Faith Alone?

As we approach the 500^th anniversary of the reformation I have decided to write on one of the two biggest tenants of that movement- Sola Fide (faith alone). Martin Luther’s revolutionary idea was that we are justified by faith alone (sola fide in Latin). He was so adamant about his belief that he added the word “alone” to Romans 3:28 so that it would read:

For we maintain that a person is justified by faith (ALONE) apart from the works of the law.

In strong and, I would say, arrogant language he defended his action adding this word. He states the following:

Let this be the answer to your first question. And please give these asses no other and no further answer to their useless braying about the word sola than simply this, “Luther will have it so, and says that he is a doctor above all the doctors of the whole papacy.” It shall stay at that! Henceforth I shall simply hold them in contempt, and have them held in contempt, so long as they are the kind of people-I should say, asses-that they are.

Luther’s Works, Vol. 35, pages 185 to 189

He says “Luther will have it so”! He argues that he has the authority to add sola (alone) to this passage thus justifying his argument for faith alone. He was so vehement in his belief of faith alone that he could not comprehend or reconcile the scriptural writing of St. James’ chapter 2:14-24. There we read:

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

It is easy to understand that by holding to a belief in faith alone how it would be difficult to acknowledge “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone”. It is appropriate to note that the only place in the scriptures “faith alone” appear together is here in James 2:24 and it says a person is considered righteous (or Justified in other scripture versions) “not by faith alone”. Instead of struggling with this Luther desired to discard James from the Canon of Scripture (among other New Testament books).

Again, in strong language he stated the following:

That epistle of James gives us much trouble, for the papists embrace it alone and leave out all the rest. Up to this point I have been accustomed just to deal with and interpret it according to the sense of the rest of Scriptures. For you will judge that none of it must be set forth contrary to manifest Holy Scripture. Accordingly, if they will not admit my interpretations, then I shall make rubble also of it. I almost feel like throwing Jimmy into the stove, as the priest in Kalenberg did [The preacher of Kalenberg, when visited by the duchess, heated the room with the wooden statues of the apostles. The statue of James was the last and as the preacher shoved it into the stove he exclaimed, “Now bend over, Jimmy, you must go into the stove; no matter if you were the pope or all the bishops, the room must become warm.”].

Luther’s Works, Vol. 34, page 317

He again expresses his authority. He refers to St. James as Jimmy. He rails against the office of the Papacy (see Luther’s Works, Vol. 35, pages 185 to 189 )  but his words suggest that he considers himself the supreme authority and in a sense the Pope as he says “if they will not admit my interpretations, then I shall make rubble also of it. I almost feel like throwing Jimmy into the stove”.

I am certainly not making the argument that we are saved by “works alone”. In fact the church teaches “Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us” (Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1996). But, I do suggest that our salvation is dependent on both faith and works. That is the Catholic belief. As Catholics we do not have to struggle with the question whether we are justified by faith or works? Because it is both! Likewise we do not have to struggle with the following passages from scripture:

God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” (Romans 2:6)

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)

The passages that refer to “our works” impacting our salvation are too numerous to mention. But, finely I’d like to consider Matthew 25 and the parable of the sheep and the goats. In it we read from the words of Jesus that at the end of time “when the Son of Man comes in his glory” (v 31) all the nations will be gathered before him and then he will separate them “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (v 32). “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world” (v34).

He then goes on to explain why those on the right obtain their inheritance. He says “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,  I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (v35-36).

From this we can see how “our works” do impact our eternal salvation. It is certainly not by faith alone. If we continue with this parable we see the consequence of not doing charity (works) for our neighbor:

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ (v41-43)

The passages above make sense to us because we know our “works” or lack thereof do have consequences. Someone might suggest if someone fails to do these then they never really had faith in the first place. So of course for them faith alone does not apply But, that objection biblically is not sound. We read in Hebrews 10:

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

²⁶ If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, ²⁷ but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God

The writer of Hebrews lets us know in (v26) if we keep sinning (even though we have faith (v23-25) there will be a “fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (v26-27).

As harsh as it sounds the eternal fire awaits those of us that fail to show love (do good works).  This is solidly communicated in Scripture. So, Martin Luther are we justified or considered righteous by faith alone? The biblical answer is no!