Saved by Faith Alone? What the Catholic Church Actually Teaches
15m read • Dec 20
Written by Thomas J. Swanson
Luther at the Diet of Worms, AD 1521
Faith or Works?
Many accuse the Catholic Church of teaching a 'works-based' salvation, but this is a misunderstanding. The Church explicitly condemns such a notion. Sadly, some Catholics unintentionally fuel this misconception by claiming salvation depends on both faith and works—a misrepresentation of Church teaching. Let’s cut through the noise and look at what the Church truly says about justification and the role of faith and works. By examining the teaching of Ecumenical Councils, Popes, Doctors, and Sacred Scripture, we’ll clarify this issue for Protestants seeking truth and Catholics seeking to defend their faith.
Justification and the Council of Trent
The Catholic Encyclopedia defines justification (Latin: justificatio; Greek: dikaiosis.) as “...the transforming of the sinner from the state of unrighteousness to the state of holiness and sonship of God.”
As Scripture says:
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
Protestants are very insistent that justification is by grace alone (sola gratia) as if Catholics don’t agree, but we do! The Church teaches initial justification depends entirely upon God, and isn’t a result of human effort.
The doctrine of salvation by grace alone was dogmatically affirmed by the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent:
CANON I.- “If any one saith, that man may be justified before God by his own works, whether done through the teaching of human nature, or that of the law, without the grace of God through Jesus Christ; let him be anathema.”
CANON II.- “If any one saith, that the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, is given only for this, that man may be able more easily to live justly, and to merit eternal life, as if, by free will without grace, he were able to do both, though hardly indeed and with difficulty; let him be anathema.”
CANON III.- “If any one saith, that without the prevenient inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and without his help, man can believe, hope, love, or be penitent as he ought, so as that the grace of Justification may be bestowed upon him; let him be anathema.”
These are dogmatically binding pronouncements. That means they are non-negotiable doctrines that Catholics have to believe. And what we find in them, contrary to popular claims about Catholicism, is a position which exalts the primacy of God’s work in salvation. An affirmation that without grace we do not have the ability to “believe, hope, love, or be penitent”.
The Council Fathers go on to say:
CHAPTER VIII.
“…but we are therefore said to be justified freely, because that none of those things which precede justification—whether faith or works—merit the grace itself of justification. For, if it be a grace, it is not now by works, otherwise, as the same Apostle says, grace is no more grace.”
The Catholic Church dogmatically teaches we can in no way merit the grace of justification, it can only be freely given by God. Does this sound like a ‘works-based’ salvation? Of course not! The Catholic Church teaches the total inability of man to merit his own salvation.
And finally:
CHAPTER X.
“Having, therefore, been thus justified, and made the friends and domestics of God, advancing from virtue to virtue…they, through the observance of the commandments of God and of the Church, faith co-operating with good works, increase in that justice which they have received through the grace of Christ, and are still further justified, as it is written; He that is just, let him be justified still; and again, Be not afraid to be justified even to death; and also, Do you see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. And this increase of justification holy Church begs, when she prays, ‘Give unto us, O Lord, increase of faith, hope, and charity.’”
This section defines that good works flow from justification, and are a result of already being in friendship with God. As it says, good works “increase in that justice which they have received”. This is after salvation. The Church does NOT teach—and in fact condemns—the notion that justification is attained by human effort.
Moreover, the council says that faith, hope, and charity are our righteousness before God: “And this increase of justification holy Church begs, when she prays, ‘Give unto us, O Lord, increase of faith, hope, and charity.’” This language of “increasing justification” might sounds weird to you, but it’s the same as increasing in holiness. Who will deny that works performed through love, after being justified, will increase a man’s holiness?
What is Charity? Charity is supernatural love. This love is called charity to distinguish it from other kinds of love. This supernatural love is described by the Greek term ἀγάπη (agápē) and the Latin cāritās.
On this, St. Thomas Aquinas teaches an important maxim: habits are caused by acts (ex actibus causantur habitus). St. Thomas explains, in line with Aristotle’s teaching, that habits are formed through repeated actions. Good works cause an increase in holiness by developing the habit of love. By doing loving things our love grows. This is significant because according to Scripture our salvation depends on love:
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity.” (Gal 5:6)
If our justification is by the gifts of faith, hope, and love then it is not “works-based”. Someone can do six million good deeds, but without grace, faith, hope and love, this person isn’t any closer to union with Jesus. Faith, hope, and love are divinely infused virtues and habitual qualities of the soul. In other words, these are gifts which God alone can give us, as He wills, and they remain in us perpetually unless we extinguish them ourselves through sin and disbelief.
In the following sections I will explore the biblical foundation for justification by faith, hope, and love.
Faith Alone
How does the Catholic position differ from the Protestant position? And can Catholics affirm justification by faith alone?
The disagreement between Protestants and Catholics is not over the language of “faith alone” but the intended meaning. More specifically, the meaning of “faith”. While Catholics can affirm justification by faith alone, what we intend to signify by faith is different than what Protestant intend to signify.
Faith can have two different senses and we derive this distinction from Scripture:
Unformed Faith (Fides Informis): Otherwise known as ‘dead faith’, is a belief in what God has revealed without necessarily loving God. Faith, in this sense, is the root of justification but if left by itself will not justify us: “…if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor 13:2)
Unformed Faith—> Mere Belief
Formed Faith (Fides Formata): Otherwise known as ‘living faith’, is faith taken to its natural end; i.e. to love God. Living faith encompasses belief (fides informis), hope, and love. It’s this kind of faith that justifies us: “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith that worketh by charity.” (Romans 5:6)
Formed Faith—> Belief, Hope, & Love
On the other hand, Martin Luther and his disciples said that saving faith is nothing more than a firm trust in God’s mercy:
“Q. 72. What is justifying faith?
A. Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner, by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation. (Westminster Larger Catechism Q.72)”
According to the Westminster assembly, faith is assent to the Gospel, and trust in Christ. While these things are great, these men intentionally exclude the virtue of love. This is the contention between the Protestants and Catholics on justification which prompted His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to say:
“For this reason Luther's phrase: "faith alone" is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love. Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love. So it is that in the Letter to the Galatians in which he primarily developed his teaching on justification St Paul speaks of faith that works through love (cf. Gal 5: 14).” (Benedict XVI, General Audience, St. Peter's Square Wednesday, 19 November 2008)
The key component that’s missing from the Protestant definition of saving faith is what Pope Benedict XVI says about entering into the love of Christ. Protestants don’t believe this is the cause of justification. They place love as being present with justifying faith, which they define as a firm confidence in God. For them, our justification is by this confidence in God alone. While Catholics recognize that faith accompanied by love is our justification: “…if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, and have not love I am nothing” (1 Cor 13:2).
While some may think this is a semantic issue, we’ll see later why the implications of this difference create a massive divide in understanding, and practice.
Which View is Biblical?
Nonetheless, this Protestant understanding of faith which we have discussed is called “fiduciary faith”. The Council of Trent addresses it directly:
CANON XII.— “If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ's sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema.”
It’s common to hear Evangelicals urging people to “trust in Jesus” for salvation. Though, this doctrine is never taught in Scripture. According to Scripture faith is: “…the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not.” (Hebrews 11:1). And faith is either dead or living: “For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)
A viral Protestant preacher by the name of Cliffe Knecktle is quoted as saying: “You go to heaven by putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ”. And the 16th century Lutheran ‘Formula of Concord’ again excludes love and contrition from faith:
“Indeed, neither contrition nor love nor any other virtue, but faith alone is the means by which we can reach forth and obtain the grace of God, the merit of Christ and the remission of sin.” (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Paragraph 23)
Compare this with the words of Holy Scripture:
“Wherefore I say to thee, many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.” (Luke 7:47)
We see then that Catholics and Protestants intend to signify two completely different ideas when they say that we are justified by faith alone.
Catholics: Justification by formed faith alone (i.e. belief in, hope in, and love of God)
Protestants: Justification by fiduciary faith alone. (i.e. belief in the gospel and trust in God)
If all we need to do is trust God’s Word in order to be saved, falling from this grace becomes almost impossible. Thus this quote is attributed to Martin Luther from the Table Talks:
“If men only [trust] enough in Christ they can commit adultery and murder a thousand times a day without periling their salvation.”
Whether or not this quote is authentic; this does accurately encompass the view of the Lutherans. No sin, no matter how grave, can ever separate you from Christ once justified, except for the sin of not trusting God.
Compare the Protestant position with what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
CCC 1855 “Mortal sin destroys [love] in the heart of man by a grave violation of God's law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him. Venial sin allows [love] to subsist, even though it offends and wounds it.”
To commit a grave sin deliberately, your love for God is being superseded by your love for some lesser good and your desire to please yourself. To commit mortal sin is to tell God that you do not submit to His will and prefer your own. That you are not an obedient son, but a rogue agent who seeks his own pleasure. And because this love of God is our justification and union with Christ, choosing to abandon your love of God for mortal sin completely removes you from the state of justification. To commit mortal sin is to turn away from God.
Our Lord teaches that we can be in Him, yet if we fail to abide in Him, we will be cut off from Him. And He tells us what it means to abide in Him:
“If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth…As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have kept my Father’s commandments, and do abide in his love.” (John 15:6,9-10)
And St. Paul echoes this teaching:
“...if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor 13:2)
Catholics, in line with Sacred Scripture, don’t believe that we are justified by only believing and trusting God. Rather, Catholics believe that we are justified by believing, trusting, and loving Him above all things. We keep the Words of Our Lord and abide in His love. As St. John says: “He that loveth not, knoweth not God” (1 John 4:8)
Obedience to the commandments of Christ comes from the love of God, and after justification:
"Jesus answered, and said to him: If any one love me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him." (John 14:23)
So while Protestants will quote Scripture against Catholics, such as Romans 4:5: “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” We actually affirm this truth of Scripture and long have before Martin Luther. But the faith which justifies is not dead but living; a faith formed in love. The Catholic position offers a broader view that includes charity as a necessary cause of justification as St. Paul teaches:
“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision: but faith that worketh by charity.” (Gal 5:6)
Charity, Baptism, and Scripture
Let’s very briefly explore the relationship between charity and the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism is the Sacrament of faith, and the instrumental cause of justification, so how does this relate to living faith, and charity?
As the Council of Trent declared, faith, hope, and charity is our justification. And the Bible teaches this by saying it’s specifically the infusion of God’s charity into our souls that forgives all sin:
“Wherefore, I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less.” (Luke 7:47)
“But before all things have a constant mutual charity among yourselves: for charity covereth a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
Scripture also teaches the gift of charity is not a human work but is a free gift from the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of Charity:
“And hope confoundeth not: because the charity of God is poured forth in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost, who is given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
And the Church teaches, in line with Our Lord and St. Peter, the ordinary means of receiving the Holy Spirit is through Baptism:
“But Peter said to them: Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins: and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38)
“Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)
Baptism —> Holy Spirit —> Charity—>Justification
The remission of sins through Baptism comes from the infusion of charity, or love, into our souls by the Holy Spirit. Baptism itself is not a "work," as some Protestants might claim. Some argue that anything you do is a work, but this is false, because even faith itself requires action — specifically, the assent of the intellect to revealed truths. Clearly, St. Paul did not view faith as a work.
Other Protestants may respond by claiming that anything physical is a work. This, too, is mistaken. While Baptism involves a physical action, it is not a work. St. Paul states, “Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt” (Romans 4:4). For St. Paul, a "work" is an action performed to earn something, to incur a debt.
Consider this analogy: If a man is ill and his doctor says, “Come back in two days, and I will treat you,” and in two days the man shows up and receives treatment that cures him, has he earned good health? By physically going to the clinic as instructed, did he earn the cure? Of course not. That would be absurd. Likewise, it is equally absurd to call Baptism a work by which we attempt to earn something from God. Baptism is the treatment offered to us by the Divine Physician, Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a work.
The Angelic Doctor
I thought it would be good to cover what St. Thomas Aquinas says about faith alone, as St. Thomas, born in the 13th century, roughly 300 years before the Reformation, is the most preeminent Catholic theologian, and the Common Doctor of the Church. His great Summa Theologiae was, in fact, placed on the Altar at the Council of Trent alongside Sacred Scripture. The following are from St. Thomas’ biblical commentaries.
St. Thomas affirms justification by faith alone (fides formata):
“Then when he says ‘but to him’, he shows how the eternal reward is related to faith, saying, ‘but to him who works not’ outward works, for example, because he does not have time to work, as in the case of one who dies immediately after baptism, ‘yet believes in him who justifies the ungodly’, namely, in God, of whom he says below: ‘God is he who justifies’ (Rom 8:33), ‘his faith is reputed, i.e., faith alone without outward works, to justice’” (Commentary on Romans C4.L1.n329.4)
He distinguishes dead faith from living faith, a faith formed by the love of God:
“Hence he says, ‘for in Christ Jesus’, i.e., in those who live in the faith of Christ, ‘neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything’, i.e., they make no difference; ‘but faith’, not unformed, but the kind ‘that works by charity’: faith without works is dead (Jas 2:26). For faith is a knowledge of the Word of God—’that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts’ (Eph 3:17)—which Word is not perfectly possessed or perfectly known unless the love which it hopes for is possessed.” (Commentary on Galatians C5.L2.n285.3)
St. Thomas teaches that the proper end of faith is union with Christ through charity, through love i.e. belief unto God:
“For to believe unto God shows the ordering of faith to its end, which is through charity; for to believe unto God is to go to God by believing, which charity does. Consequently, it follows upon the nature of faith.” (Commentary on Romans C4L1.n327)
Infusion vs. Imputation
As we read above, the Council of Trent taught that faith, hope, and charity are our justification. Put another way, living faith is our righteousness before God. This might sound similar to something a Protestant would say but in reality their doctrine is very different.
Here is a popular Protestant catechism, put together by the Westminster assembly in the 17th century:
“Q. 73. How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?
A. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other graces which do always accompany it, or of good works that are the fruits of it, nor as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification; but only as it is an instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his righteousness.” (WLC Q.73)
The Protestant position actually rejects the notion that our faith is our righteousness before God. In the above citation they say that the grace of faith is not imputed for our justification but only as an instrument by which we receive Christ. Protestants do not believe God makes us actually righteous in justification. They believe God only counts us righteous in a legal and forensic sense. Luther said the righteousness of Christ that justifies us exists outside of us (extra nos). For Protestants, faith exists within our souls, while the righteousness, by which we are justified, exists outside of us.
This is a significant departure from what the Scripture actually says! St. Paul, contrary to Luther and the Protestants, says that our faith is our righteousness:
“For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
For St. Paul, Abraham’s faith was ‘reckoned’ as righteousness. Abraham’s faith was his righteousness in God’s sight. This means the righteousness of Christ is infused into our souls in the form of a living faith. This is the doctrine of Sacred Scripture and of the Catholic Church. If the righteousness, by which we are saved, exists within our souls as a living faith, then it truly belongs to us and is maintained by endurance in faith, hope, and love.
The Protestants explicitly reject this:
“Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other graces…nor as if the grace of faith…were imputed to him for his justification; but only as it is an instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his righteousness.” (WLC Q.73)
For the Protestant, trust in Christ is only an instrument by which WE are counted righteous, and this righteousness is outside of us. For St. Paul and the Catholic Church OUR FAITH is counted as righteousness, and this righteousness exists within us, as a faith formed in love.
Who are we to believe? The Westminster assembly, following Luther and Calvin? Or St. Paul, the Apostle, and the Church of Jesus Christ?
Protestants: By faith, we are credited the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Christ is outside of us.
Fiduciary Faith —> Imputed righteousnessCatholics: Our faith is counted as righteousness by God. The righteousness of Christ is within us.
Living Faith = Infused Righteousness
Final Thoughts
In summary, the topic of justification is central to the Gospel of Christ, as it addresses the essential means by which humanity is reconciled with God. A clear understanding of justification illuminates the transformative power of grace and underscores the necessity of faith, charity, perseverance, and works in the Christian journey toward final salvation. Regrettably, the ongoing dialogue between Protestants and Catholics often serves to obscure the issue through misrepresentation and misunderstanding from both sides. Catholics are wrongly accused of advocating for a works-based salvation, while Protestants are charged with anti-nomianism. It is imperative for Catholics to understand the Church's true teaching on justification and for Protestants to accurately represent the Catholic position, which holds that justification is by grace alone, through a living faith alone, with the object of that faith being the Eternal Truth.
When we strip away the rhetoric, it becomes evident that the Catholic Gospel is the one taught by Our Lord and St. Paul, the Gospel that has been faithfully believed and practiced since the time of Christ. It is not a system of salvation based on works but rather one that relies solely on the grace of God to establish and preserve us in saving faith until the end.
In contrast, the Protestant gospel diverges from Scripture and incorporates many novelties of the 16th century, leading people away from the true Church of Christ and, often, into the sin of presumption. So, let us instead turn to Scripture and allow the words of Our Lord to dwell in our hearts, guiding us toward the truth of salvation and always with a holy fear and humility:
“If any one abide not in me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth…As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; as I also have kept my Father’s commandments, and do abide in his love.” (John 15:6,9-10)
