"That's sanctification, not justification!" (Objections to The Year of Mercy)

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From what I can tell its a VERY Protestant site with a lot of sublte anti-Catholic rhetoric

The main isuse of our argument (and perhaps the better question I should’ve asked) is that every time we argue about works, he keeps going back to that answer.

What’s the best Catholic way to handle Protestant objections and attacks when it comes to indulgences, work, etc?
 
Justification is our status, our relationship, to our fellow man. It is a horizontal distinction, and it is our acts which make us blameless. As a consequence of that God shows mercy.

Sanctification is our status, our relationship, to God. It is a vertical distinction, and it is God’s action in us, which makes it so. As a consequence of that God shows mercy.
 
I certainly cannot affirm whether or not the descriptions of the practices of indulgences are accurately being portrayed in the OP article. However, I don’t think we are trying to defend all practices of indulgences. Abuses occurred, and I don’t think we are ever in a generation without some abuses. The Annulment process seems to have abuses, to me. And Martin Luther was not without abuses when he remarried a prince with a second wife.

Also, this particular statement from Luther does not seem to contradict any Catholic Teaching:

Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that “the just shall live by his faith.” Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the “justice of God” had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven.

In fact, I’m not sure which Scripture he was referring to, but it was Martin Luther’s confessor who directed him to read and contemplate the epistle to the Romans.

Martin would surely claim his infant Baptism as his initial sanctifying grace
 
To understand justification I believe Romans is the last place to search. Understand it from other passages first and then take it to Romans. Romans seems to have a specific nuance as to its meaning and is probably dealing with a purely Pharisaic (I don’t mean that in a negative sense) interpretation.

The Reformers seem to have taken it a little over-board and made it beyond what it is.
 
Darryl_B said:
To understand justification I believe Romans is the last place to search. Understand it from other passages first and then take it to Romans. Romans seems to have a specific nuance as to its meaning and is probably dealing with a purely Pharisaic (I don’t mean that in a negative sense) interpretation.

The Reformers seem to have taken it a little over-board and made it beyond what it is.
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Martin’s confessor most likely was not directing him to Romans for doctrine on Justification. But for confidence in God’s forgiveness.

I only wish Protestants would look at Catholic theology in the same manner they justify James’ epistle. If they can understand James, they can understand the Catholic position.

But, yes, the whole bible is best to draw on, rather than picking peices.
 
MattPana said:
My Protestant friend posted this article with his objections to The Year of Mercy

thegospelcoalition.org/article/the-pope-offers-mercy-protestants-wont-be-indulged

I gave the best of what I was able to find on Catholic Answers (Philippians 2:13, Romans 3:28, James 2:26, etc), but he kept responding with the following:

“That’s sanctification, not justification!”

Any suggestions on how to handle something like this?

Thanks and God bless!
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One thing to keep in mind, the word “justification” means different things to Catholics and Protestants in that Protestants view justification as a one time event which is followed by sanctification which is viewed as a process. Catholics view justification itself as a process that includes sanctification. So right off the bat we have confusion because we are using the terms differently and that is why your friend is responding that way.

I believe the term “initial justification” would be closest to the protestant term “justification” because it would indicate a one time event.
 
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