Before we move on, I would like to post the Reformers view to canon 9.
Man cannot add anything to the work of Christ was what they held to. This is seem throughout the NT. Its called faith alone. The key word here is not "faith" but "alone". Rome teaches faith, but man must does his part. Synergism
The Reformers taught that justification was God's act of declaring the sinner righteous upon the imputation of Christ's righteousness. This is not God looking on man, because man cannot add to what God knows. Justification was to the Reformers, all of God. It changed of one's legal status before God, based on what Christ did, not what we do.. They used the phrase alien righteousness to stress that the righteousness that justifies an individual originated totally outside of the person. This is monergism. Verses...
1. "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin," (Rom. 3:20).
2. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," (Rom. 3:24).
3. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law," (Rom. 3:28).
4. "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness," (Rom. 4:3).
5. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," (Rom. 5:1).
6. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God," (Eph. 2:8).
7. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost," (Titus 3:5).
Again that is monergistic. The Reformers had the verses to back their views.
One may wonder how Roman replied to these verses. Below you will a list of verses they use.
END OF LIST
The point is that Trent NEVER answered the question of Justification. To Rome, justification was defined as a process in which a person co-operated with the righteousness of Christ. Rome made justification dependent upon what people did or it was rather upon man co-operationing with God, not on faith alone.
Man HAD to do something, or God would not save him. God would NEVER force salvation on man. Man must ALLOW God to work. He must OPEN the door, before God could come in.
Its clear that the Reformers stood on the other side of this view. They held to what was seen in the early church.
Clemens Romanus. A.D. 69.
“All therefore are glorified and magnified, not by themselves or their own works of righteous actions, which they have wrought out, but by his will;”
“‘not by ourselves, nor by our wisdom, or understanding, or piety, or the works which we have done in holiness of heart,’ but by faith by which God Almighty hath justified all from the beginning, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Barnabas. A.D. 70
How shall the temple be built in the name of the Lord? Learn; before we believed in God, the habitation of our heart was phtharton kai asthenes, ‘corrupt and weak,’ as a temple truly built with hands; for it was a house full of idolatry, and idolatry was the house of devils, by doing what was contrary to God. It shall be built in the name of the Lord. Attend, that the temple of the Lord may be built glorious.
Ignatius. A.D. 110
To the blessed in the greatness of God the Father and fullness; to the predestinated before ages, that is, before the world began; always to be a glory, abiding, immoveable, united and chosen in the true passion by the will of God the Father, and Jesus Christ our God; to the church, worthily blessed, which is in Ephesus of Asia, much joy in Christ Jesus, and in the unblemished grace.
Justin. A.D. 150
I am able to show, that all the things appointed by Moses were types, symbols, and declarations of what should be done to Christ; kai ton eis auton pisteuein proegnosmenon, and of them that were foreknown to believe in him: and likewise of those things that were to be done by Christ.