Last time we began to look at what Francis Turretin (1623-1687) had to say on the subject. He was a giant in his day and was truly got at the heart of Reformed theology in his day and in all times. In his Sixteenth Topic (Justification) and the seventh question of that Topic he writes this: “Does faith justify us properly and by itself or only relatively and instrumentally?” He takes his stand that it is instrumentally and denies that faith justifies us by itself in opposition to the Socinians, Remonstrants (Arminians), and the Romanists. Last time the quotes from him focused on what the Socinians said and what the Remonstrants (old way of referring to Arminians) agreed with. The next quote is what Turretin said about the Romanists (Roman Catholic):
The Romanists hold that faith is the disposing and cause sine qua non, which not only disposes to righteousness, but also begins and merits righteousness itself. “If anyone says that the wicked are justified by faith alone, so that he understands nothing else to be required to cooperate for obtaining the grace of justification and is necessary from no part, to be prepared and disposed with the motion of his own will, let him be accursed” (Council of Trent, Session 6, Canon 9*, Schroeder, p. 43). Bellarmine says, “Faith justifies as the beginning and root of justification because it is the first motion towards God, for it behooves one approaching God to believe that God is” (De Justificatione, * 1.13 Opera [1858], 4:479). This opinion is founded upon a false hypothesis-as if justification consists in an infusion of righteousness and is a certain physical motion which demands previous dispositions in the subject before the introduction of the form.
What we must see is that Turretin is giving us direct quotes from the Council of Trent and then a major theologian of Roman Catholicism at the time. Regardless of how people spin this today, this is still the official position of Roman Catholicism. They cannot say that this is wrong or they will admit that their councils can be wrong and so the whole system would fall like a house of cards in a tornado. Their official position is that sinners are justified by faith. Many Protestants would loudly amen that and say our differences are in other areas. But again, notice their use of faith. They believe that faith disposes and is the cause without which one begins and merits righteousness. Their use of faith is that one must believe in God as a first motion toward God and then a true faith receives grace and works to be declared righteousness on the basis of the faith which obtains righteousness by works. Grace is what helps people work for righteousness, but the righteousness does not come as a free (uncaused by man in any way) act of God. It boils down to a system of works though that is not what they say. However, in their system faith is the cause of justification in that it is faith that works and merits the righteousness that is needed to be saved.
The distinction between the teaching of the Reformation and Roman Catholicism is startling in the contrast. Yet in the modern day people just smile and think those who cry out that there is a problem are just being proud or non-gracious. But there is only one Gospel and we must understand that Gospel. Now it is time to get nasty again. In the previous post, Turretin’s words on Socinian and the Remonstrants (Arminian) views were given. What I would like to point out is that the Socinian and Arminian view is very close to the Roman Catholic view in its own way. Both, however, deny that faith is an instrument of God which receives salvation as a totally free gift of grace.
“For the Socinians maintain that faith of the act of believing is the cause of our justification so that there is no other immediate and formal righteousness by which we are just before God than our faith; also justification is a universal affection of faith-‘Not because it is considered such by the gracious acceptation of God; by which it pleased him to reckon faith for perfect righteousness, or for perfect righteousness, or for a perfect fulfillment of the law, no otherwise than formally under the legal covenant, the perfect obedience of the law was that universal righteousness upon which life depended.'”
Rome believes that faith is needed to be justified because it is by faith that the sinner does his good works in order to merit righteousness and so be declared just. God’s covenant demands this. The Socinian and Arminian position sees faith as that which fulfills the covenant of God. In other words, all that God requires is for a person to have faith and once a person has faith that person has done all that God requires. Both positions have the fulfillment of the covenant by the work or works of the human being. Both positions have human beings using faith to do something that has not been earned or purchased by Christ. These positions deny the true meaning of “by faith alone” because they deny the truth of grace alone and Christ alone.
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