I really was hoping you'd have more quotes from the Fathers (other than one)stating specifically that 'we are justified by faith alone', as this is the charge Rome constantly brings against the Protestant Church, implying the novelty of the doctrine. I was specifically hoping to see the word 'ALONE' attached to faith when it comes to justification.
@prism
I think perhaps you are confusing the issue of the "L" ("Jesus did NOT die for all but ONLY, exclusively, solely for SOME few") with the issue of initial justification. By mixing the issues, you may just be blurring things.
As
@Albion has shown, the view that CHRIST ALONE is the Savior (thus, not self - not 100%, not 1%), that this is because of God's GRACE ALONE, apprehended by FAITH ALONE is not only clearly biblical but also both orthodox and traditional. The Reformations' reaffirmation of this was nothing new or novel, even contrary to Catholic theology (as Luther kept pointing out). As a former Catholic, it seems obvious that
the problem here is this: Medieval Catholicism tended to mix the justification (in the narrow sense - what modern Catholics sometimes call "Initial Justification") with justification in the broad sense (the whole of atonement, both the INITIATION of a new life with the DEVELOPMENT of this new life; being born with growing up). The mixing or blurring of these two different (but obviously intimately connected issues), this blending (in what Luther called "mixing water with wine") lead to a very synergistic understanding; a life-long PROCESS of God and self cooperating in getting the deed done so that there are TWO Saviors - Christ and self, each doing their part. So, yeah, the "ALONE" part got repudiated - Christ is NOT the Savior (He's part Savior), GRACE is not the cause (it's PART of it, our merit/works/effort is part of the cause), FAITH is not the means by which it's apprehended (our works are also a means). Synergistic rather than monergistic. MoreCoffee, as a Catholic, is correctly conveying this new Catholic understanding, this synergistic "cooperation" God-plus-self working together theology. Truth is: Catholics actually talk BOTH positions - insisting Christ IS the Savior while insisting that He doesn't actually save anyone but rather makes it POSSIBLE for each to be saved.
Luther and Calvin decried this synergistic, "man partly saves self" view. And both noted this is not only unbiblical but uncatholic. And yes, KEY to this is understanding that JUSTIFICATION and SANCTIFICATION are two different things: both essential, both entirely connected, but two different things. On January 23, 1988 I was BORN. A miracle of God who ALONE gave me life - it had nothing to do with my will or actions or merits (Some post-Vatican II Catholics call this "initial justification") BUT immediately, God and my parents and society called me to GROW up, to mature, to become moral and responsible and loving and serving ("sanctification"). The first is monergistic (God ALONE), the second is synergistic (God empowering and calling me, but my need to do it). Catholic tend to use the Call and scriptures of the second to insist that the first ALSO is synergistic and thus rebuke the Protestant "ALONE"
Back to the issue:
The "L" invention of a few radical, latter-day Calvinists is that Jesus did NOT die for all but rather ONLY, exclusively, solely for SOME (estimates range from 1% to maybe as high as 20%).
Here's what God literally, flat-out, verbatim, in black-and-white, repeatedly states:
1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
John 3:16 “For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Hebrews 2:9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death
for everyone.
2 Corinthians 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has
died for all
2 Corinthians 5:15 And
he died for all.
1 Timothy 2:6 "Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom
for all.
There are more.
There are NO verses that state, "No, Jesus did not die for all but
only for some."
@prism the reason some are not personally justified is NOT that the Bible is wrong about Jesus dying for all but rather because the Bible is right about faith not being in all.
A blessed Holy Week to you and yours.
- Josiah
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