Anabaptist denominations After becoming a believer,
Anabaptist theology emphasizes "a faith that works".
Anabaptist denominations teach: Obedience to
Jesus and other
New Testament teachings, loving one another, being at peace with others, and walking in holiness are seen as "
earmarks of the saved".
Anglican churches The
Anglican theological tradition, including
The Church of England,
The Episcopal Church (United States), and others in the worldwide
Anglican Communion as well as those who have broken away from communion but identify with the tradition, contains within it both Protestant and Catholic perspectives on this doctrine. On the Protestant side, the historic
Thirty-nine Articles (1571) included in the
Book of Common Prayer contain Article XI which states that "We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by faith and not for our work or deservings" (BCP, p. 870). Some Anglican Churches, such as the Church of England, still require clergy to affirm their loyalty to the Articles, while many others such as the Episcopal Church in the US do not see them as normative for clergy. In explaining this Anglican article of faith,
John Wordsworth, former
Bishop of Salisbury, says that "But by faith we understand not a dead but a living faith, which as naturally leads the believer to do good works for God as a good tree necessarily bears good fruit." On the Catholic side, the 19th century
Oxford Movement re-incorporated a broader understanding of justification into Anglican theology. The publication
Tracts for the Times concluded in 1841 with commentary on Article XI in which justification by faith is affirmed as the "'sole internal instrument, not to sole instrument of any kind.' There is nothing inconsistent, then, in Faith being the sole instrument of justification, and yet Baptism also the sole instrument, and that at the same time, because in distinct senses; an inward instrument in no way interfering with an outward instrument, Baptism may be the hand of the giver, and Faith the hand of the receiver.' Nor does the sole instrumentality of Faith interfere with the doctrine of Works as a mean also." In this way, without denying the justification by faith alone in a particular sense, Anglicans may also affirm the necessity of the sacraments (particularly Baptism) as well as works present in a Christian's life: In 2017 the Anglican Communion affirmed the 1999
Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification between the Catholic and Lutheran traditions.
Baptist churches According to evangelical
Baptist theology, good works are the consequence of
salvation and not its justification. They are the sign of a sincere and grateful faith. They include actions for the
Great Commission, that is,
evangelism, service in the
Church and
charity. They will be rewarded with the grace of God at the
last judgment. Good works are claimed by some theologians as evidence of true faith versus false faith from the Epistle of James. A more recent article suggests that the current confusion regarding the Epistle of James about faith and works resulted from Augustine of Hippo's anti-Donatist
polemic in the early fifth century. This approach reconciles the views of Paul and James on faith and works without appealing to
Augustinian soteriology's "evidence of true faith" view.
Catholic Church The
Catholic Church teaches that both faith and good works are necessary for
salvation: Additionally Matthew 16:27 states that the Son of God shall reward every man according to his works.
Eastern Orthodox Churches The
Eastern Orthodox Churches teach the unity of faith and good works as necessary for salvation:
Lutheran Churches The
Lutheran Churches, in the
Augsburg Confession, teach that repentance consists of
contrition and then faith, which finds its origin in the
Gospel and
absolution. Lutheranism condemns as heresy
antinomianism—the view that Christians are not obligated to keep the moral law—and a father of Lutheranism,
Martin Luther, stated: The
Large Catechism specifies: In Lutheran theology, the
Smalcald Articles teach that those who commit
mortal sin "when they have fallen, lose faith, the Holy Spirit, the grace of God, and life eternal, and render themselves subject to divine wrath and eternal death unless, turned again, they are reconciled to God through faith." The Lutheran Churches teach that God rewards good works done by Christians; the
Apology of the Augsburg Confession teaches: "We also affirm what we have often said, that although justification and eternal life go along with faith, nevertheless, good works merit other bodily and spiritual rewards and degrees of reward. According to 1 Corinthians 3:8, ‘Each will receive his wages according to his labor.’"
Reformed Churches The
Reformed principle of
sola fide states that no matter what a person's action,
salvation comes through faith alone.
Methodist Churches With regard to good works,
A Catechism on the Christian Religion: The Doctrines of Christianity with Special Emphasis on Wesleyan Concepts teaches:
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Churches, taught that the keeping of the moral law contained in the
Ten Commandments, as well as engaging in the
works of piety and the
works of mercy, were "indispensable for our sanctification". Methodist
soteriology emphasize the importance of the pursuit of holiness in salvation. Thus, for Methodists, "true faith...
cannot subsist without works". Bishop
Scott J. Jones writes that
Methodist theology teaches that: While "faith is essential for a meaningful relationship with God, our relationship with God also takes shape through our care for people, the community, and creation itself." Methodism, inclusive of the
holiness movement, thus teaches that "justification [is made] conditional on obedience and progress in sanctification" Methodist theologian Brian Black summarizes Wesleyan doctrine on works of righteousness in relation to salvation: The Coptic Orthodox Church says that a living faith should demonstrate good works, which are "the fruits of the work of the Holy Spirit within us and are the fruits requisite for the life of penitence which we should live". Additionally, good works are "evidence of God's sonship". For Coptic Orthodox Christians, neither faith alone nor works alone can save, but both together, are required for salvation. == Comparison of Catholic, Lutheran and Methodist views ==