Origen on Justification

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Tuesday, October 30, 2007. 0 Comments:

"Where then is your boasting? It is excluded. Through what law? Through that of works? No but through the law of faith. For we hold that a man is justified through faith without works of the law."
Romans 3.27-28

[Paul] is saying that the justification of faith alone suffices, so that the one who only believes is justified, even if he has not accomplished a single work.
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But perhaps someone who hears these things should become lax and negligent in doing good, if in fact faith alone suffices for him to be justified. To this person we shall say that if anyone acts unjustly after justification, it is scarcely to be doubted that he has rejected the grace of justification. For a person does not receive the forgiveness of sins in order that he should once again imagine that he has been given a license to sin; for the remission is not given for future crimes, but only for past ones.

Now then let us return to our theme. A human being is justified through faith; the works of the law contribute nothing to his being justified. But where there is no faith which justifies the believer, even if one possesses works from the law, nevertheless because they have not been built upon the foundation of faith, although they might appear to be good things, nevertheless they are not able to justify the one doing them, because from them faith is absent, which is the sign of those who are justified by God.

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There is no common ground between faith and infidelity; there is no communion of righteousness with wickedness, just as light can have no fellowship with darkness. For if "he who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God" and "he who has been born of GOd does not sin," it is plain that he who believes in Jesus Christ does not sin; and that if he sins, it is certain that he does not believe in him. Therefore the proof of true faith is that sin is not being committed, just as, on the contrary, where sin is being committed there you have proof of unbelief. For this reason then it is also said of Abraham in another passage of Scripture that he was justified by works of faith. For it is certain that he who truly believes works the work of faith and righteousness and of complete goodness and becomes capable of both kinds of boasting: both that which is in secret before God as well as that which is openly visible and is not only before God."

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Now it may perhaps appear that what is said to be "of faith" is not by grace since, if a person must first offer his faith, grace thus has to be merited from God. But listen to what the same Apostle teaches elsewhere about this as well. For in the passage where he lists the gifts of the Spirit, which he says are given to believers according to the measure of their faith, he asserta that the gift of faith as well is granted along with the other gifts through the Holy Spirit. For after many words he speaks of it in this way, "To another faith is gven by the same Spirit," in order to show that even faith is given through grace. Moreover elsewhere the same Apostle teaches this when he says, "Because it has been granted to you from God not only that you believe in Christ but also that you should suffer on his behalf." You find this also pointed out in the Gospels, where the Apostles, once understanding that faith, which is only human, cannot be perfected unless that which comes from God should be added to it, say to the Savior, "Increase our faith!"


Or.Rom.3.9.2, 4-5; 4.1.6; 4.5.3 (Scheck)

Labels: Origen, Patristics, Previous, Salvation

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