ERIC February 11, 2015 at 5:49 pm
James–We receive the final verdict of righteousness by faith accompanied by love but by faith apart from the works of love (in terms of our own efforts).
What?
It is, thus, compatible with the “meritorious cause” of justification according to Trent, but not the “formal cause” of justification according to Trent:“…the alone formal cause is the justice of God, not that whereby He Himself is just, but that whereby He maketh us just, that, to wit, with which we being endowed by Him, are renewed in the spirit of our mind, and we are not only reputed, but are truly called, and are, just, receiving justice within us, each one according to his own measure, which the Holy Ghost distributes to every one as He wills, and according to each one’s proper disposition and cooperation.”
It’s that last line that we must object to…and which isn’t even compatible with the “meritorious cause.”
I fail to see why it isn’t compatible.
the meritorious cause is His most beloved only begotten, our Lord Jesus Christ, who, when we were enemies,[33] for the exceeding charity wherewith he loved us,[34] merited for us justification by His most holy passion on the wood of the cross and made satisfaction for us to God the Father,
the meritorious cause is His most beloved only begotten, our Lord Jesus Christ, who, when we were enemies,[33] for the exceeding charity wherewith he loved us,[34] merited for us justification by His most holy passion on the wood of the cross and made satisfaction for us to God the Father,
Essentially, what this is saying is that it is because Jesus Christ offered Himself on the Cross (meritorious cause) that the grace of God (God’s justice, the formal cause) is poured out to us in the Sacraments.
Many protest-ants love to believe that Christ did all the work for us that is necessary for our salvations. Thus they like to believe that justification is something that is automatically given to them simply because they believe.
ReplyDelete