Question: I am a practicing Catholic and have been involved in apologetics for the past six months. I have just recently stumbled upon your site and find it very helpful. I especially enjoyed your debate with "King" James White. (It seems his rebuttal section focused nearly entirely on a straw man argument that the Catholic position is Pelagian)
My question is in regards to Luther's definition of "faith alone" vs the recent agreement being reached between the Church and the Lutheran church. The agreement on a misunderstanding of what "faith alone" means is confusing. The current definition of faith alone, but faith that includes including charity (?) I can understand. However, I have read some quotes by Luther that explicitly say his idea of faith alone is apart from works. Two examples;
"Those pious souls who do good to gain the Kingdom of Heaven not only will never succeed, but they must even be reckoned among the impious; and it is more important to guard them against good works than against sin." (Wittenberg, VI, 160, quoted by O'Hare, in 'The Facts About Luther, TAN Books, 1987, p. 122.)
Speaking at the Augustinian church in Erfurt, Luther once again condemns good works--"of no avail and must be done away with. Mark these words: All our works are worthless. I am your justification, says Christ our Lord. . . . We don't care a straw for man-made laws. . . . Where true Christian charity and faith prevails, everything that a man does is meritorious and each one may do as he pleases, provided always that he accounts his works as nothing. . . . What matters it if we commit a fresh sin! so long as we do not despair but remember that Thou, O God, still lives!"[ Robert H. Fife The Revolt of Martin Luther New York 1957 652 Hartmann Grisar Luther, ed Luigi Cappadelta, 6 vols. St. Louis 1913 II 63, 339, quote on 63
Given the above quotes, is the current Lutheran definition of faith alone different than Luther's definition? Frankly I find the recent Lutheran definition, "faith alone" (alone/apart from what? works?) really means faith alone ( naturally leading to good works) extremely confusing and misleading.
Answer: Since there is no official Lutheran "magisterium" the exact meaning of their theological terms changes -- sometimes subtly -- in each generation. Luther's original ideas about justification were a jumble and in some cases he appears to contradict himself. That is because he never systematized his views but usually responded to his critics. As you know from the website, I believe that Luther was mentally ill and that his reactions to criticism were not altogether rational. Alsiter McGrath in his book "Iustita Dei" gives a good survey of most of the important schools of thought in the medieval and reformation periods on justification. he insists that Luther's ultimate view (as best as he could piece together) was more like that of Trent than like that of later confessional Lutheranism.
Luther actually believed in a kind of transformation in the person brought about by sanctification by the Holy Spirit which occurred after initial justification by imputed righteousness. But he measured that transformation in terms of a fiduciary faith alone. That is a faith composed of belief in Christ (faith proper) and a trust (hope) in His promises. Luther specifically excluded charity as necessary for salvation. (See his commentary on Galatians.)
Later confessional Lutheranism denied any transforming of the inner man per se. They saw sanctification as an external conformity to the will of God brought about by an external grace which manipulated people like the strings on a marionette.
This position has become harder to defend and savvy prots (like Norman Shepherd) have started to question this. They are more inclined now to accept Luther's idea of transformation, but not as part of justification.
This is the real difference between the Catholic and the modern Lutheran position as I understand it. We insist that justification and sanctification cannot be separated and are really the same thing. Initial Justification is just the beginning of the process. Grace empowers us to not merely conform to the righteous will of God but to actually "become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:20-21).
That is what Jesus meant when he said that "your righteousness must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees." The righteousness was to be OUR inherent righteousness, not merely his righteousness imputed to us.
The recent cath/luth agreement on justification is far from comprehensive, but it is a step in the right direction.
Art Sippo
The Catholic Legate