Faith alone justifies? It just doesn't make sense!

[catholic1seeks]

Faith alone justifies? It just doesn’t make sense!

Background Info

Every adult soul stained either with original sin or with actual mortal sin must, in order to arrive at the state of justification, pass through a short or long process of justification.

In the process of justification we must distinguish two periods: first, the preparatory acts (faith, fear, hope, etc.); then the last, decisive moment of the transformation of the sinner from the state of sin to that of justification or sanctifying grace, which may be called the active justification with this the real process comes to an end, and the state of habitual holiness and sonship of God begins.

It’s not what St. Paul says!

Protestantism reduces:tsktsk: the process of justification to merely a fiduciary faith; and maintains that this faith (without good works) is all-sufficient for justification.

Martin Luther stands as the starter of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, for he hoped that in this way he might be able to calm:bounce: his own conscience.

Luther was surprised to find himself by his unprecedented doctrine in direct contradiction to the Bible, therefore he rejected the Epistle of St. James as “one of straw” and he boldly inserted the word alone into the text of St. Paul to the Romans (3:28). This falsification of the Bible was certainly not done in the spirit of the Apostle’s teaching, for nowhere does St. Paul teach that faith alone (without charity) will bring justification, even though we should accept as also Pauline the text given in a different context, that supernatural faith alone justifies but the **fruitless works of the Jewish Law do not. **

St. Paul emphasizes the fact that grace is purely gratuitous; that no merely natural good works can merit grace; but he does not state that no other acts in their nature and purport predisposing are necessary for justification over and above the requisite faith.

If Luther’s interpretation were true, then St. Paul would come into direct contradiction not only with St. James, but also with himself; for (except St. John) he is the most outspoken of all Apostles in proclaiming the necessity and excellence of charity over faith in the matter of justification (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1 sqq.). Whenever faith justifies it is not faith alone, but faith made operative and replenished by charity.

Other acts are necessary for justification, such as fear (Ecclus., i, 28), and hope (Romans 8:24), charity (Luke 7:47), penance with contrition (Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 3:19), almsgiving (Dan., iv, 24; Tob., xii, 9).

Without charity and the works of charity faith is dead.

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

Matthew 17:20 - “I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, ‘Go from here to there!’ and it will go. You could do anything!”

I’ve never seen a hill move “from here to there”. I guess nobody has “faith as big as a mustard seed”.

So, how much faith - or should I say, how little faith - does one need to be saved according the to the Faith alone doctrine?

 

[kim3260]

The faith alone idea is terribly flawed. There is no way one can have just faith and expect to be saved. Although this verse is what that Protestants all point to they fail to read that St. Paul also says many things in his letters about doing good works and how to live like a Christian. This sure don’t sound like Faith only to me.
In James there is also much emphasis on faith and works too.

 

[SyCarl]

Luther was not the first person to speak about faith alone.

But after saying that “it was excluded,” he shows also, how. How then does he say it was excluded? “By what law? of works? Nay, but by the law of faith.” See he calls the faith also a law delighting to keep to the names, and so allay the seeming novelty. But what is the “law of faith?” It is, being saved by grace. Here he shows God’s power, in that He has not only saved, but has even justified, and led them to boasting, and this too without needing works, but looking for faith only.-John Chrysostom, (Homilies on Romans, Homily 7)
newadvent.org/fathers/210207.htm

For as men, upon receiving some great good, ask themselves if it is not a dream, as not believing it; so it is with respect to the gifts of God. What then was it that was thought incredible? That those who were enemies, and sinners, neither justified by the law, nor by works, should immediately through faith alone be advanced to the highest favor…Against this he contends; for it seemed to them incredible, that a man who had mis-spent all his former life in vain and wicked actions, should afterwards be saved by his faith alone. On this account he says, “It is a saying to be believed.”-John Chrysostom. (Homilies on 1 Timothy, Homily 4)
ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf113.v.iii.v.html

“Abraham is the image of someone who is justified by faith alone, since what he believed was credited to him as righteousness. But he is also approved because of his works, since he offered up his son Isaac on the altar. Of course he did not do this work by itself; in doing it, he remained firmly anchored in his faith, believing that through Isaac his seed would be multiplied until it was as numerous as the stars.”-Oecumenius (Gerald Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament, Vol. XI, James, 1-2 Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), p. 33.)

How then can the Jews think that they have been justified by the works of the law in the same way as Abraham, when they see that Abraham was not justified by the works of the law but by faith alone? Therefore there is no need of the law when the ungodly is justified before God by faith alone.”-Ambrosiaster (Gerald Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament VI: Romans (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998), p. 112.)

What does James mean? That we are justified before men when our works show or prove our faith.

Good works are witnesses to the Christian faith, otherwise a Christian cannot prove that he has that faith. If he cannot prove it, it must be considered complete nonexistent.-Salvian the Presbyter (On the Goverance of God 4.2 Gerald Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament XI: James, 1-2Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), p. 30.)

If someone does not show by his deeds that he believes in God, his profession of faith is worthless. For it is not the one who just says that he is the Lord’s who is a believer, but the one who loves the Lord so much that he is prepared to risk even death because of his faith in Him.-Andreas (Catena, Gerald Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament XI: James, 1-2Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), p. 28.)

Faith is shown by deeds like the features of the face in a mirror.-Symeon the New Theologian (Discourses 29.4, Gerald Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament XI: James, 1-2Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), p. 30.)

Abraham had such a vibrant faith in God that he was ready to do whatever God wanted him to. This is why his faith was reckoned to him as righteousness, and it was in order that we might know the full meaning of this that God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son. It was by his perfect accomplishment of God’s command that the faith which he had in his heart was shown to be perfect. .-Bede (Concerning the Epistle of James) (Gerald Bray, ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, New Testament XI: James, 1-2Peter, 1-3 John, Jude (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), p. 32.)

 

[Malachi4U]

The quotes cited above are proof that “faith” is an ongoing process and not a ‘one time’ event. The very act of trying to prove ‘faith alone’ in fact can only prove it false. Just stop thinking of it from one side. Jesus ‘alone’ saves us. We only prove our faith by our works. (Justification?) Works flow out of a living faith. We have been saved, we are being saved, we hope to be saved. The Scripture is clear, faith is ongoing and can be lost.

Question? Once saved can salvation be lost? Once in heaven can salvation be lost? Has an angel ever fallen from grace/heaven?

 

[Righteousone]

Christ did die on the cross once and for all and has entered into the holy place in heaven to appear before God ON OUR BEHALF. Christ has provided for our salvation, but that does not mean that there is no process by which this is applied to us as individuals. Obviously, there is, or we would have been saved and justified from all eternity, with no need to repent ** or have faith or anything else.
We would have been “saved”, with no need to be born again
Adam and Eve lost Grace not only for themselves, but for us as well.
St. Paul’s warning (It’s my signature), and he warned again, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling**** (Phil 2:12) this is not the language of self confident assurance. Our salvation is something that remains to be worked out.
Jesus declared "Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord"
shall enter the Kingdom of heaven.**