La Justification
The Foundation of Justification
The Church teaches that justification is a free gift of divine mercy, not earned by human works.
The topic of justification will show even more clearly how many difficulties can be resolved by a simple explanation of our views.123 Anyone who knows even a little about the history of the Reformation is well aware that those who first set it in motion presented this article to the world as the most important of all, and as the essential foundation for their break; so much so that it's the point most necessary to understand clearly.4 First of all, we believe that our sins are freely forgiven us by divine mercy, for the sake of Jesus Christ.56 Trent7 Session8 VI9 ch.10 9.) . These are the very words of the Council of Trent, which adds (Ibid.11 ch. 8.) We are said to be justified freely because none of the things that come before justification—whether faith or works—can merit this grace.12
Regeneration and the Infusion of Grace
Justification involves both the remission of sins and the interior renewal of the soul through the Holy Spirit.
As Scripture explains the remission of sins to us, sometimes by saying that God covers them, and sometimes by saying that he takes them away and blots them out by the grace of the Holy Spirit, who makes us new creatures (Tit.✦✦ m.13 5. 6. 7.) we believe these expressions must be joined together to form the complete idea of the justification of the sinner. That is why we believe that our sins are not only covered, but that they are entirely blotted out by the blood of Jesus Christ and by the grace that regenerates us; this, far from obscuring or diminishing the idea one ought to have of the merit of that blood, on the contrary increases and heightens it.✦ So the righteousness of Jesus Christ isn't just imputed, but actually communicated to his faithful by the working of the Holy Spirit, so that they aren't merely reckoned righteous, but made righteous by his grace.14 If the righteousness within us were only righteousness in the eyes of others, it wouldn't be the work of the Holy Spirit; it is, therefore, righteousness even before God, since it is God himself who works it in us by pouring charity into our hearts.✦15
The Struggle of the Faithful
Even in a state of grace, the Christian life remains a struggle against concupiscence, requiring constant humility and reliance on God's mercy.
Still, it's only too certain that the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh (Gal.✦16 v. 17.), and that we all fail in many things (Jas.✦ iii.17 2.). . So, although our righteousness is real through the infusion of charity, it is not perfect righteousness because of the struggle with concupiscence: so much so that the continual groaning of a soul repentant for its faults is the most necessary duty of Christian righteousness.18 That’s what compels us to confess humbly, along with Saint Augustine, that our righteousness in this life consists more in the remission of sins than in the perfection of virtues.19
Read the original Latin
La matière de la justification fera paraître encore dans m plus grand jour, combien de difficultés peuvent être erminées par une simple exposition de nos sentiments.
Ceux qui savent tant soit peu l'histoire de la Réformation >rétendue, n'ignorent pas que ceux qui en ont été les preniers auteurs, ont proposé cet article à tout le monde comme e principal de tous, et comme le fondement le plus essentiel le leur rupture; si bien que c'est celui qu'il est le plus nécessaire de bien entendre.
Nous croyons premièrement que nos péchés nous sont remis gratuitement par lamiséricorde divine, à cause de Jésus-Christ tConc. Trid. Sess. vi. c. 9.) . Ce sont les propres termes du concile de Trente, qui ajoute (Ibid.
c. 8.) que nous sommes dits justifiés gratuitement, parce qu'aucune de ces choses qui précèdent la justification, soit la foi, soit les œuvres 9ne peut mériter cette grâce.
Comme l'Écriture nous explique la rémission des péchés, tantôt en disant que Dieu les couvre, et tantôt en disant qu'il les ôte, et qu'il les efface par la grâce du Saint-Esprit, qui nous fait de nouvelles créatures (Tit. m. 5. 6. 7.) ; nous croyons qu'il faut joindre ensemble ces expressions, pour former l'idée parfaite de la justification du pécheur. C'est pourquoi nous croyons que nos péchés, non-seulement sont couverts, mais qu'ils sont entièrement effacés par le sang de JésusChrist, et par la grâce qui nous régénère; ce qui, loin d'obscurcir ou de diminuer l'idée qu'on doit avoir du mérite de ce sang, l'augmente au contraire et la relève.
Ainsi la justice de Jésus-Christ est non-seulement imputée, mais actuellement communiquée à ses fidèles par l'opération du Saint-Esprit, en sorte que non-seulement ils sont réputés, mais faits justes par sa grâce.
Si la justice qui est en nous n'était justice qu'aux yeux des iommes, ce ne serait pas l'ouvrage du Saint-Esprit: elle est donc justice même devant Dieu, puisque c'est Dieu même qui la fait en nous, en répandant la charité dans nos cœurs.
I Toutefois il n'est que trop certain que la chair convoite i contre V esprit, et V esprit contre la chair (Gai. v. 17.) , et que nous manquons tous en beaucoup de choses (Jac. m. 2.) . Ainsi, quoique notre justice soit véritable par l'infusion de la charité, elle n'est point justice parfaite à cause du combat de la convoitise: si bien que le continuel gémissement d'une âme repentante de ses fautes, fait le devoir le plus nécessaire de la justice chrétienne.
Ce qui nous oblige de confesser humblement, avec saint Augustin, que notre justice en cette vie consiste plutôt dans la rémission des péchés, que dans la perfection des vertus.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.32.1;Rom.4.7 — Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Rom.4.7 — Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered over.
- ↩2Cor.5.17;Titus.3.5-Titus.3.7 — So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Titus.3.5 — not by works of righteousness that we ourselves had done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of renewal and rebirth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, Titus.3.6 — which he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, Titus.3.7 — so that, having been justified by that one's grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
- ↩Titus.3.5-Titus.3.7 — not by works of righteousness that we ourselves had done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of renewal and rebirth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, Titus.3.6 — which he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, Titus.3.7 — so that, having been justified by that one's grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
- ↩Rom.5.5 — And hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
- ↩Gal.5.17 — For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do the things you wish.
- ↩Jas.3.2 — For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source reading 'dans m plus grand jour' is treated as the intended 'dans un plus grand jour' (bring into fuller light); 'm' is an obvious OCR/print corruption of 'un'.
- 2 ↩Source reading 'erminées' is treated as the intended 'terminées' (settled/ended); the initial 't' is missing in the supplied text.
- 3 ↩French 'sentiments' here means doctrinal views or positions, not emotions; rendered as 'views'.
- 4 ↩Source shows OCR/print corruption: preniers→premiers; comme e principal→comme le principal; le leur rupture→de leur rupture; and the opaque token “>rétendue” (read as discarded OCR noise after “Réformation,” or possibly residual “étendue”). Sense is translated from the corrected French.
- 5 ↩Source has fused 'la miséricorde' as 'lamiséricorde'; translated the intended reading 'la miséricorde divine' (divine mercy).
- 6 ↩Trailing 'tConc.' appears to be OCR debris from the following Conc. Trid. citation; not rendered as part of the sentence.
- 7 ↩Bibliographic fragment 'Trid.' = Tridentinum / Council of Trent; expanded for readability within a citation sequence (Trid. Sess. vi. c. 9).
- 8 ↩Bibliographic fragment 'Sess.' = Session (of the Council of Trent).
- 9 ↩Bibliographic fragment 'vi.' = Session 6 (Roman numeral) of Trent's decree on justification.
- 10 ↩Bibliographic fragment 'c.' = chapter (chapitre) within Session VI.
- 11 ↩'propres termes' rendered 'very words' to mark that the preceding claim is quoted in Trent's own formulation, not merely paraphrased.
- 12 ↩Source reads «œuvres 9ne peut»; translated as «œuvres ne peut» (the stray 9 treated as a footnote marker or OCR artifact before ne).
- 13 ↩Citation fragment after Tit.; likely chapter mark (III / 3) split by source segmentation.
- 14 ↩French actuellement here means 'in act / really,' not 'at the present time'—opposed to a merely imputed righteousness.
- 15 ↩Source has «iommes»; read as «hommes» (men).
- 16 ↩Source shows OCR damage: leading 'I', 'convoite i contre V esprit', and 'V esprit' read as 'convoite contre l'esprit' and 'l'esprit'; '(Gai.' treated as the start of a Galatians citation.
- 17 ↩Source 'm.' read as chapter mark 'iii.' in the James citation (Jac. iii. 2).
- 18 ↩French 'justice' rendered as 'righteousness' (justifying justice before God). 'Charité' kept as 'charity' for the infused theological virtue; 'convoitise' as 'concupiscence' for remaining disordered desire.
- 19 ↩French justice is the chapter's standing term for the justified state (iustitia); rendered here as righteousness for contemporary doctrinal English, not civil/legal justice.
Exposition de la doctrine de l'Église catholique sur les matières de controverse companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit