Senses of the word Faith

[Maccabaeus2165]

I finally have a good way of explaining the Catholic definition of justification by faith.

Essentially, it’s a multiple sense word with the Latin root being fidelity. As in fidelity to one’s principles.

So, this succinctly means that one’s justification is one’s fidelity to God and belief in God; not just belief.

What’s your guys’ thoughts?

 

[ltwin]

So, this succinctly means that one’s justification is one’s fidelity to God and belief in God; not just belief.

OK, but Protestants are going to respond that you are misrepresenting their view on faith. Faith is not mere belief. Anyone can affirm an intellectual, philosophical or theological creed. It doesn’t mean they have faith.

The faith that justifies is more than an exercise of the intellect. It is a divine gift that unites us to Christ.

 

[Maccabaeus2165]

True, @ltwin; it’s more than just intellectual belief and faith is a gift from God we can never merit. But: Fidelity means that we have to abide by God in our actions; like a man being faithful to his wife.

Just the problem is: Luther made a distinction between justification and sanctification and in his commentary on Galatians affirmed that faith alone avails; works does not.

Thus, Luther’s position is wrong.

 

[ltwin]

True, @ltwin; it’s more than just intellectual belief and faith is a gift from God we can never merit. But: Fidelity means that we have to abide by God in our actions; like a man being faithful to his wife.

Just the problem is: Luther made a distinction between justification and sanctification and in his commentary on Galatians affirmed that faith alone avails; works does not.

Thus, Luther’s position is wrong.

Yes, Protestants separate justification and sanctification. But sanctification is part of the order of salvation. God’s will for us is that we make every effort to be holy.

 

[Maccabaeus2165]

@ltwin,

If a Protestant holds that faith has to be completed in works, then I’d say he holds the correct and Catholic position. Sanctification and justification lead to the same end; which is eternal life.

 

[annad347]

we have

God gave us free will… we don’t have to do anything. God wants us to be faithful to Him. God wants us to live by His will. God wants us to follow Him. God wants to fill us with the Holy Spirit so we live by His will. God wants us to want to belong to Him, to worship Him, to love Him… that’s different from saying we have to.

 

[Maccabaeus2165]

I’m not quite understanding you, @annad347

 

[Dimmesdale]

Faith as it is used in Christian literature is polyvalent and rich. I learned this a week or two ago by reading a book by Marcus J. Borg.

The first sense of faith is indeed credo or credence. Believing the right doctrines.
The next is fiducia which is trusting God in believing and hoping in his promises, etc.
Then there is fidelitas, like you said, which is fidelity or loyalty to God by one’s actions/commitment.

Then there’s also visio, which is seeing the world through the eyes of faith: that there is a personal God in control, that prayer works, that the world is intelligible and working according to reason and not mere chaos, etc.

 

[annad347]

that’s okay cause I keep reading your original post and I’m not sure I’m understanding what you mean either.

are you justify your fidelity to God through your works?

 

[Maccabaeus2165]

What I’m saying is that justification is by being faithful to God with belief as the first step and then fidelity to God in my actions. I guess it’s another way of saying faith completed in actions by illustrating that the word faith has multiple meanings.

In other words: What I’m trying to say is that faith is a multiple sense word. Not belief and not one sense of the word. It’s all of the senses of the word.

I hope this helps, @annad347

 

[TNMan]

I think where we’re going to differ, respectively, is that (at least from a Lutheran perspective, Protestant isn’t one set of beliefs), is that there’s nothing I can do to merit salvation by my works. Only faith saves, or it takes away what was accomplished on the cross.

A good Lutheran saying is “God doesn’t need your works, but your neighbor does.”

A saving faith bears fruit, but the fruit doesn’t save.

I don’t mean to start an argument, and don’t mean to attack. All in charity. Happy Easter to all!

 

[JonNC]

Just the problem is: Luther made a distinction between justification and sanctification and in his commentary on Galatians affirmed that faith alone avails; works does not.

Thus, Luther’s position is wrong.

As you present Luther’s position, yes, I’d say it is wrong. But the phrase you referenced has context. It comes from his commentary on Galatians 5:6.

Faith must of course be sincere. It must be a faith that performs good works through love. If faith lacks love it is not true faith. Thus the Apostle bars the way of hypocrites to the kingdom of Christ on all sides. He declares on the one hand, “In Christ Jesus circumcision availeth nothing,” i.e., works avail nothing, but faith alone, and that without any merit whatever, avails before God. On the other hand, the Apostle declares that without fruits faith serves no purpose. To think, “If faith justifies without works, let us work nothing,” is to despise the grace of God. Idle faith is not justifying faith. In this terse manner Paul presents the whole life of a Christian. Inwardly it consists in faith towards God, outwardly in love towards our fellow-men.

In context, we see Luther’s actual view, that faith without love, without works, is not justifying faith. In other words, ”faith without works is dead.”
It is faith alone that avails before God, Faith that works through love.

As for justification and sanctification, they are distinct but never separate. Elsewhere Luther says,

“There is no justification without sanctification, no forgiveness without renewal of life, no real faith from which the fruits of new obedience do not grow."

 

[JonNC]

What I’m saying is that justification is by being faithful to God with belief as the first step and then fidelity to God in my actions. I guess it’s another way of saying faith completed in actions by illustrating that the word faith has multiple meanings.

If one goes back to Luther’s commentary on Galatians 5:6, one can see that by no means does faith alone teach that good works are unnecessary. Good works area commend of Christ. Failure to heed is command is sin. Repeated and unrepented sin leads to a loss of faith.
Later in his commentary of Galatians 5:

THE DOCTRINE OF GOOD WORKS
Now come all kinds of admonitions and precepts. It was the custom of the apostles that after they had taught faith and instructed the conscience they followed it up with admonitions unto good works, that the believers might manifest the duties of love toward each other. In order to avoid the appearance as if Christianity militated against good works or opposed civil government, the Apostle also urges us to give ourselves unto good works, to lead an honest life, and to keep faith and love with one another. This will give the lie to the accusations of the world that we Christians are the enemies of decency and of public peace. The fact is we Christians know better what constitutes a truly good work than all the philosophers and legislators of the world because we link believing with doing.