I recently invited Fernando García Sotomayor (a pastor who directs a Protestant seminary in Barranquilla, Colombia) to take part in my forum. In the middle of one of our conversations, in which we could not reach an agreement, he suggested that the problem was that we needed to “revise” our hermeneutics, and he was kind enough to share with us some of the rules that Protestants use.
FIRST Rule. Insofar as possible, words must be taken in their usual and ordinary sense; this is an extremely natural and simple rule. But bear well in mind that the usual and ordinary sense is not always equivalent to the literal sense. That is, it must not always be taken “to the letter,” especially when turns of phrase vary from one language to another.
SECOND Rule. It is altogether necessary to take words in the sense indicated by the sentence as a whole. That is, the meaning of a word must be considered in the light of all the sentences. That is why it is necessary to know the author’s thought.
THIRD Rule. Words must be taken in the sense indicated by the context, namely the verses that precede and follow the text under study. Doctrine cannot be built on a single verse. That is, the context of the text must be taken into account so as not to invent a pretext.
FOURTH Rule. The purpose of the book must be taken into consideration in order to clarify the obscure words or expressions of a text. To grasp the purpose of a book one must read and study it attentively over and over again, bearing in mind the occasion and the persons to whom it was originally written. Reading the whole book gives us a general picture of it, a synthesis of the author’s thought.
FIFTH Rule. Parallel passages must be consulted. Parallel passages are those that are related, or that deal with the same subject. The good student of the Bible must acquire exact knowledge of Christian doctrines and practices. Spiritual things are explained by means of spiritual things. I Cor. 2:13. One parallel passage together with another forms what is called a thematic chain. Example: Prov. 16:4; Matt. 10:37; Luke 14:26; II Pet. 3:9.
When he finished his explanation, I took the opportunity to point out to him that Protestants do not usually use these rules to define and support their fundamental doctrines. It is not hard to notice that most of them interpret the Bible according to the teachings of the founder of their denomination. This is completely normal (no one delivers things in a pure state) and explains how Lutherans interpret in the manner of Luther, Presbyterians in that of Calvin, Methodists in the manner of Arminius and Wesley, etc., etc., etc.
Before beginning, I want to make clear that many of the principles of Protestant biblical hermeneutics are very similar to those of Catholic biblical hermeneutics: interpreting the Bible in its context, in harmony with the whole Bible, etc., etc., are principles we all apply. Others are simply preposterous (like the first rule). The basic difference lies in the fact that, under the lenses of the Reformation, no dogma is admitted that the private judgment of each believer does not approve. Thus the last word in dogmatic definition does not reside in the Magisterium of the Church but in what each person interprets from Scripture. I remember hearing someone comment in this regard: “The rule of hermeneutics par excellence is: Every interpretation, by the very fact of being an interpretation, is under suspicion” (This includes tearing down any dogma if necessary).
I will take a fundamental Protestant doctrine, apply their own rules of hermeneutics, and we shall see the results.
The doctrine of Sola Fide, or salvation by faith alone.
This doctrine teaches that man is saved by faith alone; works are not required in any way for our salvation. Protestants usually justify it with passages such as:
“For we account a man to be justified by faith, without the works of the law.” Romans 3,28
“For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man may glory.” Ephesians 2,8-9
(Although these passages speak of justification, for the majority of Protestantism the justified believer is already irrevocably saved)
FIFTH Rule. Parallel passages must be consulted. Parallel passages are those that are related, or that deal with the same subject. The good student of the Bible must acquire exact knowledge of Christian doctrines and practices. Spiritual things are explained by means of spiritual things. I Cor. 2:13. One parallel passage together with another forms what is called a thematic chain. Example: Prov. 16:4; Matt. 10:37; Luke 14:26; II Pet. 3:9.
This rule of Protestant hermeneutics is described more simply by other Protestants: “the doctrinal meaning attributed to the text must be in harmony not only with a few texts chosen at whim, but with the teaching on that same point of doctrine which appears throughout the whole Bible” José M. Martínez, Hermenéutica Bíblica, CLIE, 1984, p. 217
Now let us ask ourselves: Is the doctrine of Faith Alone in harmony with a few texts chosen at whim, or does this doctrine really appear throughout Scripture and in all the parallel passages?
Scripture also says:
“What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him? And if a brother or sister be naked and want daily food, and one of you say to them: ‘Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled,’ yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit? So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself. But some man will say: ‘Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works, and I will shew thee, by works, my faith. Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he = offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? = Seest thou that faith did co-operate with his works and, by works, faith was made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: = Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, = and he was called the friend of God.’ Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only? And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers and sending them out another way? For even as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” James 2,14-26
What do we have, then? A Protestant doctrine built upon a handful of texts, while other texts explicitly contradict it: “Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only?”. Whereas none of the texts they provide say that man is saved by “faith alone”.
There are many more passages that contradict the Protestant doctrine; we cannot include them all, but a few will suffice:
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit.” John 15,2
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in the presence of the throne; = and the books were opened, = and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and hell gave up their dead that were in them; and they were judged every one according to their works” Apocalypse 20,12-13
“For it is necessary that we all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive according to what he did during his mortal life, whether it be good or evil.” 2 Corinthians 5,10
“And if I should have prophecy and should know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” 1 Corinthians 13,2.
Chapter 25 of Matthew, from verse 31 on, is very clear as well.
Note: Catholic doctrine does not teach that we are saved by works (a Pelagian doctrine condemned by the Magisterium). We believe that salvation is “by grace”. God saves us by justifying us gratuitously through faith and by infusing into us the Holy Spirit, who moves us to do good. Nevertheless, grace does not annul free will, and so God’s calls must be answered: by believing and by working.
Let us now apply the second rule:
SECOND Rule. It is altogether necessary to take words in the sense indicated by the sentence as a whole. That is, the meaning of a word must be considered in the light of all the sentences. That is why it is necessary to know the author’s thought
Here is another point where Protestants omit this rule (the meaning of the word within the sentence as a whole). In Romans 3,28 the phrase Saint Paul uses is “works of the law,” from the Greek “ergon nomou,” which literally means “works of the Torah.” Although it is usually translated as “works of the law,” the exact translation is “works of the Torah,” because the law (nomos) of which Paul speaks everywhere in Romans and Galatians is the “Mosaic Law” (Torah; nomos being the common Septuagint translation of the Hebrew term “Torah”)
The works of which Paul speaks are not the works moved by faith and charity (of which James speaks in chapter 2), but the 613 Mosaic laws, whose fulfillment represented for the Jews a way of “buying” salvation.
This is confirmed by the fact that in the same Letter to the Romans Saint Paul uses the term “works” (not of the law) in a different sense (to tell us that we shall be judged by them)
“…the revelation of the just judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his works: to them indeed who, according to patience in good work, seek glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life;” Romans 2,5-7
A complete analysis here: The works of the law and salvation, by James Akin (a former Protestant)
Saint Paul looks favorably indeed upon those who, by perseverance in the good, seek eternal life. Is he contradicting himself? No; we shall see, by applying the next hermeneutical rule the pastor has given us, that he does not contradict himself, but that, in context, when in Romans 3,28 he excludes the necessity of doing works of the law, he is not referring to the works that are the fruit of faith and charity, but to the Mosaic Law.
Let us now apply the third rule:
THIRD Rule. Words must be taken in the sense indicated by the context, namely the verses that precede and follow the text under study. Doctrine cannot be built on a single verse. That is, the context of the text must be taken into account so as not to invent a pretext.
If we apply the third rule we shall see that it confirms what we concluded when applying rule 2. The context of Romans and Galatians lies in the midst of the conflict with the Judaizers (narrated in Acts 15). These preached that the Gentiles had to be circumcised and keep the rest of the ordinances of the Law of Moses in order to be saved (including keeping the sabbath, the feasts, the new moons, abstaining from foods declared unclean in the OT, etc.).
“And some coming down from Judea taught the brethren: ‘Except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.’” Acts 15,1
It is here that Paul says that we are not justified by the works of the law:
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” Galatians 6,15
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity.” Galatians 5,6
In this context, Saint Paul is not saying that the works motivated by faith are unnecessary, but rather the full observance of the Mosaic Law as a way of “buying” salvation.
This context is generally ignored by Protestants, and when Paul refers to “works of the law” they generalize to every kind of work, including those that James speaks about.
A true application of hermeneutics on this subject.
Finally, let us now see what Catholic doctrine teaches and how it is indeed in accord with the whole of revelation, and not with isolated passages.
Salvation is a grace of God that we receive at the moment we believe. Grace means “gift”, “present”. Man in his fallen state could not save himself; there was no work he could do to rescue himself.
“For by grace you are saved through faith; and this not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man may glory.” Ephesians 2,8-9
It is God who takes the initiative to come out to meet man, out of pure love and goodness and not because of any merit of man’s. Thus God infuses his grace in a completely undeserved way. This grace moves him (motivates, impels) to BELIEVE and then to WORK.
God has also given man another gift, which is free will, the possibility of choosing. For this gift to be truly man’s own, he has to be able to exercise it, with all the consequences that it may entail.
“Behold, I set before thee this day life and good, death and evil. If thou hearken to the commandments of the Lord thy God which I command thee this day, if thou love the Lord thy God, if thou walk in his ways and keep his commandments, precepts, and judgments, thou shalt live and be multiplied… Choose life, that thou mayst live, thou and thy seed” Deuteronomy 30,15-16.19
“Behold, I stand at the gate, and knock; if any man shall hear my voice, and open to me the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with me.” Apocalypse 3,20
Thus when God infuses his grace into man, man is free to let himself be moved by grace or not. (To open the doors of his heart or leave them closed.)
At the moment of justification, man lets himself be moved when he believes, or resists when he does not believe
“He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be condemned.” Mark 16,16
“Wherefore, my dearly beloved, as you have always obeyed, not only when I was present but much more now that I am absent, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to accomplish, according to his good will.” Philippians 2,12-13
One thing that must be clear is that God gives his grace to all men, and truly wills that each man be saved and come to the full knowledge of the truth.
“This is good and acceptable to God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2,3-4
The difference between the man who decides to believe and the one who does not, does not lie in whether God wished or did not wish to grant the gift of faith to this man, because that would imply that He predestined him to be condemned or to be saved, but rather that this man, exercising his freedom, accepted or rejected grace.
Once man is justified, not only is the justice of Christ imputed to him, but he is truly “made just”, (truly regenerated within), he is a new creature.
“Therefore, if any be in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things are passed away, all things are made new.” 2 Corinthians 5,17
In this sense the Holy Spirit begins the work of renewal, which is not merely a legalism in which man is declared just but remains a sinner, but rather man truly becomes just. This we call sanctification.
“For this is the will of God: your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour,” 1 Thessalonians 4,3-4
“Having, therefore, these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of the flesh and of the spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7,1
“Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see God.” Hebrews 12,14
At this moment, in and after justification, man also continues to have the freedom to choose and can reject grace as much as make it bear fruit. This is what the parable of the vine explains: branches that, by remaining united to Christ, produce fruit. Some more, others less, others may even not produce any and are cut off.
“Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he will take away, and every one that beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit” John 15,2.
It is a mistake to think that these branches were never united to the vine (Christ) simply because they stopped producing fruit and were cut off. (A branch that was not united to the tree could not be cut off, and the believer could not be called to “remain” in Christ if he were not united to Him.) The believer may have been united to Christ, but through the exercise of his free will he can turn away by rejecting grace:
“And being His fellow workers, we exhort you that you receive not in vain the grace of God.” 2 Corinthians 6,1
“For it had been better for them not to have known the way of justice than, once known, to turn back from the holy commandment that was delivered to them. That of the true proverb has happened to them: = ‘the dog is returned to his vomit’ = and ‘the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire’.” 2 Peter 2,21-22
This collaboration of freedom with grace, defined as the exercise of the person’s free will, and which is expressed in “working”, is an indispensable requirement for man to be saved. Man must work in accordance with the grace received, not only by believing but, after believing, by working and obeying.
“and being made perfect, he became the cause of eternal salvation to all that obey him,” Hebrews 5,9
“Not every one that saith to me: ‘Lord, Lord’, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my heavenly Father.” Matthew 7,21
Taking into account that man’s collaboration with grace is indispensable at every moment, it is a mistake to say that salvation happens without human intervention; rather it is correct to say that salvation is entirely of God and at the same time entirely ours, or better still “of God through man.” In this sense Saint Augustine said: “The God who created you without you will not save you without you”:
This collaboration of man with grace cannot be dismissed; nor can we make the assertion that if man has faith he will surely produce good works, because that assertion excludes the possibility of the full exercise of free will.
Let us imagine that we have an equation with two variables; making the previous assertion is equivalent to changing one variable into a constant, and solving the formula by assigning values to the remaining variable. The problem with this is that one has only part of the truth, and one falls into errors.
An example of these errors is visible among Calvinist and Jansenist Protestants. Understanding that the man who has faith “always” produces works (excluding the freedom to choose), they have concluded that since it is God who gives the gift of faith, then it is God who predestines a man to be saved or condemned, and man can do nothing about it. They have ended up exchanging a God who wills that all be saved for a God who wills that some be condemned and creates them for such a cruel destiny.
Finally, once we understand that salvation is the product of God’s work and that we are secondary collaborators, we can understand that we must collaborate at the moment of Believing (Faith) and at the moment of exercising free will by making faith bear fruit (works), and therefore, faith alone does not save, but rather the faith that produces works, or what Catholics call faith and works. We must choose to believe and then, at every moment, choose to work in accordance with faith. All this in full use of our freedom.
This is in perfect harmony with the Gospel, where works are not a coin of payment with which salvation is bought in the Judaic manner, and this is why Paul rejects the doctrine of salvation by works of the law, but rather he explains perfectly what the role of works is. Works are a YES to God’s initiative to save us by pure grace.
It is possible, then, to understand why at the judgment we will all be judged by works, because through our works it will be seen whether we truly said yes to the grace of God, believing and working.
Author: José Miguel Arráiz
