In Re Sola Fide

I am a cradle Catholic but have a life-long familiarity and experience with Protestantism acquired as a result of being from a mixed Catholic-Protestant extended family.  My experience with Protestantism was further enriched by working with many fine Protestant chaplains while serving as a Navy Reserve Program Specialist.  So this article is written from that experience and with a certain sensitivity for our Protestant brothers and sisters in Christ.  There is much that we as Catholics may admire and emulate from our Protestant brothers and sisters.  The Protestant doctrine of Sola Fide is one aspect of Christianity that Protestants simply get wrong.  

 
 Sola Fide is one of the foundational doctrines of Protestant belief and a major component of the Protestant Reformation launched by Martin Luther in the 16th Century.  This doctrine propositions that people are saved by faith alone (Sola Fide) and that good works are not required for salvation.  

 
This doctrine was further promoted and developed by John Calvin and other leaders of the Protestant Reformation and promulgated by the Augsburg Confession (1530), the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531) and the Formula of Concord (1577).  See https://lutheranreformation.org/theology/the-lutheran-confessions/the-texts-of-the-lutheran-confessions/  

 
The prominent late Calvinist theologian Dr. John MacArthur wrote, “No doctrine is more important to evangelical theology than the doctrine of justification by faith alone—the Reformation principle of sola fide. Martin Luther rightly said that the church stands or falls on this one doctrine.”  See https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/jesus-perspective-sola-fide  

Protestants anchor their Sola Fide doctrine on Holy Scripture, especially Saint Paul’s Letters to the Galatians and to the Ephesians.  

One of their most frequently cited Scripture verses in support of Sola Fide comes from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians:  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

“It is worth noticing that this verse is often misquoted as ‘It is by faith you are saved and not by works,’” wrote Father Dwight Longenecker.  “The correct understanding is that the verse is emphasizing God’s gift of grace primarily–not faith.  Nevertheless, salvation is by God’s grace THROUGH [emphasis in original] faith.”  See https://dwightlongenecker.com/the-catholic-sola-fide/  

 
Countering this notion that one can be saved by faith alone is the Letter of James which discusses at length necessity of  faith and works in the second chapter.  “For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead,” the author concludes (James 2:26).

Saint Augustine also countered the notion that justification is by faith alone in a treatise entitled On Faith and Works.  “We should advise the faithful that they would endanger the salvation of their souls if they acted on the false assurance that faith alone is sufficient for salvation or that they need not perform good works in order to be saved” he wrote (14.21).    Martin Luther rejected Saint Augustine’s assessment and so do many of his Protestant brethren.  This treatise is available from Paulist Press https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/0406-7/48-st-augustine-on-faith-and-works.aspx?srsltid=AfmBOoqUqouZvBzvCf_qo70GDlZLWCQBvLmrObGMZaBnsGcWKGE6rbck  

 
On this subject, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches “No one can merit the initial grace which is at the origin of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit, we can merit for ourselves and for others all the graces needed to attain eternal life, as well as necessary temporal goods” (see paragraph 2027). 

 
Frequently Protestants will argue that if one has faith then one will do good works.  “We say, besides, that if good works do not follow, faith is false and not true,” stated Martin Luther in the Smalcald Articles (1536).  (See https://bookofconcord.org/smalcald-articles/iii/#sa-iii-xiii-0004  )   Martin Luther first advanced this idea and Protestant leaders continue to do so to this day.  “Faith in Christ then does good works,” argued Lutheran Reverend Christopher Maronde in 2016. (See https://lutheranreformation.org/theology/sola-fide/  ).  This notion is also advanced in the various Protestant documents referenced above.  

 
Protestants argue that if one has faith then one will perform good works.  So if someone does not perform good works then that person does not have authentic faith.  Martin Luther stated “Oh, faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, so that it is impossible for it not to be constantly doing what is good” (quoted by Rev. Maronde in https://lutheranreformation.org/theology/sola-fide/      The implication here is that faith overrides free will.  The implication is that when one has faith then that faith will compel one to perform good works and thus override or at least diminish one’s free will to choose to do good works or not do them.  

 
I disagree.  If one has faith, then one is motivated and empowered to do good works but one is not forced or compelled to do good works.  One with faith still has to participate in that faith.  One has to exercise his or her free will to put that faith into action and perform good works.  Faith is a gift from God.  We are free to accept that gift or reject it.  Similarly, we are free to use that gift to its fullest and we are free to let that gift go unused.  

 
In making this assessment, I turn to Holy Scripture and the Gospels.  In particular, I find Jesus’s Parable of the Talents enlightening.   As Jesus says in the Gospel of Saint Matthew:

 
“It will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.   To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one—to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five.  Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money.   After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’  [Then] the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’  Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’  His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?  Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return?  Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten.  For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.   And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’”  (Matthew 25:14-30).  

 
The prevailing interpretation of this parable is that talents (a monetary unit) is representing the gifts and opportunities that God gives us freely.  I see and accept the validity of that interpretation.  I also see another interpretation that is relevant for this discussion about Sola Fide.  I see that talents can also represent faith.  The talents in the parable can represent the faith that God freely gives us as a gift.  In this light, then, God gives us faith and the parable shows what happens when we chose to put that faith into action and when we chose not to put our faith into action.  Two of the servants in the parable took their talents (faith) given to them by their master, put those talents (faith) into action and produced results for their master.  As such, they were rewarded.  The third servant, however, accepted the talent (faith) and chose not to put that talent (faith) into action.  As a consequence of him not putting his talent (faith) into action, this servant was punished by his master.  The third servant did not use his talent (faith) and suffered consequences for his inactivity.  So the lesson here is if God gives us faith and we do not put that into action for Him, then we will suffer some rather unpleasant eternal consequences.  

 
It would be absurd for me to think that my 1,600 words on this topic will solve this 500+ year debate but I do expect that some of our Protestant brothers and sisters will take offense at what I have written. Given that Sola Fide is one of their most important doctrines, I expect a hostile reaction from them.   They can do no other.  

 
Catholic and Protestant theologians and scholars have been arguing about Sola Fide for over 500 years and will likely continue to argue about this doctrine until Christ returns.  For me, the Catholic position on this issue is the correct one.  After careful study and prayer, I can conclude no other.