2D: faith and works

Question 1

How was justification achieved in the middle ages?

Answer 1

• Baptism: this removes original sin, so was performed shortly after birth
• Confession and penance: this was an acknowledgement of individual sins to a priest, and an imposed punishment, such as prayer, asceticism or other good deeds.

Question 2

What was the third approach?

Answer 2

• indulgences: this commercialisation of penance meant that a sinner could pay to gain justification for themselves or others. The proceeds were often used to fund projects by church leaders.
• this was if a person has not completed enough penance by their death, and would enter purgatory.

Question 3

Who was Martin Luther?

Answer 3

• German Roman Catholic Priest and professor of theology at the University of Wittenburg

Answer 4

• Luther experienced an extreme sense of separation from God and a resulting sense of despair.
• he tried the path of confession and penance as well as the path of mysticism however but wasn’t successful
• he taught at University of Wittenburg where he came across a Romans passage (Romans 1:17 - ‘the one who is righteous will live by faith’). This led him to a conversion experience in which he realised that righteousness is a gift from God via faith alone (sola fide) not earned through works.
• Luther rejected the abuse and sale of indulgences for justification. It is through solus Christus that we gain salvation and sola scriptura has authority, rather than the Church or Pope.
• his thesis against clerical abuses of the Roman Catholic Church was the spark that ignited the Protestant Reformation.

Question 5

What was the Council of Trent?

Answer 5

• from 1545-1563 the RCC held an important council, known as Council of Trent to consider its response to the Reformation.

Question 6

What were the questions considered by the council?

Answer 6

• is justification the gift of God?
• what is the relationship between faith and good works?
• what is the relationship between justification and the sacraments?
• can people earn justification through works?

Question 7

What did the Council of Trent conclude?

Answer 7

• God does not make people righteous, they must become righteous.
• good works are required as a condition for ultimate justification
• people cannot bring about their own salvation, they must cooperate with the grace of God.
• people can have a relative (not absolute) certainty of justification.
• neither faith nor works can be said to merit justification. Initial justification is by grace, but works are necessary for progressive salvation.

Question 8

What is the Protestant criticism of the Council of Trent?

Answer 8

• Protestants claimed that Trent taught against scriptures, e.g. 11 Corinthians 5:19.
• Salvation produces good works as a response to God’s grace, people are not required to earn the gift of salvation through good works

Question 9

Who was E.P. Sanders?

Answer 9

Ed Parish Sanders was an American New Testament scholar.

Question 10

What was Sanders’ view?

Answer 10

• rejects Luther’s claim that Judaism is futile or that it is about salvation through works or legalism.
• as long as Jews follow the commandments they have been chosen by God due to their covenant. They are already close to God and therefore don’t have to do ‘good deeds’
• however Christians have to do good deeds.

Question 11

Criticisms of Sanders’ view?

Answer 11

• uses non-biblical rabbinic sources to over-ride biblical teaching
• explains away contradictory evidence, e.g. the rabbinic literature of Paul’s time contains ample evidence of a Jewish belief in righteousness by works
• fails to address the problem of self-righteousness