Who Wrote This ? ?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Saiph

Puritan Board Junior
[quote:61a44cb2d2]
"opera sunt necessaria ad salutem, sed non causant salutem, quia fides sola dat vitam"

(works are necessary to salvation, yet they do not cause salvation, for faith alone gives life).

[/quote:61a44cb2d2]

Norman Shepherd would be a good guess, except that he doesn't write in Latin.

Calvin would be a good guess too. But wrong.

It's that Law-Gospel fanatic, Luther.

Here is the full context:


[quote:61a44cb2d2]
Many things are necessary which are not a cause and do not justify, as for instance the earth is necessary, and yet it does not justify. If man the sinner wants to be saved, he must necessarily be present, just as he asserts that I must also be present. What Augustine says is true, "He who has created you without you will not save you without you." Works are necessary to salvation, but they do not cause salvation, because faith alone gives life [Opera sunt necessaria ad salutem, sed non causant salutem, quia fides sola dat vitam]. On account of the hypocrites we must say that good works are necessary to salvation [Propter hypocritas dicendum est, quod bona opera sint etiam necessaria ad salutem]. It is necessary to work. Nevertheless, it does not follow that works save on that account, unless we understand necessity very clearly as the necessity that there must be an inward and outward salvation or righteousness. Works save outwardly, that is, they show evidence that we are righteous and that there is faith in a man which saves inwardly, as Paul says, "Man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved" [Rom. 10:10]. Outward salvation shows faith to be present, just as fruit shows a tree to be good. - Martin Luther (The Disputation concerning Justification, Luther's Works, Vol. 34 [Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1960], p. 165)
[/quote:61a44cb2d2]

[Edited on 4-27-2004 by Wintermute]
 
The statement of Luther here is totally orthodox.

Good works do result from salvation.

Now if someone were to say that good works were necessary for us to obtain salvation, then he is in error.

Necessary result - orthodox.
Necessary cause - big problem.
 
ARe we making a false dichotomy between [b:c586febc95]result[/b:c586febc95] and [b:c586febc95]cause[/b:c586febc95] ? ? ?

I think they are much more interwoven than we think. Justification and Sanctification cannot be understood within the rigid scientific boundaries of causal mechanisms.

I do agree with Luther though, for the sake of Orthodoxy.

[Edited on 4-27-2004 by Wintermute]
 
It is very important to distinguish between cause and result.

Salvation is caused by the work of the Spirit in us (monergistic). We are saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:10), not because of good works.

If we do not distiguish between cause and result, then we end up not being able to distinguish between what God has done and is continuing to do in us (salvific cause), and what we are enabled to do as a result of His work in us (non-salvific result).



[Edited on 4-27-2004 by Dan....]
 
[quote:03c18fa96b]
ARe we making a false dichotomy between result and cause ? ? ?
[/quote:03c18fa96b]

I'm not quite following you. Would you elaborate?
 
Yes Paul.

There is a distinction, not a seperation between [b:d0e90680d6]remote[/b:d0e90680d6], and [b:d0e90680d6]proximate[/b:d0e90680d6] causality. We see this apparent dillemma in the Soverignty/Free Will debate.

Here is my paradigm:


[quote:d0e90680d6]
Phi 2:12,13
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, [b:d0e90680d6](proximate cause)[/b:d0e90680d6] work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is [b:d0e90680d6](remote cause)[/b:d0e90680d6]God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.
[/quote:d0e90680d6]

[Edited on 4-27-2004 by Wintermute]
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top