What do Protestants mean by salvation by faith alone?

[JonNC]

Exactly! Faith and works are inextricably linked and can no more be separated than the soul can be separated from the body. To speak of works as if they were absent of faith does nothing to further the sola fide position because no one has ever claimed that works without faith gets us anywhere.

And Lutherans would agree:

Thus faith is a divine work in us, that changes us and regenerates us of God, and puts to death the old Adam, makes us entirely different men in heart, spirit, mind, and all powers, and brings with it [confers] the Holy Ghost. Oh, it is a living, busy, active, powerful thing that we have in faith, so that it is impossible for it not to do good without ceasing. 11] Nor does it ask whether good works are to be done; but before the question is asked, it has wrought them, and is always engaged in doing them. But he who does not do such works is void of faith, and gropes and looks about after faith and good works, and knows neither what faith nor what good works are, yet babbles and prates with many words concerning faith and good works. 12] [Justifying] faith is a living, bold [firm] trust in God’s grace, so certain that a man would die a thousand times for it [rather than suffer this trust to be wrested from him]. And this trust and knowledge of divine grace renders joyful, fearless, and cheerful towards God and all creatures, which [joy and cheerfulness] the Holy Ghost works through faith; and on account of this, man becomes ready and cheerful, without coercion, to do good to every one, to serve every one, and to suffer everything for love and praise to God, who has conferred this grace on him, so that **it is impossible to separate works from faith, yea, just as impossible as it is for heat and light to be separated from fire. **

Luther, as quoted in the Formula of Concord.

It is the grace of God and our response to that grace that matter. We are called into relationship with God and a relationship requires participation by both parties

Agree, with the understanding that even our ability to respond is because of grace.

Jon

 

[SteveVH]

Agree, with the understanding that even our ability to respond is because of grace.

Jon

Absolutely!

 

[andrewstx]

Hi JK,
I moved the important question to the top.

Its shorthand. I can’t speak for other communions, but as a Lutheran I believe that I am justified by Grace alone, through faith in Christ. Grace saves, and faith which is itself a gift of grace, the way one accesses justification.

While I would not reject the truth that sanctification is the work of the Spirit in us, Paul seems clear that we are to "work out our salvation in fear and trembling. That doesn’t mean that our works save us, but it also doesn’t mean that we play no role in becoming a better person. Guided by the spirit, we receive grace through the means of grace, hearing His word, receiving the sacraments, then using the strength we receive from them, we become better people, striving to help our fellowman, and returning to His grace when we falter or fail.

A sad error in mixing Law and Gospel.

If I am justified by grace alone through faith, then I (should) want to do those things Christ commands of us. He tells us the first important command is to love the Lord your God, and that the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself.

Repeated, unrepented sin leads to a loss of faith, clearly.

Jon

Jon back when there was AM radio, I listened faithfully to a show called “The Lutheran Hour”. It was LCMS.

All the speaker an Oswald Hoffman, would talk about it seemed was Salvation by Faith Alone. It was very like a Baptist speaking on ‘gittin saved’.

But later I got my hands on Luther’s Small Catechism which spoke of the need for Baptism.

IOW, it seemed contradictory. Could you please explain?

 

[Anna_Scott]

There is a spectrum in Anglicanism–some Anglicans lean heavily towards Catholicism and some are more “Reformed.” The Heidelberg Catechism was written in the 1500’s and is more “Reformed.” It is still used today by many Reformed Anglicans.

Heidelberg Catechism

**". . . . .

**65. Q. Since then faith alone makes us share in Christ and all His benefits, where does this faith come from?
**
**
A. From the Holy Spirit,[1] who works it in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel,[2] and strengthens it by the use of the sacraments.[3]

***[1] John 3:5; I Cor. 2:10-14; Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29. [2] Rom. 10:17; I Pet. 1:23-25. [3] Matt. 28:19, 20; I Cor. 10:16.

---

http://www.wts.edu/images/horizDots.gif
66. Q. What are the sacraments?
**
**
A. The sacraments are holy, visible signs and seals. They were instituted by God so that by their use He might the more fully declare and seal to us the promise of the gospel.[1] And this is the promise: that God graciously grants us forgiveness of sins and everlasting life because of the one sacrifice of Christ accomplished on the cross.[2]

***[1] Gen. 17:11; Deut. 30:6; Rom. 4:11 [2] Matt. 26:27, 28; Acts 2:38; Heb. 10:10. ***
http://www.wts.edu/images/horizDots.gif
**
**
67. Q. Are both the Word and the sacraments then intended to focus our faith on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross as the only ground of our salvation?
**
**
A. Yes, indeed. The Holy Spirit teaches us in the gospel and assures us by the sacraments that our entire salvation rests on Christ’s one sacrifice for us on the cross.[1]

***[1] Rom. 6:3; I Cor. 11:26; Gal. 3:27. . . ."

***This Anglican view of “faith alone” is very different from that of many Protestants who claim salvation occurs in a moment, usually upon praying the “Sinner’s Prayer.” “Security of the believer” often accompanies this view of salvation by “faith alone.”

The Reformed Anglican view of salvation includes the Sacraments and a life long journey***.

***[Side Note: I am an Anglo Catholic who recently moved to small town with no Anglo Catholic Parishes. My Anglican options are a liberal Episcopal Church (haven’t darkened the door & don’t intend to) and a Reformed Episcopal Church, which is the Anglican Church in North America. These are difficult times for Anglicans.[/COLOR]]

Anna

 

[Anna_Scott]

Exactly! Faith and works are inextricably linked and can no more be separated than the soul can be separated from the body. To speak of works as if they were absent of faith does nothing to further the sola fide position because no one has ever claimed that works without faith gets us anywhere.

It is the grace of God and our response to that grace that matter. We are called into relationship with God and a relationship requires participation by both parties.

Anna

 

[Anna_Scott]

. . . . .Just a little side note too, not all protestants believe in the faith only theory. A small number of denominations do teach that there are certain “works” you have to do to earn your place in heaven.

Yet, we cannot earn our salvation by any means. We are incapable of it. We cannot take credit for faith or any good works that are a result of the Holy Spirit’s work in us.

Anna

 

[Anna_Scott]

. . . .Agree, with the understanding that even our ability to respond is because of grace.

Absolutely!

 

[Contarini]

Anna_Scott:
This Anglican view of “faith alone” is very different from that of many Protestants who claim salvation occurs in a moment, usually upon praying the “Sinner’s Prayer.” “Security of the believer” often accompanies this view of salvation by “faith alone.”

The Reformed Anglican view of salvation includes the Sacraments and a life long journey***.

***[Side Note: I am an Anglo Catholic who recently moved to small town with no Anglo Catholic Parishes. My Anglican options are a liberal Episcopal Church (haven’t darkened the door & don’t intend to) and a Reformed Episcopal Church, which is the Anglican Church in North America. These are difficult times for Anglicans.[/COLOR]]

Anna

The Heidelberg Confession is not an Anglican document. However, I can see why Anglicans of a Reformed bent would appreciate it. It is one of the most important confessional documents of the Reformed tradition.

Its view of sola fide is the classical Protestant view, not a distinctively Anglican version. But you’re right, of course, that it’s significantly different from the standard modern American evangelical version. The HC does, in fact, imply eternal security, though looking at the text I see how one could miss it.

Edwin

 

[JonNC]

Jon back when there was AM radio, I listened faithfully to a show called “The Lutheran Hour”. It was LCMS.

All the speaker an Oswald Hoffman, would talk about it seemed was Salvation by Faith Alone. It was very like a Baptist speaking on ‘gittin saved’.

But later I got my hands on Luther’s Small Catechism which spoke of the need for Baptism.

IOW, it seemed contradictory. Could you please explain?

Not contradictory, but sometimes American Lutherans don’t do a particularly good job of presenting what we believe teach and confess.

I am generally uncomfortable when Lutherans take on a decidedly “protestant” bent on things, and my experience in the past with The Lutheran Hour was just that.

There is no contradiction between justification by grace alone through faith alone and Baptismal regeneration since Baptism, like all the sacraments and the hearing of the word is a means of grace. God makes His grace available to us in this way, as it is His work in us, and not a work we perform. For the infant, Baptism can be the beginning of faith, as we receive God’s grace through it.
The Small Catechism tells us:

How can water do such great things?–Answer.

It is not the water indeed that does them, but the word of God which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts such word of God in the water. For without the word of God the water is simple water and no baptism. But with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Ghost, as St. Paul says, Titus, chapter three: *By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying. *

Jon

 

[andrewstx]

Thank you Jon.

 

[PRmerger]

My Anglican options are a liberal Episcopal Church (haven’t darkened the door & don’t intend to)

My understanding of services at these liberal Episcopal churches is that it is so inclusive that mention of God is optional.

 

[Contarini]

My understanding of services at these liberal Episcopal churches is that it is so inclusive that mention of God is optional.

Funny. I keep hearing about these kinds of churches, but they turn out to be pretty hard to find, in my experience as an Episcopalian for 16 years.

Granted, I haven’t sought out the churches with a reputation of being more liberal. There were a couple of churches in New Jersey (in John Shelby Spong’s former diocese, unsurprisingly) that might almost have qualified for your description–one of them didn’t use the Nicene Creed–but I think even they did mention God. I went to church just across the diocesan border

I think that a lot of people judge the Episcopal Church based on stereotypes, just as people do with Catholicism. Doesn’t the Golden Rule have something to say that is relevant here?

Edwin

 

[PRmerger]

Funny. I keep hearing about these kinds of churches, but they turn out to be pretty hard to find, in my experience as an Episcopalian for 16 years.

Granted, I haven’t sought out the churches with a reputation of being more liberal. There were a couple of churches in New Jersey (in John Shelby Spong’s former diocese, unsurprisingly) that might almost have qualified for your description–one of them didn’t use the Nicene Creed–but I think even they did mention God. I went to church just across the diocesan border

I think that a lot of people judge the Episcopal Church based on stereotypes, just as people do with Catholicism. Doesn’t the Golden Rule have something to say that is relevant here?

Edwin

I have never been to any liberal Episcopalian churches, so it’s true that I have no idea what I am talking about.

But it’s also true that this little icon that I added means that I was posting in jest.

 

[Anna_Scott]

Edwin,
I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you. Things have been a bit crazy outside forum life.

The Heidelberg Confession is not an Anglican document. However, I can see why Anglicans of a Reformed bent would appreciate it. It is one of the most important confessional documents of the Reformed tradition.

I was surprised to find the The Heidelberg Catechism being taught rather than To Be A Christian An Anglican Catechism which was released in January by The College of Bishops (unanimously approved, for trial use.)

Its view of sola fide is the classical Protestant view, not a distinctively Anglican version. But you’re right, of course, that it’s significantly different from the standard modern American evangelical version.

Agreed.

The HC does, in fact, imply eternal security, though looking at the text I see how one could miss it.

*And Yet. . . . .*this particular ACNA Parish is not teaching security of the believer. . .

Anna

 

[Anna_Scott]

My understanding of services at these liberal Episcopal churches is that it is so inclusive that mention of God is optional.

I have never been to any liberal Episcopalian churches, so it’s true that I have no idea what I am talking about.

But it’s also true that this little icon that I added means that I was posting in jest.

No worries PRmerger,

I know what you said was in jest; but there are some very disturbing issues in TEC–best suited for another thread.

Anna