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The Doctrine of Justification in the
Reformation of the 16th Century
Part II: Roman Catholicism: Infused Righteousness-
justification by Faith Alone or Work?
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC INFUSION OF GRACE THAT BRINGS
JUSTIFICATION
"Let it therefore remain
settled...that we are justified in no other way than by faith, or, which
comes to this same thing, that we are justified by faith alone."- John
Calvin
SCRIPTURE ALONE, NOT SCRIPTURE
PLUS TRADITION:
"Rome professes to hold that the
Bible is the Word of God...she also nullifies or destroys the Word. She
maintains that alongside of the written Word there is also an unwritten
Word, an oral tradition, which was taught by Christ and the apostles but
which is not in the Bible, which was handed down generation after
generation by word of mouth. This unwritten Word of God, it is said, comes
to expression in the pronouncements of the church councils and in papal
decrees. It takes precedence over the written Word and interprets it. The
pope, as God's personal representative on the earth, can legislate for
things additional to the Bible as new situations arise. The Council of
Trent, the most authoritative of all Roman councils and the one of greatest
historical importance, in the year 1546, declared that the Word of God is
contained both in the Bible and in tradition, that the two are equal
authority, and that it is the duty of every Christian to accord them equal
veneration and respect."- Loraine Boettner
THE COUNCIL OF TRENT 1546-1564
Because of Rome's doctrine of Semper Idem, Rome cannot repudiate or correct Trent. The council's sixth session
teaches Rome's view of Justification, set
forth in response to the Protestant teaching. Rome set forth the importance and
necessity of grace by salvation. Also the necessity of faith:
"We are therefore said to be justified by faith,
because faith is the beginning of human salvation, the foundation and root
of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God and to
come to the fellowship of His sons; and we are therefore said to be
justified gratuitously, because none of those things precede justification,
whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification." {Council of
Trent: VI Session; Chapter VIII}
1) Justification is by faith (per fidem),
2) Faith is the "beginning" (initium)
of salvation, 3) Faith is the "foundation" (fundamentum)
of all justification, and 4) Faith is the "root" (radix)
of all justification.
There is an agreement on "faith" with the
Reformers, but an exclusion of "alone" from Rome's teaching. Rome believes in "justification
by faith", but not "justification by faith alone." According
to the reformers, faith is the instrumental cause ("by"), or the
means by which Christ's work is appropriated.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SACRAMENTS
Reformers contend for two
sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper- the Roman Catholic Church
celebrates seven: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Extreme
Unction, Holy Order, and Matrimony. Roman Theology, contrasted to Reformed
Theology, teaches that the Sacraments remove sins: "...supernatural
life is generated by Baptism; brought to growth by Confirmation; nourished
by the Eucharist; cured from diseases of sins and from the weakness arising
from these by Penance and Extreme Unction."- Ludwig Ott, Roman Catholic Theologian. The sacraments work ex
opere operato, by
the power of the completed act, and their validity does not depend on the
orthodoxy of the minister or his state of grace. Grace is infused into the
sinner, through the Sacraments making the sinner righteous,
thereby God will then justify the sinner.
Reformed: The Reformers taught that the
Righteousness of Christ (or merit of Christ) is the sole ground of our
justification, and Christ's Righteousness is imputed to the believer by
faith (instrumental, not meritorious cause). Rome: The Roman Church teaches that
the sacrament of Baptism is the instrumental cause of justification.
Baptism is the primary instrumental cause of justification in that it is
the 1st or initial cause of justification. This grace of justification
received in Baptism may be lost, the secondary
instrumental cause of justification is the sacrament of Penance. {Council
of Trent: VI Session; Chapter XIV}
New Catechism of the Catholic
Church:
"Justification is conferred in Baptism, the Sacrament of faith. It
conforms to the Righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the
power of His mercy."
The Roman Catholic Church
teaches clearly that the infusion, rather than the imputation of Christ's
Righteousness, makes justification possible if the believe assents to and
cooperates with this grace:
" ...Jesus Christ himself continually infuses his
virtue into the said justified...this virtue always precedes and
accompanies and follows their good works, which without it could not in any
wise be pleasing and meritorious before God- we must believe that nothing
further is wanting to the justified, to prevent their being accounted to
have, by those very works which have been done in God, fully satisfied the
divine law according to the state of this life, and to have truly merited
eternal life, to be obtained also in its due time, if so be, however, that
they depart in grace...neither is our own justice established as our own as
from ourselves; nor is the justice of God ignored or repudiated: for that
justice which is called ours, because that we are justified from its being
inherent in us, that same is (the justice) of God, because that it is
infused into us of God, through the merit of Christ...after this Catholic
doctrine on Justification, which whoso receives not faithfully and firmly
can not be justified..." {Council of Trent: VI Session; Chapter XVI} The
Roman Catholic doctrine of justification is itself a necessary condition
for justification. At this point Rome affirms that the doctrine of
justification is an essential article of the faith, essential to salvation
itself.
What if Roman Catholics and
Evangelicals agreed to unite and affirm: "We affirm together that we
are justified by grace through faith because of Christ," would there
be true unity based on Scriptural teaching? Rome: "because of Christ"
means infusion...Evangelical Reformed: "because of Christ"
means Imputation.
Next Class: Roman Catholicism: The
Sacraments
Read: The Book of Galatians,
Chapters 4-6
For Further reading: ; Roman Catholicism- ed.
John Armstrong / Justification by Faith Alone- John Gerstner, R.C.
Sproul, Joel Beeke, John Armstrong / Faith
Alone- R.C. Sproul
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