Bellarmine · De Controversiis · On Justification · Book II: On Inhering Justice
Chapter 4: That faith is not the entire formal cause of justification
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. VI, De Justificatione, Book II. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Hitherto it has been proved by common arguments that the formal cause of our justification is inhering justice; by which opinion those five errors are refuted which we noted above. Now we shall refute each singly in a few words. The first error, then, was that the formal cause of our justification is faith alone. For this Luther set down in express words in the commentary on chapter 2 of the epistle to the Galatians, and Philip in the Augsburg Confession itself, article 4. And although all the Lutherans, both rigid and soft, seem now to have receded from this error, as we noted above from the Colloquy of Altenburg, yet it will do no harm if we briefly confute this very error.
First, in the epistle to the Galatians itself, chapter 5, the Apostle, when he had said, But we in the Spirit, by faith, wait for the hope of justice, at once subjoined: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith that worketh by charity. Where those words, By faith we wait for the hope of justice, can be understood in two ways. In one way, so that the sense is, by faith we hope for eternal life, which is the reward of justice. For often the Apostle sets hope for the thing which is hoped for, as Titus 2, Looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God. And so the hope of justice will be that which justice hopes for — that is, what is owed to justice, namely, the reward of blessed life. In the other way, so that the sense is, by faith we wait for the hope of justice — that is, by faith we hope that we can be justified. Both senses St. Augustine touched in the book On the Spirit and the Letter, chapter 32. But this latter seems simpler and more congruent with the preceding words; and yet both come to the same, since from both it is manifestly gathered that a man is justified from faith, not from the law, or works done before faith. But lest occasion of erring be given, the same Apostle explained what that faith is which justifies, when he says: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision — that is, neither the law given to the circumcised, nor the works of the Gentiles done in uncircumcision, justify — “but faith”; and not any faith whatever, but that which worketh by charity — that is, faith which is moved, and acted, formed, and as it were animated by charity. But if charity is the form of faith, and faith does not justify formally unless formed by charity itself, certainly much more does charity itself justify.
Hither pertain also those testimonies which indicate that faith alone does not suffice, as 1 Corinthians 13, If I should have all faith, so as to remove mountains, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. And James 2, Faith without works is dead. And those which teach that charity is necessary, as 1 John 3, He that loveth not abideth in death; and, We know that we are translated from death to life, because we love the brethren. Then, this same can be proved from the Fathers, who teach that justice is only begun by faith, but perfected by charity — whom we cited in the preceding book, chapter 17; to whom can be added two testimonies of St. Augustine. One from the book On the Spirit and the Letter, chapter 29, where he says that justification is obtained by faith: “The justice which is of faith, by obtaining it from God, not by presuming of themselves.” And below: “The work which he who does it shall live in it is done only by one justified. But justification is obtained from faith.” And sermon 15 on the words of the Apostle: “Let there be justice, but let it be of grace, let it be to thee from God, let it not be thine own.” And soon of the same: “Groan that thou mayest obtain, weep that thou mayest obtain, believe that thou mayest obtain. He that shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, shall be just.” But if faith obtains justification, certainly it does not formally, alone, justify. For if it alone formally justified, a man would be formally just before he obtained justification, since he has faith before the obtaining of justice, and so he would be just before he was just. The other testimony is in the book On Nature and Grace, last chapter, where St. Augustine constitutes justice in charity itself: “Inchoate charity is inchoate justice; advanced charity is advanced justice; great charity is great justice; perfect charity is perfect justice.”
Third, it is proved by a reason drawn from the nature of faith itself and of justice. For justice is a thing so good that it fights with no other good, and therefore by the adjunction of other goods it is not lessened, nor ceases to be, but is ever perfected and grows — as is clear from this, that it is found in the blessed, in Christ, and in God himself. But faith is repugnant to beatitude, nor was it ever in God or in Christ, nor does it remain in Angels and men when they begin to be blessed. Therefore faith is not the very formal justice, save inchoate and imperfect. Moreover, justice makes us like to Christ, and by it we bear the image of Christ, as was proved above from Romans 8 and 1 Corinthians 15. But faith does not make us like to Christ, but rather in some manner unlike, since in Christ there was no faith, seeing he ever beheld the face of the Father. Besides, justice is a virtue by which the divine law is fulfilled; but the fulness of the law is not faith, but charity, the Apostle witnessing, Romans 13. Finally, justice cannot be unformed and dead, since it is itself the life of the soul, nor can it come to pass that anyone at the same time be a sinner and just — that is, dead according to the Spirit, and according to the spirit alive. But faith can be unformed and dead, as we proved in the preceding book from the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 13, and the Apostle James, chapter 2. Therefore faith alone is not our entire and formal justice.
But we must meet Luther and Calvin, who, relying on the testimony of the Prophet Habacuc, the just liveth by faith, in wondrous ways harass the distinction of faith into formed and unformed faith. And Luther indeed, in the commentary on chapter 3 to the Galatians, calls that distinction Satanic and pestilent; Calvin, in book 3 of the Institutes, chapter 2, section 8, names it trifling, rotten, and insipid. And since he himself too confesses that a certain faith — namely, historical — can be separated from charity and does not justify, lest he be compelled to admit unformed faith, he says that there are two forms of faith, of which one justifies, the other does not justify. But Calvin’s distinction into two forms of faith ought to be relegated to the novelties of words. For nowhere does Scripture, or Ecclesiastical tradition, preach those two forms, but everywhere one faith. But the distinction of one faith into formed and unformed is most manifestly delivered by the Apostles of Christ, Paul and James. For what, I pray, is the difference, if we say living and dead faith, or formed and unformed? For certainly a living thing lives through some form, and a dead thing is dead through the absence of some form. But living and dead faith James calls it in his epistle, chapter 2. But the Apostle Paul not only teaches that faith is formed by charity, but also explains that love is the extrinsic form of faith, not the intrinsic, and which gives to it not that it be, but that it be moved; and thereby faith without love ceases not to be faith, but ceases to be a thing active and working. For thus the Apostle says, Galatians 5, Faith worketh by charity. Where that (worketh) is to be taken passively, not actively. For in the Greek it is energoumene — that is, moved and acted. And so the sense of the Apostle is that faith is acted and moved by charity, in the manner in which the body is moved and acted by the spirit. And thereby love is not the sign of living faith, as the adversaries are wont to say, but is the very life of faith; and faith without love is like a body without spirit, as James most rightly writes. Rightly, then, do the Catholics say that faith without charity is unformed, and with charity formed. And not rightly does Calvin make two forms of faith; for since there are two forms, one can never be made the other; but unformed faith can be made formed, and what is formed can be rendered again unformed.
But it is irksome to refute at length the inepties and trifles of Luther. For he gathers that, if charity be the form of faith, it follows that charity is more excellent than faith, and that in it is placed the sum of the Christian religion; and thence Christ and his benefit be obscured; and, faith being omitted, men begin to lean on love and moral works; he asks also whether the Holy Spirit could not, if the truth had required it, have said through the Prophet, “the just liveth by formed faith”; finally he adds that charity pertains to the law, but faith not from the law, and accordingly not from charity, and thereby in no way formed by charity. Let us answer in almost as many words. That charity is preferred to faith we willingly admit; nor can this seem absurd, save to a heretic, such as Luther was, who fears not to conflict with the Apostle. For what could be said more clearly than what the Apostle says, 1 Corinthians 13: Now there remain faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity? That in charity itself is placed the sum of the Christian religion Luther would never have denied, if he had been willing to hear Christ in his Gospel saying: A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; and, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another, John 13; and the Apostle exhorting, Above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection, Colossians 3; and St. Augustine, who, tractate 83 on John, most briefly demonstrates that the sum of the Christian religion is reduced to charity, not to faith, since he who loves necessarily also believes and hopes, but not every one who believes straightway also hopes and loves. But that Christ and his benefits should be obscured, if charity be so magnified as to be called the form of faith, is as consequent as that the Sun should be contemned by those who eagerly enjoy its light. For what is charity but the highest benefit of Christ? For charity is diffused in our hearts by the Holy Ghost who is given to us. And this gift — did not Christ himself, exalted to the right hand of the Father, pour it forth, as the Apostle Peter says, Acts 2? Nor is there danger lest they neglect faith, or place hope in moral works done by the sole powers of free choice, who preach charity above all. For they know that charity cannot be in this life without faith, and they praise charity — not that which is possessed from the law, or from the powers of free choice, but that which is possessed from God and his grace. Further, words were not lacking to the Holy Spirit by which through his Prophet he might have uttered that, “the just liveth by formed faith,” or even “by charity”; but he preferred to say, “he liveth by faith” — either because he spoke not of the life of justice, but of the life of hope, which makes the just man wait patiently; or because he wished to commend that whence the life of the just takes its beginning. But as through the Prophet the Holy Spirit attributes the life of the just to faith, since thence it is begun, so through the Apostle he attributes the same life to charity, since thence it is perfected: We are translated (says John, epistle 1, chapter 3) from death to life, because we love the brethren. And, He that loveth not abideth in death. But who would bear that the gift of charity, which is the very kernel (so to speak) of the Gospel, should be carried over to the law, and opposed to faith? If charity pertains to the law because the law commands charity, why is not faith too relegated to the law, since there are many precepts in the law concerning faith? “Of faith” (says St. Augustine, tractate 83 on John) “how many commandments are there? Who can collect them all? Who suffice to enumerate them?” Let Luther go, then, and separate faith with charity from the Gospel; and let him say that the law written in hearts is not the New Testament, as Jeremias foretold, chapter 31, but the Old Testament, and after his manner let him invert and confound all things. And so the precept of charity, as also of faith, pertains to the law; but the Spirit of charity and of faith, to the Gospel. But of the difference of the law and the Gospel we shall say more when we treat the controversy on the justice of works and the observance of the law.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
CAPUT IV. Fidem non esse integram formalem causam justificationis. Hactenus communibus argumentis proba¬ tum est, causam formalem justificationis no¬ strae esso justitiam inhaerentem : ex qua senta- tiu refelluntur quinque illi errores , quos su¬ pra notavimus, nunc seorsim singulos paucis refellemus. Primus igitur error fuit, causam formalem justificationis nostrae solam esse fidem. Id enim Lutherus disertis verbis posuit in com- meift. ad 2. cap. epist. ad Galatas, et Philip¬ pus in ipsa Confessione Augustana, art 4. et quamquam Lutherani omnes, tum rigidi, ,tum molles, ab hoc errore jam recessisse vi¬ deantur, ut supra notavimus ex colloquio Al- temburgensi : nihil tamen oberit, si hunc ip¬ sum errorem breviter confutemus. Primum, in ipsa epistola ad Galatas, cap. v. Apostolus, curo dixisset : Nos autem spiritu ex fide spem justitix expectamus : subjunxit continuo : Nam in Christo Jesu neque circum¬ cisio aliquid valet , neque praeputium , sed fdes, qux per dilectionem operatur (4). Ubi verba illa, Ex fide spem justitix expectamus, duobus modis intelligi possunt. Uno modo, ut sensus sit, ex fide speramus vitam aeternam, qua; est merces justitiae. Saepe enim Apostolus ponit spem pro ea re, quae speratur, ut ad Tit. ii. Expectantes beatam spem, et adventum glorix magni Dei (o). Itaque spes justitiae erit id, quod justitia sperat, idest, quod justitiae debetur, videlicet, prromium vitae beata;. Al¬ tero modo, ut sensus sit, ex fide spem justitiae expectamus, idest, ex fide speramus, nos posse justificari. Utrumque sensum attigit sanctus Augustinus in libro de spiritu et littera, cap. 32. Sed hic posterior simplicior et magis con¬ gruens cum praecedentibus verbis esse vide¬ tur : et tamen uterque in idem recidit; cum ex utroque id manifeste colligatur, ex fide, ' non ex lege, aut operibus ante fidem factis, hominem justificari. At ne daretur occasio errandi, explicuit idem Apostolus, quae fides sit illa, quae justi¬ ficat, cum ait : Nam in Christo % jesu neque circumcisio aliquid valet, neque praeputium, id est, neque lex circumcisis data, neque ope¬ ra gentilium, in praeputio facta, justificant, (1) fiet. IV, I. - (2) Rom. VIII, 15, 23. - (3) Phil. III, 20. - (4) Gal. V, 5. - (5) Tit. II, 13. Tom. VI. 13 218 LIBER II. « sed fides » ; non quaccumque autem fides, sed quas per dilectionem operatur , idest, fides, quae agitur, ac movetur, formatur, et quasi animatur per dilectionem. Quod si charitas est forma fidei, et fides non justificat forma- liter, nisi ab ipsa charitatc formata, certe multo magis charitas ipsa justificat. Huc etiam pertinent illa testimonia, quae indicant, solam fidem non sufficere, ut I ad Corinth xm. Si habuero omnem fidem , ita ut montes transferam , charitatem autemnon habu¬ ero, nihil mihi prodest. Et Jacob. xx, Fides si¬ ne operibus mortua est. Et illa, quse docent necessariam esse charitatem, ut I Joann. m. Qui non diligit, manet in morte. Et nos scimus, quia translati sumus de morte ad vitam, quo¬ niam diligimus fratres (1). Deinde, potest hoc.idem probari ex Patri¬ bus, qui docent, fide tantum inchoari justi¬ tiam, perfici vero per dilectionem, quos ci¬ tavimus libro superiore, cap. 17 ; quibus addi possunt duo testimonia sancti Augustini. IJ- num ex libro de spiritu et littera, cap. 29, ubi dicit, dici, fide impetrari justificationem : <( Justitiam, inquit, quae ex fide est, impe¬ trando ex Deo, non exsemetipsis praesumen¬ do. » Et infra : « Opus, quod qui fecerit, vivet in eo, non fit nisi a justificato. Justifica¬ tio autem ex fide impetratur. » Et serm. 15. de verbis Apostoli : « Justitia sit, sed ex gra¬ tia sit, a Deo tibi sit, non tua sit. » Et mox de eadem : «Geme, ut impetres, plora ut im¬ petres, crede ut impetres. Qui invocaverit no- men Domini, salvus erit, justus erit. » Quod si fides impetrat justificationem, certe non for- maliter sola ipsa justificat. Nam si formaliter ipsa sola justificaret, esset homo formaliter justus, antequam justificationem impetraret, cumfidemhabeatanteimpetrationemjustitisc, atque ita esset justus antequam esset justus. Alterum testimonium est in lib. de natura et gratia, cap. ult. ubi' justitiam sanctus Au¬ gustinus in ipsa charitate constituit : «. Cha¬ ritas, inquit, inchoata, inchoata justitia est ; charitas provecta, provecta justitia est; cha¬ ritas magna, magna justitia est ; charitas per¬ fecta, perfecta justitia est ». Tertio, probatur ratione, ducta ex natura ipsius fidei et justitia!. Nam justitia res est adeo bomv ut cum nullo alio bono pugnet, et ideo adjunctione aliorum bonorum, non minuatur, nec desinat esse, sed perficiatur semper, et crescat, ut perspicuum est ex eo, quod invenitur in beatis, in Christo, et in ip¬ so Deo. At fides repugnat beatitudini, neque in Deo, aut in Christo unquam fuit, neque in Angelis, et hominibus manet, cum beati esse incipiunt : non igitur fides est ipsa formalis justitia, nisi inchoata et imperfecta. Pradcrca j ustitia facit nos Christo similes, et per eam gerimus Christi imaginem, ut su¬ pra probatum est ex cap. vm ad Roman. et cap. xv, prioris ad Corinthios. At fides non facit nosChristo similes, sed potius aliquo mo¬ do dissimiles, cum in Christo fides non fuerit, quippe qui faciem Patris semper viderit. Ad- ha!C justitia virtus est, per quam lex divina completur ; at plenitudo legis non est fides, sed charitas, Apostolo teste, ad Roman. xm. Denique, justitia non potest esse informis, et mortua, cum ipsa sit animae vita, nec pos¬ sit fieri, ut quis eodem tempore sit peccator et justus, hoc est, mortuus secundum Spiri¬ tum, et secundum spiritum vivus. At fides informis et mortua esse potest, ut libro su¬ periore probavimus ex Apostolo Paulo I ad Corinth. xm. et Apostolo Jacobo, cap. ii ; non igitur sola fides est nostra integra, for¬ malis que justitia. Sed occurrendum est Luthero et Calvino, qui freti testimonio Prophetae Ilabacuc -.ju¬ stus ex fide vivit, miris modis exagitant dis¬ tinctionem fidei in fidem formatam et infor¬ mem. Et Lutherus quidem in comment. ad cap, 3. ad Galat. eam distinctionem Satani- cam etpestilentem vocat : Calvinus in lib. m. Institut. cap. 2. §. 8. nugatoriam, putidam et insulsam nominat. Et quoniam ipse quoque fatetur, quamdam fidem, videlicet histori¬ cam, separatam esse posse a charitate, et non justificare. Ne cogatur fideminformem admit¬ tere, dicit, duas esse formas fidei, quarum una justificat, altera non justificat. At Calvini distinctio in duas formas fidei, ad verborum novitates relegari debet. Nusquam enim Scri¬ ptura, vel traditio Ecclesiastica duas istas formas, sed unam fidem ubique prmdicat. Distinctio vero unius fidei in formatam et informem ab Apostolis Christi Paulo et Jaco¬ bo manifestissime traditur. Nam quid, quajso, interest, si dicamus fidem vivam et mortuam ; vel formatam et informem ? Certe enim res viva, per aliquam formam vivit, et res mor¬ tua propter absentiam alicujus formae mor¬ tua est. Fidem autem vivam et mortuam Ja- cobus appellat in epistola sua, cap. 2. Sed (1) I Cor. XIII, 2 ; Jacob XX, 2G ; I Joan. III, 14. CAPUT IV. 219 Apostolus Paulus non solum docet, fidem charitate formari, sed etiam explicat dilecti¬ onem formam esse extrinsecam fidei, non intrinsecam, et qua? det illi, non ut sit, sed ut moveatur ; ac per hoc fides sine dilectione non desinat esse fides, sed desinat esse res actuosa et operans. Sic enim Apostolus ait ad Galat. v. Fides per dilectionem operatur (1). Ubi illud (operatur) passive accipiendum est, non active. Est enim in Grseco IvEpyou- fAEvr,, id est mota atque acta. Itaque sensus Apostoli est, fidem a charita¬ te agi et moveri, quomodo a spiritu movetur, et agitur corpus. Ac perhoc dilectionem non esse signum viventis fidei, ut adversarii di¬ cere solent, sed esse ipsam vitam fidei, et fi¬ dem sine dilectione similem esse corpori sine spiritu, ut rectissime scribit Jacobus. Recte igitur Catholici dicunt, fidem sine charitate esse informem, et cum charitate formatam. Et non recte Calvinus duas facit fidei formas ; nam cum duae sint formae, numquam potest una fieri altera ; fides autem informis, formata fieri potest, et quae formata est, reddi potest rursus informis. Piget autem multis refellere ineptias et nu¬ gas Lutheri. Colligit enim, si charitas sit for¬ ma fidei, sequi, ut charitas sit praestantior fide, et in ea sita sit summa Christianae reli¬ gionis ; et inde obscuretur Christus, ejusque beneficium ; et omissa fide incipiant homines niti dilectione et moralibus operibus ; quaerit etiam, an Spiritus sanctus non potuerit, si veritas id postulasset, per Prophetam dicere, Justus ex fide formata vivit ; denique addit, charitatem ad legem pertinere, fidem autem non ex lege, proinde neque esse ex charitate, ac perhoc nullo modo charitate formari. Respondeamus totidem fere verbis, chari¬ tatem praeferri fidei libenter admittimus, ne¬ que id absurdum videri potest, nisi haeretico, qualis fuit Lutherus, qui Apostolo repugnare non vereatur. Quid enim clarius dici potuit, quam quod ait Apostolus I ad Corinth. xm : Nunc manent fides, spes, charitas , tria haec, major autem horum est charitas (2) ? In eadem charitate sitam esse summam Christianae re¬ ligionis, numquam Lutherus negasset, si Christum audire voluisset in Evangelio suo dicentem : Mandatum novum do vobis, ut dili¬ gatis invicem. Et : In hoc cognoscent omnes, quod discipuli mei estis, si dilectionem ha¬ bueritis ad invicem. Joan. xm. et Apostolum exhortantem Super omnia haec charitatem habete , quod est vinculum perfectionis (3), ad Coloss. in. et sanctum Augustinnm, qui tract. 83. in Joannem brevissise demonstrat, sum¬ mam Christianae religionis redigi ad chari¬ tatem, non ad fidem, quoniam qui diligit, necessario etiam credit et sperat. Non autem omnis qui credit, continuo etiam sperat et diligit. Obscurari autem Christum, et ejus bene¬ ficia, si charitas ita magni fiat, ut fidei forma esse dicatur, tam est consequens, quam So¬ lem contemni abiis, qui ejus luce cupide fruuntur. Quid enim est charitas, nisi sum¬ mum Christi beneficium ? Charitas enim dif¬ funditur in cordibus nostris, per Spiritum san¬ ctum, qui datus est nobis. Hoc autem donum, nonne Christus ipse ad Patris dexteram ex¬ altatus effudit, ut Apostolus Petrus ait Actor. ii. Neque periculum est, ne fidem negligant, aut in operibus moralibus per solas vires li¬ beri arbitrii factis, spem ponant, qui chari¬ tatem in primis praedicant. Sciunt enim cha¬ ritatem sine fide in hac vita esse non posse, et charitatem laudant, non quae ex lege, aut ex viribus liberi arbitrii, sed quae ex Deo et ejus gratia possidetur. Porro non deerant verba Spiritui sancto, quibus per Prophetam suum illud efferret ; Justus ex fide formata, aut etiam ex chari¬ tate vivit, sed maluit dicere, ex fide vivit, vel quia non loquebatur de vita justitiae, sed vita spei, quae justum patiente expectare fa¬ cit : vel quia commendare voluit id, unde id, unde initium duci vita justorum. Sed si¬ cut per Prophetam spiritus sanctus vitam justorum tribuit fidei, quoniam inde incho¬ atur ; sic per Apostolum eamdem vitam tri¬ buit charitati, quoniam inde perficitur : Trans¬ lati sumus ( inquit Joannes in epist. I cap. in. de morte ad vitam, quoniam diligimus fra¬ tres. Et : Qui non diligit, manet in morte (4) . Quis autem ferat charitatis donum, quod est ipse nucleus ( ut sic loquar ) Evangelii, transferri ad legem, et opponi fidei ? si cha¬ ritas ad legem pertinet, quia lex charitatem pra;cipit : cur non etiam fides relegatur ad legem, cum multe sint in lege de fide prae¬ cepta ? « De fide ( inquit S. Augustinus tract. 83. in Joan. ) quam multa mandata sunt ? quis potestcuncta colligere ? quis enumerando suf¬ ficere ? » Eat igitur Lutherus et fidem cum charitate ab Evangelio separet ; et legem (1) Gal. V, 5, —(2) I Cor. XIII, 13. - (3) Joan. XIII, 34 ; Coi. III, 14, - (4) 1 Joan. III, \k. / LIBER II. 220 scriptam in cordibus, dicatnon esse testamen¬ tum novum, ut Hieremias praedixit cap. 31. sed testamentum vetus, et omnia more suo invertat, atque confundat. Itaque praeceptum eharitatis, ut etiam fidei ad legem pertinet, Spiritus autem eharitatis et fidei ad Evange- lium. Sed de discrimine legis et Evangelii plura dicemus, cum controversiam de justi¬ tia operum et legis observatione tractabimus.