In our last post we shifted gears from discussing a handful of the many New Testament passages that are unlikely to have arisen from a soteriological paradigm resembling the basic Protestant gospel, to considering the question, “If a sola fide-type paradigm is unlikely to have given rise to the NT teachings of Jesus and his followers, what type of gospel paradigm would have?”
In my opinion, two paradigms nested one within the other.
1. The overall paradigm, faith which works by love. This is the Law of the Commandments which we are still obligated to keep.
2. The nested paradigm, faith apart from works of the law. This is the justification which occurs in the Sacraments. These are the efficacious signs which have replaced the ineffective animal sacrifices of the Old Testament. They are entirely works of God to which we present ourselves in faith, believing that He will accomplish all which He has promised.
3. I believe this nested paradigm is what Luther confused with faith alone.
We took as our springboard the exchange between Jesus and the scribe, in which the latter came to understand that love of God and neighbor eclipses in significance the sacrificial system of the Mosaic law, thence being described by the Lord as “not far from the kingdom of God.”
Agreed. Love fulfills the law.
And further, I suggested that the scribe being merely near the kingdom rather than in it was due to the simple eschatological fact that while “the hour was coming” when the New Covenant would be inaugurated, the scribe was nonetheless still worshiping in a particular mountain, in the earthly Jerusalem, and under a typological covenant that was soon to expire.
Due to the true justification of the Sacraments. The Scribe was near the Kingdom but not in it because he had never been baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
My argument henceforth will be that the rest of the NT writers operated from this basic gospel paradigm that the Spirit-wrought love of God and neighbor that the New Covenant bestows is what fulfills the law and graciously results in our gaining eternal life, and this basic supposition is what gave rise to the inspired words they wrote.
This is true for both, final judgment which is judged according to our faith and works and the Sacramental (1 Cor 11:27-28) self examination which one must undergo before receiving a Sacrament. Before one receives a Sacrament, one must repent of his sins and be in a state of grace. Which amounts to keeping the Commandments: 1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law..
We will start with Paul to the Galatians, specifically chapters 5 and 6. For the sake of brevity I will cite only the verses pertinent to my argument, but if you feel I skipped something significant, don’t hesitate to point it out: If you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you … You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace … For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love … For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” … But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh … But the fruit of the Spirit is love … the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (vv. 5:2, 4, 6, 14, 16, 22; 6:8) Some things worth noting: 1. The context is justification,
Agreed.
which is clear from the fact that Paul is addressing those who wanted to be “justified by the law.”
Agreed.
2. The form that justification by the law takes for Paul is circumcision.
The SIGN is circumcision. As I understand St. Paul, to be justified by the law is to await the Judgment of God on the Last Day. That is why he says, “Christ will be of no advantage to you”. Because, in the Sacraments, Christ justifies us, He washes away our sins by the power of the Holy Spirit.
3. While circumcision avails nothing for justification, what does avail for justification is “faith working through love.”
To be more precise. Neither circumcision (Jews) nor uncircumcision (Gentiles) avail anything. Final justification is by faith working through love.
It is Catholic Doctrine that a baptized person who does not keep the Golden Law of Love, can not be saved.
837 “Fully incorporated into the society of the Church are those who, possessing the Spirit of Christ, accept all the means of salvation given to the Church together with her entire organization, and who – by the bonds constituted by the profession of faith, the sacraments, ecclesiastical government, and communion – are joined in the visible structure of the Church of Christ, who rules her through the Supreme Pontiff and the bishops. Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but ‘in body’ not ‘in heart.’”321
4. Like Jesus before him, Paul adopts and cites the paradigmatic refrain that love fulfills the law.
Agreed. For in the very same chapter he says, “such as these transgress no law (Gal 5:22-23).
5. This law-fulfilling love is the fruit of the Spirit, whom Christ sheds forth under the New Covenant (cf. 4:1ff).
Agreed.
6. The “faith working through love” which avails for justification is also called “walking by the Spirit” and “sowing to the Spirit.”
Agreed.
7. The result of this faith working through love and sowing to the Spirit is reaping eternal life.
Yes. But this sowing to the Spirit is accomplished in this life, by the Sacraments. But for those who do not receive the Sacraments, Jews, Protestants, pagans and the like, it is accomplished with respect to God’s Judgment, on the Last Day: Revelation 22:12-15 King James Version (KJV) 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Thus the progression that will emerge among the other NT writers is seen explicitly here. According to this progression, the Son bestows the Spirit who bears the fruit of divine love in our hearts,
In this life, via the Sacraments:
Hebrews 12:17-24 King James Version (KJV) 17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. 18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: 20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: 21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) 22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
and if we walk in that love, we will reap eternal life.
This is true for Protestant, Pagan, Jew, Orthodox or Catholic. The difference is that Catholics and Orthodox, because of their faith in the Sacraments, will reap eternal life in this life. The others must await the Judgment.
Yes, Protestants are baptized. But they have no faith in the Baptism for salvation (Mark 16:16).
This is all subsumed by Paul under the phrase, “faith working through love.” This is the paradigm from which Paul wrote and taught, and is nothing less than the gospel itself.
Anon says:
1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law..
Neither circumcision (Jews) nor uncircumcision (Gentiles) avail anything. Final justification is by faith working through love.
But for those who do not receive the Sacraments, Jews, Protestants, pagans and the like, it is accomplished with respect to God’s Judgment, on the Last Day:
Revelation 22:12-15
King James Version (KJV)
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
King James Version (KJV)
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.