In our series looking at the faith of man and what he does with it or what faith should make him doing, it is good to look how some denominations got influenced by certain theologians who interpreted something not exactly in the right way.
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All Christians should come to understand that though we are given the Grace of salvation for free, we shall not be free for doing works according to the faith.
In several denominations of Christendom Paul’s letter to the Romans is frequently used to support the doctrine of justification by faith alone.
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In the articles January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works and Our life depending on faith we tried to show the importance of people having to find the way to God and once they found it how they have to act or react when they do come in the faith for God.
When we look at the many works written in Christendom we also find works which speak about the Sola fide a human doctrine of justification by faith alone. In those clergy works where is asserted that God’s pardon for guilty sinners is granted to and received through faith alone, excluding all “works” there is sand thrown in the eyes of those who look for God and want to serve Him well.
It is not because all mankind would be fallen and sinful, under the curse of God, and incapable of saving itself from God’s wrath and curse. In the previous posting you can see that certain people say God, on the basis of the life, death, and resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ alone (solus Christus), grants sinners judicial pardon, or justification, which is received solely through faith according to those theologians.
For them “Faith” is seen as passive, merely receiving Christ and all his benefits, among which benefits are the active and passive righteousness of Jesus Christ. Christ’s righteousness, according to the followers of “sola fide,” is imputed (or attributed) by God to the believing sinner (as opposed to infused or imparted), so that the divine verdict and pardon of the believing sinner is based not upon anything in the sinner, nor even faith itself, but upon Jesus Christ and his righteousness alone, which are received through faith alone.
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It should be known that in Christendom there are also several believers who are convinced that such a “Justification by faith alone” is not telling the truth to people or at least is only saying half of the matter, because some of them though saying we should not do any work to be saved in other writings do speak about “other graces of salvation” and speak about things believers should take part of , which they call sacraments. They then believe in a series of conceptual steps within the Christian doctrine of salvation which is often called Ordo salutis, (Latin: “order of salvation”).
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De Maria of CatholicBibleTalk shows us here that for him as a Catholic it is clear, from Scripture, that unless someone keeps the Commandments and does the Will of God, he will not be justified.
Having sought God‘s Face, for him it is the believer who first of all had done the work by studying to show himself approved. On the way to coming in the faith the work of prayers is already at that time necessary. We namely have to come to a prayerful relationship with God. Once having come into the faith the believer has to allow God to wash his or her soul with the washing of regeneration and renewal which is Baptism by water and the Holy Spirit.
He says
“we don’t do anything at that moment”
but agrees
“We only believe.”
Forgetting that to believe requires an act of setting our minds on God. Also coming to the baptism the person first of all has to repent, which demands action as well. Further the person has to arrange his or her baptism, which again shall demand some works to be done.
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At our baptism we do have to give ourselves to God Who sees our faith and credits it to us as righteousness and that is why we are called the children of Abraham or Abraham’s seed (Genesis 15:6).
The Catholic writer understands that it was because Abraham obeyed God His Voice, and kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws, all works, that made Him righteous in the eyes of God. Also we, when baptised, shall have to step in the footsteps of patriarch Abraham and have to look for continuing on the Way the Nazarene master teacher Jeshua, Jesus Christ, laid out for us. Then we do have to put on the helmet of salvation.
We have to find ways of Godly understanding by being Faithful to the listening ear.
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De Maria his theory is that the 16th century German friar credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation, simply did not see the Sacramental Teaching which St. Paul was making when he wrote these words. He believes
that when St. Paul said, “we are justified by faith apart from works”, he was describing that justification which occurs in Baptism. But Luther was led astray. And the prophecy of 2 Peter 3:16-17 was fulfilled in him:
In Romans 4 and the Sacraments De Maria continues writing
There was no ministry of reconciliation in the Old Testament. David’s reconciliation was the exception and it was to show the blessedness to come. It was a foreshadowing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
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Lets not forget that love is a something that needs works. Loving is a verb. We should continually love God, which means we do have to come into an intimate position with God the Father. God also asks us to recognise His sent one, and like He is one with this person, we do have to become one with Jesus Christ.
Christianity is a love relationship and It’s love language is pursuit. Just like God has pursued us He calls us to live a life in striving to come to know God better and to become like Christ, which shall demand lots of work.
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Preceding:
January 27, 417, Pope Innocent I condemning Pelagius about Faith and Works
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Additional writings
- Looking for a primary cause and a goal that can not offer philosophers existing beliefs
- Souls and Religions with Nirvana and light
- Between Alpha and Omega – The plan of creation
- God is the strength of my heart
- Creator and Blogger God 7 A Blog of a Book 1 Believing the Blogger
- He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
- Not about personal salvation but about a bigger Plan
- Finding God amid all the religious externals
- Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God
- People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers
- People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations
- People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions
- People Seeking for God 4 Biblical terms
- People Seeking for God 5 Bread of life
- People Seeking for God 6 Strategy
- People Seeking for God 7 The Lord and lords
- Daily Spiritual Food To prepare ourselves for the Kingdom of God
- Isaiah 55-56, Revelation 11
- Al-Fatiha [The Opening] Süra 1: 4-7 Merciful Lord of the Creation to show us the right path
- Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh
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Find also
- Romans 4 and the Sacraments
- January 25 – Clarity
- Hope is Strength – It Starts with Faith
- God’s Love Language: Christianity is A Love Relationship & It’s Love Language is Pursuit
- 21 Day Fast | Day 17- Removing Sneaky Idols & Refocusing Our Hearts
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Related articles
I have a theory about Luther’s misunderstanding of justification, see if it makes any sense to you.
1st: Before the advent of Martin Luther, the Father of the Protestant Revolution, some very prominent and influential Catholics also said that justification was by faith alone.
Basil of Caesarea (329-379) “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord, that Christ has been made by God for us righteousness, wisdom, justification, redemption. This is perfect and pure boasting in God, when one is not proud on account of his own righteousness but knows that he is indeed unworthy of the true righteousness and is (or has been) justified solely by faith in Christ.”
Ambrose (c. 339-97) “Therefore let no one boast of his works, because no one can be justified by his works; but he who is just receives it as a gift, because he is justified by the washing of regeneration. It…
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