I did a Google search to find out if I was wrong assigning faith-only to John Calvin. You seem to be so upset about it that I thought I better check. So, I typed in the question: Did John Calvin originate the doctrine of faith-only? Here’s what I got.
“John Calvin a key figure in the Protestant Reformation ORIGINATED THE FAITH ONLY DOCTRINE. His theology as outlined in his “Institute of the Christian Religion” had a significant influence during that era. Calvin’s concept of faith was not mere assent, but also personal trust in one’s own salvation.”
I was recently in a discussion on a different Christian forum site with someone else who attends the church of Christ and when I shared the same information with him about salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone that I shared with you from post #106, he responded to me by saying -
"Good sound protestant reformation doctrine. Martin Luther would be proud." So, apparently, some folks will argue that doctrine originated with Martin Luther and others argue that it was John Calvin. It is attributed to John Calvin to saying, "It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone" and to Martin Luther to saying, "we are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone." Regardless of who said it first, it makes no difference because others before them have also said it.
Clement of Rome: "We also, being called through God's will in Christ Jesus, are
not justified through ourselves, neither through our own wisdom or understanding, or piety,
or works which we have done in holiness or heart, but through faith" (Epistle to Corinthians).
Polycarp: "I know that
through grace you are saved, not of works, but by the will of God,
through Jesus Christ (Epistle of Philippians).
Justin Martyr: "No longer by the blood of goats and of sheep, or by the ashes of a heifer...are sins purged, but
by faith, through the blood of Christ and his death, who died on this very account (Dialogue with Trypho). "God gave his own Son the ransom for us...for what, save his righteousness, could cover our sins. In whom was it possible that we, transgressors and ungodly as we were, could be
justified, save in the Son of God alone? ...O unexpected benefit, that the transgression of many should be hidden in one righteous Person and that the righteousness of One should justify many transgressors" (Letter to Diognetus).
Athanasius: "Not by these (i.e. human efforts) but
by faith, a man is justified as was Abraham."
Basil: "This is the true and perfect glorying in God, when a man is not lifted up on account of his own righteousness but has known himself to be wanting in true righteousness and to be
justified by faith alone in Christ."
Ambrose: "Without the works of the law, to an ungodly man, that is to say, a Gentile,
believing in Christ, his "faith is imputed for righteousness" as also it was to Abraham."
Origen:
"Through faith, without the works of the law, the dying
thief was justified, because...the Lord inquired not what he had previously wrought,
nor yet waited for his performance of some work after he should have believe; but...he took him unto himself for a companion,
justified through his confession alone."
Jerome: "When an ungodly man is converted,
God justified him through faith alone, not on account of good works which he possessed not."
Chrysostom: "What then did God do? He made (says Paul) a righteous Person (Christ) to be a sinner, in order that he might make sinners righteous...
it is the righteousness of God, when we are justified, not by works...but by grace, where all sin is made to vanish away."
Chrysostom: "Again, they said that he who adhered to
faith alone was cursed, but he shows that he who adhered to
faith alone, is blessed."
Augustine: "Grace is given to you, not wages paid to you...it is called grace because it is given gratuitously. By no precedent merits did you buy what you have received. The sinner therefore received this grace first, that his sins should be forgiven him...
good works follow after a justified person; they do not go before in order that he may be justified...good works, following after justification, show what a man has received."
Augustine: "Now, having duly considered and weighed all these circumstances and testimonies, we conclude that a man is
not justified by the precepts of a holy life, but by faith in Jesus Christ, --in a word, not by the law of works, but by the
law of faith; not by the letter, but by the spirit;
not by the merits of deeds, but by free grace."
Anselm: "Do you believe that you cannot be saved but by the death of Christ? Go, then, and
...put all your confidence in this death alone. If God shall say to you, "You are a sinner", say to him,
"I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my sin."
Bernard of Clairvaux: "Shall not all our righteousness turn out to be mere unrighteousness and deficiency? What, then, shall it be concerning our sins, when not even our righteousness can answer for itself? Wherefore...let us flee, with all humility to Mercy which alone can save our souls...whoever hungers and thirsts after righteousness, let him believe in thee, who "justified the ungodly"; and thus, being
justified by faith alone, he shall have peace with God."
I find that most interesting. He confirmed my understanding that the doctrine of “faith only” did, indeed, ORIGINATE” with a man—not God!
Well, I just showed you that the doctrine of "faith alone" - faith (rightly understood) in Jesus Christ alone for salvation did not originate with John Calvin and it actually did not originate with man in general either but with God. The Bible makes it clear in many passages of scripture that man is saved through
belief/faith - "apart from additions or modifications." (John 1:12; 3:15,16,18,36; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:24-28; 4:5-6; 5:1-2; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:6-14, 26; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 10:39; 1 John 5:13 etc..).
Now you don't need to add the word "alone" next to "belief/faith" in each of these passages of scripture in order to figure out that the words, "belief/faith"
stand alone in connection with receiving eternal life/salvation. Hence, FAITH ALONE. Do these many passages of scripture say belief/faith "plus something else?" Plus, baptism? Plus, works? NO. So, then it's
faith (rightly understood) in Jesus Christ alone. *Not to be confused with "faith only"
empty profession of faith/dead faith that remains "alone" -
barren of works. (James 2:14-24)
He even admitted it which is something you still will not do. He also verified that it really was John Calvin that did this.
I really don't care what he admitted because salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation did not originate with John Calvin and plus, John Calvin also believes in unconditional election which turns predestination into fatalistic determination which diminishes God's foreknowledge in predestination in regard to knowing who will exercise their free will to respond to God's grace and place their faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. (Romans 8:29-30) God does not fatalistically choose who will and won't be saved, as if we have no choice in the matter.
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