good conduct

predestination

  • all events have been willed by God
  • the fate of each individual with regard to the Kingdom has also been willed by God

justification

justification by faith

  • justified by faith in Christ/ God alone
  • justification given to Christians as a gift

justification by works

  • justified through your good works in the world
  • e.g. healing those in need
  • earn your own salvation

justification is eschatological

  • about your fate when you die
  • how God will judge whether you go to Heaven or not

justification- being considered righteous by God

  • God's act of removing your sin/ guilt/ condemnation

if we are not saved/justified by God, we will not go to Heaven because we are sinful

justified by God's grace and our faith in Christ alone

  • not by good moral conduct (own works/ deeds)
  • must have complete faith in God and rely upon his grace

Martin Luther's Sola Fide

St Paul's letter to the Romans (Romans 3-5)

not worthy of earning own salvation through own works

  • because as humans we are flawed/sinful due to original sin
  • only God's mercy can grant us justification (manifested by sacrificial death and resurrection of Christ/ atonement)

faith without works is pointless

  • just as a body without a spirit is dead, faith without works is dead
  • faith still important but not without works
  • even the demons believe in God

you are justified based on what you do, not your faith alone

  • your faith should be shown through your works (used as a catalyst for good works)
  • shoud follow in footsteps of Christ

James' letter to early Christians (2:14-26)

Jesus didn't just preach a message of good faith

  • said we must be good people
  • e.g. Parable of Sheep and Goats (Matthew 25) showed that we would be judged based on what we have done
  • point of Christianity is helping those in need,
    a call to action not just a call to prayer

justified by grace and our faith

  • when we have faith in him, we have 'peace with God' (reconciliation)
  • can expect our final destiny to be with god
  • faith > good moral conduct

'For he hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law' (3:28)

'we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ'

  • Christians could not reach atonement without him, so couldn't reconcile with God

'He who through faith is righteous shall live'

  • referring to eternal life (Heaven)

God pardons guilty sinners on the basis of their faith alone, without reference to their works

  • through Jesus' atonement (given to them as a gift)

'faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead'

  • aknowledges faith as important but only if manifested through works

'man is justified by works and not by faith alone'

'Was Abraham our father not justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?'

  • his faith inspired his action and 'his faith was completed by works'

'He who says "I know him" but disobeys his commandments is a liar (1 John 2:4)

St Paul Romans 8- God 'conformed to the image of his Son' those who in his foreknowledge he knew would be righteous

implies that people with good moral conduct act in such a way because God has willed it

also implies that good moral conduct is less important than God's will

  • whatever God decides will happen
  • so no use acting morally, can't change your pre-destined fate

St Paul Romans 6- 'the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord'

  • refers to those not predestined to heaven

perhaps believed they simply died without entering God's kingdom rather than experiencing eternal damnation (thanks to atonement)

may link to justification by faith

  • no use in changing your moral conduct, but having faith in God can still help you escape eternal damnation

weaknesses

clashes with belief of free will (Pelagius)

  • God's 'grace' was God's gift of free will to humans

Calvin

  • god ordains some to glory and some to eternal torment

God's omniscience and omnibenevolence

  • if God knew before creation that some would inevitably go to Hell, why did he create such beings in the first place?
  • doesn't seem loving

goes against beliefs held by most Christians

  • good moral conduct essential to Christian living