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I have read that modern protestantism on one hand, and catholicism on the other, tended to abridge their historical differences. Are there any cases in modern protestantism where justification can come other than from faith?

Alan Mr
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  • Welcome to Christianity.SE! When you have a moment, please take our [tour] and visit our [help] to learn more about us. – JBH Jul 11 '18 at 05:39
  • Lovely to have you come in to the community! It would be helpful, though, if you could state where, exactly, you read this claim. If you can cite sources that others can check, that goes a long way to getting a question accepted on here. There is good potential in your question and it is worth asking, preferably by showing a bit of research on your part. – Anne Jul 12 '18 at 17:35
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    I can think of at least four ongoing debates that have involved some self-identifying Protestants claiming that other self-identifying Protestants have "added" something to sola fide. Is there a particular Protestant definition of sola fide that you are thinking of (there's more than one, naturally), or would you like an overview of the recent disagreements? – Nathaniel is protesting Jul 12 '18 at 18:58
  • @Anne I think Alan Mr might be talking about this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Declaration_on_the_Doctrine_of_Justification – One Face Sep 14 '18 at 05:00
  • A helpful link One Face. Pity no clues came from Alan Mr as that puts me off answering. A great deal of time can be spent formulating an answer only for some other 'clue' to arise which shows the answer is off at the wrong tangent. Askers really need to be clear about what, precisely, they want to know, and why. Appreciate your input One Face. – Anne Sep 14 '18 at 14:36
  • The joint declaration itself, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html is an example of "more than faith" required. "By the action of the Holy Spirit in baptism, they are granted the gift of salvation" implies Baptismal regeneration if water baptism is meant, thus making it an added work. But this is controversial within Protestantism, and not a sufficient answer to the question as written. – Bit Chaser Oct 14 '18 at 18:48
  • The fact that churches are divided and dogmatic in essential matter relates to one's salvation does imply that none of them is 100% Biblically correct, like "10 blind men and Elephant" story. Deviation from the sola fide , and sola scriptura for that matter goes both ways. One's eternal destiny and rewards can be affected. Those people will not be there for us, but We will on that day. Let's go back to the Scripture! – Sam Jun 06 '20 at 03:33

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Sola fide or faith alone is a key point within Reformed Protestantism. Sola fide—the doctrine of justification by faith alone apart from works—teaches that righteous works are the result and evidence of a born-again person who has been justified by God and regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. Sola fide is so important to a biblical understanding of salvation that Martin Luther described it as being “the article with and by which the church stands.” The teaching that we are declared righteous by God (justified) on the basis of our faith alone and not by works is a key doctrine of Reformed Protestantism.

There are some modern Protestant denominations that insist works are necessary in addition to faith although you would be hard-pressed to find any overt declaration to that effect. One clue is whether or not that denomination is “performance oriented.” They may place great emphasis on performance-related works—attending every meeting; volunteering to help at local, regional, and national events; and devoting required minimum amounts of time to proselytizing. Everyone must do more in the advancement of “God’s work.” The dedication of each member is tracked and measured by the amount of time, effort, and money they give to the cause. If an individual’s efforts begin to slip below expectations, it will be noticed, questions will be asked and privileges withheld.

To establish whether or not a Protestant denomination deviates from sola fide and proposes that justification can be achieved other than by faith alone, one would have to examine their doctrinal basis of belief with regard to their position on Calvinism and Arminianism. It boils down to whether or not the denomination subscribes to Calvinistic soteriology or not, namely:

“that sinners do not save themselves in any sense at all, but that salvation, first and last, whole and entire, past, present and future, is of the Lord, to whom be glory for ever; amen.” (J. I. Packer, “Introductory Essay,” p. 6)

“God’s choice of certain individuals unto salvation before the foundation of the world rested solely in His own sovereign will... God gives faith and repentance to each individual whom He selected... Thus God’s choice of the sinner, not the sinner’s choice of Christ, is the ultimate cause of salvation.” (The Five Points of Calvinism by David N. Steele and Curtis C. Thomas, by Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing in 1963 – pages 16-17)

“All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, is he pleased in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call by his word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ.” (The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 10, Section 1)

In other words, we are justified not by anything we do, but entirely by what God has done, which includes giving us faith. Some Protestant denominations have deviated from this original position but it is very difficult to pin down any declaration as to whether they are with Luther and Calvin or whether they are in the Arminian camp.

I have first-hand experience of one fairly new (out of the late 19th century revival) denomination that insists upon good works in addition to faith being necessary to salvation, yet their official web site would lead you to believe otherwise. And no, I’m not about to name them because Christianity Stack Exchange is not in the business of calling out individual denominations. The only way to establish what a church really thinks about the Reformed Protestant position on sola fide is to examine how they operate and whether they are “performance orientated” or not.

Edit: The article in this link (provided by One Face) may be relevant to the question being asked: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Declaration_on_the_Doctrine_of_Justification

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Lesley
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    This is a problematic answer because it seems to rely entirely on your judgement that this denomination insisted that works were required for salvation, even though their official doctrine said they did not. This makes it impossible for anyone else to check what you wrote. Did officials of the church communicate to you that they did not agree with their official doctrine, or did their emphasis on certain actions cause you to form the opinion that they required works for salvation? – DJClayworth Jul 12 '18 at 16:48
  • The problem, as I see it, is that it would be entirely wrong to name any Protestant denomination as being works-based. That is why I will not name the religion I was brought up in. My answer strives to point out that the only way to establish if a church does not agree with Reformed Protestant theology on the question of sola fide is to check out their stated beliefs and compare that with the reality – whether members are expected to perform good works in addition to having faith. – Lesley Jul 12 '18 at 17:07
  • Any Protestant denomination that leans towards Arminianism and that denounces Calvinism would probably have deviated from sola fide. It may be that the question needs to be edited in order to avoid singling out any specific denominations but focusing instead on what to look out for in a church that is works-orientated. I am happy to remove that sentence about the denomination I was brought up in because I realise I am expressing my view based on experience. I could provide the evidence, but will not go there. It’s too contentious. The issue is about Reformed Protestant views on sola fide. – Lesley Jul 12 '18 at 17:09
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    For a question like this, it's worth thinking about Protestantism as a whole – do any significant groups of Protestants believe that any other groups of Protestants have deviated from sola fide? Unfortunately, there isn't just one definition of sola fide, so some Protestants (for example, "free grace theologians") believe that whole swaths of Protestantism have "added" something to faith, namely, repentance (see How does repentance fit into the doctrine of sola fide (“by faith alone”)?) – Nathaniel is protesting Jul 12 '18 at 18:47
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    And, as you mention, there are many Protestant traditions that would argue that other Protestant traditions add legalism to sola fide. Not to mention that some traditions seem to add baptism as a requirement, or the whole "federal vision" and NPP controversies. So there end up being a wide variety of examples of Protestant traditions that say "so-and-so add to sola fide." Thus the question becomes a matter of "according to who?" unless it can be answered with an overview. – Nathaniel is protesting Jul 12 '18 at 18:52
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    Yes, the Free Grace movement has detracted from sola fide, and churches in the Restoration Movement, specifically the Church of Christ and the International Church of Christ, strenuously promote baptismal regeneration. It's a spiritual can of worms, theologically speaking! – Lesley Jul 14 '18 at 08:31
  • Lesley, your answer seems to suggest that Arminians deviate from sola fide. I would suggest that is not the case for those who follow classical Arminianism, although deviation -- either in theory or in practice -- may be more common among Arminian believers. – Bit Chaser Sep 10 '18 at 19:26
  • I never mentioned Arminians (that I'm aware of) because I don't know much about them. The answer to the main question being asked is YES, there are SOME Protestant denominations that add works (legalism) to faith as a requirement for salvation. That is my observation and my experience, especially regarding the religious denomination I was brought up in - but I don't want to start a theological war! – Lesley Sep 11 '18 at 08:18
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    Calvinists who insist that faith itself must be simply given to the believer by God are themselves replacing "justification by faith" with "justification by sovereign election" - you're saved not because you believe, but because you're predestined to be, in effect. The argument they are making muddies the waters on the issue. – FrankNorman Sep 11 '18 at 12:06
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    And ironically, the Calvinistic churches are more likely to let works-legalism in the back door - or even through the front door with an open welcome, by changing faith from the basis of salvation to merely a symptom of it. They can also then add all sort of other stuff - you're not saved unless you do this, and this, and this - and still insist it's all by "grace". This seems to be the mindset of the "Lordship Salvation" people. – FrankNorman Sep 11 '18 at 12:10
  • Accusing another denomination of being "works-based" is pretty much standard abuse of any Protestant denomination by any other denomination that doesn't like them. – DJClayworth Apr 12 '19 at 19:19
  • This answer seem opinion based to call out Calvinism as the original protestant view, and other views as deviations from this original view. Luther did not share Calvin's view on this matter, and neither did many other reformators outside of Geneva. – Beestocks Apr 13 '19 at 03:14
  • @Beestocks This is the essence of my answer: "Christianity Stack Exchange is not in the business of calling out individual denominations. The only way to establish what a church really thinks about the Reformed Protestant position on sola fide is to examine how they operate and whether they are “performance orientated” or not." – Lesley Apr 13 '19 at 07:06