"Sola Fide" Properly Understood

[adisciplinedlearner]

Luther's expression "sola fide" is true if faith is not opposed to charity, to love. Faith is to look at Christ, to entrust oneself to Christ, to be united to Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence, to believe is to be conformed to Christ and to enter into his love. That is why, in the Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul develops above all his doctrine on justification; he speaks of faith that operates through charity (cf. Galatians 5:14).

Paul knows that in the double love of God and neighbor the whole law is fulfilled. Thus the whole law is observed in communion with Christ, in faith that creates charity. We are just when we enter into communion with Christ, who is love. We will see the same in next Sunday's Gospel for the solemnity of Christ the King. It is the Gospel of the judge whose sole criterion is love. What I ask is only this: Did you visit me when I was sick? When I was in prison? Did you feed me when I was hungry, clothe me when I was naked? So justice is decided in charity. Thus, at the end of this Gospel, we can say: love alone, charity alone. However, there is no contradiction between this Gospel and St. Paul. It is the same vision, the one according to which communion with Christ, faith in Christ, creates charity. And charity is the realization of communion with Christ. Thus, being united to him we are just, and in no other way.

~ "Pope" Benedict

***I am totally opposed to the Roman Catholic Church, but I find agreement with what is stated above.

 

[Dr. Walter]

Luther's expression "sola fide" is true if faith is not opposed to charity, to love. Faith is to look at Christ, to entrust oneself to Christ, to be united to Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence, to believe is to be conformed to Christ and to enter into his love. That is why, in the Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul develops above all his doctrine on justification; he speaks of faith that operates through charity (cf. Galatians 5:14).

Paul knows that in the double love of God and neighbor the whole law is fulfilled. Thus the whole law is observed in communion with Christ, in faith that creates charity. We are just when we enter into communion with Christ, who is love. We will see the same in next Sunday's Gospel for the solemnity of Christ the King. It is the Gospel of the judge whose sole criterion is love. What I ask is only this: Did you visit me when I was sick? When I was in prison? Did you feed me when I was hungry, clothe me when I was naked? So justice is decided in charity. Thus, at the end of this Gospel, we can say: love alone, charity alone. However, there is no contradiction between this Gospel and St. Paul. It is the same vision, the one according to which communion with Christ, faith in Christ, creates charity. And charity is the realization of communion with Christ. Thus, being united to him we are just, and in no other way.

~ "Pope" Benedict

***I am totally opposed to the Roman Catholic Church, but I find agreement with what is stated above.

It is one thing to say faith is not opposed to love, it is another thing to say that it is love. It is one thing to say that faith is to entrust yourself to Christ it is quite another thing to say faith is union with Christ or to be conformed to Christ. It is one thing that attributes justification to the object of faith and it is quite another thing to attribute justification to the actions of faith.

It is this very confusion that denies Jesus Christ as the sole object of justification by faith alone and incorporates the life of the believer into the equation as a definition of justification by faith.

As I predicted, you could not defend your position from those scriptures that deal explicitly with the doctrine of justification by faith so you are now coming through a philosophical back door.

 

[adisciplinedlearner]

You are separating the inseparable.

 

[Dr. Walter]

You are separating the inseparable.

I am not separating them at all, I am DISTINGUISHING them from one another in a cause and effect RELATIONSHIP. Your position DESTROYS them.