by Matthew A. C. Newsome ©2002

The following is taken largely from a real conversation I had with a Baptist friend over this issue.  His comments are indented and in italics.

One of the enduring legacies of the Protestant Reformation is the sola fide heresy that Luther invented, and promoted.  This doctrine states that it is faith alone that saves us, and good works play no part in our salvation.  Catholics have always regarded this as heretical, citing numerous New Testament examples of our works being considered with our faith for our salvation.  But it was, and is, a cornerstone of Protestant theology.  Many Protestants today, however, do recognize the necessity of good works.  However, they incorporate this into their "faith alone" theology by stating that real faith, true faith, is always accompanied by works.  Faith that brings forth no good works is not real faith at all.  And so we truly are saved by faith alone -- real faith alone, that is.

For many Catholics, attempting to explain the faith to our separated brethren, this can be frustrating.  Why deny that we are saved by our faith and our good works together, and say we are only saved by faith alone, when you define "faith" as necessarily having good works?  Why teach the same thing that the Church has taught for 2000 years, but use the terminology of a sixteenth century heresy to do so?  Especially when the only time such terminology is found in the Bible, it is explicitly condemned?

And then you have some Protestants that still take sola fide in the way it was originally intended, in the literal sense, in that we are saved by our faith and nothing else will be considered.  These are usually also the ones who believe that we are assured (guaranteed) of our salvation after making a heart-felt act of faith, and nothing can lose heaven for us after that point.  A man can gun down a school of innocent children and if he was "saved" by his faith earlier on, he will go straight to heaven when he dies.  To these people, the works we do in our lives are completely irrelevant to our eternal destination.

When you are talking about this issue with non-Catholics, you have to distinguish which type of sola fide believer are you dealing with?  The one for which it is primarily a difference of terminology?  Or the one for whom it is a radical doctrine of faith?  You'll find often that for many, traces of the two can be found.

The following is taken from an actual conversation I had about this issue with a Baptist friend.  His comments are in italics.

John 1:12, only lists the words "receive" and "believe" as the requirements to become "sons of God".

But does not say that we only have to believe.  It does not say this alone is sufficient.

John 3:16 and 18 list only belief as the requirement for salvation.

But it does not say anywhere that belief is the only requirement.  It may be the primary one, the first one, but it is not listed as the only one.  James says that "even the demons believe -- and shudder." Obviously belief alone is not enough, or else the demons would be saved.  The fallen angels were ejected from heaven because of willful
disobedience.

Acts 16:31 "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house".

Again, belief is the first step, but it does not say here that it is the final step.  It does not say that this is the only requirement.

Romans 10:9-10 Belief and acknowledgment of Christ (i.e., placing one's faith in Him) are the only requirements listed for salvation.

Paul here is telling us that there is no distinction to be made between Jew and Gentile, that salvation is open to all through faith in Christ. But does he say that this "confession of the lips" is alone enough to gain us heaven?  No, we also have to believe with our hearts.  And heart faith, as opposed to just mental intellectual belief, brings action.  It requires us to act.  Confessing with the lips is itself an action.  He's not saying, "Say these words and you will be saved," like a magic formula.  What he's saying is, "Believe in your heart, and if you really mean it, act like it!  Confess it with your lips, tell the world!"

In any case, he does not say that faith all by itself is all that we need.

Romans 10:13:  "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved"

In my Bible it it has this section in quotes and refers us by footnote to Joel 2:32 and Acts 2:21.  I suspect that we'd have to study these other passages in their context to find out exactly what Paul means here.  But I can tell you what he does not mean.  He does not mean that everyone who merely invokes Jesus' name is guaranteed of eternal salvation.  For in Matthew 7:21 Christ tells us that not everyone who says, "Lord! Lord!" will be saved.  Scripture cannot contradict itself.

When people speak of interpreting the Bible in context, it does not merely mean that you have to read the paragraph before and after any statement.  It means you have to interpret it in the context of the entire Bible, for it is all infallible.

Romans 5:12 "...justified by faith..."

But not "faith alone."

Galatians 2:16 "...man is not justified by works..., but by faith of Jesus Christ.

But not "faith alone."

Ephesians 2:8-9  "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works,..."

Saved through faith, yes.  And not saved by works.  But are we saved by faith alone?  It does not say this.

Gen 15:6 "and he (Abraham) believed in the Lord:  and he counted it to him for righteousness"

You cite this passage as a text supporting "faith alone," but St. James cites this passage for the opposite conclusion.

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?  You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God.  You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (Jas. 2:21-24).

Who is better suited to interpret Scripture for us?  I put my faith in how St. James interprets this.

These are just a few passages detailing how one can be saved.  The only requirement listed is faith.

I agree 100% with all of these Biblical passages.  Yes, we are saved through our faith, which is what all of these passages are saying.  But none of them say "faith alone."  None of them say that nothing other than a single act of faith, or even a lifetime of faith with no actions to back it up (no change in our lives because of our faith), is necessary.

And in the interest of understanding Scripture in the context of all other Scripture (equally infallible, equally binding on our faith), I'd pass along these:
 

Mt 19:16-17, Jesus says that to have life we have to keep the commandments.

Jn 14:21, Jesus says that he who keeps my commandments loves me.

Rom 2:2-8, Paul says that we gain eternal life by persevering in good works.

Gal 5:4-6, Paul tells us that nothing counts except faith working through love.

Eph 2:8-10 Paul says that we are created in Christ for good works.

Phil 2:12-13 Paul says that he is working out his salvation through fear and trembling (not a one time done and over with event).

And Jas 2:14-24 that I have already quoted above that specifically says that man is not justified by faith alone.

It is our job, then, to take all the Scripture you have shared with us, all of which is 100% true, and take these Scripture passages here, all of which are equally as true, along with the rest of Scripture, and base our belief on that.

In accordance with Scripture, I do not believe that our works will save us.  Nor do I believe that faith all alone will save us, because the Scriptures tell us otherwise.  They are clear that it is both faith of the heart, and good works (following Christ's commandments) together that will save us.  So this is what I believe.

True.  However, each of those passages I quoted are explaining how to be saved and the only requirement they list is faith or belief.  Is the Scripture then incomplete?

No, I don't believe that it is.  But elsewhere in Scripture you cannot deny that it says our works are necessary and faith alone is not enough.  I've quoted various parts of the gospels and epistles to make that point. Each book, each chapter, each sentence in the Scriptures is not complete.  But the Bible as a whole is.  This is what you must look at.

I'm glad you brought up the passage that says even the demons believe.  There is a difference between an intellectual belief, such as the demons possess, and placing one's faith in Christ's sacrifice as sufficient for salvation.  It is this latter type, a faith of the heart as opposed to the head, that is necessary for salvation.

Yes, intellectual faith vs. heart faith.  What is the difference?  The best way I have of describing it is that intellectual faith is just faith of the mind.  Heart faith is faith of the mind and body.  In other words, your intellect consents and your body works.  Faith and works. So I would agree with you that heart-faith alone can save us, but I see
heart-faith as both faith and works together.

This heart-faith / intellectual faith distinction is one made by Peter Kreeft.  I believe I it would be good of me to transcribe the section of his chapter on faith and works, because we seem to be stumbling around what he says quite plainly.   It may help us come to some consensus.

The following is from Catholic Christianity by Peter J. Kreeft, a complete catechism of Catholic beliefs based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 

This is from Chapter 1, "Faith," section 15, "Faith and works."

Most Protestants, following Luther, believe that faith alone is sufficient for salvation.  The Catholic Church, following the New Testament (Mt 25; Jas 2), teaches that good works are also required. This was the single most important issue of the Protestant Reformation, the single most tragic division in the history of the Church.

But both Protestants and Catholics are beginning to see that their two apparently contradictory positions may have been saying the same essential thing in different words, words that seemed contradictory but perhaps were not.  Returning to the common data -- Scripture -- reveals that both key words, "faith" and "salvation", are used in two senses: sometimes more narrowly and sometimes more broadly:

a. In Romans and Galatians, for example, St. Paul uses "faith" broadly, to mean acceptance of God and his offer of salvation in Christ.  This is the free will choice of the will that saves us.  But in 1 Corinthians 13, St. Paul uses "faith" in a narrower sense in distinguishing faith from hope and love, and he says love is greater.  And St. James uses faith in a narrower sense when he says that faith alone does not save us.  That is, intellectual belief alone does not save us.

b. Scripture also uses "salvation" in two senses, broad and narrow. Salvation in the broad sense includes sanctification, being-made-saintly, being-made-holy; and this is a process that requires not faith lone but also good works.  Salvation in the narrower sense means just being accepted by God, or justified, forgiven for sin, being in a state of grace.  Catholics agree with Protestants that in this narrower sense of salvation we can be saved by faith alone -- that is, by faith in the broader sense, faith as a choice of the will, not just a belief of the intellect.  Faith is what lets the life of God into our soul.  The thief on the cross (Lk 23:33-43) had no time for good works, but he was saved by his faith.

To summarize, then,
a. we are neither justified (forgiven) nor sanctified (made holy) by intellectual faith alone (belief);
b. we are justified by will-faith, or heart-faith alone;
c. but this faith will necessarily produce good works,
d. and we are not sanctified by faith alone, in either sense, but only by faith plus good works.

. . . The Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone contradicts Scripture.  St. Paul never says we are justified by faith alone, and St. James explicitly says we are not justified by faith alone (Jas 2:24).

But Protestants can remind us of an infinitely important truth that we often forget: that we are not saved by good works alone; that we cannot buy our way into heaven with "enough" good deeds; that none of us can deserve heaven; and therefore if we were to die tonight and meet God, and God were to ask us why he should let us into heaven, if we are Christians our answer should not begin with the word "I" but with the word "Christ".