Catholic Views on Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura
The Catholic Church holds distinct views on sola fide (faith alone) and sola scriptura (Scripture alone), which differ significantly from Protestant interpretations.
Regarding sola fide, the Catholic Church teaches that faith is essential for salvation, but it is not the sole requirement. Thomas Aquinas, a foundational Catholic theologian, describes faith as a singular virtue, with its formal object being the "First Truth" to which one adheres [4]. However, this faith is understood within a broader framework that includes good works and sacraments. The Council of Trent, a pivotal event in Catholic history, affirmed that justification is not by faith alone but involves cooperation with God's grace through good works, which are seen as meritorious [Council of Trent, Session 6, Canon 24]. This contrasts with the Protestant understanding, exemplified by the Augsburg Confession, which states that "men are justified freely for Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake" [6]. Protestants like John Gill emphasize that justification through faith does not void the law but rather establishes it [2, 1].
Concerning sola scriptura, the Catholic Church does not adhere to the principle that Scripture is the sole infallible rule of faith and practice. Instead, it upholds a three-part authority: Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium (the teaching authority of the Church). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "The Sacred Scriptures contain the Word of God and, because they are inspired, they are truly the Word of God" [5]. However, it also emphasizes that "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the Word of God, committed to the Church" [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 82]. This means that the Church interprets Scripture in light of Tradition, and the Magisterium has the authority to authentically interpret both [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 85]. This stands in contrast to the Protestant view, articulated by figures like Charles Hodge, who argued that Scripture is "sufficiently perspicuous to be understood by them, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit" and that people are "entitled and bound to search the Scriptures and to judge for themselves what is its true meaning" [3]. The Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles also affirm that "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith" [7].
Sources
- Titus (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Titus 1:9: Holding fast the faithful word,.... The doctrine of the Gospel, so called because it is true, and to be believed; it is the word of truth, and truth itself, and contains nothing but truth; and because it never deceived any, that gave credit to its doctrines, and its promises; and because it is pure, unmixed, and unadulterated, and is the sincere milk of the word; and because in it is a glorious display of the faithfulness of God to his perfections, to his holiness and justice, to his law, and to his covenant, word, and oath; and of the faithfulness of Christ, to him tha”
- Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 3:31: Do we then make void the law through faith?--"Does this doctrine of justification by faith, then, dissolve the obligation of the law? If so, it cannot be of God. But away with such a thought, for it does just the reverse." God forbid: yea, we establish the law--It will be observed here, that, important as was this objection, and opening up as it did so noble a field for the illustration of the peculiar glory of the Gospel, the apostle does no more here than indignantly repel it, intending at a subsequent stage of his argument (Rom. 6:1-23) to resume ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 33: addressed to the people, is sufficiently perspicuous to be understood by them, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; and that they are entitled and bound to search the Scriptures and to judge for themselves what is its true meaning. Romanists, on the other hand, teach that the Scriptures are so obscure that they need a visible, present, and infallible interpreter; and that the people, being incompetent to understand them, are bound to believe whatever doctrines the Church, through its official organs, declares to be true and divine. On t”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the Virtue Itself of Faith, Art. 6: Article: Whether faith is one virtue? I answer that, If we take faith as a habit, we can consider it in two ways. First on the part of the object, and thus there is one faith. Because the formal object of faith is the First Truth, by adhering to which we believe whatever is contained in the faith. Secondly, on the part of the subject, and thus faith is differentiated according as it is in various subjects. Now it is evident that faith, just as any other habit, takes its species ”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, 3. the written Gospels. "The sacred authors, in writing the four Gospels, (part 3): "All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and that one book is Christ, because all divine Scripture speaks of Christ, and all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ" (Hugh of St. Victor, De arca Noe 2, 8: PL 176, 642). 135 "The Sacred Scriptures contain the Word of God and, because they are inspired, they are truly the Word of God" (DV 24). 136 God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assuranc”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), 2 And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning: 2 And to the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and 3 the administration of the Sacraments. Nor is it necessary that human traditions, that is, rites or ceremonies, instituted by men, should be everywhere alike. 4 As Paul says: One faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, etc. Eph. 4:5-6.”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 178: Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.”