Can a Man Claim Any Merit in Salvation? Are Good Works Necessary for One's Justification?

If you ask a Roman Catholic (and even some evangelicals) the question: "are you saved?" the inevitable answer is: "Who knows? Only God knows!"

Still, the Bible speaks abundantly of the assurance of salvation that every true believer can and should possess  (Jn. 3:36, 3:16, 6:47; Heb. 6: 17-19; 2 Pt. 1:10-11; Rom. 5:17, 8:15, 11:29; Eph. 1:13-14, 2:8-10; 2 Cor. 1:21-22).

God makes promises to those who believe, and true believers rest on God's infallible promises in Christ, founded solely on Christ's person and works. Thus, Christ's saving work is itself the sole foundation of their saving faith. The believer's assurance is further strengthened and confirmed by the Spirit of God's continuing work in the believer himself, which begins with the effectual call and ends with glorification. True believers who trust in the sufficiency of the saving work of God in Christ are trusting in the objective, certain, authoritative, infallible, and immutable promises of God. If alongside the person and work of Christ, man's meritorious works are included in salvation, then, precisely because man is by nature evil, deceptive, fallible, and unreliable, no one can experience the biblical and infallible assurance of salvation.

Moreover, the Bible speaks of the assurance of salvation possessed by the true believer while he is alive, which rests solely on (a) God's infallible Word (His promises to all who believe in Christ), (b) the graces in the believer's heart of which the Word speaks, and (c) on the testimony of the Spirit of God which enables the believer to confirm the one (the Word) through the others (the graces).

Roman Catholics who base their salvation on divine grace + human merit, faith + human works, or Christ + the magisterium of the Roman church, can never be sure of their salvation since they are merely grounding their salvation not on God alone (absolute certainty par excellence), but man. The Bible is clear; salvation is received by grace alone, through faith alone, and rests only on the person and work of Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2: 8-9; Acts 4:12).

The Church of Rome, as we know it today, is the result of a constant drift away from scriptural truth which began around the fourth and fifth century AD, during the "Christianization" of the pagans. Today's Roman Catholic doctrine was organized during the Council of Trent (1545-63 AD) and then restated and, to some extent, refined during the first and second Vatican Councils (1869-1870 AD, 1962-65 AD).

It is at Trent, in response to the Protestant Reformation, that through its Counter Reformation, the Pope, with his supporters, codified the official Roman Catholic beliefs. Already corrupted by various anti-Biblical practices and doctrines accumulated over the previous centuries, the Counter Reformation was the beginning of Roman Catholic dogma's hardening. Therefore, reflecting on the Church's history, we witness the tragic compromise and corruption of true Christianity. The Church progressively apostatized from the true gospel of Christ. However, Christ has always preserved for Himself and His true Church, a remnant of defenders and true religion promoters.

October 31st is the symbolic birthday of the Protestant branch of Christianity. The date we celebrate the Reformation as the return to the Scriptures, to what they teach. Therefore, the Reformation is a return to the origins (Ad Fontes) of the Christian faith and is simply a continuation of the apostolic teachings and early Christianity. It is nothing but a return to the good news of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. 

Five Roman Catholic doctrinal corruptions have entirely distorted and compromised the doctrine of salvation found in the Bible. It brings confusion (and desperation) among its followers to the point that they can no longer know or affirm if they are saved or will be saved, because to them, salvation is not a monergystic (a work of God alone) nor Trinitarian work, but it is synergistic teaching that God does His part, and then man does his part with salvation on the line and even at risk. 

The Roman Catholic system of salvation is that salvation can be achieved by God's grace + one's merit. In other words, through faith + one's good works in Christ + one's daily 'sacrifice.'

In Roman Catholic theology, to remain in a state of grace, Catholics are taught to perform works that ultimately contribute to merit salvation. These saving works are said to be "condign merit" (cooperation with grace), where God has bound himself to reward the person for work that they accomplish with the Holy Spirit's help. However, even though Catholics insist that God's rewards always immeasurably exceed the intrinsic value of their own merits, isn't this still a work for which they are being rewarded? It is. 

But the apostle Paul is clear, "if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace" (Rom. 11:6). Even calling them "works of grace" still emphasizes that salvation is by grace + works. Roman Catholic theology confuses God's work of sanctification and misapplies them to Justification. But biblically speaking, we are taught that we are saved "unto" good works, not "by" them (Eph. 2:8-10; Tit. 3:5; Jas. 2:18, 20, 24).

Reformed (Biblical) Theology rejects any notion by which the sinner contributes any merit toward his Justification. One's so-called "treasury of merit" is as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). They are less than worthless regarding our Justification. Adam's fig-leaf of works contributed absolutely nothing to the salvation of Eve and himself (Gen. 3:7, 10). In salvation, the first couple was passive receivers of salvation, while God was the active giver of salvation. Their salvation was by grace alone; (1) God alone made a blood sacrifice for Adam and Eve; (2) God alone made garments for Adam and Eve, and (3) God alone clothed Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:21).

Christ actively and willingly went to Calvary to make His priestly blood sacrifice for His people (Jn. 10:11, 15, 17, 18) and actively made their righteous garments, and He clothes them (Isa. 61:10). Christ's obedience is completely whole and perfect (which, God, being holy requires that our works be perfect [Mat. 5:48]), and nothing we do need be added to it. Christ's perfect obedience and His righteousness are imputed to (counted towards) the believer. Christ's work(s) alone (His obedience and sacrifice) justify the elect. So, the ground of our being accepted as righteous before God is completely extra nos (outside of us). The Bible's teaching of Justification by faith alone forever shuts out man's possibility of boasting that he can, in any way, contribute to his own salvation (Eph. 2:8-10). 

The Scriptures teach that our Justification (i.e., being declared righteous before the judgment seat of God) is by faith alone and not by any works that we, imperfect sinners, can do or have done (Rom. 5:12-19). As Paul writes, "Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom. 4:4-5).

Through a return to the Scriptures, the Reformers uprooted the weeds and pruned what was improperly added over centuries to bring the Church of Christ back to sound doctrines. They capitalized the word "alone" regarding the teaching of the doctrine of salvation. Returning to teach and preach it as a sovereign Trinitarian work, granted by grace ALONE, received through faith ALONE in Christ ALONE, according to the Scripture ALONE, so that to God ALONE may be the glory. 

Paul is straightforward and disqualifies the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation through faith + anything else.

Some Roman Catholic friends try to argue for Roman Catholic errors with their eisegetical (reading into the Biblical text) efforts, by referencing texts like Galatians 5:6 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love," or James 2:17, "faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." By doing so, they are trying to prove that the doctrine of 'faith alone' is unbiblical because (they say) a faith devoid of charity (love) and good works is dead faith (fides informis or unformed faith) and is insufficient for salvation. They say that saving faith comes into existence only when it is active in charity and good works (fide formata caritate or faith formed by love). 

In the Roman Catholic view of salvation, grace, faith, and Christ are necessary but are not sufficient; one's merit, one's works, and personal involvement are needed if you want to make it into heaven. To this, we would affirm, for a justified Christian, good works do occur (Matthew 7:17), but they are a mere consequence of our prior justification based on Christ's perfect works alone. Our imperfect good works are never part of what qualifies us to enter heaven but are the fruit of our being a new creation in Christ. Heaven is attained by the works of Christ alone on our behalf. 

Recalling some texts in Genesis chapters 15 and 22, and in James chapter 2, will help us understand that our good works do not justify and are not an instrument of our salvation the way faith is, but they are the "fruit and evidences of true and lively faith" (Westminster Confession of Faith #16.2).

The Bible also affirms that "whatever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23) and "without faith it is impossible to please him" (Heb. 11:6). This means that an unbeliever (an unregenerate person) cannot perform good works according to God's will, but only believers have works that "proceed from true faith" and are therefore "good works" (Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 91). When a sinner's heart is regenerated (At. 16:14), he believes and receives/matures faith in Christ, repents and is instantly, legally, and eternally justified by God's free grace, pardoned of all his sins, accepted as righteous in God's sight, based only on the righteousness of Christ imputed to him, and received by faith alone (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q/A 33). Only after his original sin and guilt are canceled, true faith in Christ can produce good works as sure evidence of it.

But What Biblical Evidence Does Exist Between Justification and Good Works?

When Luther and the Reformers insisted on the formula justification by faith alone, they meant that justification rests upon reliance on the merit of Christ alone, since the works we do are tainted by sin and therefore insufficient to merit or contribute to our Justification. Paul states, "By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight" (Rom. 3:20). The WSC summarizes, justification is a forensic act of God, according to which sinners are declared, counted, or reckoned to be righteous when God imputes the righteousness of Christ to their account. However, if the New Testament does not teach justification by works, it also does not teach justification by a profession of faith only or the claim to faith alone (Jas. 2). It teaches justification by the possession of saving faith, and saving faith always bears the fruit of love of God and neighbor.

James teaches that "faith without works is dead" (Jas. 2:17). However, in his reference to Abraham as his chief exhibit of one whose faith is demonstrated by his works (v. 21), and quoting that "a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (v. 24), it involves no conflict with Pauline writings, which also appeals to Abraham as the chief exhibit of one justified, or declared righteous, in the Lord's sight, by faith alone (Rom. 4). It is important to note that, while James appeals to Genesis 22, Paul appeals to Genesis 15. In the sight of God (Coram Deo), Abraham is declared just only based on saving faith in God (Gen. 15:6), and long before he offers Isaac on the altar (Gen. 22). God knew Abraham's faith to be genuine since He is the one who created that saving faith in him. However, Abraham's invisible faith is shown to the world by what he did. He is justified (shown to be righteous) before the angelic and human eyes (Coram Mundo) not in Genesis 15 but Genesis 22, when he shows his faith is genuine through his external and visible obedience (or good work) of offering what God required.

In the Scriptures, the word justification is employed with different meanings: when someone is declared righteous or demonstrates his righteousness. In Luke 7:35, Jesus uses the passive form of the verb 'to justify' (δικαιόω), saying that "wisdom is 'justified' (ἐδικαιώθη) by all her children." It means that the teachings of John the Baptist and Jesus will be shown (or declared) correct and genuine by all those who live by following their teachings, namely showing their obedience, which consequently flows in good works. Christ's meaning to the word "justify" in Luke 7:35 does not mean to be reconciled to God and being declared righteous in his sight. Still, it means demonstrating the truth of a prior claim, namely, to demonstrate that one is justified and saved. Just as in Luke 7:35, where true wisdom is shown to be genuine by its fruit (the children it produces), Abraham’s belief in God is justified (or demonstrated) by the fruit, namely, his outward obedience shown in Genesis 22. His works were not the meritorious cause of his salvation; they added no merit to Christ's perfect and sufficient merit; they just vindicated that his prior saving faith, by which he was justified before God, is shown to be genuine. The same is true of our good works, which flow out from true saving faith.

Therefore, James’ teaching completes and does not contrasts with that of Paul, that genuine faith is a living faith that produces fruitful works, which are visible evidence that vindicate (or prove) the validity of one's authentic justifying invisible faith before the judgment seat of God.

As we turn the 503rd anniversary of the 95-thesis nailed by Luther of the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, let us not forget that if we today live in the light of the gospel, it is because that light returned to shine again among people a few centuries ago. So, let us let that light continue to shine, and let the word ALONE continue to be taught as those who are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to the Scriptures alone to the glory of God alone. 

This is the good news of our salvation in Christ alone. 

Soli Deo Gloria.