Sola Gratia and Solo Christo

Using traditional Protestant terminology, the Catholic understanding of justification and salvation affirms sola gratia (by grace alone) and solo Christo (through Christ alone) but rejects sola fide (by faith alone). We are saved by grace alone (cf. John 10:27-28; 15:5, Acts 15:11, Romans 3:24; 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:4-7) through Christ alone (cf. John 10:9-16; 14:6, Acts 4:12), and we are justified not by faith only but also by our good works wrought by grace (cf. Matthew 25:31-46, Romans 2:6-8; 2:13, Galatians 5:6, Philippians 2:12-13, James 2:24). This is well explained in a paper by Richard A. White, a Calvinist convert to Catholicism:

[O]riginal justice, or the divine sonship, of Adam was lost through original sin. Justification, in the Catholic sense, is the restoration of that sonship through the second Adam, Jesus Christ; sinners are reborn through baptism as sons of God. In this process, justification is purely gratuitous. The Holy Spirit works in the sinner, effectuating in him an orientation towards faith and good works. Through baptism, he is imputed standing in God’s family and infused with Christ’s grace.

Justification then, involves both the legal remission and the actual removal of sin. The forgiveness of sins is possible precisely because the justified person stands in a new relationship to God as a son. Because the grace of Christ is in him, original sin is blotted out, actual sins are remitted, and grace is continually imparted to overcome concupiscence. The justified person continually seeks to obtain “sanctifying grace” through the sacraments (which in the case of adults, are useless without real faith) and by doing good works. In this sense, individuals are justified by works as well as faith, but always by grace alone and Christ alone. Justification is a process, therefore, whereby higher standing is progressively conferred upon children growing up (“Sola Gratia, Solo Christo: The Roman Catholic Doctrine of Justification”, 1987).

White was still a Calvinist attending Trinity Evangelical School at the time of writing the paper. He developed these ideas further after becoming a Catholic in his contribution to the book Scripture and the Mystery of the Family of God (Ch. V: “Justification as Divine Sonship: Is ‘Faith Alone’ Justifiable?”).

A typical Protestant objection against the claim that the Catholic Church teaches sola gratia is that this is incompatible with the Church’s teaching that good works contribute to justification. How could it be the case that justification is by grace alone when good works contribute to justification as well? However, a similar objection could be pressed against Protestants with respect to their belief in sola fide. How could it be the case that grace alone is sufficient for justification when faith is required as well? The Protestant answer is that there is no conflict between sola gratia and sola fide since it is grace that produces faith, which is a gift from God (cf. Acts 18:27, Ephesians 2:8-9, Philippians 1:29). But in the same vein, the Catholic answer is that there is no conflict between sola gratia and the doctrine of meritorious good works since it is grace that produces not only faith but our good works as well, which are gifts from God (cf. Isaiah 26:12, 1 Corinthians 15:10-11, Philippians 2:12-13). Hence, the Protestant’s protest is without force. It should also be stressed that good works only contribute to an increase in justification. They play no role whatsoever in initial justification whereby we are forgiven of our sins and enter into a state of salvation.

A typical Protestant objection against the claim that the Catholic Church teaches solo Christo is that this is incompatible with the Church’s teaching that our good works have salvific value. How could it be the case that we are saved by Christ’s work alone when our works also make a contribution? The basic answer is that Christ merited justification for us by His atoning sacrifice on the cross. The Council of Trent is very clear that Christ is the sole meritorious cause of our justification (cf. Decree on Justification, Ch. VII). But justification, according to that same council, is “not merely the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man, through the voluntary reception of the grace and gifts, whereby man from unjust becomes just, and from an enemy a friend, that so he may be an heir according to the hope of eternal life (ibid.).

It is through the grace merited by Christ’s completed work on the cross, which we are infused with in justification, that Christ continues His work in us. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). As St. Paul says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20, cf. Romans 6). Our good works, in the state of grace, are united with Christ’s work. He is the vine, and we are the branches (cf. John 15:5). He is the head, and we are the body (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Colossians 1:18-20; 2:19). Just as the works which were wrought in Christ’s physical body were meritorious on account of being united to His divinity, so too are the works wrought in Christ’s mystical body meritorious on account of being united to His divinity. For by grace, we have been given a share in the divine nature (cf. 2 Peter 1:4). Our good works wrought in grace, therefore, are meritorious precisely because Christ’s works are meritorious. As Michael P. Barber explains,

In Catholic teaching, works performed by those in union with Christ have meritorious value. They cannot not have meritorious value. Why? Because they are the result of Christ’s work. The believer says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives within me” (Gal 2:20) (Four Views on the Role of Works at the Final Judgement, Ch. 4: “A Catholic Perspective: Our Works are Meritorious at the Final Judgement Because of our Union with Christ by Grace”, pp. 180).

Thus, Catholic teaching is in accord with solo Christo. It is through Christ’s work alone that we are saved, but that includes not just His work on the cross but His work within us as well. In Catholic theology, this concept is captured in the distinction between the objective Redemption (what is accomplished by Christ outside of us) and the subjective Redemption (what is accomplished by Christ inside of us) (cf. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, pg. 237). The Protestant objection, therefore, fails.