Faith and works cannot be separated....The Protestant tradition erred in dividing faith and works. In the 16th century, Protestants claimed that we are saved by “faith alone.” Faith is never alone. It always brings effects with it. Which evidences ignorance on the part of pope, or, whom like so many "Catholic answers types, rely on misrepresentation to justify their attacks on historical faith.
Rather than “faith alone" meaning to 16th century, Protestants what pope says in regards to works, they taught it is the faith that effects works that is salvific, saying what Pope states, that "Faith is never alone. It always brings effects with it." No less a historical document on SS and Sola fide than the Westminster confession states that faith,
yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love. - Westminster Confession of Faith, CHAPTER XI. Of Justification
Luther himself in sermons rejected the idea that a faith which did not effect characteristic obedience was salvific, stating,
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faith is a living and an essential thing, which makes a new creature of man, changes his spirit...
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Faith cannot help doing good works constantly...
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if faith be true, it will break forth and bear fruit...
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where there is no faith there also can be no good works; and conversely, that there is no faith.. where there are no good works. Therefore faith and good works should be so closely joined together that the essence of the entire Christian life consists in both.
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if obedience and God’s commandments do not dominate you, then the work is not right, but damnable, surely the devil’s own doings, although it were even so great a work as to raise the dead...
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if you continue in pride and lewdness, in greed and anger, and yet talk much of faith, St. Paul will come and say, 1 Cor. 4:20, look here my dear Sir, "the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." It requires life and action, and is not brought about by mere talk.
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Works are necessary for salvation, but they do not cause salvation...
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faith casts itself on God, and breaks forth and becomes certain through its works...
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faith must be exercised, worked and polished; be purified by fire...
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it is impossible for him who believes in Christ, as a just Savior, not to love and to do good. If, however, he does not do good nor love, it is sure that faith is not present...
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where the works are absent, there is also no Christ...
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Christ is the priest, all men are spiritual lepers because of unbelief; but when we come to faith in him he touches us With his hand, gives and lays upon us his merit and we become clean and whole without any merit on our part whatever. We are therefore to show our gratitude to him and acknowledge that we have not become pious by our own works, but through his grace, then our course will be right before God...
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For if your heart is in the state of faith that you know your God has revealed himself to you to be so good and merciful, without thy merit, and purely gratuitously, while you were still his enemy and a child of eternal wrath; if you believe this, you cannot refrain from showing yourself so to your neighbor; and do all out of love to God and for the welfare of your neighbor.
References by God's grace.
Now where is pope's correction of himself?