3. How Roman Catholic Belief on Justification differs from Protestant Belief

[4 pages when printed]

Elsewhere in the 'Doctrine for Everyone'  web page in Section 1 on 'Confidence in the Gospel' there is teaching which applies to the protestant understanding of justification by faith, especially the issue of credited righteousness which is essential to biblical belief. The purpose of this section is to show how  Roman Catholic belief differs greatly on this matter. Despite changes in Catholic practice, such as greater freedom for the laity to read the Bible for themselves - which is to be welcomed - there has been no change in Catholic belief on justification. 

Remember the question is "How is a person saved?

1. Contrary to popular belief, Roman Catholicism (RC) does not strictly believe in justification by works or human effort, although at first sight it might look like it and many Catholics think that's what it is. Its teaching on the importance of works must be very clearly understood.

2. RC certainly affirms that salvation is by grace alone; ie justification is God's gracious act. 'even the desire to be cleansed [from sin] is accomplished through the infusion and the interior working of the Holy Spirit' (Second Council of Orange AD 529).

Also Roman theology may speak of justification by faith (see later) but in both cases (by grace and by faith) its reasoning must be carefully followed to discern exactly what is meant and where it leads.

3. Despite the recognition that God's grace must first call out faith in a person before they can be justified, justification in Roman theology is not the same as in reformed biblical theology.

For example, the editors of the Douay (RC) version of the Bible placed the following words as footnotes to Romans 3 and 4. ...

"The justification of which St. Paul here speaks is the infusion of sanctifying grace which alone renders a person supernaturally pleasing in the sight of God. But justification, that is, an infusion of sanctifying grace, cannot be merited by us; it is an entirely gratuitous gift of God." (Note the reference to 'infusion' ie within the believer)

Commenting on Rom.4:5 'his faith is credited as justice*'  the footnote continues .."when God, who is infinite truth, credits something to a man, it is equivalent to saying that he imparts it really to man; for there is no make believe with God" [in modern translations 'righteousness' replaces 'justice'] (Note the reference to 'imparts' which is again within the believer)

From these notes, emerges the RC definition of justification as "the infusion (or imparting) of sanctifying grace" - in other words that which happens IN the believer. But this is fundamentally at variance with protestant theology in which justification means the declaration of acquittal by God without any reference to 'infusion' which belongs to sanctification. So the RC definition confuses justification with sanctification.

4. Thus in RC theology, justification is the work of God WITHIN the believer whereby he is gradually transformed into a person pleasing enough to be acceptable to God. So (according to Roman theology) a person's salvation is not settled as a result of God's justifying declaration but depends on the outworking of God's grace IN the believer.

5. In summary then, RC teaches that justification is God's renovating act WITHIN the believer, who is justified on the basis of what the Holy Spirit has done in him. 

So a devout Catholic may say 'righteousness by faith means that I cannot save myself, but by faith I can receive God's transforming grace which can change my heart so that I can become acceptable to God' . 

Or to use the words of Jean Daujat in "The theology of Grace"... 'Sinful man cannot, of himself, be pleasing to God. For that he must receive a gift from God which transforms him interiorly, cleanses him and sanctifies him by adorning him with qualities that render him pleasing to his creator.' 

Please note the unrelenting emphasis on what happens WITHIN the believer as being the basis of acceptance with God. This is totally different from protestant understanding of the teaching of the Bible. We believe that the Bible teaches that nothing at all that happens within us- even if it is the work of God's Spirit - makes us acceptable to God. Only Christ's life and death on our behalf, received by faith can render us acceptable. The RC believer can have no assurance that he is saved because he doesn't know if the Spirit has done enough to make him acceptable.

6. The Council of Trent met in January 1547 to determine RC belief on justification, in response to the new protestant belief arising from the Reformation. The Council's statements remain the basis of Roman Catholic belief. The 'internal' definition of justification is further confirmed by Gregory Stevens who quotes Council statements as follows (my comment in italics) 

"If anyone says that men are justified   ..... excluding the grace and charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Spirit and adheres in them ... let him be anathema." (this confirms the internal work of the Holy Spirit as the basis of acceptance with God)

"no one can know with the certitude of faith admitting no error, that he has obtained God's  grace" (this confirms that a Roman Catholic cannot be assured of his salvation)

"the justified man can advance 'from virtue to virtue, renewed day by day, by good works'; 'the justified increase in the very justice they have received through the grace of Christ, and are justified the more.'" (this confirms that a Roman Catholic can believe that he is increasing his acceptance with God).

Here is another quotation from a Catholic spokesman "Filled with the Spirit, we are able after justification to perform works which are meritorious, not because we are human beings, but because the grace of the Holy Spirit is working within us. So there is a very sharp distinction to be drawn: before justification, we can do nothing to merit salvation; afterwards by God's grace we can." Father Edward Yarnold S.J., a member of ARCICI and ARCICII published in 'The Newman' May 1988. (This confirms the RC view that works adding to our salvation may be performed with the help of the grace of God. Incidentally, with all this emphasis on the work of the Spirit helping with meritorious works, it is not difficult to see how RC finds it easy to accept charismatic teaching)

Here is a summary in table form, previously published in Verdict magazine : the statements may at first seem to be repetitious, but from every angle they seek to make the differences crystal clear. 

Finally, we need to deal with a common criticism often made by Catholics of what they understand Protestants to be saying. It is this:  'If justification is by faith alone, and good works do not help the sinner to merit salvation, why shouldn't the believer simply have faith and then live as he wishes, since neither his sins nor his bad works are of any consequence for his salvation?'

This is a good question and needs answering, as follows: 

Certainly the sinner cannot of himself have faith without the regenerating work of God's Spirit (Eph.2:5). However,  when the sinner puts his faith in Christ's life and death, which alone are the grounds of his salvation, then in addition to being declared righteous, two things happen: 1. God's Spirit indwelling the believer, works for his sanctification (Rom.12:2b 'be transformed by the renewing of your mind') leading him to fight sin and do good works (Rom.6:1-14), and 2. the believer knowing that he has been saved from the wrath of God, co-operates with the Spirit to live in a way that pleases God. No one who truly understands what he has been saved from, can then live as if sin didn't matter. Good works are the fruit of justification, not the grounds for it.

Further explanation of the meaning of justification and its difference from sanctification may be found in the first Article on this web page "Confidence in the Gospel: Part 2 'Living under the Power of the Gospel' ".

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