What BXVI said was: Faith expressed in Love and Charity with Christ to conform to Christ. That is not Faith alone. It is a differentiation from just “faith alone”.The wall as he says in his Letter to the Ephesians between Israel and the Gentiles, was no longer necessary: it is Christ who protects us from polytheism and all of its deviations; it is Christ who unites us with and in the one God; it is Christ who guarantees our true identity within the diversity of cultures. The wall is no longer necessary; our common identity within the diversity of cultures is Christ, and it is he who makes us just. Being just simply means being with Christ and in Christ. And this suffices. Further observances are no longer necessary. For this reason Luther’s phrase: “faith alone” is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love. So it is that in the Letter to the Galatians in which he primarily developed his teaching on justification St Paul speaks of faith that works through love (cf. Gal 5: 14).
** Pope Benedict XVI **
I think the Protestant Reformers, the Apostle Paul, and the Apostle James woud agree with the faith alone expressed in love and charity. Therefore, the Pope appears to be right in line with the faith alone from the Reformation. Give it up guys, we have the Pope’s teaching on Faith alone. Embrace the truth and rejoice together in the unity of the faith… that is that we are justified by faith alone (according to your version of it).
I don’t have a cut and paste to change the contents because there’s not enough room to post the Pope’s entire teaching on faith alone. That is why there is a link to his entire teaching on justification by faith alone with the qualifier of if. We know that a faith alone that does not manifest in love and charity is a dead demonic faith (James 2). We are not disputing that truth. Remember, the Pope is really referencing the 13 Epistles of Paul in regards to the doctrine of justification according to Paul.
There is enough room in a signature line for this:
but your present use of just a snippet ignores the essence of what was said and simply promotes your interpretation of the teaching, while you have no interest in what Catholic apologists have to say.Thanks for the suggestion. Any portion of the teaching of the Pope would be a cut and paste and is out of context of the teaching. My intent is to have everyone read the entire two links on my signature. I’m sure it get’s your attention, right?There is enough room in a signature line for this:
For this reason Luther’s phrase: “faith alone” is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love.
I did not mean you to post B XVI’s whole teaching as a signature
We are having a hard time communicating because we are not trying to understand where the other person is coming from. We must understand the other person’s theological understanding for an effectual and profitable conversation… on the road to Christian unity. This is where I believe we need to go. We first must define what we believe as separate Christian communities. I agree with you that a faith alone without charity and love is a dead demonic faith.
That is not a true statement in light of 1 John and James chapter 2. I am agreement that easy believisim, decesional regeneration, altar calls and sinners prayer convesions are not biblical. Lordship is a truth of true saving faith. Without progressive growth in Lordship, especially within charity and love… there is no assurance of salvation.
Then we have an agreement here.
Martin Luther completed agrees with Pope Benedict’s faith alone with the if.IF
We rejoice together in the truth of justifcation by faith alone which manifests in charity and love. The Pope and Martin Luther are in agreement too.Then we have an agreement here.
OF COURSE it’s true, why would it not be? If not for any other reason for what we do, we’d be perfectly justified by faith. Why would we not be? Faith alone isn’t the keys to the kingdom though. Don’t believe me, then LOOK FOR YOURSELF…READ JAMES ch. 4…STILL NOT SATIFIED???..it gets reiterated in TITUS 3:8-11. FAITH is only PART of how salvation is achieved. If that werent true, then Abraham would’ve just had FAITH that God would change his mind & not make him kill his son Isaac. BUT, he did as the Lord said, & became a FRIEND OF THE LORD not based on the FAITH ALONE, but BY ACTIONS OF HIS FAITH. HE LIVED by his faith. THAT is where the justification comes in. I think some people suffer from a case of I SEE JESUS!!! lol (eisegesis)
Good ol’ Ben-16 was telling the truth. Certain people are hearing what they want to hear though.
This is the primary flaw of all Protestant faith. This is not the Source determined by God. He entrusted His gospel to the Church. When the Reformers chose to separate from that Church, and attempt to replace the authrority appointed by Christ, error began, and has been proliferating ever since.
If you believe this, you have not read very many of his writings.
It is improper for Catholics to speculate about this with anyone, including ourselves. Judgment is up to God. I agree, however, the best we can do is pray for his tortured soul, and more importantly, all those such as yourself who have een misled by his writings.
Salvation is a process. However, the issue at hand is the doctrine of justification according to the Epistles of Paul. When was Abraham declared righteous according to Paul? Remember, James and Paul are completely compatible. We are not discussing James truth of justification which is used completely different than what Paul is teaching on justification (forensic). The basic question in the Pope’s work on justification is how to you the sinner become right before a perfectly Holy God?
Thanks for sharing your views and perspective. Would you like to try to address the thread topic on justification by faith alone according to Paul, Pope Benedict, and Martin Luther? Here is the central question that the Pope is addressing:
All of them!God is completely sovereign, and through divine providence we have the Protestant Reformation.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_solas
Yes, we must have faith that we are receiving the grace of God through all the sacraments. However you are using language that emanates from modern innovations in theology that departs from the Teachings of the Apostles.