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Dear circlecity

I have given you the exact words from the exact writings of +Augustine.

He was not a sola fide proponent. +Augustine taught what the Church teaches -- that we are saved by grace. There is no "only faith" in his beliefs.

Here are the key points of what I posted above and what Augustine wrote:

From St. Augustine, Sermon to Catechumens on the Creed 7:15, 8:16
"When you shall have been baptized, keep to a good life in the commandments of God so that you may preserve your baptism to the very end. I do not tell you that you will live here without sin, but they are venial sins which this life is never without. Baptism was instituted for all sins. For light sins, without which we cannot live, prayer was instituted. . . . But do not commit those sins on account of which you would have to be separated from the body of Christ. Perish the thought! For those whom you see doing penance have committed crimes, either adultery or some other enormities. That is why they are doing penance. If their sins were light, daily prayer would suffice to blot them out. . . . In the Church, therefore, there are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptisms, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance
Augustine says that Baptism was instituted for all sins, meaning that
1. baptism is for the remission of sins (do you believe that? Well, +Augustine did)
2. "For light sins...daily prayer would suffice to blot them out..." -->Daily prayer is needed to blot out sins -- not sola fide
3. "There are three ways in which sins are forgiven: in baptism, in prayer, and in the greater humility of penance" --> Do you believe in the sacrament of penance? Well, +Augustine did and this is not sola Fide...
Then, "A Treastise on Grace and Free Will" where Augustine wrote:
1. FAITH WITHOUT GOOD WORKS IS NOT SUFFICIENT FOR SALVATION. (caps are his!)
2. Unintelligent persons, however, with regard to the apostle's statement: "We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law," have thought him to mean that faith suffices to a man, even if he lead a bad life, and has no good works --> note +Augustine is saying that to believe in faith without works is unintelligent. This is the antithesis of sola fide
3. Impossible is it that such a character should be deemed "a vessel of election" by the apostle, who, after declaring that "in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision," adds at once, "but faith which worketh by love." It is such faith which severs God's faithful from unclean demons,--for even these "believe and tremble," as the Apostle James says; but they do not do well --> Do you follow this? +Augustine points out that even demons have sola fide, they believe and tremble, yet they do not do well
4. " Therefore they possess not the faith by which the just man lives,--the faith which works by love in such wise, that God recompenses it according to its works with eternal life. " --> God recompensates the faith according to it's works.. hmmmm... definitely not sola fide
5. "If eternal life is rendered to good works, as the Scripture most openly declares:" --> again, not sola fide
6. And the apostle himself, after saying, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast;" saw, of course, the possibility that men would think from this statement that good works are not necessary to those who believe, but that faith alone suffices for them;" --> hmm... Augustine saw the errors that Calvin and other men would make
7. " the eternal life which is the recompense of a good life is the grace of God; moreover it is given gratuitously, even as that is given gratuitously to which it is given." -- a reward for a good life.... definitely not SOLA fide
And, from Enchiridion, Chapter XVIII, paragraph 3
Now, if the wicked man were to be saved by fire on account of his faith only, and if this is the way the statement of the blessed Paul should be understood--"But he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire"--then faith without works would be sufficient to salvation. But then what the apostle James said would be false. And also false would be another statement of the same Paul himself: "Do not err," he says; "neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the unmanly, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God."
This is clearly against the error of sola fide
Now, If you say "only faith", then you say that James was wrong, that means you say that the Bible is wrong -- and THAT :) is wrong +Augustine quotes +Paul saying Paul himself: "Do not err," he says; "neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the unmanly, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God." --> so even if these have faith and do not show the works of faith, they will not be saved

Dear circlecity,

It is not saved by faith alone -- we are saved by grace alone. it is the grace of God that has saved us through Christ's one-time sacrifice on the Cross.

Scripture emphasises that it is not a "Lord, Lord, I believe" and zoom, but an actual change, a "work" of acceptance and repentence that is needed.

We are told in Phil 2:12 to 12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. and beyond this in many Biblical passages we're told that we must do something beyond just saying I believe. Jesus Himself said inMatt. 7:21

Not every one who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven

yet Paul wrote in Rom 10:13

13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

This is not a false contradiction, but on reading the Bible in entirety we see what this means, because Jesus tells us to endure, to stay true to the Faith to the end:

Matt 10:22

22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

matt 24:13

13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Mark 13:13

13And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

we must "endure" in our Faith to the end, not reject our God-given salvation

We are asked to confess, to repent in Rom. 10:9

9That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

AND, we are told that Baptism is also critical in 1 Pet. 3:21

21The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: