27. THE QUESTION WAS: In 96
A.D., St. Clement of Rome, We are justified by our ___________, not by our
words.
THE ANSWER IS
.. B
.works.
St. Clement of Rome wrote We are justified
by our works, not by our words. [First Epistle To The Corinthians c. 96 A.D.]
Note: This statement by St. Clement is to no way be construed as
advocating the earning of salvation any more than similar statements made by
the Bible, the other Early Church Fathers, or the Catholic Church of today or
yesteryear.
The context that must be understood before approaching statements like
this one is that the early Christians, like most Christians in modern times,
believed that justification was a life-long process (not a one-time event with
a guarantee of final perseverance), with initial justification coming by Gods
grace alone, preceded by no act of the individual.
Who was St. Clement? St. Clement is also known as the fourth pope,
since he succeeded Anacletus, who succeeded Linus, who succeeded St. Peter as
Bishop of the Church of Rome, which was the Church that served as the Chair of
the many churches that together formed the Catholic Church.
Regarding Reward & Merit, see http://www.catholic.com/library/Reward_and_Merit.asp
http://matt1618.freeyellow.com/abraham.html (Romans 4)
http://www.chnetwork.org/journals/justification/justify_7.htm (Did Paul Teach Justification by Faith Alone?)
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