CGCD Chapter 1: Justification, Faith, Works

The Converts Guide to Catholic Doctrine

“Nothing can mess with the sufficiency of Christ”

These wise words were uttered by my wife during her conversion. It is an extremely potent statement and one that would be the litmus test for every doctrine going forward. I think it is a noble rallying cry of all Christians. In order for me to convert to Catholicism, it had to be proved that Jesus is at the center of all. I had been taught “It is finished” (John 19:30). This translated into what is called the finished work of the Cross. Nothing could add to that work Jesus performed on the Holy Cross. And yet, was this perspective truly all encompassing? For example, Jesus would subsequently rise from the tomb defeating death. Before Jesus would ascend to the Father he would tell the Apostles to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

The first thing I began to see is that, although the sacrifice made for the forgiveness of sin was fully accomplished and finished on the Cross, there was much work to be done to apply that gift of Salvation to the individuals throughout the Church Age. This is where I started my journey. The first false teaching against Catholicism I had been taught was that Catholics believe in salvation by faith plus works. In order to resolve this, I had to first understand what Catholics believe about Justification.

What I was taught about Justification

I learned in my studies prior to converting to Catholicism, that Justification is a very forensic word. When God justifies someone, he declares that person’s sins forgiven and proclaims the person righteous. This is a one-time event and occurs when a person first turns to God. When Protestants use the phrase “faith alone,” they are describing how a person is justified. In order to come to God, be forgiven, and be declared righteous, you don’t need to do anything to earn your place before God except have faith in Jesus Christ. The Lord declares one righteous based on the work of Christ on the Cross and not on the person’s merit and that it is by faith alone that brings this about.

There are several different views on Justification I learned. A Calvinist view provides language based on their belief in predestination, whereas Baptists would put more emphasis on a person’s Faith in the process of salvation and justification. For example, the Calvinist definition as according to the Westminster Confession chapter 11 reads:

Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth; not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous: not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God.

What the Catholic Church Teaches

Let us begin in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There is a section of Grace and Justification that runs from paragraphs 1987 to 1994. In these sections we read the following.

1987 The grace of the Holy Spirit has the power to justify us, that is, to cleanse us from our sins and to communicate to us “the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” and through Baptism

1988 Through the power of the Holy Spirit we take part in Christ’s Passion by dying to sin, and in his Resurrection by being born to a new life; we are members of his Body which is the Church, branches grafted onto the vine which is himself.

1989 The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, effecting justification in accordance with Jesus’ proclamation at the beginning of the Gospel: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. “Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high. “Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.”

1990 Justification detaches man from sin which contradicts the love of God, and purifies his heart of sin. Justification follows upon God’s merciful initiative of offering forgiveness. It reconciles man with God. It frees from the enslavement to sin, and it heals.

1991 Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness (or “justice”) here means the rectitude of divine love. With justification, faith, hope, and charity are poured into our hearts, and obedience to the divine will is granted us.

1992 Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men. Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy. Its purpose is the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life.

What is the Difference?

I began to see a key point in the difference between what I had been taught and what I was learning in Catholicism. And even though the big debate was Faith Alone vs Faith + Works, I began to question if that truly was the case. You have seen in the references I have given, that both Protestants and Catholics both attribute Justification and thus Salvation as an act of the Holy Spirit applying the finished work of Christ on the Cross to cleanse a person of their sins and to give them new life. So what is the key difference I asked?

Sanctification!

The key difference I see is that in one theology, a person is declared righteous on account of Christ’s righteousness. In Catholic theology, a person is given the ability, the mandate to become righteous. Read the passages from the Catechism again. Notice the language that is used:

“Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.” “Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin.” “With justification, faith, hope, and charity are poured into our hearts, and obedience to the divine will is granted us.”

These are words of action. They are words of equipping and empowering you in the Holy Ghost to live out a life of righteousness and holiness. When we decouple a sanctification wrought entirely by Christ, to an ongoing sanctification empowered by Christ, we can see how this can appear to be a salvation brought on by faith and works. But make no mistake about it. Both Protestants and Catholics believe that salvation and justification are by faith in Christ and won by the work of Christ crucified. The difference is the emphasis Catholics put on the holiness and sanctification afterwards. This is why scripture verses like “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12) or “Be holy as I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16) land so well in the Catholic persuasion. These are the anthems and rhythm of life in Christ.

My Moment of Hypocrisy

But is it so different? Is the view on Sanctification really that different between the two theologies? When I was a Protestant I remember hearing Matthew 3:8 preached, “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” In my Calvinist days, there would be anxiety on if one was truly one of the Elect, predestined for salvation. Guess what was the go to procedure to analyze yourself and tell if you were saved? FRUIT CHECKING!!! I was characterizing Catholics as those who had to ‘work their way into heaven,’ yet I belonged to a camp that also used works to prove our salvation. All the denominations I attended had a version of this. Some denominations would preach faith alone every week and end up pushing legalism and adherence to the Law in their lives as strong as the best Nun could push ‘Catholic Guilt.’ I was being a hypocrite. Professing faith alone and still relying on my works to prove that Jesus did what he did. The other denominations that did not believe the predestination teaching, teach you have to accept Christ as your personal savior and say what is called the sinners prayer. Same situation. A person would ask, did I have faith when I prayed that? Did the prayer stick? Am I saved? And the same scenario would play out; Fruit check yo’ self.

But What About Faith and Works Argument?

Although this conclusion of Justification and Sanctification was important for me in my conversion, I understand there is still more to answer for others. This argument focuses on Faith Alone or the claims that Catholics believe in Faith Plus Works. It would be negligent of me not to cover this as well.

Let’s start with the phrase “faith alone.” The only time these two words appear together in the Bible, Scripture explicitly rejects it:

“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

When I would defend Faith alone, I relied heavily on the writings of St. Paul, but St. James directly addresses the concept of “faith alone” and condemns it. James asks,

“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but has not works? Can his faith save him?” (James 2:14)

For James, a faith without works is dead, inactive, and incapable of saving.

Returning to Paul, he states in Romans 3:28

“For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law”

Context is everything. When Paul speaks against “works,” he is referring to “works of the law.” These are the ritual, ceremonial observances of the Old Mosaic Covenant. These were the laws such as circumcision and dietary laws practiced by Jews who believed Gentiles had to become Jewish to be saved.

However, when James speaks of “works,” he is referring to moral acts of charity and obedience born out of a living relationship with God. This includes feeding the hungry or clothing the naked. Paul and James are not contradicting each other. They are simply answering two different issues. Paul targets legalistic reliance on the Old Jewish Law, while James targets what we would call “Carnal Christianity” which is the false belief that intellectual assent to belief in God is enough for salvation without a change to one’s life. Faith without love is incomplete. It is dead. In Catholic theology, saving faith is not a passive mental belief. It is a faith formed and brought to life by charity (love). Love and good works are the natural, necessary expression of living faith, not separate human achievements trying to buy a ticket to heaven. And any good works a Catholic does is entirely enabled by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Catholics don’t believe that the way to obtain salvation is by earning it through works. But they do have a high view on works of Faith, Hope and Charity.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

My Conclusion

Back to the original thesis:

“Nothing can mess with the sufficiency of Christ”

I realized I had been taught a very erroneous view of Catholicism. One that would immediately paint them as the bad guy, the heretic, those who are not even saved! This was the first crack in the evangelical theological wall I had built. Convinced that Christ is at the center of Catholicism, more questions would come. And more resolutions would follow.

+JMJ+

Rich