So as not to fall easily into fundamentalist sophistries.

Question

Martin Luther, the first of the Protestant reformers, believed that the Catholic Church placed too much emphasis on the necessity of good works for salvation. He insisted that it was by faith alone that we are justified or saved. Salvation is an unmerited gift through Jesus Christ; therefore, said Luther, good works are (in terms of attaining salvation) unnecessary and useless.

Answer

Luther believed that his position was supported by Scripture, in Romans 3,28 (“For we account a man to be justified by faith, without the works of the law”) and Romans 4,3 (“Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him unto justice”).

However, while St. Paul correctly stresses the central importance of faith, neither of these passages denies the necessity of good works.

In Luther’s time, there were certainly Catholics who placed too much emphasis on good works (such as the purchase of indulgences or spiritual benefits, for oneself and for deceased loved ones), and at times these practices bordered on superstition. Nevertheless, popular piety was not always an accurate reflection of the Church’s official teaching. Catholicism insists that only faith in Jesus Christ can save us; nevertheless, this must be a living faith manifested in the person’s moral decisions and daily life.

Luther’s error was to separate faith from good works and to declare that the latter had no value. Catholic teaching, on the other hand, while giving priority to faith, sees faith and good works as two complementary aspects. Through faith, we must accept the unmerited gift of salvation offered to us through Jesus Christ; the good works we perform are consequently our loving response and acceptance of this generous divine gift.

Scripture Passages That Support the Catholic View

James 2,19-22 – “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, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou, that faith did cooperate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect?” Commentary: This passage alone, which insists that faith must be accompanied by good works, is enough to demolish Luther’s position (which may be the reason why he called the Epistle of James an “epistle of straw,” placing it on a lower level than the rest of the Scriptures; we owe to the Council of Trent the fact that we have James in our Bibles).

James 1,22 – “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Commentary: Those who think it is not necessary to act according to what they believe deceive themselves.

James 2,14-17 – “What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him? … So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.” Commentary: Again, James stresses that good works are essential.

Matthew 7,19-20 – “Every tree that yieldeth not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.” Commentary: To be genuine, our faith must produce “good fruits” – moral decisions and actions that demonstrate a true love of God and neighbor.

Matthew 7,21 – “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Commentary: Knowing Jesus is not enough; we must also live according to His commandments and teachings.

Matthew 19,16-21 – (When a rich young man asked Jesus what he had to do to gain eternal life, Jesus told him to obey the Commandments.) Commentary: Good works are indeed necessary to enter heaven. Jesus did not teach the doctrine of Faith Alone.

Matthew 25,31-46 – (In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus affirms that we will be judged by what we do or fail to do for others.) Commentary: Nothing in this passage suggests that merely believing in Jesus is enough to attain salvation.

Philippians 2,12 – “… with fear and trembling work out your salvation.” Commentary: Salvation is not guaranteed even for those who have accepted Christ, to whom Paul was writing; they must live out this choice through their actions.

Romans 2,13 – “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” Commentary: Salvation is a continuous process; even after we have accepted God’s gift of salvation, we must carry this decision through to the end.

1 John 3,18-19 – “My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth. In this we know that we are of the truth…” Commentary: Genuine love (which demonstrates our acceptance of the gift of salvation) must be evidenced by action.

Some Concluding Thoughts

These passages and many others (Matthew 6,3-6; Matthew 10,22; John 3,20; John 14,21; John 15,14; Acts 10,34-35; Acts 13,43; James 1,12; James 2,24; Romans 2,6; Galatians 5,6; Galatians 6,7-10; 1 Timothy 4,16; 1 John 2,4; 1 John 5,2-4) show very clearly that good works are an essential part of our response to God, contrary to Luther’s assertion that we are saved by faith alone. Indeed, Luther deliberately added the word “alone” to his German translation of Romans 3,28 (even though the only time the word “alone” accompanies the word “faith” in the original Greek text is in James 2,24, which states that we are justified “NOT by faith alone.”

According to John Stoddard in Rebuilding a Lost Faith (TAN Books, pp. 136-137), Martin Luther said: “If your Papist [Catholic] makes so much fuss about the word ‘sola’, tell him at once: ‘Dr. Martin Luther will have it so,’ and tell him: ‘Papists and asses are one and the same thing.’ I will have it so, and I order that it be so, and my will is reason enough. I know very well that the word ‘sola’ is not in the Latin or Greek text, and it was not necessary for the Papists to tell me so. It is true that those letters are not contained in it, letters at which those blockheads stare, as a cow stares at a new gate… It shall remain so in my New Testament, and even though all the Pope’s donkeys should be enraged by it, they shall not succeed in removing them.”

It is almost superfluous to note that Luther’s defense of his position is anything but a defense based on Scripture. Sola fide (by faith alone) is, then, one more example of a Protestant belief based merely on a “human tradition”; on the contrary, the Catholic position is an authentically Scriptural position.

Author: Florida Center

Source: Apologetica.org