Romans 5:1-2 How to read as a Catholic? And to evengelize

[fhansen]

How does all of this stand in light of love being greater than faith?

1 Corinthians 13:13

13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Does this not echo Jssus’ new command in…

John 13:34

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

This is repeated in John 13:34, 35, 15:12 and 15:17.

But, what then of the following?

Romans 8:24

For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?

So, as important as faith is, hope and love - the other two of the three theological virtues, seem even more important. Part of the problem is that Paul wrote so much that the pearls are more difficult to pick out from his various writings.

Yes! It has to be remembered that Paul was battling legalism/Judaism. He was not battling the Law per se, which He referred to as holy, spiritual, and good (Rom 7:12,14, 16). He was simply acknowledging man’s lack of the Spirit. And this is why Catholics need not consider Jesus to be pitted against Paul, or need not perform any mental gymnastics in order to resolve supposed conflicts when Jeus tells us that He didn’t come to abolish the Law, or that our righteousnes must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, or that we’re to be perfect because our heavenly Father is perfect.

The Law cannot justify because it depends, in the Old Covenanat, on our own ability, our own inherent “righteousness”, in order to comply with it. In the New Convenant we recognize that our righteousness depends utterly on God, and this is what Adam failed to recognize. This is why the NC is a covenant of grace, which (grace) is exactly what Adam forfeited by effectively rejecting God as his God.

So it’s not a matter of whether or not the Law must be obeyed, rather it’s a matter of how it’s to be obeyed, by the Spirit rather than by the letter. And this means, as you referred to, that it’s fulfilled by love. Love is what justifies man, and love is man’s justice, as the Greatest Commandments explain. This is the work God intends to do in man, where the conflict is resolved as the Law is fullfulled by the Spirit, by grace, by love, terms which are directly and intimately linked in Catholic theology. And it all begins with faith responding to grace.

 

[guanophore]

Yes! It has to be remembered that Paul was battling legalism/Judaism. He was not battling the Law per se, which He referred to as holy, spiritual, and good (Rom 7:12,14, 16). He was simply acknowledging man’s lack of the Spirit. And this is why Catholics need not consider Jesus to be pitted against Paul, or need not perform any mental gymnastics in order to resolve supposed conflicts when Jeus tells us that He didn’t come to abolish the Law, or that our righteousnes must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, or that we’re to be perfect because our heavenly Father is perfect.

The Law cannot justify because it depends, in the Old Covenanat, on our own ability, our own inherent “righteousness”, in order to comply with it. In the New Convenant we recognize that our righteousness depends utterly on God, and this is what Adam failed to recognize. This is why the NC is a covenant of grace, which (grace) is exactly what Adam forfeited by effectively rejecting God as his God.

So it’s not a matter of whether or not the Law must be obeyed, rather it’s a matter of how it’s to be obeyed, by the Spirit rather than by the letter. And this means, as you referred to, that it’s fulfilled by love. Love is what justifies man, and love is man’s justice, as the Greatest Commandments explain. This is the work God intends to do in man, where the conflict is resolved as the Law is fullfulled by the Spirit, by grace, by love, terms which are directly and intimately linked in Catholic theology. And it all begins with faith responding to grace.

Excellent post FH.

I think it is too often overlooked that the Law could be followed, if one was walking in grace, by faith.

Luke 1:5-7

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechari’ah, of the division of Abi’jah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

It is a modern heresy that humans cannot keep the Law of God “blameless”. When we walk by faith, in Grace, He is at work within us to will and to do His good pleasure.