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- Put very simply, Paul uses "justification" to mean to change from being "bad" in God's sight (state of sin) to being "good" (state of grace).
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From the faith of the Old Covenant to the faith of the New Covenant. From faith in the law to a faith in the Gospel. From human faith to the faith given by God. This wide range of possible meanings is confusing, to say the least, but Paul gives us an important clue to what he meant.
Nov 6, 2011 · I think what Paul is saying is that righteousness is by faith, and that leads to greater, more perfect faith, not legalism. The Galatians started in faith, and then strayed into legalism and law-keeping – it’s what the whole book is about. Paul is telling us that righteousness by faith doesn’t lead to that, but to a fuller life of faith.
- Faith Alone?
- What Does Paul Mean by “Works of The Law”?
- No More Need For Separation
- Faith, Moral Law, and Ritual Law
- Paul’s Use of The Abrahamic Narrative
- Does This Mean We Can Save Ourselves?
- The Gift of Divine Life
For starters, it’s worth noting that Paul readily insists on the importance of good works for salvation. He uses the phrase “obedience of faith” at the beginning and end of his letter, as a sort of book-end to his entire teaching (see Romans 1:5; 16:26). In Romans 2:6, he writes: And then a few verses later, he says: The key, then, to seeing the co...
In Romans 1 and 2, Paul points to the universal plight of sin, affecting all humanity—both the Gentiles (see Romans 1:18-32) and Jews (see Romans 2). When Paul turns to phrases indicating the universality of sin (see Romans 3:23), he means both Jews and Gentiles. This is clear from Romans 3:9: This phrase (“works of the law”) occurs only in Galatia...
In other words, what’s at issue is the giving way of Jewish ceremonial and ritual law, which in part had the purpose of separating Jews from Gentiles. With the coming of Christ, the time for separation is over—now the third promise to Abraham (worldwide blessing) can come to fruition, a promise which Paul identifies with the gospel itself (see Gala...
The Jews of Jesus’ day were legalistic in terms of steadfastly maintaining their Jewish nationalistic identity—that’s why they had so much concern for maintaining ritual purity. The great fear of many Jews in Jesus’ day was assimilation—that they would lose their Jewish identity in the face of a dominant pagan culture all around them. This fear was...
Paul sees this dynamic at play in the story of Abraham. Paul cites Genesis 15:6, which describes Abraham as being justified by “faith” (Romans 4:3). At first glance, it might seem that this passage might reinforce Luther’s view of salvation by faith alone. But if Paul were saying that Abraham was justified (or saved) by his initial act of faith, he...
Paul expects a transformation to come about in the believer, but this transformation is through the work of the Holy Spirit (see Romans 2:28-29). “Justification” refers to our being re-established in right relationship with God; but we must remember that though there is a “legal” dimension here, it is at root a covenantal—which is to say familial—r...
Salvation, in a word, is a process—not a one-time event. It is the gift of new birth, leading to the maturation of this divine life. And we truly participate and cooperate in the unfolding and maturation of this divine life within us—that’s why Paul can insist on the obedience of faith(Romans 1:5; 16:26). Again, he expects a transformation to come ...
Mar 1, 2003 · Following Paul, the Catholic Church teaches that justification comes by faith. Only it says that it doesn’t come through faith alone . If you look carefully at Paul’s writings, you will notice that he never says that our righteousness comes from faith alone—only that it comes from faith apart from works.
- Kenneth Howell
Since the Greek word translated faith (pistis) can mean both “faith” and “faithfulness,” and the grammar of the Greek phrase is ambiguous, Paul’s statement can teach more than one truth. First, it teaches that we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ.
St. Paul very often expresses his doctrine regarding grace and salvation in terms of "justification by faith," and not by "works," or "works of the law." Protestant Christians often place great emphasis on these words, but without understanding them correctly, in the light of Catholic Tradition.
Jun 3, 2020 · Paul’s understanding of faith involves the transformation of one’s perception of God and the world through Christ, relational dependence on Christ, as well as active loyalty to Christ. Eerdmans. 240 pp. What Is Faith? Faith shouldn’t be defined as private opinion, creedal formulations, or human passivity (2–5).
