Anonymous, The Last Supper (17th c.) Are we saved by faith and works, or by faith alone? This question is, from a traditional Protestant perspective, the single biggest issue dividing Catholics and Protestants. R.C. Sproul has pointed out the historical importance of the question: Luther made his famous comment that the doctrine of justification by… Continue reading Is St. John the Key to Settling the Justification Debate?
Tag: justification
Reason #2 to Reject the Reformation: Scriptural Interpretation
Yesterday, I began a multi-part series looking at St. Edmund Campion’s Ten Reasons against the Reformation. The first reason, addressed yesterday, was the canon of Scripture: the Reformers took books out of the Bible (and not even the same books as one another), and end up leaving no coherent authority upon which to have a… Continue reading Reason #2 to Reject the Reformation: Scriptural Interpretation
A Fascinating Concession By Albert Mohler
Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, is apparently startled by how much Evangelicals like Pope Francis, and is trying to scare them away from him by reminding them that we disagree whether justification is by faith, or by faith alone: Mohler noted that Pope Benedict XVI famously affirmed the doctrine of justification by… Continue reading A Fascinating Concession By Albert Mohler
How Should Catholics Understand Romans 9?
In the comments on Friday’s post, a Calvinist convert to Catholicism asked what to make of Romans 9:18-21, which sound like Paul’s saying that God made some people for Heaven, and some people for Hell: You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” But who are… Continue reading How Should Catholics Understand Romans 9?
What Does the Book of James Say About Justification?
Perhaps no single doctrinal issue has caused more division between Catholics and Protestants than the question of justification, or how we are made righteous before God. Catholic believe that we are justified by faith, but must cultivate this faith through good works done in obedience to God (what St. Paul calls the “obedience of faith,” in… Continue reading What Does the Book of James Say About Justification?
Martin Luther and the Book of James
Martin Luther’s hostility to the Book of James is well-known, and I’ve mentioned it in other contexts, but I wanted to consider today the implications for the Lutheran view of justification, at the heart of the Reformation and of modern Catholic-Protestant disputes. Here’s what Luther had to say about the Book of James: In the… Continue reading Martin Luther and the Book of James
The Case Against Protestant Special Pleading
If you’re not familiar, “special pleading” is a type of logical fallacy; Wikipedia explains that it “involves someone attempting to cite something as an exemption to a generally accepted rule, principle, etc. without justifying the exemption.” So for example, you might argue for the general rule that “thieves should be punished, because stealing is wrong,” but then… Continue reading The Case Against Protestant Special Pleading
More Sketchy Translations by the NIV
In an earlier post, I talked about how the NIV (which I generally like) plays unfortunate sectarian games with its translations. The example I gave was this one: the word paradosis means “tradition,” and the NIV translates it as “tradition” when its used in a negative sense in Scripture (when Christ condemns the Pharisees’ adherence to traditions… Continue reading More Sketchy Translations by the NIV
Debunking “Easy-Believism”
Many Evangelicals will tell you that if you just pray the “Sinner’s Prayer,” you’ll be saved, of if that you have faith in Jesus Christ, He’ll save you even if you don’t obey Him. In light of yesterday’s Gospel (Matthew 16:21-27), I want to address why this is flawed, and what this says about the larger debate about “faith… Continue reading Debunking “Easy-Believism”
Why Did the Law of Moses Exist?
I’ve been listening to a very good talk on Galatians 2-5 given by Christendom College’s Professor Eric Jenislawski called “Saint Paul’s Galatians: Are You Saved?” That talk, and countless others, are available free on the Institute of Catholic Culture’s website. In it, he poses the question: Given how emphatically St. Paul denies that the Law of Moses can save us,… Continue reading Why Did the Law of Moses Exist?