SyCarl:
But the real point of faith alone is not to deny that works follow faith but to assert that our works do not merit salvation.
I would like to comment on this further. It seems to me that the REAL point of faith alone is NOT merely the assertion that our works do not merit salvation. It is primarily a doctrine which has as its goal the DETERMINATION of whether one is saved. It provides a degree of comfort for its adherents to rest assured that they are, in fact, saved. And for this reason it is often linked with the doctrines of blessed assurance, eternal security, OSAS, etc.
A critical question that confronts someone who considers the doctrine of sola fide is, “Do I have salvation faith?” since the answer to that question allows for the determination of whether one is saved by faith alone. Scripture certainly indicates that there are a number of things that constitute the content of what is to be believed by the faithful. But Scripture certainly does not limit the discussion of salvation to this aspect of faith. Scripture is very clear that our actions are intimately related to our faith. If this were not the case, there would be no need to hear the oft repeated "
We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone"(Statement 1). To me, this statement is as clear an indication of just how precariously close faith and works are presented in Scripture. If that were not the case, it would never be presented by sola fide adherents in defense of their doctrine in the context of “faith and works” discussions.
But if one really stops to think this statement through it seems to contradict the very notion of “faith alone” that many profess. For the purposes of illustration, let us begin by reconstructing the above bolded statement to:
“
We are saved by faith that is not alone”
(Statement 2) This is the equivalent statement, shortened and edited for clarity. We are trying to draw closer to the nature of saving faith - to intellectually grasp it, if possible. And what is intended in this statement, exactly, that accompanies faith, that excludes it from being alone, and renders it as salvific? The answer is good works - the good works that Scripture is so filled with - the good works that we were created for in Christ that God prepared before hand that we should walk in them. (Eph 2:10) This allows a further clarification of the above statement:
"
We are saved by faith that produces good works" (Statement 3)
If I’m not mistaken I dont think that I have yet contradicted Catholic or Protestant theology - we would all agree so far. Unfortunately, however, I believe the direction we next head in will cross some lines - mysteriously, IMHO.
One empirically logical conclusion of our edited statement above is that
“Faith that does not produce good works does not save us” (Statement 4) Unless Im mistaken (I gladly welcome anyone to point out my error), this is the line that “faith aloners” cannot cross. They accept Statement 1and 2, often accept the contextual application in Statement 3 (not alone = accompanied by good works) but they will not accept statement 4 even though it is statement 3’s logical equivalent. When asked why they dont accept Statement 4 the answer is usually along the lines of “Because we are saved by faith alone…” and it’s quite clear that Statement 4 does not allow for the comfortable separation of faith and works that the ideologically and liguistically looser “salvation by faith alone” does. And this brings us back to my initial claim: the doctrine of sola fide is primarily aimed at providing assurance of salvation.
At this point I remain confused by the doctrine of Sola Fide and whether Statement 1 is actually a genuine reflection of it. If it were, then statement 4 would be accepted unconditionally, but it is not. Whats up with that?
I had missed this post. Had I not I would certainly have taken the time to acknowledge that we see “eye to eye” here and can be grateful for that! I’ve been interacting with the OSAS crowd for too long and I’m afraid I had unjustifiably lumped you into that category…