Benedict XVI and Justification

Many Protestants are surprised by the following statement from Benedict XVI in his teachings on Paul the apostle:

"Being just [i.e., justified] means being with Christ and in Christ... Luther's phrase 'faith alone' is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love.  Faith is looking at Christ, entrusting oneself to Christ, being united to Christ, conformed to Christ, to his life.  And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to conform to Christ and to enter into his love" (St. Paul).

The Pope, in characteristic academic form, is careful to make an implicit distinction regarding the locution 'faith alone'.  For in catholic ears, it typically signifies a certain attitude or capacity that is primarily cognitive and, as such, does not include the virtues of hope and love.  Lutherans and some other Protestants typically use 'faith' to mean something more robust, and Benedict is careful to note that he is happy to agree with the doctrine of sola fides as long as it incorporates a robust conception that does incorporate love (both are permissible uses since there is no single use of the term in the Bible, and the term is used to connote different ideas depending on the context--and this is where exegesis and systematic theology come in to provide us a working category that will fit with one's overall theological framework).


For my own part, I would be happy to dismiss the locution altogether since it is not genuinely Biblical (but was an addition probably by Luther's followers in some manuscripts), at least not explicitly (and I would argue not implicitly, given James and other passages, e.g. Galatians 5).  But more dialogue must take place regarding our understanding of the doctrine of justification.  Catholics and Protestants both agree that we are justified by faith, but that is where agreement putatively ends.

Benedict XVI is one of the most Christocentric and Bibliocentric popes the Catholic Church has ever seen, and so now is a good time for dialogue between Rome and Protestants.