Merit & Reward:
Definition of Terms:
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Merit and Reward in Catholic Theology: Grace-Crowned Cooperation, Not Earned Wages
I. The Problem of “Merit”: A Word Easily Misunderstood
Few theological terms are as misunderstood as merit. In modern English, to merit often means to earn something that is owed as payment. In Catholic theology, however, merit does not mean earning salvation independently of grace, nor does it imply placing God in our debt.
Rather, merit describes the gracious reward God freely promises to acts done in grace, acts which themselves are already the result of His prior gift. The Catholic doctrine of merit is therefore not a rival to grace but a consequence of it.
This distinction is essential, because Scripture itself speaks plainly of reward according to works, while simultaneously insisting that salvation is a gift of grace.
II. Grace as the Absolute Foundation
Catholic theology begins where Scripture begins: nothing meritorious precedes grace.
- “By grace you have been saved through faith… not because of works” (Eph 2:8–9).
- “Not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but according to his mercy” (Titus 3:5).
- “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor 4:7).
No human action can obligate God apart from His own free decision. Merit is therefore covenantal, not contractual.
As the Catechism states:
“The merit of man before God… is due to God’s gratuitous initiative.” (CCC §2008)
III. Condign and Congruent Merit: Technical but Crucial Distinctions
Catholic theology distinguishes two kinds of merit: condign and congruent. These distinctions arose not to diminish grace, but to protect it from misunderstanding.
A. Condign Merit (
meritum de condigno
)
Condign merit refers to actions performed in sanctifying grace, united to Christ, which God has freely promised to reward. The “worthiness” involved is not intrinsic to the human act alone, but derives from Christ living and acting in the believer.
Biblical foundations include:
- “Whoever gives even a cup of cold water… shall not lose his reward” (Mt 10:42).
- “He will render to each one according to his works” (Rom 2:6).
- “If we endure, we shall also reign with him” (2 Tim 2:12).
Because the believer is incorporated into Christ, God crowns these works as His own gifts.
St. Augustine expresses this principle succinctly:
“When God crowns our merits, He crowns His own gifts.”¹
Thus, condign merit is not earning in the commercial sense, but filial reward within a relationship God Himself established.
B. Congruent Merit (
meritum de congruo
)
Congruent merit refers to acts that are not strictly owed a reward in justice, but which God, in His generosity, chooses to reward according to fittingness.
Examples include:
- prayers for others,
- acts done under actual grace prior to justification,
- intercessory suffering.
Scripture suggests this logic of divine generosity:
- “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Mt 6:4).
- “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (Jas 4:8).
Congruent merit emphasizes God’s kindness, not obligation. It presumes that God delights to respond to sincere cooperation, even where strict justice does not require it.
IV. Merit vs. “Earning”: Where Confusion Arises
A. Biblical Contrast: Reward vs. Wages
Scripture itself distinguishes reward from wages owed:
- “Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due” (Rom 4:4).
- “The free gift of God is eternal life” (Rom 6:23).
Catholic theology affirms Paul’s point entirely: salvation is never wages owed.
Yet Scripture simultaneously affirms reward:
- “Great is your reward in heaven” (Mt 5:12).
- “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Mt 6:20).
- “Each will receive his wages according to his labor” (1 Cor 3:8).
The tension is resolved when reward is understood as grace-crowned obedience, not payment for services rendered.
B. The English Problem: “Earn”
In everyday English, earn almost always implies:
- strict equivalence,
- contractual obligation,
- payment owed.
When Protestants hear Catholics speak of “merit,” they often assume Catholics mean earning salvation apart from grace. Historically, this is incorrect.
In Latin theology, meritum does not imply autonomous earning. It assumes:
- God freely promises reward,
- God supplies the grace to act,
- God graciously fulfills His promise.
Thus, merit exists because God wills it, not because He is compelled by justice external to Himself.
V. Biblical Synthesis: Grace First, Reward Real
The New Testament holds together three truths:
- Grace precedes all merit
- Jn 15:5; 1 Cor 15:10.
- Human cooperation matters
- Phil 2:12–13; Rom 8:13.
- God truly rewards obedience
- Mt 25:21; Rev 22:12.
Jesus Himself speaks this way:
“Well done, good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21).
A reward freely promised and lovingly given does not cease to be grace.
VI. Merit in the First Three Centuries of Christianity
A. Early Christian Context
The first Christians lived in:
- a world of persecution,
- moral contrast with pagan society,
- expectation of judgment and reward.
Salvation was understood as a lived allegiance, not a legal abstraction. Faith, obedience, martyrdom, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were all seen as responses to grace that God would reward.
B. Clement of Rome (1st Century)
Clement writes:
“We are not justified by ourselves… but by faith; yet let us be eager in good works.”²
Clement presupposes:
- justification is by grace,
- good works matter for final reward.
C. Ignatius of Antioch
Ignatius emphasizes obedience unto reward:
“Let us be found faithful in Christ, that we may obtain God.”³
This language reflects covenantal fidelity, not self-salvation.
D. Irenaeus of Lyons
Irenaeus presents merit within filial relationship:
“God bestows reward on those who persevere in love toward Him.”⁴
The reward flows from persevering participation, not legal entitlement.
E. Tertullian
Tertullian speaks frankly of reward:
“God will render to each according to his works.”⁵
Yet he consistently roots this in divine grace and discipline, not human sufficiency.
VII. Augustine’s Mature Synthesis
Augustine provides the clearest patristic formulation of Catholic merit theology:
- Grace precedes every good act,
- Human freedom truly cooperates,
- Reward is real but gratuitous.
He writes:
“God commands what we cannot do, that we may know what we ought to ask of Him.”⁶
And again:
“When God rewards our works, He rewards His own gifts.”¹
This formulation decisively rejects Pelagian “earning” while preserving biblical reward.
VIII. Conclusion: Merit as Grace Fulfilled, Not Grace Denied
The Catholic doctrine of merit teaches that:
- Nothing is earned apart from grace.
- God freely promises to reward works done in grace.
- Condign merit reflects God’s fidelity to His promises.
- Congruent merit reflects God’s generosity beyond strict justice.
- Merit is filial, not contractual.
- The early Church unanimously held this participatory, covenantal understanding.
Merit is not the denial of grace—it is grace brought to completion.
As Scripture concludes:
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Rev 22:12).
References & Footnotes
Scripture
Mt 5:12; 6:4, 20; 10:42; 25:21; Rom 2:6; 4:4; 6:23; 8:13; 1 Cor 3:8; 4:7; 15:10; Phil 2:12–13; 2 Tim 2:12; Rev 22:12.
Church Fathers
- Augustine, Epistle 194; Sermon 169.
- Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 32.
- Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians 10.
- Irenaeus, Against Heresies IV.38.
- Tertullian, On Repentance 6; Apology 18.
- Augustine, Confessions X.29.
Magisterial
- Catechism of the Catholic Church §§2006–2011.
- Council of Trent, Session VI.
Bible Verses:
Matthew 5:11-12;
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 6:1;
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:16-18;
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 10:4;
“And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”
Matthew 19:21;
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’”
1 Corinthians 3:8;
“He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.”
1 Corinthians 3:11–15;
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.”
1 Corinthians 15:58;
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
Hebrews 6:10;
“For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do.”
Revelation 22:12;
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”
Romans 2:6-11;
“For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.”
Galatians 6:7-10;
“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.”
Church Father Quotes:
The Epistle of Barnabas (Written ca 70 A.D.)
“Thou shall not hesitate to give, neither shalt thou murmur when giving, but thou shalt know who is the good paymaster of thy reward. Thou shalt keep those things which thou hast received, neither adding to them nor taking away from them. Thou shalt utterly hate the Evil One. Thou shalt judge righteously.” –The Epistle of Barnabas 19:11
Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.)
“Be pleasing to him whose soldiers you are, and whose pay you receive. May none of you be found to be a deserter. Let your baptism be your armament, your faith your helmet, your love your spear, your endurance your full suit of armor. Let your works be as your deposited withholdings, so that you may receive the back-pay which has accrued to you” (Letter to Polycarp 6:2 [A.D. 110]).
Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.)
“We have learned from the prophets and we hold it as true that punishments and chastisements and good rewards are distributed according to the merit of each man’s actions. Were this not the case, and were all things to happen according to the decree of fate, there would be nothing at all in our power” (First Apology 43 [A.D. 151]).
“We have been taught that God, in the beginning, in His goodness and for the sake of men, created all things out of formless matter. And if men, by their works, show themselves worthy of His design, they are deemed worthy, so we are told, to make their abode with Him and to reign with Him, being freed of all corruption and passion.. it is our position.. that every man will receive the eternal punishment or reward which his actions deserve.” –First Apology 10, 12 (Written 148 A.D.)
Tatian the Syrian (120-180 A.D.)
“[T]he wicked man is justly punished, having become depraved of himself; and the just man is worthy of praise for his honest deeds, since it was in his free choice that he did not transgress the will of God” (Address to the Greeks 7 [A.D. 170]).
Athenagoras of Athens (133-190 A.D.)
“And we shall make no mistake in saying, that the [goal] of an intelligent life and rational judgment, is to be occupied uninterruptedly with those objects to which the natural reason is chiefly and primarily adapted, and to delight unceasingly in the contemplation of Him Who Is, and of his decrees, notwithstanding that the majority of men, because they are affected too passionately and too violently by things below, pass through life without attaining this object. For . . . the examination relates to individuals, and the reward or punishment of lives ill or well spent is proportioned to the merit of each” (The Resurrection of the Dead 25 [A.D. 178]).
Theophilus of Antioch (Died 185 A.D.)
“He who gave the mouth for speech and formed the ears for hearing and made eyes for seeing will examine everything and will judge justly, granting recompense to each according to merit. To those who seek immortality by the patient exercise of good works [Rom. 2:7], he will give everlasting life, joy, peace, rest, and all good things, which neither eye has seen nor ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man [1 Cor. 2:9]. For the unbelievers and the contemptuous and for those who do not submit to the truth but assent to iniquity . . . there will be wrath and indignation [Rom. 2:8]” (To Autolycus 1:14 [A.D. 181]).
Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202 A.D.)
“[Paul], an able wrestler, urges us on in the struggle for immortality, so that we may receive a crown and so that we may regard as a precious crown that which we acquire by our own struggle and which does not grow upon us spontaneously. . . . Those things which come to us spontaneously are not loved as much as those which are obtained by anxious care” (Against Heresies 4:37:7 [A.D. 189]).
Tertullian of Carthage (155-240 A.D.)
“Again, we [Christians] affirm that a judgment has been ordained by God according to the merits of every man” (To the Nations 19 [A.D. 195]).
“A good deed has God for its debtor [cf. Prov. 19:17], just as also an evil one; for a judge is the rewarder in every case [cf. Rom. 13:3–4]” (Repentance 2:11 [A.D. 203]).
Hippolytus of Rome (170-235 A.D.)
“Standing before [Christ’s] judgment, all of them, men, angels, and demons, crying out in one voice, shall say: ‘Just is your judgment,’ and the justice of that cry will be apparent in the recompense made to each. To those who have done well, everlasting enjoyment shall be given; while to lovers of evil shall be given eternal punishment” (Against the Greeks 3 [A.D. 212]).
Origen of Alexandria (184-253 A.D.)
“The holy Apostles, in preaching the faith of Christ, treated with utmost clarity certain matters they believed necessary to the salvation of believers. It is taught also that the soul shall, after its departure from this world, be rewarded according to its merits. It is destined to obtain either an inheritance of eternal life, if it’s deeds have procured this for it, or to be delivered unto eternal fire and punishment, if the guilt of its crimes brought it down to this.” –Fundamental Doctrines Preface 3:5 (Written 220 A.D.)
Cyprian of Carthage (200-258 A.D.)
“The Lord denounces [Christian evildoers], and says, ‘Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name have cast out devils, and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you who work iniquity’ [Matt. 7:21–23]. There is need of righteousness, that one may deserve well of God the Judge; we must obey his precepts and warnings, that our merits may receive their reward” (The Unity of the Catholic Church 15, 1st ed. [A.D. 251]).
“[Y]ou who are a matron rich and wealthy, anoint not your eyes with the antimony of the devil, but with the collyrium of Christ, so that you may at last come to see God, when you have merited before God both by your works and by your manner of living” (Works and Almsgivings 14 [A.D. 253]).
Lactantius (250-325 A.D.)
“Let every one train himself to righteousness, mold himself to self-restraint, prepare himself for the contest, equip himself for virtue . . . [and] in his uprightness acknowledge the true and only God, may cast away pleasures, by the attractions of which the lofty soul is depressed to the earth, may hold fast innocence, may be of service to as many as possible, may gain for himself incorruptible treasures by good works, that he may be able, with God for his judge, to gain for the merits of his virtue either the crown of faith, or the reward of immortality” (Epitome of the Divine Institutes 73 [A.D. 317]).
Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386 A.D.)
“The root of every good work is the hope of the resurrection, for the expectation of a reward nerves the soul to good work. Every laborer is prepared to endure the toils if he looks forward to the reward of these toils” (Catechetical Lectures 18:1 [A.D. 350]).
Ambrose of Milan (340-397 A.D.)
“Each of our merits will hang in the balance, and it is often inclined to this side or that by the superior weight of either our good works or of our degenerate crimes. If evil deeds turn the scale, alas for me! But if good, then pardon is at hand. No one is free of sin; but where good works prevail, sins are lightened, overshadowed, and covered up. On the day of judgment either our works will assist us or they will plunge us into the abyss, as if dragged down by a millstone.” -Letter to Bishop Constantius 2:16 (Written 379 A.D.)
Jerome of Stridon (347-420 A.D.)
“It is our task, according to our different virtues, to prepare for ourselves different rewards. . . . If we were all going to be equal in heaven it would be useless for us to humble ourselves here in order to have a greater place there. . . . Why should virgins persevere? Why should widows toil? Why should married women be content? Let us all sin, and after we repent we shall be the same as the apostles are!” (Against Jovinian 2:32 [A.D. 393]).
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.)
“We are commanded to live righteously, and the reward is set before us of our meriting to live happily in eternity. But who is able to live righteously and do good works unless he has been justified by faith?” (Various Questions to Simplician 1:2:21 [A.D. 396]).
“He bestowed forgiveness; the crown he will pay out. Of forgiveness he is the donor; of the crown, he is the debtor. Why debtor? Did he receive something? . . . The Lord made himself a debtor not by receiving something but by promising something. One does not say to him, ‘Pay for what you received,’ but ‘Pay what you promised’” (Explanations of the Psalms 83:16 [A.D. 405]).
“What merits of his own has the saved to boast of when, if he were dealt with according to his merits, he would be nothing if not damned? Have the just then no merits at all? Of course they do, for they are the just. But they had no merits by which they were made just” (Letters 194:3:6 [A.D. 412]).
“What merit, then, does a man have before grace, by which he might receive grace, when our every good merit is produced in us only by grace and when God, crowning our merits, crowns nothing else but his own gifts to us?” (ibid., 194:5:19).
Prosper of Aquitaine (390-455 A.D.)
“Indeed, a man who has been justified, that is, who from impious has been made pious, since he had no antecedent good merit, receives a gift, by which gift he may also acquire merit. Thus, what was begun in him by Christ’s grace can also be augmented by the industry of his free choice, but never in the absence of God’s help, without which no one is able either to progress or to continue in doing good.” –Responses on Behalf of Augustine to the Articles of Objections Raised by his Calumniators in Gaul, 6 (Written in 431 A.D.)
“Indeed, some of these [Massilians] are so far from abandoning Pelagian paths that, when they are obliged to confess the grace of Christ, which is antecedent to any human merits, -for, were it given in view of merit, it would not be right to call it grace- they hold that the situation of every man is this: when man has no prior merits because he has no previous existence, the grace of the Creator makes him rational and gives him free choice, so that through his discernment of good and evil, he may be able to direct his own will to the knowledge of God and to obedience to His commands; and through the use of a natural faculty, by asking, by seeking, and by knocking, he is able to attain even to that grace by which we are reborn in Christ: and thus he can receive, he can find, and he can enter in, because, having made good use of a good gift of nature, he has merited, with the help of initial grace, to attain to the grace of salvation.” –Letter of Prosper of Aquitaine to Augustine of Hippo 225: 4 (Written 428 A.D.)
“Since there can be no doubt that perseverance to the end is a gift of God, -which, it is clear, that some from the very fact that they have not persevered, never had, – it is in no way a calumniation of God to say that these were not given what was given to others; rather, it is to be confessed both that He gave mercifully what He did give, and He withheld justly what He did not give, so that, although the cause of a man’s falling away originates in free choice, the cause of his standing firm is a gift from God. If falling away is done by human effort, standing firm is accomplished by means of a divine gift.” –Responses on Behalf of Augustine to the Articles of Objections Raised by his Calumniators in Gaul, 7 (Written in 431 A.D.)
Benedict of Nursia (480-548 A.D.)
“The Instruments of Good Works: In the first place to love the Lord God with the whole heart, the whole soul, the whole strength… Then, one’s neighbor as one’s self (cf Mt 22:37-39; Mk 12:30-31; Lk 10:27). . . Behold, these are the instruments of the spiritual art, which, if they have been applied without ceasing day and night and approved on judgment day, will merit for us from the Lord that reward which He hath promised: ‘The eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him’ (1 Cor 2:9).” -The Rule of St. Benedict Chap. 4 (Written in 516 A.D.)
Council of Orange II (529 A.D.)
“[G]race is preceded by no merits. A reward is due to good works, if they are performed, but grace, which is not due, precedes [good works], that they may be done” (Canons on grace 19 [A.D. 529]).
Non-Catholic Quotes:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor, anti-Nazi dissident, and a key founding member of the Confessing Church.
”The difference between ourselves and the rich young man is that he was not allowed to solace his regrets by saying: “Never mind what Jesus says, I can still hold on to my riches, but in a spirit of inner detachment. Despite my inadequacy I can take comfort in the thought that God has forgiven me my sins and can have fellowship with Christ in faith.” But no, he went away sorrowful. Because he would not obey, he could not believe. In this the young man was quite honest. He went away from Jesus and indeed this honesty had more promise than any apparent communion with Jesus based on disobedience.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (1937), p. 80
A.S. Bogeatzes, Eastern Orthodox theologian and author
“We are first “justified by faith” and then “empowered by God for good works and deeds of righteousness.” Orthodoxy believes one has to acquire faith then become righteous so that he can do good works. In essence, one follows the other. However, we do not discuss the one versus the other, as we look at them as a total unit. We believe that they are in union with one another; one cannot exist without the other in order to achieve salvation. It is up to us to commit to and acquire faith through God’s mercy, so that we will see the need and have the will to do good works and deeds of righteousness, in the hope we will obtain God’s final grace as the last Judgment. Good works is “a necessary consequence of a faith-filled heart,” but it is only part of the requirement of salvation. One cannot skip from justification of a faith-filled heart directly to the final step of being saved without performing good works and deeds of righteousness. The two are intimately linked, which allows believers to be assured of salvation through a changed heart and changed actions.” -A.S. Bogeatzes, (2010). Knowing and Living Your Orthodox Christian Faith: A Guide to Faith and Worship. WestBow Press. p. 145
Mel-Thomas Rothwell, Methodist Pastor
“after a man is saved and has genuine faith, his works are important if he is to keep justified. James 2:20-22, “But wilt thou known, O vain main, that faith without (apart from) works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou faith wrought with works, and by works was faith made perfect?” -Rothwell, Mel-Thomas; Rothwell, Helen F. (1998). A Catechism on the Christian Religion: The Doctrines of Christianity with Special Emphasis on Wesleyan Concepts. Schmul Publishing Co. p. 53.