MERIT AND REWARD
by Bill Jackson
James Akin, in an article by this name in the January 1999 issue of This Rock, makes the statement, "In the second century, the technical term 'merit' was introduced as a synonym for the Greek word for 'reward.' Thus the doctrine of merit and the doctrine of reward are the same thing, simply presented under two different terms."
I am not enough of a linguist to agree or disagree, but I was able to look in the dictionary, which told me they are not the same. Merit is that which deserves a reward; reward is something that is given to merit.
Akin tries to apply this concept of the two words meaning the same, and goes to scripture, using one of the modern favorites of Roman Catholic apologists.
For [God] will reward every man according to his works: to those who by perseverance in working good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; there will be . . . glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality (Romans 2:6,10).
It is apparent that Mr. Akin has no idea what Paul is being used of God to do in Romans 1-3. To understand it, all we have to is to compare the above cited verses with Romans 3:19, where Paul climaxes his dissertation of sin and works. The Bible says,
". . . that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
If we follow Paul's reasoning, we see God's viewpoint of the guilty world. In Romans 1:18-20 the wrath of God is revealed; in 1:19-20 the revelation, through nature, of God's power and Godhood; in 1:21-23 the stages of Gentile world apostasy; in 1:24-32 the result of this apostasy.
In Chapter 2, he outlines Gentile moralizers, and poses a rhetorical situation. Verse 7 talks about those who would receive eternal life (by their merit, if you will) who, by patient continuing in well doing, seek after God. Can any of these be found?
Having further declared the condemnation of the Jew in Romans 2:17-29, he comes to the final verdict.
There is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (Romans 3:11).
So there are NO moralizers, Jew or Gentile, that seek after God. God is fair enough to say that if they did, they would be rewarded, but the utter condemnation of all men is vividly portrayed in Romans 3:10-20. It would take one blinded by Satan to develop any other theology than that which portrays man utterly unable to do anything of merit.
To understand the flow in Paul's presentation, we can liken it to a baker who was given a recipe for Angel Food Cake. The instructions were written on several small pieces of paper. He got just one piece, and on it said, "Take three eggs. Separate egg whites from egg yokes. Beat them until stiff." He thought this was the entire recipe, and, having accomplished those tasks, tried to eat his Angel Food Cake. Just as he would need the entire recipe, you have to consider the entire argument Paul is bringing forth, and not wrest one verse from its entire context. Paul's thesis most certainly does not hint at salvation as a merited reward. It is no wonder that Peter wrote concerning Paul's epistles, in which there are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16).
But Akin claims the Catholic Church does, indeed, portray man utterly incapable of working for justification. He quotes the Council of Trent which said that there is nothing that precedes justification, whether faith or works, that has any merit. That sounds good until you realize that Catholic Justification and Christian Justification are two entirely different things. A Catholic receives initial justification at Baptism, usually as an infant. Having received that initial justification, he is put in a position where he can merit.
On page 487, #2010 of the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church it says, "Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of our conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then MERIT FOR OURSELVES and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for THE ATTAINMENT OF ETERNAL LIFE" (caps ours).
The forked tongue approach of Catholic apologists is very evident here. Karl Keating is the editor of This Rock, so we would assume he agrees with James Akin. Karl Keating has many books that he recommends, among which is Radio Replies by Rumble and Carty. They say, Volume III, paragraph 946, "good works are a contributing factor toward our salvation."
The argument would then be given that the works, being inspired by grace, are really just the result of our justification, not the cause of it. However, the Pope-authorized Catholic Catechism of 1994 states that the beatific vision of God [Heaven] is realized by right conduct. On page 10, #16 we read, "the ways of reaching beatitude - through right conduct, with the help of law and grace, through conduct that fulfills the twofold commandment of charity, specified in God's Ten Commandments."
We come to a strange mixture of grace and works, to any normal Catholic mind indistinguishable, but in a position where either or both can be emphasized in given situations.
Having read the "Church Fathers," we see that this confusion in the place of good works in meriting salvation, or having salvation as a reward for our merit is enough to force the sensible person to look where he should have looked in the first place - the Word of God.
Man's quest for Heaven can only be undertaken according to the rules laid down by the Architect of Salvation. We have already seen that man is pronounced guilty before God. In order to absolve the guilty, some satisfaction is necessary. The debt has to be paid.
The possibility of accrued righteousness on man's part paying the debt becomes unthinkable when we read verses like Isaiah 64:6.
For we are as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
Or Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.
Since our righteousness will not satisfy God, where shall we look for satisfaction?
He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11)
Christians like to sing songs that tell of their satisfaction: I am satisfied with Jesus, etc. That is commendable, but the important thing is that God is satisfied with Jesus.
Had God been just a loving God, He would send all to Heaven, and Heaven would soon become just as bad as the earth.
If He were only just, He would send all to Hell.
Being both loving and just, His righteousness was demonstrated when He sent His Son to the Cross of Calvary to bear man's sin. God looked upon Christ - and He was satisfied.
Come to God with your merit, whether you think it is a synonym for reward or not.
GOD WILL NOT BE SATISFIED.
Come with your sacramentsand sacramentals.
GOD WILL NOT BE SATISFIED.
Spend 100 years suffering in Purgatory , and present that suffering to God.
HE WILL NOT BE SATISFIED.
He will look on the travail of His soul, and SHALL BE SATISFIED.
