Justification

Justification is sometimes viewed as the theological fault line between Catholicism and Protestantism.  In Lutheran and Reformed doctrine, righteousness is imputed to the inherently ungodly, by grace, through faith and that “faith alone suffices for justification, and that consequently the observance of the moral law is not necessary.”  Righteousness is credited to the sinner’s account through faith alone, apart from works. Luther saw God as a judge who makes a legal declaration about our righteousness, but who does not heal and transform us in any way, nor call us to a life of deepening holiness. For Luther, the original sin of our first parents injured human nature so badly that we are “totally depraved,” and incapable of doing any good at all and so our personal choices do not affect our salvation one way or another.  If Calvin and Luther were right, then the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is reduced to simply a desired ideal that we are incapable of obtaining. Rather, Jesus taught that our personal choices do impact our eternal salvation by proclaiming that the gate that leads to life is “narrow” and the road “hard” (Matt. 7:13-14), and that every one of his disciples must pick up their cross and carry it (Matt. 10:37-39, 16:24-26).

For Catholics, then, the doctrine of justification is not as simple as having a succinct formula such as “by grace alone through faith alone.”  This does not mean that the question of how we are justified cannot be answered, but it is considered a more complex question that can be answered in different ways.  It would be similar to asking the question “how can one have a good marriage?”  There are many ways one could answer this question and all could be correct.  For instance, a Catholic may answer that “we are saved by God’s grace alone” and would be correct considering that God’s grace is the sole agent which brings about our salvation.  Salvation is impossible for man alone and was brought about by the redeeming work of Christ and therefore it is solely by God’s grace alone that we are saved.  However, this cannot be to the exclusion of faith because it is through faith in Christ that God’s redeeming grace works in us.  A Catholic may then answer that “we are saved by faith alone” and would be correct considering that faith holds a certain primacy in its causal effect as it is through our faith in Christ that God’s grace is allowed to grow and strengthen us and enable us to perform good works.  However, this cannot be to the exclusion of good works for if one does not act on that faith, then that faith is dead (James 2:24) and as Christ Himself said “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father” (Matt 7:21).  A Catholic may also answer that “it is through baptism that we are saved” and this would be in accordance with Scripture; “this water prefigured baptism, which now saves you,” (1 Peter 3:21).  These various interchangeable ways of answering the question reflects Scripture, which also gives various answers.  For example; “repent and be baptized..” (Acts 2:38) “he who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matt 10:22) we are “justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Rom 3:28) and “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

Catholics and Protestants agree that God’s grace is fundamental and indispensable to our eternal salvation as Christians. And that initial justification—i.e., when we first come into relationship with Jesus Christ—is a completely unwarranted divine gift.  Even our first inclination towards God is a result of God’s grace calling us (John 6:44, 6:65).  However, Catholics, Orthodox, and Methodists distinguish between initial justification and final justification.  Our initial justification is the grace that God first extends to us without any action or faith of our own prompting, but is rather wholly unwarranted.  However, it is how we respond to that grace that determines our ongoing justification.  For example, a father may give his son money to put into the collection basket.  The son then has a choice of what to do with that money; put it in the basket or try to keep it.  If he decides to put it in the basket, then the father may reward his obedience with some kind of praise.  The son did nothing to earn the money in the first place; it was credited to him by the father for a purpose.  Because the son fulfilled that purpose with obedience, the father then praised him.  Through our initial justification -that moment God calls us to follow him- God gives us the grace to have faith and trust in Him, but God also obligates us to abide in him (John 14:15) and grow progressively in holiness (see Matt. 5:43-48). We must act on that faith, otherwise it is just lip service.  This progressive growth after initial justification is known as ongoing justification or sanctification. In ongoing justification or sanctification, we continue to grow in holiness by acting upon the faith given us through grace by performing works of love and charity.  This is not “works righteousness” or “salvation by works” as the Church’s teaching is sometimes caricatured. The belief that works alone can save was propagated in the 400’s by the heretic Pelagius, which the Catholic Church expressly condemned.  The Church teaches that works apart from grace cannot contribute to our salvation because even our good works only have “merit” because they are rooted in and aided by Christ’s love (CCC 2006–16). St. Augustine, an ardent opponent of Pelagius, taught that “God created us without us. But he did not will to save us without us.”

Thus, in Catholic doctrine, one is saved by Christ’s grace alone, which is poured out into one’s soul at baptism and transforms the soul from the state of sin and enmity with God to that of grace and divine sonship, whereby the Holy Spirit infuses the gifts of faith, hope and charity into the soul. One must persevere in that state of grace, full of faith, hope and love, and act upon it by showing love and charity to others throughout one’s life.  It is only in consistently responding to God’s grace that we are capable of acting upon our faith.  It is through an act of faith that we receive the sacraments, which in turn provide grace in order to aid us in growing in holiness.  It is only in holiness that we are even capable of entering heaven (Revelation 21:27).  Our final salvation is thus the result of a lifetime of God’s grace transforming us and aiding us in becoming perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect and thus enabling us to obtain eternal life.  For more, see Sanctification and Purgatory.