Faith and Works
Paul says faith, James says works — how the two meet is the heart of the Reformation
This concerns how believing trust and human deeds relate in salvation, a tension felt between Paul's letters and James 2 and sharpened in the Reformation debates. The traditions differ: Protestants hold sola fide, that one is justified by faith alone, while Catholic and Orthodox Christians speak of faith formed by love and working together with cooperating deeds. Both sides affirm faith and good works belong together; they disagree on how each contributes to salvation.
How it traveled
- JamesJerusalem · 62explains
- RomansCorinth · 67explains
- GalatiansEphesus · 67explains
- 2 CorinthiansPhilippi · 67applies
- 1 CorinthiansEphesus · 67explains
- TitusEphesus · 67explains
- MatthewAntioch · 80explains
- LukeRome · 84explains
- JohnEphesus · 100applies
- RevelationPatmos · 100explains
- 1 JohnEphesus · 100explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the RomansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and EphesiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John ChrysostomConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the HebrewsConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. JohnConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Timothy, Titus, and PhilemonConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on First CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- Homilies on Second CorinthiansConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- A Commentary on the Acts of the ApostlesConstantinople (Istanbul) · 407explains
- A Treatise on the Spirit and the LetterHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on Grace and Free WillHippo Regius · 430explains
- Expositions on the Book of PsalmsHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise on the Predestination of the SaintsHippo Regius · 430explains
- A Treatise Against Two Letters of the PelagiansHippo Regius · 430explains
- Letters of St. AugustinHippo Regius · 430explains
- Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. JohnHippo Regius · 430explains
- City of GodHippo Regius · 430explains
- The EnchiridionHippo Regius · 430explains
- The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the GreatRome · 604explains
- Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)Paris · 1274explains
- Commentary on GalatiansWittenberg · 1546explains
- Discussion: Third PartWittenberg · 1546explains
- Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from ItGeneva · 1564explains
- XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvationNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three PartsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Seventeen Occasional SermonsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Fifteen Sermons. On Various SubjectsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- Misrepresentations Corrected and Truth Vindicated, in Reply to the Rev. Solomon WilliamsNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
- The great christian doctrine of original sin defendedNorthampton, Massachusetts · 1758explains
Key passages(20)
The Cost of Discipleship · Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. BOTH THE NAME AND THE REALITY DEFINED. In this chapter and the seven which follow, the doctrine of Justification by Faith is expounded, and opposite errors refuted. The fol
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
13. But since a great part of mankind imagine a righteousness compounded of faith and works let us here show that there is so wide a difference between justification by faith and by works, that the es
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
11. We must strongly insist on these two things: That no believer ever performed one work which, if tested by the strict judgment of God, could escape condemnation; and, moreover, that were this grant
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
10. In this way we can admit not only that there is a partial righteousness in works (as our adversaries maintain), but that they are approved by God as if they were absolutely perfect. If we remember
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
19. The reader now perceives with what fairness the Sophists of the present day cavil at our doctrine, when we say that a man is justified by faith alone (Rom. 4:2). They dare not deny that he is just
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
12. We have not made good our point until we dispose of the other paralogism: since James places a part of justification in works. If you would make James consistent with the other Scriptures and with
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Sect. CLI. — LET us now bring forward that example of Abraham which Paul afterwards adduces. “If (saith he) Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what sait
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XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvation · Jonathan Edwards
Secondly, It is manifest that Moses, when he describes the righteousness which is of the law, or the way of justification by the law, in the words here cited, Gal. iii. 12. “He that doth those things,
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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin
16. Scripture, when it treats of justification by faith, leads us in a very different direction. Turning away our view from our own works, it bids us look only to the mercy of God and the perfection o
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Commentary on Galatians · Martin Luther
I always say, there is no remedy against the sects, no power to resist them, except this article of Christian righteousness. If we lose this article we shall never be able to combat errors or sects. W
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Commentary on Galatians · Martin Luther
Paul did not condemn circumcision as if it were a sin to receive it. But he insisted, and the conference upheld him, that circumcision had no bearing upon salvation and was therefore not to be forced
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Commentary on Galatians · Martin Luther
In civil life obedience to the law is severely required. In civil life Gospel, conscience, grace, remission of sins, Christ Himself, do not count, but only Moses with the lawbooks. If we bear in mind
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Commentary on Galatians · Martin Luther
I answer: Cornelius had the faith of the fathers who were saved by faith in the Christ to come. If Cornelius had died before Christ, he would have been saved because he believed in the Christ to come.
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XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvation · Jonathan Edwards
Third and last thing under this argument, That this doctrine, of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, is utterly inconsistent with the doctrine of our being justified by our own virtue or sincere
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XIV Five discourses on the soul's eternal salvation · Jonathan Edwards
5. The contrary scheme of justification derogates much from the honour of God and the Mediator. I have already shown how it diminishes the glory of the Mediator, in ascribing that to man’s virtue and
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
“The counterfeit and common grace of foolish virgins, after some time of glorious profession, will certainly go out and be quite spent. It consumes in the using, and shining, and burning.—Men that hav
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
And that this is the chief sign of grace in this respect, is very evident from the word of God. Christ, who knew best how to give us rules to judge of others, has repeated, and inculcated the rule, th
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
Heb. vi. 10. And as the Scripture plainly teaches, that practice is the best evidence of the sincerity of professing Christians; so reason teaches the same thing. Reason shows, that men’s deeds are b
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A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections, in Three Parts · Jonathan Edwards
Christian practice is a distinguishing and sure evidence of grace to persons’ own consciences. This is very plain in 1 John ii. 3. “Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” A
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Modern teachers who discuss this idea
Modern and living teachers whose books take up Faith and Works. These works are still in copyright, so we can’t show the text here — each links out to the book.
- Dietrich BonhoefferThe Cost of Discipleship(1937)View on Amazon→