And Sola Fide again

[ThePuppyTurtle]

Romans 4:
4 A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
5
But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6
So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works

CANON XXXII.-If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life,-if so be, however, that he depart in grace,-and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema.

How does one truly merit grace? That seems like a contradiction.

And how does one reconcile the scripture and council?

 

[XianThinker]

Romans 4:
4 A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
5
But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6
So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works

CANON XXXII.-If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life,-if so be, however, that he depart in grace,-and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema.

How does one truly merit grace? That seems like a contradiction.

And how does one reconcile the scripture and council?

I think Ro 4:4-6 teaches that the initial grace one receives is unmerited. The council seems to refer to an increase of grace that occurs after one has already received God’s grace.

Ro 4:4-6 doesn’t really teach faith alone. It teaches that salvation isn’t an obligation that one can earn but that doesn’t mean salvation isn’t a reward that a person can merit.

If God is obligated to give salvation because someone earned it in the same way that a worker earned and is legally owed his wages then it is clearly not by grace. However, if God chooses to give salvation as a gift out of his own free will as a reward to those who love God and live to please Him, then the person who receives it is considered to have merited the gift since his actions are part of the reason he received it.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

Romans 4:
4 A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
5But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works

CANON XXXII.-If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life,-if so be, however, that he depart in grace,-and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema.

How does one truly merit grace? That seems like a contradiction.

And how does one reconcile the scripture and council?

See THIS ARTICLE for why Romans 4:6-8 totally refutes Sola Fide.

Romans 4:4 is not talking about meriting grace, but rather that a gracious reward is superior to a ‘work-owed’ reward. For example, the Mosaic Law promised health and wealth for one who obeyed it, but the New Covenant promises something far more grand, eternal life, for the one who believes!

The problem Paul was addressing was not “merit,” but rather the Jews thinking they were superior to the Gentiles and entitled eternal life just because they were in the Mosaic Covenant. The problem was never about “working”, it was “works of the [Mosaic] Law”.

 

[Verbum]

Hi Puppy,

Through His death, Christ merited for us all. Once baptized, we belong to the body of Christ. His life flows through our soul. He is acting through us. That is why our good works are meritorious.

Does this help?

Verbum

 

[ThePuppyTurtle]

Hi Puppy,

Through His death, Christ merited for us all. Once baptized, we belong to the body of Christ. His life flows through our soul. He is acting through us. That is why our good works are meritorious.

Does this help?

Verbum

No, I’m asking how one merits grace, is grace unmerited favor from God?

 

[Ubenedictus]

Romans 4:
4 A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
5
But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6
So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works

CANON XXXII.-If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life,-if so be, however, that he depart in grace,-and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema.

How does one truly merit grace? That seems like a contradiction.

And how does one reconcile the scripture and council?

i dont see any contradiction to be reconciled, romans show that the ungodly, a sinner, is justified by the gift of God, unmerited gift, grace, trent teaches that work according to grace are meritious (deserves reward), an increase in grace. These are different romans talks about the justification of a sinner, trent is talking about an increase in grace (righteousness) for one who is justified already. No work earns justification, but the graciousness of God allows him to reward the works of the righteous.
Sorry if i misunderstood you but i can see two different non contradicting concepts.
Peace

 

[Ubenedictus]

No, I’m asking how one merits grace, is grace unmerited favor from God?

the word grace i believe means divine favour, wow!!! Who says divine favour is unmerited?? If it was alway total unmerited why did Jesus die on a cross to give us life?? The reason the word unmerited is usually associated with grace is because before God man cant strictly claim merit because he is the source of all we have. Yet even when man co operate with his grace God freely grants him more favour this is why trent uses the word merit.
For a better explanation see the explanation of merit given in the ccc.
scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s1c3a2.htm
peace

 

[Verbum]

Hi Puppy,

No, I’m asking how one merits grace, is grace unmerited favor from God?

This article form the Catechism of the Catholic Church answers your question :

2010 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. **Even temporal goods like health and friendship can be merited in accordance with God’s wisdom. These graces and goods are the object of Christian prayer. Prayer attends to the grace we need for meritorious actions.

2011 The charity of Christ is the source in us of all our merits before God. Grace, by uniting us to Christ in active love, ensures the supernatural quality of our acts and consequently their merit before God and before men. The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.

Verbum

 

[Fidelis]

If you’re REALLY interested in learning what the Catholic Church teaches about how we are saved (including the topic of *merit *and it’s various nuances), I would recommend Robert Sungenis book and EWTN audio series which is available for free downloading here:

Justification: Not By Faith Alone

I can’t recommend everything Sungenis has written about or said (he’s a little weird on geocentrism and a couple of other things), but on the topic of soteriology he is rock solidly Catholic and I would not hesitate to recommend these resources to anyone.

 

[jlhargus]

Romans 4:
4 A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
5
But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.
6
So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works

CANON XXXII.-If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life,-if so be, however, that he depart in grace,-and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema.

How does one truly merit grace? That seems like a contradiction.

And how does one reconcile the scripture and council?

Rm 2:13 For **it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God BUT THE DOERS of the law who will be justified **14 When Gentiles who have not the law do by nature what the law requires they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law

mARK

 

[jlhargus]

Romans 4:4 A worker’s wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due. 5 But when one does not work, yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. 6 So also David declares the blessedness of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works

CANON XXXII.-If any one saith, that the good works of one that is justified are in such manner the gifts of God, as that they are not also the good merits of him that is justified; or, that the said justified, by the good works which he performs through the grace of God and the merit of Jesus Christ, whose living member he is, does not truly merit increase of grace, eternal life, and the attainment of that eternal life,-if so be, however, that he depart in grace,-and also an increase of glory; let him be anathema.

How does one truly merit grace? That seems like a contradiction. And how does one reconcile the scripture and council?

JL: Canon XXXII, is speaking of those who are already JUSTIFIED. The good works of the JUSTIFIED through grace merit because God has PROMISED.

[Rms2:5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6 **Who will RENDER to every man ACCORDING TO his DEEDS: 7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,]

The good deeds of the JUSTIFIED merit eternal life because God has PORMISED. Those who are not justified merit wrath. The following, which I recommend you read, I have taken from: catholic.com/tracts/reward-and-merit

Trent: “[N]one of those things which precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification; for if it is by grace, it is not now by works; otherwise, as the Apostle [Paul] says, grace is no more grace” (Decree on Justification 8, citing Rom. 11:6).

Catholic theology distinguishes at least three types of merit: congruent merit, in which it is fitting for an act to be rewarded, but there is no obligation to do so; condign merit, in which one has promised to reward the act, so there is an obligation; and what might be called strict merit, in which there is not only an obligation to reward, but the value of the act is equal to the value of the reward.

The Church teaches only Christ is capable of meriting in the strict sense. The most merit humans can have is condign - when, under the impetus of God’s grace, they perform acts which please him and which he has promised to reward (Rom. 2:6-11, Gal. 6:6-10). Thus God’s grace and his promise are the foundation for all human merit (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2007-2008).