A.A. Hodge on Sanctification

[SojournerOnEarth]

It must be remembered that while the subject is passive with respect to that Divine act of grace whereby he
is regenerated, after he is regenerated he co-operates with the Holy Ghost in the work of sanctification. The
Holy Ghost gives the grace, and prompts and directs in its exercise, and the soul exercises it. Thus, while
sanctification is a grace, it is also a duty; and the soul is both bound and encouraged to use with diligence, in
dependence upon the Holy Spirit, all the means for its spiritual renovation, and to form those habits of
91
resisting evil and of right action in which sanctification so largely consists. The fruits of sanctification are
good works. An action to be good must have its origin in a holy principle in the heart, and must be
conformed to the law of God. Although not the ground of our acceptance, good works are absolutely
essential to salvation, as the necessary consequences of a gracious state of soul and perpetual requirements
of the divine law. Gal. v. 22, 23; Eph. ii. 10; John xiv. 21.
https://theologue.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/commentaryonthewestminsterconfession-aahodge.pdf

The above is found on pages 90 and 91 of the link.

A.A. Hodge is a highly respected Calvinist theologian. He would strongly affirm faith alone.

What here is in accordance with Catholic thought?

What in the above is contrary to Catholic thought?

 

[ajcstr]

A.A. Hodge is a highly respected Calvinist theologian. He would strongly affirm faith alone.

ok, first off - did not read the full article - Just going off this snippet.

What here is in accordance with Catholic thought?

We would both agree that Grace comes from God and without it we can do nothing pleasing to God.

Also Sanctification is a process in which we grow in holiness.

What in the above is contrary to Catholic thought?

Note he says “the fruits of sanctification are good works”.

In Calvinist thought we are sanctified by God and therefore produce good works. (God does everything - our good works are the result)

In Catholic thought we perform good works as a response to God’s grace. (We cooperate with God). Now he does use the phrase “co-operates with the Holy Ghost” but traditionally, this is synergism which is rejected by Calvinists.

Also, Catholics regard sanctification as part of our justification rather than strictly a separate result of it.

So, Calvinists would use the formula of justification (one time event), then sanctification (a process) whereas Catholics would view justification as a process, sanctification being part of this process. And this is why Catholics and Protestants will talk past each other because we use the same vocabulary but we are using different dictionaries.

 

[SojournerOnEarth]

SojournerOnEarth:

A.A. Hodge is a highly respected Calvinist theologian. He would strongly affirm faith alone.

ok, first off - did not read the full article - Just going off this snippet.

What here is in accordance with Catholic thought?

We would both agree that Grace comes from God and without it we can do nothing pleasing to God.

Also Sanctification is a process in which we grow in holiness.

What in the above is contrary to Catholic thought?

Note he says “the fruits of sanctification are good works”.

In Calvinist thought we are sanctified by God and therefore produce good works. (God does everything - our good works are the result)

In Catholic thought we perform good works as a response to God’s grace. (We cooperate with God). Now he does use the phrase “co-operates with the Holy Ghost” but traditionally, this is synergism which is rejected by Calvinists.

Also, Catholics regard sanctification as part of our justification rather than strictly a separate result of it.

So, Calvinists would use the formula of justification (one time event), then sanctification (a process) whereas Catholics would view justification as a process, sanctification being part of this process. And this is why Catholics and Protestants will talk past each other because we use the same vocabulary but we are using different dictionaries.

Bolded: Note that Hodge here is embracing a limited synergism. Is that consistent with Catholicism?

If you discovered that a high number of Calvinist theologians agreed with Hodge here (and I think they do, without checking), would you still say this particular synergism is rejected by Calvinists?

 

[mkoopman]

Excellent topic and consistent with implicit and explicit corollaries yet non-deterministic in the bijective form of the argument. Holistic is non-existent in the form although the caustic reflection has apparent representation of transitive consequence with equivalence to a bijective form. I may need to quell my anticipation that too many atheist on Pontifical Councils is a bad idea.
Would then the argument be well posed as an anti-Marian belief construct? Obviously this is dramatic conjecture but I am asking if the vector to the question and the differing dictionaries is not rooted with the understanding of The Theotokos in comprehending Christology.

 

[SojournerOnEarth]

Excellent topic and consistent with implicit and explicit corollaries yet non-deterministic in the bijective form of the argument. Holistic is non-existent in the form although the caustic reflection has apparent representation of transitive consequence with equivalence to a bijective form. I may need to quell my anticipation that too many atheist on Pontifical Councils is a bad idea.
Would then the argument be well posed as an anti-Marian belief construct? Obviously this is dramatic conjecture but I am asking if the vector to the question and the differing dictionaries is not rooted with the understanding of The Theotokos in comprehending Christology.

I am not following.

 

[ajcstr]

Note that Hodge here is embracing a limited synergism. Is that consistent with Catholicism?

Synergism is definitely consistent with Catholicism but generally rejected by the reformers.

From wiki… Lutheranism describes its soteriological position as a monergistic salvation and a synergistic damnation. By monergistic salvation, Lutherans mean that saving faith is the work of the Holy Spirit alone, while man is still the uncooperative enemy of God.

Synergism - Wikipedia

Having said that, I really don’t know what the state of Calvinistic belief is to day. Its probably not consistent. I would think someone like James White would agree with the original reformers.

 

[SojournerOnEarth]

SojournerOnEarth:

Note that Hodge here is embracing a limited synergism. Is that consistent with Catholicism?

Synergism is definitely consistent with Catholicism but generally rejected by the reformers.

From wiki… Lutheranism describes its soteriological position as a monergistic salvation and a synergistic damnation. By monergistic salvation, Lutherans mean that saving faith is the work of the Holy Spirit alone, while man is still the uncooperative enemy of God.
Synergism - Wikipedia

Having said that, I really don’t know what the state of Calvinistic belief is to day. Its probably not consistent. I would think someone like James White would agree with the original reformers.

I’m focusing here on A.A.Hodge’s passage, not Calvinists in general, not James White, not Lutherans, not wikipedia.

 

[ajcstr]

I’m focusing here on A.A.Hodge’s passage, not Calvinists in general, not James White, not Lutherans, not wikipedia.

OK, so other than the phrase “The fruits of sanctification are good works” which could be taken 2 ways, I’d say the rest does sound very Catholic.

 

[SojournerOnEarth]

SojournerOnEarth:

I’m focusing here on A.A.Hodge’s passage, not Calvinists in general, not James White, not Lutherans, not wikipedia.

OK, so other than the phrase “The fruits of sanctification are good works” which could be takes 2 ways, I’d say the rest does sound very Catholic.

Interesting.

Thank you.

 

[SojournerOnEarth]

Here someone assembled a number of big gun reformed theologians’s thoughts on this very subject. I just found this.

Is Sanctification Monergistic or Synergistic? A Reformed Survey

His position is that both terms, synergism and monergism, are misleading when applied to the Reformed understanding of sanctification.

Please read and compare to the Catholic understanding of sanctification. Thanks!

 

[ajcstr]

His position is that both terms, synergism and monergism, are misleading when applied to the Reformed understanding of sanctification.

Please read and compare to the Catholic understanding of sanctification. Thanks!

Yes very close to the Catholic understanding.

Per the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 2010) for a Catholic statement on Sanctification:
“Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life.”

I have heard many Protestants say “Salvation is by faith alone but faith is never alone”

I have always contended if we don’t use words like “justification” “sanctification” “faith alone” etc and just present an outline of “How am I saved?”, the Catholic and Protestant formulas would be pretty similar. We both hold to Sola Gratia.

The contention that Catholics believe in a system of works righteousness is obviously false, but the most common critique I have heard is that Catholics don’t believe that grace is sufficient for salvation, that there is something they must add to grace. The quotes you presented seem to contradict this assessment.

 

[mkoopman]

Algebraic topology defines homotopy within isomerism in relationships of either charts or maps. With the persons of the godhead reduced to mappings, of goodness of course, the synergistic and monergistic representations of the dualistic nature are analogous to charts where one to one invertible vectors are not simple. What sin and sanctification may induce as curl or divergence amplifiers could present a amalgam identifying a proper correspondence in mind and body problems that collocates evil disparate from the good of original creation. Christ’s person as the first fruits then divides the two philosophies with a slipstream viewpoint as the potentially most basic conform for separation of the apositive. In computer science this would be removing the sticky bit. Calvinists in these model would be deficient in the attribute that allows this unlinking. Perhaps I was thinking upon this a bit too hard?
Hope that helps and is not rejected by atomistic philosophical rudiments opposed to Reimman body projections.

 

[SojournerOnEarth]

Interesting idea.

However, our knowledge of God is analogical and it is best if we restrict our analogies to those He has given us about Himself, such as Father. Any reduction of the Godhead to mappings is inherently fallacious, which is where I left off agreeing with you and then following you, because your model is, to my way of thinking anyway, ambiguous and unclear.
It might help if you rephrased this in a vocabulary that someone without a degree in mathematics could follow - I have found that clarify it.

 

[ltwin]

You could make sense out that? I actually thought this was someone trying to make a joke.

 

[SojournerOnEarth]

After wondering the same thing, I looked at some of his other posts before invoking my imprecatory powers and read it.

It helps if you have a background in mathematics.

I don’t think the analogy holds up, though.