Faith & Works:
Definition of Terms:
|
Grace, Faith, and Works in Catholic Theology: One Salvation, Three Inseparable Dimensions
I. The Catholic Synthesis: Grace as Source, Faith as Reception, Works as Fruit
Catholic theology holds that salvation is entirely by grace, received through faith, and lived out through works of love. These are not competing principles but distinct aspects of a single salvific reality.
- Grace is God’s free initiative.
- Faith is the human response to grace.
- Works are the Spirit-empowered expression of faith in love.
Scripture presents this unity clearly:
- “By grace you have been saved through faith… not because of works” (Eph 2:8–9).
- “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2:10).
Thus, works are excluded as the cause of salvation, but required as its goal and manifestation.
The Catholic Church rejects both:
- Pelagianism (salvation by human effort), and
- Antinomianism (faith without obedience).
Instead, it affirms a covenantal and participatory model of salvation.
II. Paul and “Works of the Law”: What Is Being Rejected?
A. The Phrase “Works of the Law” (ἔργα νόμου)
When Paul insists that a person is “not justified by works of the law” (Gal 2:16; Rom 3:28), Catholic theology asks a historically grounded question:
Which works? Which law? And in what context?
Paul’s letters—especially Romans and Galatians—are written in the context of a Jew–Gentile controversy over covenant membership.
Key texts establish this context:
- “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law” (Gal 2:15–16).
- “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also?” (Rom 3:29).
- “If you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you” (Gal 5:2).
These passages show that Paul’s concern is not moral effort in general, but reliance on Torah boundary markers—especially circumcision, dietary laws, and ritual observances—as the basis for covenant inclusion.
B. Circumcision and Covenant Identity
Circumcision is explicitly identified as central to the dispute:
- “We did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might remain with you” (Gal 2:5).
- “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but faith working through love” (Gal 5:6).
Paul is opposing the idea that Gentiles must become Jews in order to belong to the people of God.
III. Paul Does Not Reject Obedience or Good Works
Paul explicitly affirms the necessity of moral obedience:
- “God will repay each person according to what they have done” (Rom 2:6).
- “The doers of the law will be justified” (Rom 2:13).
- “If you live according to the flesh, you will die” (Rom 8:13).
He also describes salvation in participatory terms:
- “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
- “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you” (Phil 2:12–13).
Thus, Paul excludes works of the law as covenant markers, not works of obedience flowing from grace.
IV. James 2: Faith Completed by Works
James addresses a different—but complementary—problem: a dead, purely intellectual faith.
- “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” (Jas 2:14).
- “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas 2:24).
James uses Abraham as an example—not at Genesis 15 (faith alone), but at Genesis 22 (faith completed by obedience):
- “Faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works” (Jas 2:22).
This does not contradict Paul. Rather:
- Paul speaks against reliance on Mosaic identity markers.
- James speaks against empty profession without obedience.
Both affirm:
- Faith initiates justification.
- Obedience brings it to maturity.
V. Grace, Faith, and Works in the Economy of Salvation
Catholic theology synthesizes Scripture as follows:
- Grace precedes all human response (Jn 6:44; Rom 9:16).
- Faith receives justification (Rom 5:1).
- Works cooperate with grace and preserve communion with God (Jn 15:6; Rom 6:16).
- Final judgment considers lived faith (Mt 25:31–46; Rom 2:6–7).
Paul himself expresses this synthesis succinctly:
- “What counts is faith working through love” (Gal 5:6).
VI. The Early Church on Faith, Works, and Salvation
A. No “Faith Alone” Doctrine
No Church Father taught justification by faith alone in the later Reformation sense.
Clement of Rome (c. AD 96) wrote:
“We are not justified by ourselves… but by faith; yet let us hasten to be found in the number of those who wait for him by works.”¹
Ignatius of Antioch emphasized lived obedience:
“Those who profess Christ will be recognized by what they do.”²
Irenaeus taught participatory righteousness:
“Man is justified by obedience, not by hearing alone.”³
B. Augustine: Grace First, Cooperation Always
St. Augustine articulated the classic Catholic balance:
“He who created you without you will not justify you without you.”⁴
Augustine rejected Pelagianism, yet insisted that grace-enabled works are truly meritorious because God crowns His own gifts.
VII. Dead Sea Scrolls and “Works of the Law”
The Dead Sea Scrolls, particularly 4QMMT (Miqsat Ma‘ase ha-Torah), are crucial. This text uses the exact phrase “works of the law” to describe specific Jewish legal observances that distinguished sectarian identity.
These include:
- purity regulations,
- calendar observance,
- dietary laws.
This confirms that in Second Temple Judaism, “works of the law” referred to boundary-defining practices, not generic good deeds.
Paul’s language is therefore intra-Jewish and covenantal, not anti-moral.
VIII. The New Perspective on Paul (NPP)
Modern scholars such as E.P. Sanders, James D.G. Dunn, and N.T. Wright argue that:
- First-century Judaism was not a religion of “works-righteousness.”
- Jews believed they entered the covenant by grace and stayed in by obedience (“covenantal nomism”).
- Paul’s critique concerns who belongs to the covenant, not how one earns salvation.
N.T. Wright summarizes:
“Justification is not about how someone gets saved, but about how you tell who belongs to the people of God.”⁵
This aligns closely with the Catholic reading and challenges post-Reformation assumptions.
IX. Reformation Misunderstandings?
Many scholars argue that Martin Luther, shaped by late medieval anxieties and abuses, read Paul through the lens of his own struggle with guilt rather than first-century Judaism.
Common critiques include:
- Conflating “works of the law” with all moral effort.
- Treating justification as purely forensic.
- Opposing Paul to James rather than reading them canonically.
Even Protestant scholars now acknowledge that Luther’s reading, while pastorally powerful, was historically anachronistic.
X. Conclusion: One Gospel, Fully Orbed
Catholic theology affirms:
- Salvation is entirely by grace.
- Faith is essential and primary.
- Works are necessary as grace’s fruit, not its cause.
- Paul and James address different errors.
- The early Church unanimously held a transformational, participatory view of salvation.
- Modern scholarship increasingly confirms this reading.
Grace initiates, faith receives, works complete—all in Christ, all by grace.
References & Footnotes
Scripture
Rom 2–4; 5:1; 6:16; 8:13; Gal 2–5; Eph 2:8–10; Phil 2:12–13; Jas 2:14–26; Mt 25:31–46; Jn 6:44; 15:6.
Church Fathers
- Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 32.
- Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Magnesians 10.
- Irenaeus, Against Heresies IV.37.
- Augustine, Sermon 169.
Second Temple Judaism
- 4QMMT (Dead Sea Scrolls).
Modern Scholarship
- N.T. Wright, What Saint Paul Really Said (1997).
E.P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism (1977).
James D.G. Dunn, The New Perspective on Paul (2008).
Magisterial
- Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1987–2029.
- Council of Trent, Session VI.
Bible Verses:
James 2:14-26
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20 Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.
James 2:24
“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’
2 Corinthians 5:10
For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
Romans 2:6-10
“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being 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.”
Philippians 2:12-13
“Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”
Revelation 2:23
“I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.”
Matthew 19:17
“If you would enter life, keep the commandments”
Luke 18:14
“For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted”
John 5:28-29
“All who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”
Ephesians 5:3-14
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
“do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:6, 19-21
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love…. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Church Father Quotes:
Clement I of Rome (Martyred 96 A.D.)
“Let us therefore join with those to whom grace is given by God. Let us clothe ourselves in concord, being humble and self- controlled, keeping ourselves far from all backbiting and slander, being justified by works and not by words….Why was our Father Abraham blessed? Was it not because of his deeds of justice and truth, wrought in faith?…So we, having been called through his will in Christ Jesus, were not justified through ourselves or through our own wisdom or understanding or piety or works which we wrought in holiness of heart, but through faith, whereby the almighty God justified all men.” (Letter to the Corinthians 30:3, 31:2, 32:3-4).
Polycarp of Smyrna (69-155 A.D.)
“(Jesus Christ), who is coming as judge of the living and the dead, for whose blood God will hold responsible those who disobey him… But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; not rendering evil for evil.” –Letter to the Philippians Chap. 2 (Written in 135 A.D.)
“Stand fast, therefore, in these things, and follow the example of the Lord. . . When you can do good, defer it not, because alms delivers from death. (Tobit 4:10, Tobit 12:9) Be all of you subject one to another (1 Peter 5:5) having your conduct blameless among the Gentiles, that you may both receive praise for your good works, and the Lord may not be blasphemed through you. But woe to him by whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed! Teach, therefore, sobriety to all, and manifest it also in your own conduct.” –Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Ch. 10
“Let us then be imitators of His patience; and if we suffer (Acts 5:41; 1 Peter 4:16) for His name’s sake, let us glorify Him. For He has set us this example (1 Peter 2:21) in Himself, and we have believed that such is the case.” –Epistle of Polycarp to the Philippians, Ch. 8
Theophilus of Antioch
“Give studious attention to the prophetic writings, and they will lead you on a clearer path to escape the eternal punishments and to obtain the eternal good things of God. 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, he will give everlasting life, joy, peace, rest, and all good things, which neither has eye seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man. For the unbelievers and for the contemptuous, and for those who do not submit to the truth but assent to iniquity, when they have been involved in adulteries and fornications and homosexualities and avarice and in lawless idolatries, there will be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish, and in the end such men as these will be detained in everlasting fire” (To Autolycus 1:14 [ca. A.D. 181]).
Clement of Alexandria
“When we hear, ‘Your faith has saved you,’ we do not understand the Lord to say simply that they will be saved who have believed in whatever manner, even if works have not followed. To begin with, it was to the Jews alone that he spoke this phrase, who had lived in accord with the law and blamelessly and who had lacked only faith in the Lord” (Stromateis or Miscellanies 6:14:108:4 [post A.D. 202]).
Origen of Alexandria
“Whoever dies in his sins, even if he profess to believe in Christ, does not truly believe in him; and even if that which exists without works be called faith, such faith is dead in itself, as we read in the epistle bearing the name of James” (Commentaries on John 19:6 [A.D. 226-232]).
Cyprian of Carthage
“You, then, who are rich and wealthy, buy for yourself from Christ gold purified in fire, for with your filth, as if burned away in the fire, you can be like pure gold, if you are cleansed by almsgiving and by works of justice. Buy yourself a white garment so that, although you had been naked like Adam and were formerly frightful and deformed, you may be clothed in the white garment of Christ. You who are a matron rich and wealthy, anoint not your eyes with the antimony of the devil, but with the salve 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 Almsgiving 14 [A.D. 252]).
“‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. . . Then I will say to them, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (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 (Written 251 A.D.)
Aphrahat the Persian Sage
“Great is the gift which he that is good has given to us. While not forcing us, and in spite of our sins he wants us to be justified. While he is in no way aided by our good works, he heals us that we may be pleasing in his sight. When we do not wish to ask of him, he is angry with us. He calls out to all of us constantly; ‘Ask and receive, and when you seek, you shall find’” (Treatises 23:48 [A.D. 336-345]).
Gregory of Nyssa
“Paul, joining righteousness to faith and weaving them together, constructs of them the breastplates for the infantryman, armoring the soldier properly and safely on both sides. A soldier cannot be considered safely armored when either shield is disjoined from the other. Faith without works of justice is not sufficient for salvation; neither is righteous living secure in itself of salvation, if it is disjoined from faith” (Homilies on Ecclesiastes 8 [ca. A.D. 335- 394]).
John Chrysostom
“‘He that believes in the Son has everlasting life.’ ‘Is it enough, then, to believe in the Son,’ someone will say, ‘in order to have everlasting life?’ By no means! Listen to Christ declare this himself when he says, ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord! Lord!” shall enter into the kingdom of heaven’; and the b.asphemy against the Spirit is alone sufficient to cast him into hell. But why should I speak of a part of our teaching? For if a man believe rightly in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Spirit, but does not live rightly, his faith will avail him nothing toward salvation” (Homilies on the Gospel of John 31:1 [circa A.D. 391]).
“That you may not then, when you hear that He has chosen us, imagine that faith alone is sufficient, he proceeds to add life and conduct. To this end, says he, has He chosen us, and on this condition, that we should be holy and without blemish.” -Homily 1 on Ephesians
“Since though he has said here, He that believes in the Son has eternal life, and in the same place something even stronger, (for he weaves his discourse not of blessings only, but of their contraries also, speaking thus: He that believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him;) yet not even from this do we assert that faith alone is sufficient to salvation. And the directions for living given in many places of the Gospels show this. Therefore he did not say, This by itself is eternal life, nor, He that does but believe in the Son has eternal life, but by both expressions he declared this, that the thing does contain life, yet that if a right conversation follow not, there will follow a heavy punishment.” –Homily 31 on John
“For transparent madness it is to despise so great a dignity, without which it is not possible to obtain either our own salvation, or the good things which have been promised to us. For if no one can enter into the kingdom of Heaven except he be regenerate through water and the Spirit, and he who does not eat the flesh of the Lord and drink His blood is excluded from eternal life, and if all these things are accomplished only by means of those holy hands, I mean the hands of the priest, how will any one, without these, be able to escape the fire of hell, or to win those crowns which are reserved for the victorious?” –On the Priesthood 3.5
Ambrose of Milan
“He calls each blessed, both him whose sins are remitted by the font, and him whose sin is covered by good works. For he who repents ought not only to wash away his sin by his tears, but also to cover and hide his former transgressions by amended deeds, that sin may not be imputed to him.” –On Repentance 2.5.35
“We have also noted already that the blessedness of eternal life is the reward for good works.” –On the Duties of the Clergy 2.3.9
Jerome of Stridon
“‘But since in the Law no one is justified before God, it is evident that the just man lives by faith.’ It should be noted that he does not say that a man, a person, lives by faith, lest it be thought that he is condemning good works. Rather, he says the ‘just’ man lives by faith. He implies thereby that whoever would be faithful and would conduct his life according to the faith can in no other way arrive at the faith or live in it except first he be a just man of pure life, coming up to the faith by certain degrees” (Commentaries on Galatians 2:3:11 [A.D. 386]).
Augustine of Hippo
“‘He was handed over for our offenses, and he rose again for our justification.’ What does this mean, ‘for our justification’? So that he might justify us, so that he might make us just. You will be a work of God, not only because you are a man, but also because you are just. For it is better that you be just than that you are a man. If God made you a man, and you made yourself just, something you were doing would be better than what God did. But God made you without any cooperation on your part. You did not lend your consent so that God could make you. How could you have consented, when you did not exist? But he who made you without your consent does not justify you without your consent. He made you without your knowledge, but he does not justify you without your willing it” (Sermons 169:13 [inter A.D. 391-430]).
“‘But we know that God does not hear sinners; but if any man is a worshiper of God and does his will, that man God will hear.’ He still speaks as one only anointed. For God does listen to sinners too. If God did not listen to sinners, it would have been all in vain for the publican to cast down his eyes to the ground and strike his breast saying: ‘Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ And that confession merited justification, just as the blind man merited enlightenment” (Homilies on the Gospel of John 44:13 [A.D. 416]).
Caesar of Arles
“I beg you, beloved brethren, let us consider more attentively why we are Christians and bear the cross of Christ on our forehead. For we ought to know that it is not enough for us that we have received the name Christian, if we do not do Christian works. If you say a thousand times that you are a Christian and continually sign yourself with the cross of Christ, but do not give alms according to your means, and you do not want to have love and justice and chastity, the name of Christian will profit you nothing….Above all, as I already said before, give alms to the poor according to your means. Present offerings to be consecrated on the altar; a man of means should blush to communicate in the offering of another. Those who are able should give either candles or oil which can be put in lamps. Know the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer yourselves and teach them to you children. I do not know how a man can call himself a Christian…when he neglects [this]” (Sermons 13:1-2 [ante A.D. 542]).
Fulgentius of Ruspe (467-527 A.D.)
“Just as the flesh does not have life of its very self, but receives it from the soul, so too man cannot have faith unless he receives it as the gift of God, the Donor. And just as for the flesh to live is the work of the soul alone, so too for man to believe is the work of grace alone; and just as the flesh can do nothing if it lacks a soul to vivify it, so too man can will nothing good if the assistance of grace is withdrawn from him. So that the flesh, therefore, may be able to live and operate, it is supported by the enlivening presence of the soul; man too, so that he may will or do what is good, is helped constantly by the assistance of vivifying grace.” Letter Of Fulgence And Fourteen Other African Bishops Exiled In Sardinia, to Various Of Their Brethren 2240 [17, 47]
Caesarius of Arles (468-542 A.D.)
“I beg you, beloved brethren, let us consider more attentively why we are Christians and bear the cross of Christ on our forehead. For we ought to know that it is not enough for us that we have received the name Christian, if we do not do Christian works. If you say a thousand times that you are a Christian and continually sign yourself with the cross of Christ, but do not give alms according to your means, and you do not want to have love and justice and chastity, the name of Christian will profit you nothing…. Above all, as I already said before, give alms to the poor according to your means. Present offerings to be consecrated on the altar; a man of means should blush to communicate in the offering of another. Those who are able should give either candles or oil which can be put in lamps. Know the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer yourselves and teach them to you children. I do not know how a man can call himself a Christian by signing his forehead when he neglects to learn the few short lines of the Creed or the Lord’s Prayer. . . Go to church every Sunday; for if the unfortunate Jews celebrate the Sabbath with such great devotion that they do no earthly work on that day, how much more should Christians devote themselves to God alone on Sunday and go to church for the salvation of their souls?” –Sermons 13:1-2 [ante A.D. 542]).
”There are many people who exert greater care for their bodies than they do for their soul. But they should devote a greater solicitude for their souls, where the image of God is. When the flesh, which they loved so much, begins to be devoured by worms in the grave, the soul is presented to God by the angels in heaven. Then, if it has been good, it is crowned; but if evil, it will be cast out into darkness.” –Sermons [5 (301), 5]
Pope Gregory I “the Great” (540-604 A.D.)
“Neither faith without works nor works without faith is of any avail, except, perhaps, that works may go towards the reception of faith, just as Cornelius, before he had become one of the faithful, merited to be heard on account of his good works. From this it can be gathered that his performance of good works furthered his reception of faith” (Homilies on Ezekiel 1:9:6 [A.D. 593]).
“The good we do is both of God and of ourselves. It is God’s through prevenient Grace, ours through obedient free will. For if it is not God’s, why do we give thanks to Him in eternity? And again, if it is not ours, why do we hope that a reward will be given us? It is not improper that we give thanks; for we know that we were anticipated for God’s gift, And again, it is not improper that we seek a reward, because we know that by obedient free will we chose to do what is good.” –Moral Teachings Drawn From Job (inter A. D. 578-595] [33, 21, 40]
Maximus the Confessor (580-662 A.D.)
“Do not say that you are the temple of the Lord, writes Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 7:4); nor should you say that faith alone in our Lord Jesus Christ can save you, for this is impossible unless you also acquire love for Him through your works. As for faith by itself, the devils also believe, and tremble (Jas. 2:19).” –The Philokalia: The Complete Text compiled by St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth
Non-Catholic Quotes:
Alistair McGrath, Protestant Scholar
“The first centuries of the western theological tradition appear to be characterized by a ‘works-righteousness’ approach to justification . . . The Protestant understanding of the nature of justification thus represents a theological novum.” -McGrath, Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 34,215
Alan P. Stanley
“If by works we mean works prior to conversion and thus originating from ourselves, then it is clear—Jesus did not teach salvation by works. If, however, we mean final or eschatological salvation and post-conversion works originating from God himself, then, yes, Jesus did teach salvation by works—in the same way that James taught justification by works.” –Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works?
Martin Luther, Father of the Protestant Reformation
“(the Epistle of James) is flatly against St. Paul and all the rest of Scripture in ascribing justification to works. . . . He mangles the scriptures and thereby opposes Paul and all Scripture.” -pre-1530 version of Preface to the Epistles of St. James
“I will not have him in my Bible to be numbered among the true chief books.” -pre-1530 version of Preface to the Epistles of St. James
“should throw the epistle of James out of this school, for it doesn’t amount to much.” -pre-1530 version of Preface to the Epistles of St. James
“Therefore St. James’ epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the gospel about it.” -LW 35:362
(in response to adding the word alone to Romans 3:28) “If your papist wants to make so much fuss about the word sola [alone] tell him this, ‘Dr. Martin Luther will have it so, and says that a papist and an ass are the same thing.’” -Luther’s Works, Volume 35:Word and Sacrament I (Luther’s Works (Augsburg))