Sola fide and Catholics

[Italia19]

One of the doctrine proposed by Martin Luther during the protestant reformation is Sola Fide, salvation by faith alone and not through works.

Many fundamentalists, evangelicals and baptists will say that the Catholic Church believes that salvation is attained through faith AND works. However I was never taught this, and I have read that the Catholic Church has in fact never held such a teaching and that the church teaches salvation is obtained through faith alone.

If this is the case, then why would Martin Luther have made a point about it during the reformation?

 

[BoomerangToo]

The Church has always taught that we are saved by faith and works together. Not one or the other. These canons from the Council of Trent spell it out:

Canon 9.
If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.

Canon 14.
If anyone says that man is absolved from his sins and justified because he firmly believes that he is absolved and justified, or that no one is truly justified except him who believes himself justified, and that by this faith alone absolution and justification are effected, let him be anathema.

Canon 19.
If anyone says that nothing besides faith is commanded in the Gospel, that other things are indifferent, neither commanded nor forbidden, but free; or that the ten commandments in no way pertain to Christians, let him be anathema.

Canon 20.
If anyone says that a man who is justified and however perfect is not bound to observe the commandments of God and the Church, but only to believe, as if the Gospel were a bare and absolute promise of eternal life without the condition of observing the commandments, let him be anathema.

 

[BartholomewB]

“Faith alone” can mean different things to Catholics and Protestants. Jimmy Akin explains:

http://jimmyakin.com/library/justification-by-faith-alone

 

[Tis_Bearself]

It’s also my understanding that the concept of “justification” differs between Catholics and some Protestants, which adds another layer of confusion.

 

[po18guy]

To understand anything about Martin Luther, you have to study the man, his personality, his ego and his psychological state.

 

[Bushum]

Many Protestants believe in “once saved always saved” as part of Sola Fide. I’m sure everyone here knows that is blatantly unscriptural which is odd considering the doctrine of Sola Scriptura of which they also believe. I admittedly haven’t studied Luther a lot but I think the once saved always saved came quite a built later after multiple fractures from Luther.