Who is right when both sides have confirmations in the Holy Scriptures? It is a pity that sometimes even Orthodox theologians get entangled in an argument about how a person is saved, and in polemics with Catholics they cite Protestant arguments, and in polemics with Protestants they cite Catholic arguments. One gets the impression that Orthodoxy does not have an independent clear teaching about salvation and is something in between Catholicism and Protestantism. An ordinary Christian, listening to the arguments of both sides, may even doubt the truth of the Holy Scriptures. Perhaps, he thinks, the apostles did not understand something in the teaching of Christ, or failed to express His teaching clearly enough, or perhaps later heretical additions crept into the Scriptures, distorting its content. This opinion was held, for example, by Martin Luther and other Protestant theologians, who disputed the authenticity of the Epistle of St. Paul. James and the Epistles to the Hebrews on the grounds that they speak more clearly than in the other New Testament books about the need for good works.

Clarification of terminology

In fact, there are no contradictions in the Scriptures and there cannot be. The dispute between heterodox theologians is based on a misunderstanding due to the fact that the question of salvation from the spiritual and moral sphere has been relegated to the plane of formal legal categories. Salvation began to be understood not as the renewal of the sinful soul, as the acquisition of righteousness, but as the result of man's satisfaction of certain conditions - either good works (Roman Catholics), or faith (Protestants). If a person violates the required conditions, he cannot be saved.

In fact, the doctrine of salvation or the death of man is the result of the moral state of his soul. Paradise is not only a "place", but also a state of a renewed soul. Christ came to earth not in order to resettle us in more favorable conditions, but in order to spiritually revive us, to heal us from sinful corruption, to restore in us the beauty of the image of God, to make us children of God. "Whoever is in Christ is a new creature" (2 Cor. 5:17).

And since the moral state of our soul depends on the direction of the will, it is necessary for a person to make an effort to correct his heart (Luke 17:20; Matthew 11:12). That is why the doctrine of salvation cannot be viewed in terms of do-not-do, but must be perceived as a spiritual process accomplished by the grace of Christ with the active participation of the person being saved. For some, this process takes place relatively quickly, as, for example, with the prudent thief who repented on the cross, while for others it is slow and tortuous. In addition, the spiritual requirements for a person, as well as the level of spiritual perfection that he can achieve, are individual, as can be seen from the parables of the seed and the talents (Matthew 13:1-23, Matthew 25:14-30).

To make sure that Scripture is free from any internal contradictions, it is necessary to clarify its terminology, namely, what it means by works and what by faith.

In the texts cited by Protestants, which speak of justification by faith, the speech of the Apostle Paul is directed not against good works, but against works of the law. Works of the law is a very specific term by which the Apostle Paul designates the ceremonial and ritual side of the Mosaic legislation - with its Sabbaths and feasts, with its circumcision, ablutions and rites of purification, with its scrupulous attitude to clean and unclean food, and finally, with all its overloaded, centuries-old structure of national and religious customs. The Jews, who had absorbed the works of the law with their mother's milk, saw their religion not as a morally regenerating force, but as a set of precepts that had to be strictly obeyed in order to be justified before God. The more you do the works of the law, the greater the reward you will receive - a purely arithmetical dependence. This gave rise to the utilitarian and mercantile mentality that the Apostle Paul constantly fought against.

As for good works, as an expression of living faith in God, the Apostle Paul not only did not abolish them, but, on the contrary, often called on Christians to do them with zeal. He wrote, for example, "With the heart they believe unto righteousness, but with the mouth they confess unto salvation" (Romans 10:10). "While there is time, let us do good to all" (Gal. 6:10). "We are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has ordained for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10). "I wish that ... those who believed in God tried to be diligent in good works: this is good and profitable to men" (Titus 3:8). "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever else you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31). Even more categorically admonishes St. Paul. James: "He that knoweth to do good, and doeth not, to him sin" (James 4:17).

Thus, when we speak of good works, we most essentially distinguish them from the works of the law, which, in fact, have lost all meaning in Christianity. Firstly, good deeds do not lend themselves to simple counting and "weighing". Their strength is not in their numbers, but in the diligence with which they are performed. For example, the mite of a poor widow turned out to be more valuable in the eyes of God than the large gifts that the rich put into the church treasury. They gave out of their abundance, and she gave to God all her sustenance (Mark 12:44).

In addition, the same deed can be regarded as either good or bad, depending on the intention with which it is performed. The Gospel Pharisee fasted and prayed a lot, but did not receive any benefit from it, because he did it for show, and Anna the prophetess acquired the Holy Spirit by fasting and prayer (Luke 2:36). Sectarians who reject fasting and church prayers as unnecessary, let them pay attention to the fact that this righteous woman acquired the grace of God precisely by feats of abstinence and prayer at a time when it was still inaccessible to people, because the Holy Spirit had not yet descended upon the apostles (John 7:39).

Finally, good deeds are valuable not so much in themselves, but as a manifestation of the good qualities of a person - his virtues. There is a well-known regularity here: each "deed" (deed) of a person leaves a certain trace in his soul - positive or negative. A more or less stable activity of a person gradually makes him either virtuous or vicious. Therefore, it is important to do good deeds, if only in order to acquire good skills (Romans 12:12; 1 Tim. 4:16). That is why it is said in the Gospel: "Blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the peacemakers..." - i.e. happy will be those who constantly do good.

Now let us try to clarify the essence of the concept of faith. Speaking of the necessity of faith, the Holy Scriptures mean by this term not only an abstract, theoretical recognition of certain religious truths, but the consent of the will to submit to God. In other words, faith contains an active element of a certain positive activity, and in all those cases in the Holy Scriptures, which speak of the salvific nature of faith, we invariably encounter certain actions. After all, in everyday life, engineers are valued not so much for their theoretical knowledge as for their ability to apply their knowledge. Thus, God expects from us not an abstract, but a living and active faith. It is interesting to note that the mere knowledge of religious truths, without an appropriate life, will not only not benefit a person, but, on the contrary, will serve to even greater condemnation, as Christ said: "The servant who knew the will of his master... and he did not according to his will, and there shall be many stripes" (Luke 12:47-48; Rom. 2:13).

Thus, the Christian faith must include a sincere desire to become a different, better person. And this requires inner work, self-examination, repentance, and a change in our way of life so that our faith shines brightly: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 6:16).