New Testament vs. Roman Catholic Justification
(1) The Catholic view sees justification administered exclusively by the Catholic Church through its sacraments: "The instrumental cause is the sacrament of baptism." "The sacrament of Penance" is necessary to be administered by the same Church. Also "sacramental confession,... sacerdotal absolution," "fasts, alms, prayers, and the other pious exercises" are needed. In contrast, the New Testament teaches justification by faith in Christ alone, and the instrumentality is the Holy Spirit, not a church or hierarchy.
(2) The Catholic view denies that the sacrifice of Christ restored the whole race of men to favor with God. "Though He died for all, yet do not all receive the benefit of his death, but those only unto whom the merit of his passion is communicated" by the sacraments of the Church. In contrast, the apostles' Good News says that legally "all... [are] justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"; "through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life"; "He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world"; "the Lamb of God .. . takes away the sin of the world"(Romans 3:24; 5:18; 1 John 2:2; John 1:29)! “The judicial action, following upon the one offence [of Adam], issued in a verdict of condemnation, but the act of grace, following upon so many misdeeds, issued in a verdict of acquittal.... The issue of one just act is acquittal and life for all men" (Romans 5:16,18, NEB). Even Luther and Calvin were not able to see clearly this larger New Testament vision of what Christ accomplished on His cross, effectively dying for the whole world.
(3) In Roman Catholic justification, the believer is not united to Christ through faith, by the free imputation of the whole of Christ's righteousness, but God gradually infuses his soul with an inherent righteousness that is meritorious, so that persevering Catholics will "have truly merited eternal life ... if so be, however, that they depart in grace." The gospel message recognizes that the believer never has an iota of merit in himself, nor any righteousness inherent in himself; righteousness is only in Christ and the believer receives it only by faith. The Council of Trent can never truly provide assurance of justification. There is always the nagging "if" that carries over until the very moment of death.
(4) The Council of Trent taught that "adults ... may ... convert themselves to their own justification, by freely assenting to and co-operating with that said grace." This "anticipated ... grace of God" precedes justification and requires first a "disposition, or preparation, [which] is followed by Justification itself." The Trent Chapters VI and VII list many items of "preparation" that the sinner must do before he can be justified. These are "things which precede justification." The gospel message recognizes that man has no part whatever in his justification and can make no preparation for it or do anything to "precede" it. It was done wholly by Christ, and all the believer can do is to receive, accept, believe, appreciate, the finished work of Christ, and stop hindering this dynamic faith to work obedience by love.
(5) The Catholic view encourages doubt and fear: "Each one, when he regards himself, and his own weakness and indisposition, may have fear and apprehension touching his own grace; seeing that no one can know with a certainty of faith, which can not be subject to error, that he has obtained the grace of God." "If any one saith, that it is necessary for every one, for the obtaining of remission of sins, that he believe for certain ... that his sins are forgiven him: let him be anathema." The gospel message recognizes that "unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ," and encourages complete confidence in the gift of that grace. (Ephesians 4:7)
(6) The Catholic view fails to see that the whole fallen human race which is "in Adam" is corporately "in Christ" by virtue of His sacrifice. The gospel message sees sin as a continual, unbelieving resistance of Christ, who "will draw all men unto Me" if they will stop resisting. Christ has already tasted the second death "for everyone," and thus no one can suffer at last for his sins unless he disbelieves and rejects what Christ has done for him. (John 12:32, KJV; Hebrews 2:9; John 3:17,18)
(7) Thus the Catholic Church flatly denies that justification is by faith alone. When they say that justification "makes righteous," their idea is diametrically opposed to that of the gospel message. Catholic "justification" is infused, inherent, and meritorious, and not solely of faith: "No one ought to flatter himself up with faith alone, fancying that by faith alone he is made an heir, and will obtain the inheritance."
The gospel breaks through centuries of Catholic and Protestant fog into a clearer view of the sunlit New Testament truth.