The Bitter Divorce of Faith and Works

The marriage of faith and works, begun in the first century, lasted for more than 1500 years before a contentious divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. The union that was catholic (universal) for centuries had ruptured, leaving the children to fight over where they stood in the new realm of shared custody. While one parent maintained the precepts and doctrine of their marriage vows, the other did not. This led to further fractures within the group that initiated the split.

The above allegory is a thinly disguised view of the Protestant Reformation that occurred in the sixteenth century, when faith and works had become as incompatible as oil and water. The concept of the two seemingly opposing forces working together for God’s glory was rejected by Martin Luther, and the rest as they say, is history. The dissent was so strong that even sacred scripture was called into question. Luther referred to the following letter from James as “an Epistle of straw” to make his stance clear:

Indeed someone may say,

You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works (James 2:18-22).

Sola Fide (faith alone) was and is a distortion of God’s plan of salvation for humankind. The balance that is struck in a covenantal relationship is thwarted when one party disregards the other. It takes two to make an agreement and abide by the terms. Jesus illustrates the power of mutuality in the following:

Again, [amen,] I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Mt 18:19-20).

Faith without works has no efficacy in terms of God’s salvific plan. Just as a husband cannot constitute a marriage without a wife (and vice versa), separating faith and works renders each useless without the other. St. James continues:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? 17 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (James 2:15-17).

It has been said that opposites attract when it comes to marriage, and that has proven to be mostly true. To put it another way, two people with separate but equal gifts can thrive by combining their resources to achieve a common purpose. The dynamic becomes “both/and” instead of “either/or”. St. Paul expounds on the need for agreement between faith and the works that stem from the theological virtue of love:

If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 1-3).

Since Vatican II, great strides have been made toward unity within Christianity resulting in the rise of ecumenical efforts and outreach. The bitterness has softened, and the polarization has given way to true dialogue. The power of agreement, viewed through the lens and lessons of history, can bridge the gap between faith and works once again.

May we experience the unity and prosperity that are the hallmarks of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church in our day. Come, Lord Jesus!