May clarity of thought and charity towards one another be abundant for the sake of our readers. To God alone be all the glory. Amen.

1]Did Paul teach justification by faith alone?
To begin, I look to St. Paul, for our understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To understand our salvation, we must first appreciate our sinful condition. Paul stresses in Romans 3:9 "we have previously accused Jews and Gentiles alike are under the power of sin." Also, Galatians 3:19-20 "...the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin." The solution to our problem of sin is made perfectly clear by Paul "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom.6:23). " As humans, we are radically incapable of saving ourselves from the power of sin. In Rom5:8, we read: "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Through Christ's atoning sacrifice on the Cross, He has appeased the wrath of God. We agree that Christ alone can offer the gift of eternal life.

2]St.Paul asserts clearly that salvation is a free gift, not something earned. Only because of God's mercy and kindness do we have hope for eternal salvation. In his epistle to Titus (3:3-5) he writes: "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice...BUT when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit." Therefore, it is a merciful and loving God who initiates the plan of salvation, by accomplishing our redemption on the Cross. Christ alone is the Savior and it is by his mercy that we are saved.

3] How does Christ justify sinners? It is by his grace. It is an application of the merits of Christ on the Cross to sinners. How does Christ apply the graces won for humanity upon the Cross to individual sinners? This is the real root of our division. What is God's grace and how is this grace applied to souls? I hope this question will be clearly addressed in our dialogue.

4]What is Grace? Grace is an unmerited gift from God to sinners for salvation. We see this emphasized in Ephesians 2:8-10: "For by grace we have been saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not because of works, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, that He prepared for us that we might walk in them."

5]In Ephesians 2, St. Paul contrasts the phrase "not because of works" with grace here to point out that man cannot "boast" in anything apart from grace. Human nature apart from grace has no claim to heaven. In other words, human nature apart from grace cannot obligate God into giving a man entrance into heavenly glory with Himself. God offers humanity hope in Christ in overcoming the power of sin and death; for Christ through the Cross has conquered their power. Christ offers His grace as the solution to the problem of sin. Notice it is the boastful, proud man with whom Paul is concerned. This man thinks he can obligate God by His human works, forcing God to remit payment for something earned. This system of legalistic works righteousness is what Paul is consistently condemning. Humanity cannot bargain or contract their way into heaven: salvation is a gift freely offered by a merciful God, not a wage or salary earned. Notice in verse 10 there is a different type of works Paul sees as essential: the good works of those created in Christ Jesus. Therefore, works done as a believer, by grace through faith which necessarily works in love (Galatians 5:6) are important . It is grace empowered works vs. works apart from grace which we can see being distinguished. Notice in verse 10 we see God prepared for us good works in advance that we might walk in them. This is so great a purpose: to recreate us so that we might image him. So we can see in this passage we are saved by grace alone, through faith. But notice faith alone is not stated.

6]This is the most important principle in understanding the Gospel message of St.Paul. Salvation is given to sinners as a free gift from God. Only due to His mercy and benevolence does God reward humans with heaven. Humanity has no claim to salvation apart from the free gift of God. God obligates himself by freely offering salvation to sinners through Christ. This principle of obligation is seen throughout Paul's writings, where he condemns any attempts of humanity to justify themselves apart from Christ. Jesus Christ is the Savior of humanity, and freely offers His grace to cleanse them from their sin and gives them a share in His own state of heavenly justice, making them children of God.

This is, in fact, the purpose of salvation: for Christ to satisfy the wrath of God regarding man's sin and to restore the status of adopted sons and daughters to humanity. We see the Apostle Paul state this matter of factly in Galatians 4:4-7:" 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Thus, restoring sonship, or divine adoption, to prodigal sons and daughters is God the Father's plan for sending Christ.

7]I now wish to go through a number of passages in the book of Romans to emphasize Paul's Gospel: how grace empowers the believer to please God through loving obedience. Secondly, we find in Romans how Paul condemns works attempting to obligate God. Third, we find that Paul never teaches faith alone. 1st, we look at how Paul naturally pairs faith with obedience in Romans 1:5: "By whom we have received grace and apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all nations." The last time the word faith is used in Romans we find it again paired with obedience in Rom.16:26: "But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith..." We can thus conclude there is a natural and logical connection between faith and obedience.

8]In the second chapter of Romans we have one of the strongest Pauline chapters against the idea that we can be justified by faith alone. This chapter simply militates against it. We see at least eight times where Paul insists we must obey and that this obedience will bring us a reward in God's final judgement. It is here we will find how Paul makes the key distinction between works done by humans in an attempt to obligate God vs. The works of the man empowered by grace and the Holy Spirit. Paul describes how the impartial justice of God, the righteous judge, will be in effect when we appear before Him. Paul is out to destroy the Jewish idea of legalistic external obedience...it will avail them nothing in the eyes of God. To the contrary, Paul states in chapter 2, verse 5: But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God". On the other hand, we will find in verse 6-13 how God will bless those who do good works. He will consider them righteous.

9]Now notice how God will universally judge mankind: through the judgement of good or evil works- Rom:2:5-6: the righteous judgement of God, Who will render to every man according to his works:
Rom:2:7: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, He will give eternal life:
Rom:2:8: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom:2:9: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Rom:2:10: But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Rom:2:11: For there is no respect of persons with God.
Rom:2:12: For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom:2:13: For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.

In verse 7 above, We see God rewarding the man who persists in "well doing" with "eternal life." This is a rather bold and clear assertion. In verse 8, we see the opposite judgement occurring for the man who "does evil", for he will receive "wrath and fury", which is clearly damnation. Because of the clear salvation language here, "eternal life", it is clear the context is in regards to our salvation / our justification. This is truly apparent in verse 13, where "the doers of the law will be justified." This is one of the unmistakable passages which teaches we are justified by a faith which works in loving obedience, not by faith alone.

10]It is to be noted that this passage doesn't use words such as earning in regards to the reward of eternal life. This is simply due to the fact that grace empowered works are expected of the believer, who works not to earn but to please His heavenly Father by a humble obedience. It is only those whose hearts have been made right with God because of grace with whom the Father is pleased. In verse 4 of the chapter we hear: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" This is the context of the merciful God who offers salvation to men, who offers his grace. Therefore, the suggestion is simply that God's grace in the prior verse to this section indicates what type of works can be rewarded...to those who have been "led to repentance." Therefore, it is a believer's faith, out of which loving obedience flows. The same point is being asserted in the end of the chapter, where Paul says in Rom:2:29: "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Thus, we see an indication that this man of faith is the real man with whom God is pleased, the one whose "heart" is right before Him, "in the spirit", for "a just man will live by faith (Rom.1:16)." What must be reiterated in summation is that God rewards works done under his grace, not to those who attempt to demand payment by their natural human works.

11] We now should look at Romans 3, especially verses 27-28 especially, since many people get confused by Paul's language used here: " Where is boasting then? It is excluded. On what principle? On the principle of works? No: but by the principle of faith. For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." This seems to contradict what he just asserted in Rom.chapter 2: that we will be rewarded with "eternal life" "by patience in well doing." It is merely an apparent contradiction if one understands that one cannot come into a right relationship to God by law, but by grace. The "boasting" man is once again condemned, for he will not receive anything from God. The Jews' common understanding that legalistic adherence to the law, both moral and ceremonial, could justify them is being refuted here. Only by a system of grace can man be justified. "Works of the law" represents the Jew's attempts to obligate God through their natural human condition, which has been disgraced because of original sin. Their spiritual darkness is profound, and they have no hope apart from grace to enter into eternal salvation. Paul has already charged that Jews and Gentiles alike are under the "power of sin." It is, therefore, only by God's grace can we enter into the life of promise of being justified before God. Faith represents our entrance into the life of grace, which is put clearly in opposition to a system of works, in which man tries to earn a right to heavenly glory.

12]The life of grace and faith of Abraham is used by Paul to teach us about the new covenantal relationship with God established because of what Christ has done for us on the Cross. Abraham is the example of a man justified by grace and faith. But was it faith alone which justified him? We will see that Abraham's faith necessarily worked in love. His faithful obedience is part of his justification. In Romans 4:1-5, Paul stressed how Abraham was justified by faith: "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Most Protestants equate this statement with jusification by faith alone, but such cannot be Paul's teaching in regards to this father of faith. For it would massacre the life of faith of Abraham. We know this to be the case for several reasons. Paul was quoting from Genesis 15:6, a place in his life following much faith and obedience. Firstly, was Abraham believing in God for the first time in his life when this was proclaimed by God? Of course not. He was trusting the Lord to give him a son through Sarah, his elderly wife. This act of faith in God for a son is long after Abraham began his life of faith in God. His close walk with God was initiated back in Gen.11-12, where he accepts God's promise and sets out to find a land God wished to show him (Gen 12:1-5). He was 75 at the time, some 25 years before he trusts God for a son through Sarah. The faith of Abraham to leave his homeland country, his people, and his father's household to go to a foreign land simply on the basis of God's word to him certainly was a monumental act, showing his status as a believer. This is proven in the parallel passage of Hebrews 11:8, where it states clearly he left that land "by faith." We read in Heb 11:8- " By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." Notice faith is not a one time event for Abraham, as in the Protestant notion. We will find more evidence for the justifications of Abraham in James 2, as we will see later, proving justification as a life process, which indicates more than faith alone is required: love and obedience are part and parcel in salvation.

13]Turning to other passages in Romans, I now turn our attention to chapter 5, verses 18-21: Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. (v.19) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. (v.20) Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (v.21)That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord."
Through Christ, the second Adam, we are made children of God, who share in Christ's own righteousness. What is significant about this passage is that we discover that justification in Christ is a transformational event. He does not merely declare us righteous, he makes us righteous. It is not merely a legal declaration or simply an acquittal, but the gift of life. God's act of justification is therefore a new creation in Christ. See parallel passages: Galatians 6:15, and 1 Corinthians 5:17 "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." Therefore, a gracious infusion of God's divine life, his grace, causes us to be born anew, transformed utterly.

14]In Romans 8:15-17 we get another taste of something more than faith by itself in regards to salvation: "Rom:8:15: For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. (V.16) The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. (V.17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; provided we suffer with him in order that we may be also glorified with him." Notice Paul says the Spirit given us in adoption as sons of God gives us rights to an inheritance "provided we suffer with him in order that we may be glorified with Him." No suffering, no eternal glory. No cross, no crown basically. We must take up our cross daily as the Gospels teach.
15]Another indication in Paul closely associating faith and love is seen in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, where Paul asserts even "if I have the faith to move mountains, but have not love, it profits a man nothing." Ultimately, Paul stresses in this passage that faith, hope, and love are the Christian's primary gifts of the Spirit, but the "greatest of these is love." Faith alone theology simply does not fit with such an assertion.

16]What did Jesus teach on this subject of salvation? According to Jesus in Luke9:23-26: "And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 9:24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. 9:25 For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away? 9:26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." And in the parallel text of Matt17.:24-28"and then he will repay every man for what he has done." This shows us we must deny ourselves through self-sacrificial generosity in loving obedience to the Lord for salvation. We especially highlight the facts of a final judgement context in both contexts, where Jesus rewards according to "what every man has done."

17] In addition, Jesus teaches works are essential in multiple places. First example can be seen in Matthew 19:16-18 , where he states : "If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." In addition, we have in Vine and the Branches sermon in John 15:10 "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." One final example for now is seen in Matthew 25:31-46 , where Jesus at the Last Judgement separates the sheep and the goats (the righteous and the unrighteous) according to their works of charity towards the poor and afflicted. Acts of mercy and kindness are representative of the believer's works, as opposed to the wicked, who did not serve the hungry, the naked, and the thirsty. The wicked were judged by their lack of charity and condemned to "eternal punishment". The righteous he rewarded with "eternal life."

18]What did James teach on the subject of justification? The verses I wish to highlight are found in chapter 2,14-26 - the most forceful rejection of justification by faith alone :
2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
2:16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
2:17 So faith by itself, if it has not works, is dead.
2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
2:24 You see then how that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.
2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
St.James explictly denies justification by faith alone in James 2:17, 20, and 24. This is a massive problem for Protestants since the context is clearly one of justification before God. In a salvation context, the Spirit of God inspired an apostle to write a clear denial of faith alone, to affirm works as necessary in addition to faith. Also, St. James held up the same exemplar of faith, Abraham, as Paul had in Romans, concluding it was his faith being completed by his work of offering Isaac upon the altar, an ultimate test of his living faith in God the Father. His faithful loving obedience made his faith complete and perfect, showing once again that Abraham's justification by faith did not obtain for him a passive, static, juridical righteousness. To the contrary, it was a dynamic relationship built upon grace, the dynamic life principle within him which enabled him to please God by a faith which necessarily works in love. We will go deeper with this passage to show its clarity and forcefulness.

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