Sanctification:
We believe in Sanctification; however, we make a stronger distinction between sanctification and justification as you. Let me compare two historic documents. The Council of Trent says:
1.CANON 9: "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema."
This Canon is rather clear, salvation is by more than faith alone and the teaching of the Protestant Church is an anathema. Sanctification is a part of what justifies us according to Trent. Protestants have traditionally stated the oppposite as shown in this quote from the London Baptist Confession 1689:
Those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in his death for their whole and sole righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God.
I think you can see the clear distinction between the two doctrines. Catholics call our doctrine an "anathema", and I would say that Baptists would call the Catholic doctrine an anathema.
What is the role of sanctification? Sanctification by no means saves or contributes to any merit as noted in the above quote. We believe that only through Christ's active and passive obedience were we justified, and that was completely and entirely. Again, this is exemplified in this statement below from the London Baptist Confession:
They who are united to Christ, effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, are also farther sanctified, really and personally, through the same virtue, by His Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.
Since sanctification is a result of the new spirit created in them, even sanctification is by grace through faith and will result for all Christians. This sanctification is strengthened by the same graces, faith and grace, that saved us. The Council of Trent seems to confuse sanctification and justification, making sanctification a part of justification and intrinsically linked to justification. Thus, without sanctification, we must pay our own penalty. The reformers said it was impossible for us to pay our own penalty in pergatory or here on earth. Rather, we will be saved because of Grace alone, our works will not contribute anything.
Cannon 14 explains the Trent view of justification and sanctification better:
"If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema."
In other words, a Catholic will not view justification as complete, but a part of the sanctification process. Protestants believe justification is full and complete thereby making sanctification possible. Trent, of course, calls my view an anathema. I call their view an anathema. I am justified not because of my sanctification, but I am sanctified because of my justification.
We believe that justification was complete, there is no need of us to suffer in purgatory or to reach a sanctification to be justified. We also believe justification will result in sanctification because it is by Grace through Faith alone.
The doctrine of the Bible is an important issue and one that I believe Trent addresses in contrast to the Reformation. Let me cite Trent below before making my argument (fourth session).
Furthermore, in order to restrain petulant spirits, It decrees, that no one, relying on his own skill, shall,--in matters of faith, and of morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, --wresting the sacred Scripture to his own senses, presume to interpret the said sacred Scripture contrary to that sense which holy mother Church,--whose it is to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy Scriptures,--hath held and doth hold; or even contrary to the unanimous consent of the Fathers; even though such interpretations were never (intended) to be at any time published. Contraveners shall be made known by their Ordinaries, and be punished with the penalties by law established.
The Scriptures is only rightly interpreted, according to Trent, if it agrees with the established church. If the church disagrees, the issue is not based upon the true statements of the text, but upon the interpretation of the Church. Protestants believe differently as noted in the London Baptist Confession 1689.
The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.
Protestants view the Scriptures as informing the church, but the church is still under her authority and subject to the Scriptures as the final authority. The Catholic Church believes the Church is the proper interpreter and arbiter of the Scriptures, thus the final appeal is to the church itself. Trent even goes further in the fourth session:
But if any one receive not, as sacred and canonical, the said books entire with all their parts, as they have been used to be read in the Catholic Church, and as they are contained in the old Latin vulgate edition; and knowingly and deliberately contemn the traditions aforesaid; let him be anathema.
In a direct attack against Protestants, they call us an anathema. The key word they use is "traditions", by which they believe the traditions of the church must be true.
Purgatory is a simple issue, if Justification is complete and total, as Protestants say, then there is no need for purgatory. If justification is by faith alone through grace alone, no amount of purgatory can make us ready for heaven. Protestants say we are saved by grace alone. The difference is that you think you can add to the work of Christ, you can add to his salvation. You believe we must do things with God's helping grace to be justified. We contend that we cannot add anything, it is all the work of Christ. My work in sanctification cannot add or take away from my justification.
Trent called my view an anathema. I would agree that either one is an anathema, but both cannot be true.
I believe I am saved by Grace Alone through Faith Alone, faith is a gift from God and is a grace. However, according to Trent it is said:
"If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema."
In our view, grace is what gives us faith. Faith is in no way a work no more than it was a work for Adam to turn from mud to a living being. You can say that grace will always result in faith and both are needed for salvation. However, it is not a work of man... it is a work of God.
Trent states that justification is not enough to blot out the debt of eternal punishment. There is much more needed! We disagree, the Grace of God at salvation is enough to blot out the debt of eternal punishment, nothing else is needed.
