“So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.'”
Lk. 17:10
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Subsection
Whether Christ Merited Glory for Himself
Reformed vs. Aquinas
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Order of Contents
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Articles
1500’s
Zwingli, Ulrich – Commentary on True & False Religion eds. Jackson & Heller (1525; Labyrinth Press, 1981)
‘Merit’, pp. 271-79
‘Merit’ in II. ‘Reply to Emser’, pp. 388-92
Vermigli, Peter Martyr – ‘How Grace & Works are unto Eternal Life’ in The Common Places… (d. 1562; London: Henrie Denham et al., 1583), pt. 3, ch. 2. ‘Of the Calling of God & of his Grace’, pp. 52-58
Calvin, John
6. ‘Of Justification by Faith & by the Merit of Works’ in Institutes of the Christian Religion: 1541 French Edition tr. Elsie A. McKee (1541; Eerdmans, 2009), pp. 318-85
Institutes of the Christian Religion tr. Henry Beveridge (1559; Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1845), vol. 2, bk. 3
16. ‘Refutation of the Calumnies by which it is attempted to throw odium on this doctrine’ 385
Musculus, Wolfgang – Common Places of the Christian Religion (1560; London, 1563)
2nd Commandment, ‘Against the teachers of merits’ 53.b
‘Of Merits towards God’ 234.a
de Brès, Guy – The Staff of Christian Faith… for to Know the Antiquity of our Holy Faith… gathered out of the Works of the Ancient Doctors of the Church… (d. 1567; London, 1577)
‘Of Freewill, of the Merits of Works & of Justification by Faith’ 51-70
‘Of Merit & of Good Works’ 70-107
de Bres (1522-1567) was a Walloon pastor, Protestant reformer and theologian, a student of Calvin and Beza in Geneva.
Beza, Theodore – pp. 50-57 in A Book of Christian Questions & Answers… (London, 1574)
Ursinus, Zachary – 6. ‘Whether good works merit anything before God’ in The Sum of Christian Religion: Delivered… in his Lectures upon the Catechism… tr. Henrie Parrie (Oxford, 1587), Of Good Works
Perkins, William
A Golden Chain (Cambridge: Legat, 1600), Errors of the Papists in their distributing of the Causes of Salvation
9. That preparation to grace, which is caused by the power of free-will, may by the merit of congruity deserve justification
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16. Works done in grace do condignly merit eternal life
5. Of Merits in A Reformed Catholic… ([Cambridge] 1598)
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1600’s
Baron, Robert – sect. 1, ‘How useful this debate [on venial and mortal sin] is for overturning the Papists’ doctrine on the perfection of human justice and merits’ in Theological Disputation on the True Distinction between Mortal & Venial Sin… tr. by AI by Onku (1633; Amsterdam, 1649), pt. 1, pp. 5-7 Latin
Baron (1596–1639) was a Scottish minister, theologian and one of the Aberdeen doctors.
Voet, Gisbert – The Force of Truth Bursting Forth in the Papacy Itself concerning Salvation through God’s Mercy Alone in Christ. pt. 1-3 (1639) tr. by AI by Onku in Select Theological Disputations (Utrecht, 1655), vol. 2, 726-76 Latin
In the first part, Voet shows the profound obstacles to salvation and Christ in the Roman Church. In the second and third parts Voet give testimonies from Romanists themselves witnessing to free grace in Christ, playing down a person’s merits.
Turretin, Francis – 5. ‘Is there a merit of congruity or condignity? Do good works merit eternal life? We deny against the Romanists.’ in Institutes of Elenctic Theology, tr. George M. Giger, ed. James Dennison Jr. (1679–1685; P&R, 1994), vol. 2, 17th Topic, pp. 710-24
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Quotes
Order of
Beza & Faius
Alsted
Hoornbeek
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1500’s
Theodore Beza & Anthony Faius
Propositions & Principles of Divinity Propounded & Disputed in the University of Geneva by Certain Students of Divinity there, under Mr. Theodore Beza & Mr. Anthony Faius… (Edinburgh: Waldegrave, 1591), 25. ‘Of the Justification of Sinful Man in the Sight of God’, p. 60
“These Doctrines therefore are to be detested:
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8 That Christ does purchase the dignity of merit by our good works, which is a new-coined falsehood of the Jesuits.”
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1600’s
Johann H. Alsted
‘On Justification & Good Works in General’ in Theologia polemica, exhibens praecipuas huius aeui in religionis negotio controuersias sex in partes tributa studio (d. 1638) at Nosferatu’s Substack (2024)
“Controversy XIV: Do good works truly merit eternal salvation?
Orthodox Position: No one can be saved without merits; but the root, source, and origin of these merits is Christ. Although God adorns and rewards our works, both in this life and the next, with the most abundant rewards, not only by His mercy but also by justice, due to the previous promise or covenant, however, speaking properly, we do not merit eternal life with them.
[Romanist] Position of Bellarmine: Good works are properly meritorious, and this by merit of congruence or condign. The merit of congruence is in relation to moral works performed before justification. For these, by their nature, do not merit salvation, except concerning what is promised to them by God’s goodness. The merit of condign is that by which the reward is entirely due. And this is attributed to good works after justification. The works of the righteous merit eternal life by condign in two ways: first, in reason of the covenant or justice, which makes God our debtor; second, in reason of the intrinsic dignity of these works; for they are proportional to the reward in an arithmetical proportion, as seen in commutative justice.
Confirmation of the Thesis:
1. God’s grace and our merit are contrary (Romans 4, 11).
2. Christ merited for us the beginning, middle, and end of salvation (John 2; Acts 3, 4).
3. Good works do not meet the conditions of proper merit, which are contained in this verse: Gratia, si non debes, est gratia. Good works are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, and for that reason, we owe them to God. There is no proportion between our works and eternal life, for here everything is perfect and infinite, there everything is imperfect, as admitted by Scotus and Durandus.
4. The Church Fathers teach this. Bernard says that our merits, that is, our works, are the way to the kingdom, not the cause of the kingdom. And Augustine: “In your justice, Lord, not in mine. Not because I deserved it, but because you had mercy.” And also: “All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit, my life, and resurrection. My merit is the mercy of the Lord. I will not lack merit as long as the Lord of mercies does not lack me.”
[Romanist] Confirmation of the Antithesis:
1. The word “merit” occurs in Scripture, both explicitly in Hebrews 13, where it is said that God is pleased with such sacrifices, and implicitly in 2 Thessalonians 1, Revelation 3 and 16, where it speaks of dignity.
2. Eternal life is the denarius given for work as a just reward (Matthew 20).
3. Eternal life is given according to the measure and proportion of the work (Matthew 16; Romans 2; 1 Corinthians 3; 2 Corinthians 5; Galatians 6; Revelation 22).
4. The cause by which eternal life is given to the righteous is sought in the works, as the words “because,” “for this reason” (Matthew 25; Revelation 7) teach.
5. The reward is given to good works as a crown, which is rightfully due to those who run and compete (1 Corinthians 9; James 1; Revelation 2). For this reason, it is said that this reward is given by justice (2 Thessalonians 1; 2 Timothy 4; Hebrews 6).
6. The worker is worthy of his wages (Luke 10).
7. The promise of eternal life depends on the condition of works (Matthew 19; James 1; 1 Timothy 4).
8. God estimates each one according to his works (Acts 10; Romans 2; Galatians 2; 1 Peter 1).
9. Eternal life is grace for grace (John 1).
10. Grace is the seed of glory (1 John 3). The seed is equal to the plant in potential.
11. Eternal life and good work are supernatural actions, and there is proportion between both in terms of dignity.
12. Reward and merit are correlates.
13. Our merits flow from the merits of Christ as our head. He, by His death, merited that our works merit eternal life.
14. Our works merit by covenant or alliance. God has promised to reward them.
15. Our works are perfect and without any defect or stain. They are works of the Holy Spirit and therefore deserve properly.
16. This is the doctrine of the Church, often inculcated by the Church Fathers.
[The Reformed] Refutation:
1.2.6.12. The vulgar version is not adequate. Hebrews 13 is incorrect and barbaric. Moreover, the reward properly speaking is due by debt. But eternal life is called a reward metaphorically, for it is given at the end of life and freely. This distinction of reward occurs in Romans
4. Thus, the reward is either by debt or by mercy. Moreover, eternal life is called a reward and crown in relation to Christ’s merit. Therefore, the direct relationship is between eternal life and Christ’s merit applied to us. The dignity is either proper, based on our qualities, or dependent on grace and someone else’s graciousness, as is our dignity before God. We are not worthy in ourselves but in Christ, insofar as we are enriched with the merits of Christ. For this reason, it does not refer to our dignity but to divine graciousness or acceptance, by which God deigned not only to promise us life but also to enable us to attain it. Here, too, the distinction between unworthy and not worthy should be maintained: the reprobates are unworthy; the righteous, considered in themselves, are not worthy. Hence the poet says: “It is more worthy of God to give to the unworthy.” We say we work inasmuch as, being moved, we act in the vineyard of the Lord. This results in eternal life being called a denarius.
3.4.5.7.8.9.10.11.14. Between eternal life and good works, there is a proportion not of dignity or value, but of order and measure. Moreover, this reward is given by justice of fidelity in relation to the covenant, not by justice of equality or exact compensation in relation to value and our work. Thus, here is distributive justice. Just distribution does not seek exact equality (which is proper to commutative justice) but is satisfied with any kind of order proportion, that is, likeness and correspondence. Therefore, it is wrong to conclude equality from likeness. God’s debt is not absolute nor based on our merits, but it is conditional and entirely dependent on God’s covenant and His gracious promise. No mortal can fulfill the condition of the legal covenant, but only of the Gospel. There, eternal life is promised to those who do good, here to those who believe, and therefore because of Christ’s merit, between which and eternal life there is a proportion of parity. Therefore, good works are causes of salvation, but not meritorious. They are metonymical locutions, so that good works are taken by faith, of whose effects and signs they are. Christ did not merit for our works to be meritorious, but He Himself, as the perfect Mediator, merited eternal life for us. Our works would be without stain if they immediately and directly emanated from the Holy Spirit, but this is not so, for they are done through the will of the sinful man. Thus, we see clear water at the source but muddy in the dirty pipes. Therefore, good works are perfect, but not in the highest degree. Merit is taken properly and strictly, or improperly, broadly and popularly, and by metonymy. The Latin Fathers sometimes take merit in the latter sense, so that merit is the very good work that pleases God, not by its own value but by divine graciousness because of Christ, who receives its reward, though freely. And also, merere means to obtain, to achieve, or to gain something from God; also, to be accepted, to please, and to be considered worthy because of Christ.
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Controversy XV: Can one trust in good works?
[Romanist] Position of Bellarmine: The principal hope and trust in salvation should be placed in God’s mercy, but there can also be some trust in our own merits. As God has promised eternal life under the condition of piety (1 Corinthians 2; Revelation 2), it is therefore possible to place some trust in this condition. And certainly, the saints did so (Nehemiah 5; Psalm 18; Isaiah 38; 2 Timothy 4).
Orthodox Position: As there are no proper merits, trust cannot be placed in them. However, we can trust in works insofar as they are infallible witnesses of election and faith. Thus, a good conscience arises from them. And this is what is proved by the cited passages.”
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Johannes Hoornbeek
‘A Practical Theological Disputation on Sin, pt. 2’ tr. by AI by Onku (Leiden: Johann Elsevir, 1660), Corollaries Latin
“VI. Are good works meritorious of eternal salvation? No.”
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Latin Article
1600’s
Voet, Gisbert – ‘On the Adjuncts & Requisites of Good Works: truthfulness or sincerity, necessity, preciseness, constancy or progress, efficacy or causality and of the opposite, merit, of imperfection’ in 50. ‘A Syllabus of Questions on the Whole Decalogue’ in Select Theological Disputations (Amsterdam: Jansson, 1667), p. 770
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