{"id":5739,"date":"2016-01-19T12:06:25","date_gmt":"2016-01-19T16:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=5739"},"modified":"2017-03-29T14:16:15","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T18:16:15","slug":"grace-alone-perfectly-acceptable-catholic-teaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2016\/01\/grace-alone-perfectly-acceptable-catholic-teaching.html","title":{"rendered":"Grace Alone: Perfectly Acceptable Catholic Teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\"GraceofGod\"<\/a><\/div>\n
\u201cArt4TheGlryOfGod Photography by Sharon\u201d<\/span> [Flickr<\/a> \/ CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a> license]<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
(2-3-09)<\/div>\n
* * *<\/div>\n
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This was written in response to a critic of mine, named Juan (words in\u00a0blue<\/span>\u00a0below), who is active in an\u00a0involved discussion on merit and related issues\u00a0<\/a>that is occurring on\u00a0The Catholic Community Forum<\/span>. Catholic apologists (and personal friends) John Martignoni and Jimmy Akin are also being charged with misrepresenting the Catholic faith and \u201cgrievous error.\u201d I\u2019m proud to be in their company. None of the accusations can withstand scrutiny. I already dealt with the Catholic teaching on merit and these false accusations in an earlier paper.<\/p>\n

* * * * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Catholic Church teaches that good works can be truly good before regeneration and justification (over against total depravity), but not that they can in any sense justify us or be meritorious. Good works done\u00a0after\u00a0<\/i>justification\u00a0are<\/i>\u00a0(if certain conditions are met) meritorious and can contribute to salvation and attainment of eternal life, but only hand-in-hand with, soaked in, enabled by, grace, which alone saves us. Catholics believe in\u00a0sola gratia<\/i>. But it is a faith that is not separated from works (per James). Faith inherently\u00a0includes<\/i>\u00a0these works (even Luther and Calvin agree with that). But we\u2019re not saved by faith alone (that\u2019s where Protestantism errs); we\u2019re saved by grace alone. That is the Catholic teaching.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/div>\n

Two general audiences given by Pope Benedict XVI are excellent expositions of Catholic soteriology:<\/p>\n

19 November 2008<\/a><\/p>\n

26 November 2008<\/a><\/p>\n

* * *<\/div>\n

The Catholic Church does teach salvation by works.<\/span>\u00a0She also teaches salvation by faith.<\/span>\u00a0And salvation by grace.<\/span>\u00a0The Catholic Church does not teach salvation by works alone.<\/span>\u00a0nor salvation by faith alone,<\/span>\u00a0nor salvation by grace alone.<\/span>\u00a0The Catholic Church does not teach that Jesus is either God or man.<\/span>\u00a0But that Jesus is God and man.<\/span>\u00a0It is<\/span>\u00a0both\/and. Not either\/or<\/a>.<\/p>\n

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, we are saved through our faith and works.<\/span><\/p>\n

One must understand that when a Protestant hears \u201csalvation by works,\u201d he immediately thinks \u201cPelagianism.\u201d And this is not unreasonable, because that heresy did teach a salvation by works. So it is unwise to ever state without qualification: \u201cThe Catholic Church does teach salvation by works.\u201d Your final formula was, I think, much better:<\/p>\n

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, we are saved through our faith and works.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s good. But it could still be misinterpreted by Protestants as semi-Pelagianism (happens all the time; believe me, I\u00a0know<\/i>, from dealing with them for 18 years, and formerly being one myself). I would modify that just a bit, to the following:<\/p>\n

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, we are saved through our faith; this faith entails by its very nature, good works, always enabled by prior grace, without which it is dead.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These are the necessary distinctions we must make, so as not to be misunderstood as Pelagians or semi-Pelagians.<\/p>\n

Also, we do teach salvation by grace alone, insofar as grace enables all faith and meritorious good works, which are all part of the package of justification \/ sanctification and eventual final salvation. Grace is primary in the whole process, so in that very real sense we can say \u201csaved by grace alone\u201d \u2014 whereas we can never say \u201csaved by faith alone\u201d (i.e., with works playing no part at all) \u2014 which is classic Protestant heresy, or \u201csaved by works alone\u201d \u2014 which is the Pelagian heresy that St. Augustine struggled so mightily against.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/div>\n

I appreciate your concerns about my phraseology. But I have the same concerns about yours.<\/span>\u00a0The Catholic Church does teach salvation by works.<\/span>\u00a0She also teaches salvation by faith.<\/span>And salvation by grace.<\/span>\u00a0To deny any of those three is to deny Catholic Teaching. Plain and simple. That is grave enough but\u2026\u00a0<\/span>I am also concerned for my Catholic brethren who have always been taught that good works are necessary for salvation. I believe that statements such as the one you made:<\/span><\/p>\n

They mistakenly think that Catholicism teaches salvation by works, so whenever a Catholic talks about justification by faith, they falsely think (based on their false premises) that he has seen the light and is now thinking like a Protestant.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These are confusing to good and devout Catholics who believe just that. And with good reason, since it is true.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, we do teach salvation by grace alone.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

No we don\u2019t. That is the heresy known as \u201cmonergism\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

* * *<\/div>\n

It is you who have in part fallen prey to \u201ceither\/or\u201d thinking, which is strange since you posted a\u00a0link to a page<\/a>\u00a0that rightly opposed it.<\/p>\n

You want to reserve the right to say \u201csalvation by works\u201d as if that is a true statement on its own.<\/p>\n

The true Catholic position will always include the works\u00a0alongside<\/i>\u00a0grace and faith. Both\/and . . . just as Scripture \/ Tradition \/ Church are\u00a0both\/and<\/i>\u00a0and not\u00a0either\/or<\/i>. We teach neither\u00a0sola Scriptura<\/i>, nor\u00a0sola ecclesia<\/i>, nor\u00a0sola traditio<\/i>. Likewise with the faith \/ works \/ grace triumvirate. But if anything at all can be said to be primary, in any sense of the word (I speak largely\u00a0rhetorically<\/i>\u00a0here), it is certainly grace, not works or faith.<\/p>\n

You say that grace alone is \u201cmonergism,\u201d but this is incorrect. Monergism is the heresy of Calvinism or double predestination. Grace alone is a larger category than that, and mustn\u2019t be collapsed to Calvinism only. The Catholic position is that grace is the ultimate cause of our free will decisions and good works, in cooperation with that grace, whereas Calvinism \/ monergism rejects free will altogether (that was the whole gist of the Luther-Erasmus debate, that I have actually been studying lately) and all good works before regeneration (i.e., total depravity, which Catholics also strenuously deny).<\/p>\n

Moreover, you need not inform\u00a0me<\/i>\u00a0about the necessity of good works as part of salvation process (beyond just sanctification, where Protestants place them vis-a-vis salvation). For I already have a paper online with 50 passages showing the centrality of works as the central criteria of how God judges whether one is saved or not: \u201cFinal Judgment in Scripture is Always Associated With Works And Never With Faith Alone (50 Passages)\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, I would never describe Catholic soteriology as \u201csalvation by works,\u201d for the important reasons I have been explaining. The only viewpoint to which that description can properly be attributed is the heresy of Pelagianism.<\/p>\n

Every heresy isolates and grossly exaggerates one aspect of the faith (there\u2019s your\u00a0either\/or<\/i>\u00a0mentality again), rather than incorporate it in an organic relationship with other aspects: from which it cannot be extracted. This is what many Catholics do, insofar as they harmfully speak of \u201csalvation by works.\u201d<\/p>\n

I already explained\u00a0exactly<\/i>\u00a0what I meant in saying \u201cgrace alone.\u201d It was explained in relationship to works and faith, not in isolation from them. That\u2019s the key. That is how we must understand it and explain it to others.<\/p>\n

Also, to ignore the contextual and social aspect of our language and terms used, in relation to Protestants who are observing us: some of whom might even become Catholics in the future, so that they might very well misunderstand the Catholic faith, is to ignore the very wise, magisterial counsel of the Second Vatican Council:<\/p>\n

. . . every effort to avoid expressions, judgments, and actions which do not represent the condition of our separated brethren with truth and fairness and so make mutual relations with them more difficult . . . Through such dialogue everyone gains a truer knowledge and more just appreciation of the teaching and religious life of both communions.<\/p>\n

We must become familiar with the outlook of our separated brethren. Study is absolutely required for this, and it should be pursued in fidelity to the truth and with a spirit of good will . . . Most valuable for this purpose are meetings of the two sides \u2014 especially for discussion of theological problems \u2014 where each can treat with the other on an equal footing, provided that those who take part in them under the guidance of the authorities are truly competent . . . In this way, too, we will better understand the outlook of our separated brethren and more aptly present our own belief.<\/p>\n

(Decree on Ecumenism<\/i>\u00a0[Unitatis Redintegratio<\/i>], 4, 9)<\/p>\n

Following the study of Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, the doctors and liturgy of the Church, and under the guidance of the Church\u2019s magisterium, let them rightly illustrate the duties and privileges of the Blessed Virgin which always refer to Christ, the source of all truth, sanctity, and devotion. Let them carefully refrain from whatever might by word or deed lead the separated brethren or any others whatsoever into error about the true doctrine of the Church.<\/p>\n

(Dogmatic Constitution on the Church [Lumen Gentium<\/i>], 67)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You may not like the terminology \u201cgrace alone\u201d but the Holy Father does (in the same sense that I used it):<\/p>\n

Indeed, it is to him and\u00a0his grace alone\u00a0<\/span>that we owe what we are as Christians.<\/p>\n

(General Audience,\u00a08 November 2006<\/a>)<\/p>\n

The awareness that\u00a0divine grace alone<\/span>\u00a0could bring about such a conversion never left Paul. When he had already given the best of himself, devoting himself tirelessly to preaching the Gospel, he wrote with renewed fervour: \u201cI worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me\u201d (I Cor 15: 10). Tirelessly, as though the work of the mission depended entirely upon his own efforts, St Paul was nevertheless always motivated by the profound conviction that all his energy came from God\u2019s grace at work in him.<\/p>\n

(Homily of\u00a025 January 2008<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As usual, I will follow his lead, and would strongly advise others to do the same.<\/p>\n

See also:<\/p>\n

Aren\u2019t We Saved by Faith Alone?<\/a>, Dr. Kenneth Howell (This Rock<\/span>, March 2003)<\/p>\n

* * *<\/div>\n
I was further challenged by this critic of mine:<\/div>\n

Show me the Catholic teaching that uses your wording \u201cgrace alone\u201d. You are essentially making the same error that Luther did when he inserted the word alone in Scripture behind faith.<\/q><\/p>\n

The lie is to say that the Church does not teach Salvation by works. . . . I\u2019d like to see the denial in Church doctrine. It is not a denial of Catholic Teaching to say that the Church teaches Salvation by works. It is a denial of one aspect of Catholic Teaching to deny the same. Therefore, pretending that the Church does not teach salvation by works is a misrepresentation of Catholic doctrine.<\/span>\u00a0. . . It is the absolute Truth. Those who teach otherwise are watering down the faith in order to appease Protestants.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Salvation by works \u2026.<\/span>\u00a0It is one aspect of Catholic Teaching. Denying it is a misrepresentation of Catholic Teaching.<\/span>\u00a0By the Grace of God, we are saved by faith and works. To deny any aspect of that teaching is to misrepresent Catholic Teaching.<\/span>\u00a0It is Salvation by Grace.<\/span>\u00a0Salvation by Works.<\/span>\u00a0Salvation by Faith.<\/span>\u00a0It is both\/and. Not either\/or. Unless Dave has received permission from the Magisterium to deny the efficacy of works, he has no right to tell anyone that the Church does not teach Salvation by works. It is he must explain that we do not deny salvation by works, but that we also believe in salvation by faith and most importantly salvation by grace.<\/span>\u00a0And if the Protestants don\u2019t like it, it is their problem. We aren\u2019t here to misrepresent the Truths of the Catholic Church. But only to present them in their Splendor.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think this is indeed largely a matter of semantics. I have explained what I mean over and over. I understand what Juan means. I\u2019m not sure he understands what I mean, or he wouldn\u2019t be making these serious charges that I am misrepresenting the faith.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve already stated it many times, but I will again: I fully agree that works have a crucial (indeed, indispensable) role to play in salvation. As I noted, one of my papers has no less than 50 scriptural proofs that works (not faith) were the criterion by which God judged whether someone was saved or not. So this is a bunch of hysteria and concern for nothing: just as it was in the case of my friends John Martignoni and Jimmy Akin. I have only stated that I think it is unwise and incomplete to speak of Catholicism as being a system of \u201csalvation by works\u201d without mentioning grace.<\/p>\n

I have not asserted grace alone in an absolute sense (which would foolishly exclude faith and works as part of the equation). I have asserted grace through faith by works (the latter two always entirely caused by grace). What I have stated is that if we are to take one of the three it makes the most sense to say \u201csalvation by grace\u201d because that is the ultimate cause of both the faith and works: since it comes from God and not us. In this sense, there are a number of Catholic dogmatic proclamations that are relevant, but here are two clear ones:<\/p>\n

Council of Trent, Decree on Justification<\/p>\n

CHAPTER VIII.<\/p>\n

In what manner it is to be understood, that the impious is justified by faith, and gratuitously.<\/p>\n

And whereas the Apostle saith, that man is justified by faith and freely, those words are to be understood in that sense which the perpetual consent of the Catholic Church hath held and expressed; to wit, that we are therefore said to be justified by faith, because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation, and the root of all Justification; without which it is impossible to please God, and to come unto the fellowship of His sons: but we are therefore said to be justified freely, because that none of those things which precede justification-whether faith or works-merit the grace itself of justification. For, if it be a grace, it is not now by works, otherwise, as the same Apostle says, grace is no more grace.<\/p>\n

Canons on Justification<\/p>\n

CANON I.-If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And of course the emphasis on grace comes right from Holy Scripture. Here are some passages (RSV) which highlight grace in justification and salvation:<\/p>\n

Acts 15:11<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>But we believe that we shall be\u00a0saved<\/b>\u00a0through the\u00a0<\/b>grace<\/b>\u00a0of the Lord\u00a0<\/b>Jesus, just as they will.<\/p>\n

Acts 18:27<\/b><\/span>\u00a0. . . When he arrived, he greatly helped those who\u00a0through grace<\/b>\u00a0had believed.<\/p>\n

Acts 20:24, 32<\/b><\/span>\u00a0. . . the gospel of the\u00a0grace of God<\/b>.. . . And now I commend you to God and to the word of\u00a0his grace<\/b>, which is able to build you up and to give you the\u00a0inheritance<\/b>\u00a0among all those who are sanctified.<\/p>\n

Romans 3:24<\/b><\/span>\u00a0they are\u00a0justified by his grace<\/b>\u00a0as a gift, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,<\/p>\n

Romans 4:16<\/b><\/span>\u00a0That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may\u00a0rest on grace<\/b>\u00a0and be guaranteed to all his descendants \u2014 not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all,<\/p>\n

Romans 5:2<\/b><\/span>\u00a0Through him we have obtained access to this\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0in which we stand<\/b>, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God.<\/p>\n

Romans 5:15, 17<\/b><\/span>\u00a0But the\u00a0free gift<\/b>\u00a0is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man\u2019s trespass, much more have the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0of God and the\u00a0free gift in the grace<\/b>\u00a0of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. . . . If, because of one man\u2019s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who\u00a0receive the abundance of grace<\/b>\u00a0and the\u00a0free gift of righteousness<\/b>\u00a0reign in\u00a0life<\/b>\u00a0through the one man Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Romans 5:20-21<\/b><\/span>\u00a0Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased,\u00a0grace\u00a0<\/b>abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death,\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0also might reign through righteousness\u00a0to eternal life\u00a0<\/b>through Jesus Christ our Lord.<\/p>\n

Romans 6:14<\/b><\/span>\u00a0For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but\u00a0under grace<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Romans 11:5-6<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>So too at the present time there is a remnant,\u00a0chosen by grace<\/b>. But if it is by\u00a0grace<\/b>, it is\u00a0no longer on the basis of works<\/span>; otherwise\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0would no longer be\u00a0grace<\/b>.<\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 15:10<\/b><\/span>\u00a0But by the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0of God I am what I am, and his\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0of God which is with me.<\/p>\n

Galatians 1:15<\/b><\/span>\u00a0But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his\u00a0grace<\/b>,<\/p>\n

Galatians 2:21<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>I do not nullify the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.<\/p>\n

Ephesians 1:7<\/b><\/span>\u00a0In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his\u00a0grace<\/b><\/p>\n

Ephesians 2:4-10<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved<\/b>), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For\u00a0by grace you have been saved through faith<\/b>; and this is\u00a0not your own doing<\/span>, it is the\u00a0gift of God<\/b>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0not because of works<\/span>, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.<\/p>\n

2 Thessalonians 2:16<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope\u00a0through grace<\/b>,<\/p>\n

2 Timothy 1:9<\/b><\/span>\u00a0who\u00a0saved us\u00a0<\/b>and called us with a holy calling,\u00a0not in virtue of our works<\/span>\u00a0but in virtue of his own purpose and the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago,<\/p>\n

Titus 2:11<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>For the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0of God has appeared for the\u00a0salvation<\/b>\u00a0of all men,<\/p>\n

Titus 3:7<\/b><\/span>\u00a0so that we might be\u00a0justified by his grace<\/b>\u00a0and become\u00a0heirs<\/b>\u00a0in hope of eternal life.<\/p>\n

1 Peter 1:10<\/b><\/span>\u00a0The prophets who prophesied of the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0that was to be yours searched and inquired about this\u00a0salvation<\/b>;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Note, then, the overwhelming usage of grace as tied to salvation, or to the justification that will lead to salvation if a person perseveres to the end (including doing good and meritorious works). Salvation is undeniably tied in explicitly with grace in these seven passages (and two of them explicitly\u00a0deny<\/i>\u00a0salvation by works):<\/p>\n

Acts 15:11<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>. . .\u00a0saved<\/b>\u00a0through the\u00a0<\/b>grace<\/b>\u00a0of the Lord\u00a0<\/b>Jesus, . . .<\/p>\n

Romans 5:21<\/b><\/span>\u00a0. . . grace<\/b>\u00a0also might reign through righteousness\u00a0to eternal life\u00a0<\/b>through Jesus Christ our Lord. (cf. 5:17 above)<\/p>\n

Ephesians 2:5<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved<\/b>),<\/p>\n

Ephesians 2:8-10<\/b><\/span>\u00a0For<\/b>\u00a0by grace you have been saved through faith<\/b>; and this is\u00a0not your own doing<\/span>, it is the\u00a0gift of God<\/b>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0not because of works<\/span>, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.<\/p>\n

2 Timothy 1:9<\/b><\/span>\u00a0who\u00a0saved us\u00a0<\/b>and called us with a holy calling,\u00a0not in virtue of our works<\/span>\u00a0but in virtue of his own purpose and the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago,<\/p>\n

Titus 2:11<\/span>\u00a0<\/b>For the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0of God has appeared for the\u00a0salvation<\/b>\u00a0of all men,<\/p>\n

1 Peter 1:10<\/b><\/span>\u00a0The prophets who prophesied of the\u00a0grace<\/b>\u00a0that was to be yours searched and inquired about this\u00a0salvation<\/b>;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We know that the Protestant error of\u00a0faith alone<\/i>\u00a0is expressly denied:<\/p>\n

James 2:14<\/span><\/b>\u00a0What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?<\/p>\n

James 2:17-18<\/span><\/b>\u00a0So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, \u201cYou have faith and I have works.\u201d Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.<\/p>\n

James 2:20<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?<\/p>\n

James 2:22<\/b><\/span>\u00a0You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,<\/p>\n

James 2:24<\/span><\/b>\u00a0You see that a man is justified by works and\u00a0not by faith alone<\/span>.<\/p>\n

James 2:26<\/span><\/b>\u00a0For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We see above, directly in 2:24 and indirectly in all the others, that works play a part in the sanctification and salvation process as well. Two more passages in this overall context also teach justification by works:<\/p>\n

James 2:21<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?<\/p>\n

James 2:25<\/b>\u00a0<\/span>And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But of course, we clearly see in the overall thrust of the passage, that this justification by works is not\u00a0by itself<\/i>, any more than faith is operative by itself. James writes of Abraham being \u201cjustified by works\u201d (2:21) but this can\u2019t be ripped from context, so as to distort his meaning, since in the verse immediately before he ties faith organically in with works, and he does the same in the verse immediately after, as he does in the larger context of 2:14,17-18 and 2:26. They simply can\u2019t be separated.<\/p>\n

Likewise, when justification by works is asserted again in 2:24, it is qualified in 2:26, by connecting faith with it, and in the larger context before the statement, also in 2:14,17-18,20,22. The works can\u2019t possibly be interpreted as on their own, then, without doing massive violence to the contextual meaning and teaching.<\/p>\n

The same applies to 2:25 and the statement about Rahab the harlot being \u201cjustified by works\u201d \u2014 it is qualified in the same way in context, by the consideration of 2:14,17-18,20,22,26. Moreover, salvation by works alone is flatly and explicitly denied by St. Paul in Eph 2:8-9 and 2 Timothy 1:9, and the same is strongly implied in Rom 11:5-6.<\/p>\n

Also, it has to be borne in mind that for the Catholic, justification is not the same thing as salvation or the attainment of eternal life. It can be lost. We don\u2019t believe in eternal security or perseverance of the saints, insofar as it means that one can be saved in an instant and never lose it. So to assert \u201cjustification by works\u201d even in a qualified sense, is not at all the same as asserting\u00a0salvation<\/i>\u00a0by works.<\/p>\n

Therefore, it is scripturally improper to assert either salvation by works alone or salvation by faith alone. They are never taught in Holy Scripture, and are both denied more than once. We can assert justification by faith or justification by works in a limited sense, as Scripture does: always understood as hand-in-hand with the other two elements in the grace-faith-works triumvirate.<\/p>\n

That brings us back to \u201cgrace alone\u201d or\u00a0sola gratia<\/i>. As we have seen, Holy Scripture does indeed assert this in the exact sense that I have argued all along: grace is primary in that it enables both faith and works that are organically tied to it in the process of sanctification and eventual eschatological salvation (i.e., when we actually get to heaven, or purgatory: which means we are saved, too, and inevitably on the way to heaven).<\/p>\n

The Bible does teach that there is a sense in which we are saved by grace alone (in the seven passages I produced above), and it asserts this unambiguously without immediate qualification (as we see to the contrary in the cases of faith alone and works alone). That highlights the nature of the difference of Grace Alone compared to faith and works. It is, therefore, an entirely biblical, orthodox, Catholic statement, as long as it is understood exactly in its proper sense (i.e., not utterly excluding works and faith in the overall mix).<\/p>\n

So to claim that the assertion of \u201cgrace alone\u201d (rightly understood in its Catholic \u201cboth\/and\u201d sense) is against Catholic teaching or a misrepresentation of it, etc., let alone some foolish capitulation to Protestantism in order to make Catholicism more palatable to outsiders, is a manifest, demonstrable falsehood.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/div>\n

Juan has been invited here to defend his positions if he wishes to do so. He has also invited me over to his board, where this topic was begun, and has been vigorously discussed. I have already stated I am not\u00a0interested<\/span>\u00a0in debating him, for several reasons: mostly having to do with my aversion to nitpicky debates about words and semantics, and his seeming inability to comprehend both contextual requirements in interpretation and my arguments (as seen in repeated assertions that they are irrelevant and off-topic). That\u2019s a dead give-away. If a potential debate partner doesn\u2019t even comprehend the\u00a0relevance\u00a0<\/span>of arguments (let alone their\u00a0force<\/span>), then the dialogue is doomed from the start as a Pauline \u201cvain disputation\u201d or \u201cstupid controversy.\u201d And, following St. Paul\u2019s advice, I avoid those like the plague, as unworthy of further time being devoted to them.<\/p>\n

I also have not participated in Internet discussion boards for over five years, because I became completely disgusted (after seven years\u2019 experience) with them on several grounds, and had had enough of the nonsense. The only reason I am at the CHNI board is because I have the ability to\u00a0control<\/span>\u00a0the nonsense and personal attacks (as moderator), and I certainly do that. I began this blog four months after I swore off the boards, with the same end in mind.<\/p>\n

So that is my reasoning. But of course anyone\u00a0else<\/span>\u00a0here is free to discuss the issue with Juan, should he bless us with his appearance.<\/p>\n

Stay in touch! Like Biblical Evidence for Catholicism on Facebook:<\/em><\/p>\n

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Biblical Evidence for Catholicism<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cArt4TheGlryOfGod Photography by Sharon\u201d [Flickr \/ CC BY-ND 2.0 license] (2-3-09) * * * This was written in response to a critic of mine, named Juan (words in\u00a0blue\u00a0below), who is active in an\u00a0involved discussion on merit and related issues\u00a0that is occurring on\u00a0The Catholic Community Forum. Catholic apologists (and personal friends) John Martignoni and Jimmy Akin […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":5741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[1974,244,1471,1070,2341,1071,1586,243],"class_list":["post-5739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salvation-justification","tag-doctrine-of-salvation","tag-grace","tag-grace-alone","tag-pelagianism","tag-salvation","tag-semi-pelagianism","tag-sola-gratia","tag-soteriology-2"],"yoast_head":"\nGrace Alone: Perfectly Acceptable Catholic Teaching<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Good works done after justification can be meritorious and contribute to salvation, but only hand-in-hand with, soaked in, enabled by, grace. 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Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. 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