As most students of historical theology will note, Erasmus has often been ignored within Protestant theological study because of Luther's fierce polemics against him. Despite this neglect, I think Erasmus has some very interesting insights into the nature of faith. I recently ran across this excerpt from Erasmus’ Paraphrase of the New Testament. This selection, from the book of James, powerfully captures the intimate and indivisible nature of faith and action.But what is faith without love? Love moreover is a living thing; it does not go on holiday; it is not idle; it expresses itself in kind acts wherever it is present. If these acts are lacking, my brothers, I ask you, will the empty word “faith” save a person? Faith which does not work through love is unproductive; no, it is faith in name only. An example here will make clear what I mean. If someone says blandly to a brother or a sister who lacks clothing or daily food, “Depart in peace, keep warm, and remember to eat well,” and after saying this, gives him or her none of the things the body needs, will his fine talk be of any use to the ones in need? They will be no less cold and hungry for all his fine talk, which is of no help to their need. He gives them only verbal support, but does nothing in actual fact. A profession of faith will certainly be equally useless if it consists only of words and does nothing except remain inactive as though dead. It should no more be called faith than a human corpse merits the name of human being. Love is to faith what the soul is to the body. Take away love and the word faith is like something dead and inert. It will do you no more good before God to confess in words an idle faith than fine speech benefits a neighbor in need when he must be helped with action. People think they are being mocked when you say to them, “Keep warm and well fed,” and give them neither food nor clothing. Just so, the person who offers no tangible proofs of his faith but repeats every day, “I believe in God, I believe in God,” seems to be mocking God. A person who gives lip-service to love possesses a fruitless charity. In the same way a person whose belief is only a matter of words possesses a faith that serves no purpose.
Quotation from Achtemeier, Paul J., Joel B. Green, and Marianne Meye Thompson, Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Message. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.B. Eerdmans, 2001, p. 510.
3 comments:
Erasmus is one of the most beautiful men of all time. And it's nice to see him put sola fide to bed.
Hear, Hear.
Poppycock... neither James' epistle nor Desiderius Erasmus' paraphrase of James' epistle repudiate the fact that we are saved by faith alone.
James' primary focus is not on works, but on delineating the boundaries of true faith. He opens his letter with "count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience," & ends by discussing proper faith in prayer. He offers 2:14-26 merely as another "test" of faith, for he knew those of a true faith would, if they had not as yet, be convicted to initiate good works into their walk; those of a superficial faith would carry on with the callous indifference of other's needs typified by an unsaved person. He "calls out" those who profess Christ, but do not demonstrate Him.
James' belief in faith alone as salvific is demonstrated in 2:18:
"But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
Note, James is not comparing salvation by faith with salvation by works, but instead, he contrasts a living faith, demonstrated by works, with a dead faith which has nothing to attest to it.
Paul confirms James' declaration of truly substantive faith in Titus 1:15, 16:
To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works (or in lack thereof) they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.
John also concurs in 1 John 3:18-23:
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth and by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
The commandment is simple- "we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another." Is the second part of this command the cause of one's salvation? No, belief founded "on the name" of Jesus Christ is the cause; the second portion, loving one another, is the effect.
Salvation reveals itself as genuine by a faith which produces good works in the life of the believer.
I agree that Erasmus had contentions with Luther, but it also often said that "Erasmus laid the egg that Luther hatched." Their rivalry was not warlike as modern day humanists declare, but rather, quite friendly:
"I favor Luther as much as I can, even if my cause is everywhere linked with his."
This was despite the fact that Erasmus remained aligned with the church at Rome.
Erasmus was not a humanist, as one is defined today, but he actually concurred with Luther in regards to salvation by faith alone:
"We are assured of victory over death, victory over the flesh, victory over the world and Satan. Christ promises us remission of sins, fruits in this life a hundredfold and therefore life eternal. And for what reason? For the sake of our merit? No indeed, but through the grace of faith which is in Christ Jesus, who only is our justification. I believe there are many not absolved by the priest, not having taken the Eucharist, not having been anointed, not having received Christian burial who rest in peace, while many who have had all the rites of the Church and have been buried next to the altar have gone to hell. Flee to His wounds and you will be safe." Erasmus, "Treatise on Preparation For Death"
Since we are inclined to quote Erasmus, I persist with a few more (some are off topic, but good nonetheless):
"These holy pages will summon up the living image of His mind. They will give you Christ Himself, talking, healing, dying, rising, the whole Christ in a word; they will give Him to you in an intimacy so close that He would be less visible to you if He stood before your eyes." Erasmus, Preface to his Greek Testament.
"This type of man who is devoted to the study of wisdom is always most unlucky in everything, and particularly when it comes to procreating children; I imagine this is because Nature wants to ensure that the evils of wisdom shall not spread further throughout mankind."
"If you look at history you'll find that no state has been so plagued by its rulers as when power has fallen into the hands of some dabbler in philosophy or literary addict."
"As an example of just how useless these philosophers are for any practice in life there is Socrates himself, the one and only wise man, according to the Delphic Oracle. Whenever he tried to do anything in public he had to break off amid general laughter. While he was philosophizing about clouds and ideas, measuring a flea's foot and marveling at a midge's humming, he learned nothing about the affairs of ordinary life."
"By a Carpenter mankind was made, and only by that Carpenter can mankind be remade"
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