Chapter 18.—Faith Without Good Works is Not Sufficient for Salvation.

Unintelligent persons, however, with regard to the apostle’s statement: “We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law,”137    Rom. iii. 28. have thought him to mean that faith suffices to a man, even if he lead a bad life, and has no good works. Impossible is it that such a character should be deemed “a vessel of election” by the apostle, who, after declaring that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,”138    Gal. v. 6. adds at once, “but faith which worketh by love.” It is such faith which severs God’s faithful from unclean demons,—for even these “believe and tremble,”139    Jas. ii. 19. as the Apostle James says; but they do not do well. Therefore they possess not the faith by which the just man lives,—the faith which works by love in such wise, that God recompenses it according to its works with eternal life. But inasmuch as we have even our good works from God, from whom likewise comes our faith and our love, therefore the selfsame great teacher of the Gentiles has designated “eternal life” itself as His gracious “gift.”140    Rom. vi. 23.

18. Homines autem non intelligentes, quod ait ipse Apostolus, Arbitramur justificari hominem per fidem sine operibus legis (Rom. III, 28); putaverunt eum dicere sufficere homini fidem, etiamsi male vivat et bona opera non habeat. Quod absit ut sentiret Vas electionis: qui cum dixisset quodam loco, In Christo enim Jesu neque circumcisio aliquid valet, neque praeputium; mox addidit, sed fides quae per dilectionem operatur (Galat. V, 6). Ipsa est fides quae fideles Dei separat ab immundis daemonibus: nam et ipsi, sicut dicit apostolus Jacobus, credunt et contremiscunt (Jacobi II, 19); sed non bene operatur. Non ergo habent istam fidem ex qua justus vivit, id est, quae per dilectionem operatur, ut reddat ei Deus vitam aeternam secundum opera ejus. Sed quia et ipsa bona opera nobis ex Deo sunt, a quo nobis et fides est, et dilectio, propterea idem ipse Doctor Gentium, etiam ipsam vitam aeternam gratiam nuncupavit.