Posted on 02/04/2015 7:44:15 AM PST by RnMomof7
The gospel of grace was both proclaimed and preserved in the earliest decades of church history. It was overwhelmingly affirmed by the apostles at the Jerusalem Council (in Acts 15), such that Paul could later tell the Ephesians, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).
Shortly after the Jerusalem Council, Paul wrote a letter to the churches he had planted on his first missionary journey. That letter, known as the book of Galatians, admonished its readers not to acquiesce to the works-righteousness of the Judaizers. To do so, Paul stated, would be to embrace another gospel—one which was not really good news at all (Gal. 1:6–9). The apostle went on to clearly explain that justification is not based on keeping the law, but is only granted by grace through faith in Christ (cf. Gal. 3:1–14). Given the theme of that epistle (justification by faith vs. justification by works), it is not surprising to learn that Galatians was Martin Luther’s favorite book of the New Testament, because in that text he found the gospel of grace so clearly revealed.
The New Testament emphasis (on a gospel of grace apart from works) became the foundation for the Protestant Reformation and its central tenet of sola fide. The biblical teaching on that issue remains the authoritative basis on which an evangelical understanding of the gospel is built. But while modern evangelicals rightly conclude that the doctrine of sola fide is founded in Scripture, many wrongly assume that there is relatively little support for that position in pre-Reformation church history. Nothing could be further from the truth.
As we continue this series, we will consider a number of Christian leaders from the patristic and medieval periods of church history who affirm sola fide. In today’s post, we will consider just three, starting with Clement of Rome (d. c. 99).
Clement pastored the church in Rome from about AD 90 to 100. That means, as a church leader, he was a contemporary of the apostle John. He was also a disciple of the apostle Paul and is likely mentioned in Philippians 4:3. So, his testimony is very early. Listen to what he wrote in his letter to the Corinthians. This is one of the earliest Christian documents that we have outside of the New Testament. In chapter 32 of his epistle, he said this:
And we [Christians], too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians, 32.4.
It would be hard to say it any more clearly than that.
Another early testimony to this truth comes from Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69–160), a disciple of the apostle John. Polycarp is famous in church history for his martyrdom. One surviving letter from Polycarp (his Epistle to the Philippians) echoes the truth of sola fide in the very first chapter. Here is what he wrote:
I rejoice that the secure root of your faith, proclaimed from ancient times, even now continues to abide and bear fruit in our Lord Jesus Christ. He persevered to the point of death on behalf of our sins; and God raised him up after loosing the labor pains of Hades. Even without seeing him, you believe in him with an inexpressible and glorious joy that many long to experience. For you know that you have been saved by a gracious gift—not from works but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
Polycarp of Smyrna, Epistle to the Philippians, 1.2–3.
Third, consider the words of the anonymous Epistle to Diognetus, written around the mid-point of the second century. The letter is evangelistic, attempting to convince the unbelieving Diognetus to embrace Christianity. It is in this context that the writer explains the heart of the gospel, underscoring the reality of Christ’s finished work on the cross and the righteousness that believers receive from Him. The unknown author explained:
He gave His own Son as a ransom for us, the holy One for transgressors, the blameless One for the wicked, the righteous One for the unrighteous, the incorruptible One for the corruptible, the immortal One for them that are mortal. For what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified, than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange! O unsearchable operation! O benefits surpassing all expectation! That the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous One, and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors!
Epistle to Digonetus, 9.2–5.
These quotes represent just the tip of the iceberg—all coming from the earliest chapters in church history. They remind us of the glorious truth of the gospel—that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone. What a joy it is to recognize that gospel truth goes back long before the Reformation, through early church history to the apostles themselves.
Gospel ping
Fairy tale time
Yep, these “saints” have been misunderstood and/or mistranslated, just like Bergoglio is in our day. Rome has an awful time with that.
I like the “...saved through faith...” phrase when considered along with Acts 6:7; Romans 1:5; 16:26; and 6:1-17....
People who do good works are saved; people who do not do good works are damned.—Jesus Christ
34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in; 36naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? 38And when saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39And when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.
41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44Then shall they also answer, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me. 46And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.
Affirmative sir. Incredible isn't it?
That has a name...its called CATHOLICISM...see how easy it is to understand....there was noone else there...just Catholics. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compared to the Council of Orange:
CANON 6. If anyone says that God has mercy upon us when, apart from his grace, we believe, will, desire, strive, labor, pray, watch, study, seek, ask, or knock, but does not confess that it is by the infusion and inspiration of the Holy Spirit within us that we have the faith, the will, or the strength to do all these things as we ought; or if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says, "What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10). CANON 18. That grace is not preceded by merit. Recompense is due to good works if they are performed; but grace, to which we have no claim, precedes them, to enable them to be done.
CANON 19. That a man can be saved only when God shows mercy. Human nature, even though it remained in that sound state in which it was created, could be no means save itself, without the assistance of the Creator; hence since man cannot safe- guard his salvation without the grace of God, which is a gift, how will he be able to restore what he has lost without the grace of God?
CANON 20. That a man can do no good without God. God does much that is good in a man that the man does not do; but a man does nothing good for which God is not responsible, so as to let him do it.
Compared to Trent <spit>
CANON IX.-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.
CANON XIV.-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.
CANON XVIII.-If any one saith, that the commandments of God are, even for one that is justified and constituted in grace, impossible to keep; let him be anathema.
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Therein lies a far greater understanding of the words of Paul than many here can demonstrate!
Most here will assert that Paul was rejecting Yeshua’s writing of his Torah on the hearts of his elect, rather than the Pharisees’ false “oral Torah” of man made commandments that Yeshua took to the cross!
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Don’t agree. Sola Fide is only one part of the gospel. Jesus teaches the need to show faith by good works! To do less is an abuse of the gospel. The apostles were the earliest bishops who taught both, faith AND works.
Fr Carroll
I understand using the words PROTESTANT and CATHOLIC for discussion purposes today, but who imagines either invented the Gospel? It comes from God and is not for sale!
Both schools have ersatz definitions for the truths any idiot could understand from reading (or hearing) Scripture. Wisdom calls out the “simple ones” to come into her house. Smarts is irrelevant. But to build their own kingdoms and maintain them with a vengeance—lest anyone “take their place”— they demand we come to THEM to get our thimble of grace.
“Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.”—Galatians 2:4-5
God didn’t choose the “fathers” or the “popes” or the denominations, etc., to establish the Gospel. He chose his holy PROPHETS and APOSTLES. Listen to HIM throughTHEM first and wonder at all the nonsense that followed!
John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work (ἔργον - ergon) of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh (ἐργαζομένῳ - ergazomenō) not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Catholics have some serious inconsistencies in the scripture or their interpretation of it.
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>> “That has a name...its called CATHOLICISM.” <<
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No, it has a more truthful name, the names Irenaeus used two centuries before the apostasy of ‘catholicism’ came along: The Teaching, The Way.
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**but who imagines either invented the Gospel?**
The FRoman Catholics.
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”
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What??? What nonsense is that? Christ had no obligation to man made commandments nor did anyone else.
Do not TELL me you are pinging a bunch of fairies!?!
I just KNOW you will show where THIS is found in the bible; right?
Until then...
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