I stopped doing this for a while because my previous instructor stopped posting a Scripture of the Week, my current one, my Chair, has been very regular so I hope to continue this again.
Verse: I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first (Revelation 2:2, New International Version)
Translation: Our love and grace will continue to grow through hard work.
Application: We may continue to lean on Him throughout the hurdles or challenges that the dissertation journey brings.
My response:
I must say when I read a verse like that the apologist in me jumps up! Not only does love and grace increase, but so does faith! So many times anti-Catholic "apologists" (a contradiction in terms, in my humble opinion) attack Catholics with the "faith alone" argument, then I have to respond with "saving faith is never alone" and if they would take a closer look at the verses they point to it is "works of the law" that scripture condemns as unable to save you. Many more modern non-Catholics, starting with Martin Luther and more precisely stated by John Calvin make the statement "One is justified by faith alone, but not by a faith which is alone" (Bauer, 2015). From someone else in that same article/response who goes by "Mr. Toodle-Ood," several other quotes and citations are made, including one from a Mr. James Swan, whom I have had many direct debates with - and also whom I would concur is a genuine authority on quotes from Martin Luther. For one such response to Swan on this very topic, I wrote a blog article (Windsor, 2016). Perhaps the chief argument I have with the statement "faith alone justifies, but not a faith that is alone" is that it is a contradiction of terms or double-speak. However, I believe the bottom line here is that non-Catholics, especially anti-Catholics, get stuck in a mantra and end up talking past Catholics and not engaging what is actually said. At one point I believe I too engaged in that sort of "debate" - but in recent years it has been my goal to hear what they have to say, and then if I can, point out the flaws in the arguments so that we can continue a dialog and learn and grow from each other.
Cordially,
Scott<<<
References
Bauer, S. (2015). Is Luther really the originator of “We are saved
by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone”? Stack Exchange:
Christianity.
https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/42366/is-luther-really-the-originator-of-we-are-saved-by-faith-alone-but-the-faith-t
Windsor, S. (2016). The fatal flaw in sola fide [blog]. Qui
Locutus.
http://quilocutus.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-fatal-flaws-in-sola-fide.html (For
more discussions between Windsor and Swan, see this list: http://quilocutus.blogspot.com/search/label/James%20Swan).
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