factors in whether or not one obtains salvation. We say this with the proviso that Paul outrightly condemns works done from boasting with a view toward obligating God to pay the worker with salvation (Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).
The only way God can accept our works is through His grace, just as he accepts our faith through His grace. Works done under the auspices of God’s grace, that is, works done that do not demand payment from God but are rewarded only due to the kindness and mercy of God, are the works that Paul requires for salvation. These works must continue throughout our lives in order for us to be justified (Rom. 2:13; Jam. 2:1-26).
Robert Sungenis, was a cradle Catholic who, after years away in which he received seminary training and was actively involved in Protestant teaching and radio ministries, returned to the Church of his childhood. His conversion story can be found in Surprised By Truth (ed., Patrick Madrid, Basilica Press, 1994). He is the Founder and President of Catholic Apologetics International P.O. Box 7146 Alexandria, VA, 22307, and can be reached at 703-765-7111 or over the Internet at www.catholicintl.com or cairomeo @aol.com.
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