Is Justification by Faith or by Works?

This is not a new question.  It has been around for centuries.  In the history of the Church this question received perhaps the greatest attention in the 16th century during the time of the Protestant Reformation.  It was then, due in part to controversy over this question, that the Catholic Church met at the Council of Trent to further define and clarify what the Church had always believed on this (and other) subject(s).

Here are the defining documents of the Council of Trent concerning justification.  When I first read them years ago as a Protestant, I found myself thinking that perhaps the Catholic Church really did have concern to weigh the Scriptures and discover her overall meaning, as opposed to resting her opinion upon a selection of isolated 'pet' passages and the novel ideas or traditions of men.

So, is justification by faith or by works?  I would like to suggest that the question put this way sets up a false dichotomy.  Justification is not by faith alone or by works alone, but by both-and all by God's grace.  

Reformation Day 2012: Remembrance and Reconciliation

Here is an article worth considering on this all hallow's eve (the eve of All Saint's Day), celebrated by many protestants as "Reformation Day".

The Place of Scripture in the Life of the Believer

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), in paragraph 131-133 has this to say on the place of Scripture in the life of the believer:

131 "And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life."109 Hence "access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful."110

132 "Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too - pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place - is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture."111

133 The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.112

The footnotes within the excerpt from the CCC are to both Dei Verbum and St Jerome. Dei Verbum (translated, Word of God) is the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, one of the principle documents of the Second Vatican Council.

Do you agree with Luther: "Father of the Protestant Reformation"?

"Unless I am convinced by the testimony of sacred scriptures or by clear reason, for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves, I am bound by the scriptures I've quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not retract anything since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen."  So said Martin Luther.

Making My Way to the Church Christ Founded

Here is the story of another Protestant convert to the Catholic Church.

The Forgiveness of Sins

One objection that many non-Catholics have to the Catholic Faith is the teaching and practice which concerns the confession of our sins. The basic non-Catholic argument goes something like this: man cannot forgive our sins; God alone can forgive our sins; therefore, to have our sins forgiven, we must go directly to God. In light of this, the non-Catholic argues that when the Catholic confesses his sins to (before, or in the presence of) a priest, he is seeking the forgiveness only God can give from a man who cannot forgive our sins. In the least, then, it is a useless practice. At worst, it is idolatrous: setting up man in the place of God. Thus, in yet another way, the non-Catholic thinks he has discovered the man-centered-ness of Catholicism as well as the non-biblical nature of its teaching. After all, the Bible only teaches forgiveness of sins directly from God, right? Much can be said on this subject. I have chosen to include here a short article which begins to address some of these non-Catholic concerns. I hope it helps towards a better understanding of authentic Catholic teaching on this matter as well as the truth and importance of it.

Another Protestant Pastor Enters the Catholic Church

Here is the story of another recent convert to the Catholic Church whose background has similarities with our own.

The Two Brothers; or, Why are you a Protestant? Part 4

On December 28th I posted the third of four parts to this engaging story (if you're in to being engaged with this kind of story, that is : ). Here is the fourth. If you haven't already read the first, second, or third, or would like to read them all at once, you can find them linked in the right hand side-bar of the blog under the heading "Check This Out".