Sola fide

[sotzo]

I believe sola fide, but I also know I spend alot of time confessing to God my allegiance to idols. How is this different than a Roman Catholic's belief that their own merit contributes to salvation? In other words,, practically speaking my life bears out what a Roman Catholic believes, that is, that something outside of Christ's righteousness contributes to my salvation. Again, before God, what is the difference between one who believes sola fide, but live as if it wasn't true (Reformed folks) and one who believes that their merit contributes (RC folks)?

 

[toddpedlar]

I believe sola fide, but I also know I spend alot of time confessing to God my allegiance to idols. How is this different than a Roman Catholic's belief that their own merit contributes to salvation? In other words,, practically speaking my life bears out what a Roman Catholic believes, that is, that something outside of Christ's righteousness contributes to my salvation. Again, before God, what is the difference between one who believes sola fide, but live as if it wasn't true (Reformed folks) and one who believes that their merit contributes (RC folks)?

Well, for one thing, one

(the one who professes sola fide and recognizes, humbly, his failings to live in obedience to God, loathing his failures and lamenting his shortcomings)

has a reason for the hope that lies within him, and the other

(who professes that he has some sort of merit that saves him to some degree)

doesn't!

 

[Jimmy the Greek]

Huh? Are you trusting in Christ alone or the work of Christ plus what you have done? There's the difference between Romanism and Christianity

 

[greenbaggins]

Joel, the question comes down to this: do you believe that you are not only justified by faith alone but also sanctified by faith alone, and that your good works are merely necessary results of God's grace, and not constitutive of either justification or sanctification? Confession of sins is a good work that results from justification and sanctification. For the Reformed world, that does not constitute justification or sanctification. It constitutes the God-ordained necessary result of gratitude that justification and sanctification engenders in us.

 

[sotzo]

Huh? Are you trusting in Christ alone or the work of Christ plus what you have done? There's the difference between Romanism and Christianity

I confess that it is Christ alone that saves. Yet, I daily find myself trusting in all kinds of other things. My question is whether or not this is practically different than the RC view that merit indeed plays a part.

-----Added 12/20/2008 at 01:17:56 EST-----

Joel, the question comes down to this: do you believe that you are not only justified by faith alone but also sanctified by faith alone, and that your good works are merely necessary results of God's grace, and not constitutive of either justification or sanctification? Confession of sins is a good work that results from justification and sanctification. For the Reformed world, that does not constitute justification or sanctification. It constitutes the God-ordained necessary result of gratitude that justification and sanctification engenders in us.

Yes, I do believe that both justification and sanctification are a result of grace and that the works resulting therefrom do not constitute any part of the reason I am acceptable to God. But my question is really how my failings to trust Christ to the exclusion of everything else (which I fail at daily), is different than actually believing that works contribute.

Put differently and sort of like Martin Luther, if the standard is trusting solely in the merit of Christ then who will stand other than the one who solely trusts? And who truly solely trusts all of the time?

 

[Zeno333]

The Westminster Larger Catechism states that Sanctification is "inseparable" from Justification...that means according to Sola-Fide "works" MUST be there as a "result" of being Justified and seen as perfect in God's sight. So therefore, we should of course be diligently examining ourselves for signs of our Sanctification, or works resulting from being Justified. We also though should not feel that our salvation itself is jeopardized by the sins and shortcomings that will be for sure there in our examined lives.

 

[TsonMariytho]

Yes, I do believe that both justification and sanctification are a result of grace and that the works resulting therefrom do not constitute any part of the reason I am acceptable to God. But my question is really how my failings to trust Christ to the exclusion of everything else (which I fail at daily), is different than actually believing that works contribute.

Put differently and sort of like Martin Luther, if the standard is trusting solely in the merit of Christ then who will stand other than the one who solely trusts? And who truly solely trusts all of the time?

It's true that scripture describes stronger faith and weaker faith, heroes of faith and those escaping as through the flames.

But the saving quality of faith is not based on its "fractional value". Either you have true faith, or you are dead in your sins. You either know God and the Lord Jesus Christ, or he never knew you. The perfection of our faith is not the point, it's the object of our faith who saves us.

Joh 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.​

Joel, I hope you take encouragement from this scripture and from the very good points made above.

 

[Ronnie]

I confess that it is Christ alone that saves. Yet, I daily find myself trusting in all kinds of other things. My question is whether or not this is practically different than the RC view that merit indeed plays a part.

Outward confession/profession is no guarantee of the state of the heart. Therefore, you are right that in essence a Protestant can be practically in the same boat as a R.C., but this would be contrary to their confession.

On the other hand a R.C. could be in the boat with Protestants, contrary to their confession.

We all trust in all kinds of others things on a daily basis and this is sinful. However in spite of our constant, yes we are sinful creatures, in our hearts we know that could never merit salvation and therefore our only hope is Christ. So the difference is pretty drastic. We confess our trusting as sin, whereas the true and faithful Catholic will glory in his as doing what is necessary to merit salvation.

 

[Davidius]

I believe sola fide, but I also know I spend alot of time confessing to God my allegiance to idols. How is this different than a Roman Catholic's belief that their own merit contributes to salvation? In other words,, practically speaking my life bears out what a Roman Catholic believes, that is, that something outside of Christ's righteousness contributes to my salvation. Again, before God, what is the difference between one who believes sola fide, but live as if it wasn't true (Reformed folks) and one who believes that their merit contributes (RC folks)?

Hey Joel,

I don't want to presume too much, but I think I understand what you mean. We often talk about repentance and forgiveness as if they are things that happen daily, and based on the way we also talk about our doctrine of justification over against the Roman doctrine, it has often confused me. If I repent daily, and expect to be forgiven daily, how is that different from Catholicism? Maybe it's just a problem with the way we use language, I dunno. Does this tie into what you were saying?

 

[Semper Fidelis]

It's been answered well but I'll take another stab at it.

Justification by faith alone is a trust in the work and merit of Christ alone. It is born from above. The faith that justifies is a trust/clinging to Christ as your only hope. It is falling at the feet of Christ and recognizing that you offer nothing in the way of righteousness to attain to God's Holy perfection.

Because it is evangelical, it is preceded by God making the sinner alive in regeration. It is His Sovereign Work. It accompanies the Sacraments of the Church but the Sacraments of the Church do not magically grant them - the Holy Spirit sovereignly acts upon those whom God has chosen.

That you still practice some idolatry is due to the sin that yet resides in you that wars against your inward man. You are both Saint and Sinner - Justified before God but yet a sinner while in this mortal flesh. You will always struggle but the struggle does not give or take away your status. Those who trust in Christ will be saved.

As Lane noted, your sanctification is definitive. It is certain because, by faith, you are put in vital union with Christ by whose Spirit He ensures that His saints will be perfected unto their eventual glorification. You are united to Christ by the same Spirit that regenerated you and even as Christ died you died to sin with Him and will rise again even as Christ rose. You will be perfected because you are Christ's and in Him.

The Roman Catholic system is much different. The Church views grace as somewhat of an impersonal substance. Where the "means of grace" in a Reformed construct refer to Christ being manifested in visible signs to build up the believer, grace is impersonally dispensed by the working of the works. Whereas faith in the person and work of Christ is inseparable from the efficacy of the Sacrament in the Reformed understanding, the Roman Catholic trusts the Church and her dispensing of grace that is then cooperated with.

The Roman Church dispenses grace in the Sacraments as it is infused into the believer and then cooperated upon by the believer. The Roman Catholic variously gains or loses this grace in his cooperation with it and as the Church administers the grace to Him. There is nothing definitive in being in a state of salvation because it is not the Sovereign work of the Holy Spirit that has regenerated but the Sacrament of the Church and it is not the Sovereign work of Christ that is perfecting the believer but the infusion of grace that must be cooperated with by the believer or he will lose it.