Despite the clear testimony of Scripture, there are a few objections that Roman apologists use to get around the works-free gospel. There are three major objections that will be dealt with here. All Bible quotes are from the NASB (emphasis mine):
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“Works of Law”
Romans 3:28
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.
A Roman Catholic would say that ‘works of the Law’ only refers to the ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic Law. This means that one
can be further justified by other works such as acts of charity and the Church sacraments. However, a Protestant would say that
these ‘works of the Law’ include not only the ceremonial laws but all the laws that God has given: both ceremonial and natural. This means that a repentant sinner would be justified by faith alone.
So, if ‘works of the Law’ meant both the ceremonial and the natural laws, we would expect the Scriptures to speak of the ‘Law’ (meaning
Mosaic Law) in terms of ceremony and charity. Further, we would expect the Scriptures to speak of the Law in other ways which
would imply the inclusion of the natural or moral law. The New Testament will be sufficient to establish the meaning of this
phrase.
Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected
the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting
the others.
Commentary:
This is part of Jesus’ long condemnation
of the practices of the Pharisees. During the time between the Testaments, this Jewish sect arose. For the most part,
they were a group that was highly legalistic and over-emphasized the ceremonial portion of the Law. Here, Jesus is saying that
they were so concerned about the ceremonial portion of the Mosaic Law that they ignored the more important part of the Law, the moral
laws. Here, Christ is including moral law into the Mosaic Law, and He calls them “provisions of the law” which could be put
as “works of the Law”.
Romans 2:17-24
But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will
and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to
the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment
of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal,
do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You
who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES
BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written.
Commentary:
Paul is specifically
addressing the Jews in
Romans 3:13-16, 19-20
"THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES
THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS"; "WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS"; "THEIR
FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS… Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks
to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the
works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.
Commentary:
Paul gives us why “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight”. It is because the purpose of the Law was
to convict men of sin and not to confer righteousness. Before he says this, he tells us what a violation of the Law is: deceiving, cursing and bitterness, shedding of blood, causing destruction and misery. All of these things are violations of
the moral law, and in order for a logical connection to be made between verses 13-16 and 19-20, the moral law must be included into
‘works of the Law’. Also, how could the ceremonial law convince someone of their own sinfulness? A conviction of sin can
only come about when one knows God’s moral standard and realizes that they fall short of it.
Roman
Where then is boasting?
It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
Commentary:
Paul condemns any boasting in any law of any works because if one can enter heaven based upon works or partially upon works, then
one can boast in themselves that they were good enough to enter Heaven. One can enter Heaven solely on the basis of the empty
hand of faith because no one can boast of self-righteousness.
Romans 4:6-8
“…just as David also speaks of the blessing on the
man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE
SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.” "BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.””
Commentary:
Paul continues his theme that ‘works of the Law’ cannot justify anyone. As proof that God imputes righteousness apart from ‘works
of the Law’, he quotes David’s Psalm 32. Psalm 32 praises God for not taking David’s violations of the moral law into account
(see Psalm 32:3-5). David was always a man who was zealous for God’s ceremonial law and kept it (2 Samuel
Romans 7:7-8
What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU
SHALL NOT COVET." But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from
the Law sin is dead.
Commentary:
Paul is still continuing his anti-legalism
theme. He anticipates the charge of antinomianism (i.e. the belief that one can sin all they want if they are justified), and
he gives a quick response. He says that the purpose of the Law was given to bring about a conviction of sin, and he gives an
example: one of the commandments of the Decalogue, “You shall not covet”, a moral commandment. He shows that this not only cannot
make one righteous, but also, that it can only condemn! Thus, his exclusion of ‘works of the Law’ from the Gospel must include
the moral law also.
Galatians 5:18-23
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh
are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes,
dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned
you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Commentary:
Galatians is another of Paul’s epistles in which he is writing against the sect of Pharisees within the Church. Paul is saying,
in opposition to the Pharisees, that Christians do not need to be constantly thinking and worrying about breaking God’s Law because
they have the Spirit to guide them. This is an explanation of why these Gentile Christians should not listen to the Pharisees’
belief that adherence to the law makes one right before God. He then proceeds to explain what adherence to the law is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, all of which are acts of obedience to
the moral law. Thus, Paul is implicitly including the moral law into the ‘works of the Law’ which are excluded from the Gospel.
Lastly, it is worthy to note the interpretation of the phrase ‘works of Law’ by the greatest of the early fathers, Augustine:
“Although, therefore, the apostle seems to reprove and correct those who were being persuaded to be circumcised, in such terms as to designate by the word "law" circumcision itself and other similar legal observances, which are now rejected as shadows of a future substance by Christians who yet hold what those shadows figuratively promised; he at the same time nevertheless would have it to be clearly understood that the law, by which he says no man is justified, lies not merely in those sacramental institutions which contained promissory figures, but also in those works by which whosoever has done them lives holily, and amongst which occurs this prohibition: "Thou shalt not covet."… And must the other nine commandments, which are rightly observed in their literal form, not be regarded as belonging to the law of works by which none is justified, but to the law of faith whereby the just man lives? Who can possibly entertain so absurd an opinion as to suppose that "the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones," is not said equally of all the ten commandments, but only of the solitary one touching the Sabbath-day?”
-Augustine, On the Spirit and the Letter, ch.23 and 24
http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF1-05/npnf1-05-14.htm#P1425_694882
This
is not to say that Augustine didn’t believe in penance. My point is only to show that although he could interpret much of the
Scriptures correctly, he was a bit inconsistent in its application.
Objections to
Sola Fide
(Part 1)