She'd never justify anybody! |
First the Roman Catholic view:
Faith + Works = Justification
R.C. extensively goes into the Roman view: briefly, a person is given faith at baptism, and the effort that person expends toward holiness accrues merit toward becoming righteous; when a person becomes righteous (and only then!), God acknowledges it by justifying them. Notice works are on the left side of the equation; Rome teaches they are an essential component of justification.
Then the Antinomian (now known as Free Grace) view:
Faith = Justification - Works
This view holds that bare mental assent in the historic facts of the Gospel is all that God requires; obviously, we can hope that a person's lifestyle progresses towards obedience to God's commands, but if they don't, no connection can or should be made to their conversion (or lack thereof). Whether or not a person is justified is completely disassociated from their works.
Lastly, the biblical, Reformation view:
Faith = Justification + Works
So this view acknowledges there is a connection between justification and works, but not a consequential one; works are on the right side of the equation, meaning they are a product of the divine gift of faith. A person believes in Christ, and God justifies them AND begins to radically change their lifestyle, making a new creature. I pray this helps you as much as it did me!
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