Point 5: Of Merits
By merit, we understand anything or any work, whereby God's favor and life everlasting is procured; and that for the dignity and excellence of the work or thing done: or, a good work done, binding him that receives it to repay the like.
Our Consent.
Touching merits, we consent in two conclusions with them. The first conclusion, that merits are so far forth necessary, that without them there can be no salvation.
The second, that Christ our Mediator and Redeemer, is the root and fountain of all merit.
The dissent or difference.
The popish Church places merits within man, making two sorts thereof: the merit of the person, and the merit of the work. The merit of the person, is a dignity in the person, whereby it is worthy of life everlasting. And this (as they say) is to be found in infants dying after baptism, who though they lack good works, yet are they not void of this kind of merit, for which they receive the kingdom of heaven. The merit of the work, is a dignity or excellence in the work, whereby it is made fit and enabled to deserve life everlasting for the doer. And works (as they teach) are meritorious two ways: first, by covenant, because God has made a promise of reward to them: secondly, by their own dignity, for Christ has merited, that our works might merit. And this is the substance of their doctrine. From it we dissent in these points.
1. We renounce all personal merits, that is, all merits within the person of any mere man. 2. And we renounce all merit of works, that is, all merit of any work done by any mere man whatever. And the true merit whereby we look to attain the favor of God, and life everlasting, is to be found in the person of Christ alone: who is the storehouse of all our merits: whose prerogative it is, to be the person alone in whom God is well pleased. God's favor is of infinite dignity, and no creature is able to do a work that may counterbalance the favor of God, save Christ alone; who by reason of the dignity of his person, being not a mere man but God-man, or Man-God, he can do such works as are of endless dignity every way answerable to the favor of God: and therefore sufficient to merit the same for us. And though a merit or meritorious work agrees only to the person of Christ, yet is it made ours by imputation. For as his righteousness is made ours, so are his merits depending thereon: but his righteousness is made ours by imputation, as I have showed. Hence arises another point, namely that as Christ's righteousness is made ours really by imputation to make us righteous: so we by the merit of his righteousness imputed to us, do merit and deserve life everlasting. And this is our doctrine. In a word, the Papist maintains the merits of his own works: but we renounce them all, and rest only on the merit of Christ. And that our doctrine is truth, and theirs falsehood, I will make manifest by sundry reasons; and then answer their arguments to the contrary.
Our reasons.
The first shall be taken from the properties and conditions that must be in a meritorious work, and they are four. 1, A man must do it of himself, and by himself: for if it be done by another, the merit does not properly belong to the doer. 2, A man must do it of his own free will and pleasure, not of due debt; for when we do that which we are bound to do, we do no more but our duty. 3, The work must be done to the profit of another, who thereupon must be bound to repay the like. 4, The reward and the work must be in proportion equal, for if the reward be more than the work, it is not a reward of desert, but a gift of good will. Hence follows a notable conclusion: That Christ's manhood considered apart from his godhead, cannot merit at God's hand: though it be more excellent every way than all both men and angels. For being thus considered, it does nothing of itself, but by grace received from the godhead; though it also be without measure. Secondly Christ's manhood is a creature, and in that regard bound to do whatever it does. Thirdly, Christ as man cannot give anything to God, but that which he received from God: therefore cannot the manhood properly by itself merit, but only as it is personally united to the godhead of the Son. And if this be so, then much less can any mere man, or any angel merit: indeed it is a madness to think, that either our actions or persons should be capable of any merit whereby we might attain to life eternal.
Reason 2. (Exodus 20:8) And show mercy upon thousands in them that love me, and keep my commandments. Hence I reason thus: where reward is given upon mercy, there is no merit: but reward is given of mercy to them that fulfill the law: therefore no merit. What can we any way deserve, when our full recompense must be of mercy? And this appears further by Adam: if he had stood to this day, he could not by his continual and perfect obedience, have procured a further increase of favor at God's hand, but should only have continued that happy estate in which he was first created.
Reason 3. Scripture directly condemns merit of works. (Romans 6:23) The wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. The proportion of the argument required that Saint Paul should have said: The reward of good works is eternal life, if life everlasting could be deserved, which cannot be: because it is a free gift. Again (Titus 3:5): We are saved not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us. And (Ephesians 2:8-10): By grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: not of works which God has prepared that we should walk in them. If any works be crowned, it is certain that the sufferings of Martyrs shall be rewarded: now of them Paul says (Romans 8:18): The sufferings of this life are not worthy of the glory to come. Where then is the value and dignity of other works? To this purpose Ambrose says, The just man though he be tormented in the brazen bull is still just, because he justifies God, and says he suffers less than his sins deserve.
Reason 4. Whoever will merit, must fulfill the whole law: but none can keep the whole law: for if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves (1 John 1), and he that sins against one commandment is guilty of the whole law. And what can he merit, that is guilty of the breach of the whole law?
Reason 5. We are taught to pray on this manner, Give us this day our daily bread. Wherein we acknowledge every morsel of bread to be the mere gift of God without desert; and therefore must we much more acknowledge life eternal to be every way the gift of God. It must needs therefore be a Satanical insolence for any man to imagine, that he can by his works merit eternal life, who cannot merit bread.
Reason 6. Consent of the ancient Church. Bernard: Those which we call our merits, are the way to the kingdom, and not the cause of reigning. Augustine (Manual, chapter 22): All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit: my merit is the passion of the Lord. I shall not be void of merits, so long as God's mercies are not wanting. Basil on Psalm 114: Eternal rest is reserved for them, which have striven lawfully in this life: not for the merits of their doings, but upon the grace of the most bountiful God, in which they trusted. Augustine on Psalm 120: He crowns you, because he crowns his own gifts, not your merits. And (Psalm 142): Lord you will quicken me in your justice, not in mine: not because I have deserved it, but because you have compassion.
Objections of Papists.
Objection 1. In sundry places of Scripture, promise of reward is made to them that believe and do good works: therefore our works do merit; for a reward and merit be relatives. Answer: Reward is twofold: of debt, and of mercy. Life everlasting is not a reward of debt but of mercy, given of the good will of God, without anything done of man. Secondly, the kingdom of heaven is properly an inheritance given of a Father to a child, and therefore it is called a reward not properly, but by a figure or by resemblance. For as a workman having ended his labor, receives his wages; so after men have led their lives and finished their course in keeping faith and good conscience, as dutiful children; God gives them eternal life. And hereupon it is termed a reward. Thirdly, if I should grant that life everlasting is a deserved reward, it is not for our works, but for Christ's merit imputed to us, causing us thereby to merit: and thus the relation stands directly between the reward and Christ's merit applied to us.
Objection 2. Christ by his death merited that our works should merit life everlasting. Answer: That is false: all we find in Scripture is, that Christ by his merit procured pardon of sin, imputation of righteousness, and life everlasting: and it is nowhere said in the word of God, that Christ did merit, that our works should merit: it is a dotage of their own devising. He died not for our good works to make them able to satisfy God's anger: but for our sins, that they might be pardoned. Thus much says the Scripture, and no more. And in that Christ did sufficiently merit life eternal for us, by his own death: it is a sufficient proof that he never intended to give us power of meriting the same: unless we suppose that at some time he gives more than is needful. Again, Christ in the office of mediation as he is a King, Priest, and Prophet, admits no deputy or fellow. For he is a most perfect Mediator, doing all things by himself, without the help of any. And the ministers that dispense the word are not his deputies, but reasonable and voluntary instruments, which he uses. But if men by works can merit increase of grace and happiness for themselves, then has Christ partners in the work of redemption: men doing that by him, which he does of himself, in procuring their salvation. Indeed, if this might stand, that Christ did merit, that our works should merit, then Christ should merit that our stained righteousness being for this cause not capable of merit, should nevertheless merit. I call it stained; because we are partly flesh and partly spirit: and therefore in ourselves deserving the curse of the law, though we be regenerate. Again, for one good work we do, we have many evil, the offense whereof defaces the merit of our best deeds, and makes them too light in the balance of the law.
Objection 3. Our works merit by bargain or covenant, because God has promised to reward them. Answer: The word of God sets down two covenants: one legal, the other evangelical. In the legal covenant life everlasting is promised to works, for that is the condition of the law; do these things and you shall live. But on this manner can no man merit life everlasting, because none is able to do all that the law requires; whether we respect the manner, or the measure of obedience. In the evangelical covenant, the promises that are made are not made to any work or virtue in man, but to the worker: not for any merit of his own person or work, but for the person and merit of Christ. For example, it is a promise of the Gospel (Revelation 2:10): Be faithful to death, and I will give you the crown of life. Here the promise is not made to the virtue of fidelity, but to the faithful person; whose fidelity is but a token that he is in Christ: for the merit of whose obedience God promises the crown of life: and therefore Christ says further: I come quickly and will give to every man according to his works, mark, he says not to the work or for the work, but to the worker according to his works. And thus the bond of all other promises of the Gospel, in which God willingly binds himself to reward our works, do not directly concern us, but have respect to the person, and obedience of Christ, for whose sake alone God binds himself as debtor to us, and gives the recompense or reward, according to the measure of our faith testified by our works. And therefore it cannot be truly gathered: that works do merit by any promise or covenant, passed on God's part to man. Some may say, if works merit not why are they mentioned in the promises? I answer, not because they merit, but because they are tokens that the doer of the work is in Christ, for whose merit the promise shall be accomplished.
Objection 6. Good works are perfect and without fault, for they are the works of the Holy Ghost, who cannot sin: therefore they merit. Answer: If works did proceed only and immediately from the Holy Ghost, there could not be any fault in them: but our works come from the Holy Ghost, in and by the will and understanding of man: and by this means they are tainted with sin: as water in the fountain is both clear and sweet, yet the streams thereof passing through the filthy channel, are defiled thereby. Again they reason thus; that which we are bound to do has no fault in it; but we are bound to do good works: therefore they are perfect. Answer: The proposition must be expounded: that which we are bound to do, in itself, according to the intention of the commander, has no fault: or, that which we are bound to do according as we are bound to do it, has no fault, yet in regard of the intention of the doer, or in regard of our manner of doing, it may be faulty.
Objection 5. Christ says (Revelation 3:4) that the faithful in the Church of Sardis shall walk with him in white: for they are worthy: therefore believers merit. Answer: Every believer is worthy to walk with Christ: yet not worthy in himself, but in Christ, to whom he is united, and made bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. And by reason of this conjunction it is, that men are said to be worthy, because they are enriched with Christ's merits and righteousness.
Objection 7. (2 Timothy 4:8) Everlasting life is termed a crown, and a crown of righteousness to be given of a just judge: therefore man for his part by his works deserves the same. Answer: Everlasting life is called a crown only in resemblance. For as he which runs a race, must continue and run to the end, and then be crowned: even so must we continue to walk in good works to the end, and then receive eternal life. And it is called a crown of righteousness, not because it belongs to any man by due and desert; but because God has bound himself by a promise to give it, in performing whereof he is termed just: and by virtue of this promise, it is obtained and no otherwise. These are the principal objections, by which we may judge what the rest are. And thus we see what is the truth, namely that merit is necessary to salvation; yet neither merit of man's work, or person, but the merit of Christ imputed to us, whereby we being in him do procure and deserve the favor of God and life eternal.
By merit we mean anything or any work by which God's favor and everlasting life is obtained — obtained because of the dignity and excellence of the work or thing done — or, a good work that obliges the one who receives it to repay in kind.
Our Consent.
On the subject of merits, we agree with them in two conclusions. The first conclusion: merits are so necessary that without them there can be no salvation.
The second conclusion: Christ our Mediator and Redeemer is the root and fountain of all merit.
The dissent or difference.
The Roman Church locates merits within the person, and distinguishes two kinds: the merit of the person and the merit of the work. The merit of the person is a dignity within the person that makes him worthy of everlasting life. They say this is present in infants who die after baptism — though these infants lack good works, they are not without this personal merit, for which they receive the kingdom of heaven. The merit of the work is a dignity or excellence within the work that makes it capable of deserving everlasting life for the one who does it. They teach that works are meritorious in two ways: first by covenant, because God has promised a reward for them; second by their own dignity, because Christ has merited that our works might merit. This is the substance of their doctrine. We depart from it at the following points.
1. We reject all personal merits — that is, all merits within the person of any mere human being. 2. We also reject all merit of works — that is, any merit claimed for any work done by any mere human being. The true merit by which we hope to obtain God's favor and everlasting life is found in the person of Christ alone. He is the storehouse of all our merits. It is His unique prerogative to be the one person in whom God is well pleased. God's favor is of infinite worth, and no creature is able to perform a work that can counterbalance it — except Christ alone. Because of the dignity of His person, being not merely a man but the God-man, He can perform works of infinite worth that fully answer the measure of God's favor, and are therefore sufficient to merit it for us. Though merit and meritorious work belong strictly to the person of Christ, they are made ours by imputation. As His righteousness is made ours, so also are His merits, which depend on it. His righteousness is made ours by imputation, as I have shown. From this arises another point: just as Christ's righteousness is made truly ours by imputation to make us righteous, so also by the merit of His righteousness imputed to us, we merit and obtain everlasting life. This is our doctrine. In short: the papist grounds his hope in the merit of his own works; we reject all such merit and rest entirely on the merit of Christ. I will demonstrate that our doctrine is true and theirs false by several arguments, and then answer their objections.
Our reasons.
The first argument is drawn from the four essential conditions of a meritorious work. First, a person must do it by himself and out of his own resources — if it is done by another, the merit does not properly belong to the doer. Second, a person must do it of his own free will, not as a required obligation — for when we do what we are already bound to do, we do nothing more than our duty. Third, the work must benefit someone else, who is thereby obligated to repay in kind. Fourth, the reward and the work must be proportionally equal — if the reward exceeds the work, it is not a reward for desert but a gift of goodwill. From this follows a striking conclusion: Christ's human nature, considered apart from His divine nature, cannot merit anything from God — even though it is in every respect more excellent than all people and angels combined. Considered in isolation, it does nothing by itself but only by grace received from the divine nature, though that grace is without measure. Second, Christ's human nature is a creature, and as a creature it is already obligated to do whatever it does. Third, Christ as man cannot give to God anything other than what He first received from God. Therefore the human nature by itself cannot properly merit — only as it is personally united to the divine nature of the Son. If this is so, then far less can any mere human being or any angel merit anything. It is madness to suppose that either our actions or our persons could carry any merit sufficient to obtain everlasting life.
Reason 2. Exodus 20:8 says that God shows 'lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.' From this I argue: where reward is given on the basis of mercy, there is no merit. But reward is given in mercy to those who fulfill the law — therefore there is no merit. What can we possibly deserve, when even our full recompense must come from mercy? This is further confirmed by Adam's case: if he had stood firm to this day, his continued and perfect obedience could not have obtained any greater favor from God — he could only have maintained the blessed condition in which he was first created.
Reason 3. Scripture directly condemns the merit of works. Romans 6:23 says: 'The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.' The logical structure of that verse would require Paul to have said, 'The reward of good works is eternal life' — if everlasting life could be deserved. But it cannot, because it is a free gift. Titus 3:5 says: 'He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy.' Ephesians 2:8-10 says: 'By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works,' though God has prepared those works for us to walk in. If any works are to be rewarded, certainly the sufferings of the martyrs would be — yet Paul says of them in Romans 8:18: 'The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.' What room, then, is left for the merit of ordinary works? On this point Ambrose says: 'The just man, though he be tormented in the brazen bull, is still just — because he justifies God and says he suffers less than his sins deserve.'
Reason 4. Whoever would merit must fulfill the whole law — but no one can keep the whole law. As 1 John 1 says, if we claim to have no sin we deceive ourselves; and whoever breaks one commandment is guilty of the entire law. What can a person merit who is guilty of breaking the whole law?
Reason 5. We are taught to pray: 'Give us this day our daily bread.' In doing so, we acknowledge that every piece of bread is a pure gift from God, unearned. How much more must we acknowledge that everlasting life is in every way a gift of God. It is nothing short of diabolical arrogance for any person to imagine that he can merit everlasting life by his works, when he cannot even merit his daily bread.
Reason 6. The testimony of the ancient Church. Bernard: 'What we call our merits are the road to the kingdom, not the cause of reigning there.' Augustine (Manual, chapter 22): 'All my hope is in the death of my Lord. His death is my merit; my merit is the passion of the Lord. I will not be without merits so long as He is not without mercy.' Basil, commenting on Psalm 114: 'Eternal rest is reserved for those who have striven faithfully in this life — not on account of the merit of their deeds, but through the grace of the most generous God, in whom they trusted.' Augustine, commenting on Psalm 120: 'He crowns you because He crowns His own gifts, not your merits.' And on Psalm 142: 'Lord, You will give me life in Your righteousness — not in mine; not because I have deserved it, but because You have compassion.'
Objections of Papists.
Objection 1. In many passages of Scripture, the promise of reward is made to those who believe and do good works. Therefore our works merit something — for a reward and merit go together. Answer: Reward is of two kinds — a reward of debt and a reward of mercy. Everlasting life is not a reward of debt but of mercy, given by the goodwill of God apart from anything done by the person. Second, the kingdom of heaven is properly an inheritance given by a Father to a child. It is called a reward not in the strict sense but figuratively — by way of resemblance. Just as a worker, having finished his labor, receives his wages, so after people have lived their lives and completed their course in faith and good conscience as dutiful children, God gives them everlasting life. It is for this reason that it is called a reward. Third, even if I were to grant that everlasting life is a deserved reward, it is not deserved by our works but by Christ's merit imputed to us — through which we are said to merit. The relationship is directly between the reward and Christ's merit applied to us.
Objection 2. By His death, Christ merited that our works should merit everlasting life. Answer: That is false. All Scripture tells us is that by His merit Christ obtained the pardon of sin, the imputation of righteousness, and everlasting life. It is nowhere said in God's word that Christ merited that our works should merit — this is a notion of their own invention. He did not die to make our good works capable of satisfying God's wrath — He died for our sins, that they might be pardoned. That is what Scripture says, and nothing more. Since Christ fully merited everlasting life for us by His own death, that is itself sufficient evidence that He never intended to give us the power to merit it as well — unless we suppose He sometimes gives more than is needed. Furthermore, in His office as Mediator — as King, Priest, and Prophet — Christ admits no deputy or partner. He is the perfect Mediator, accomplishing everything by Himself alone without assistance. The ministers who proclaim the word are not His deputies but willing instruments He uses. But if people can merit increases in grace and happiness by their works, then Christ has partners in the work of redemption — people doing by Him what He does by Himself in securing their salvation. And if it could be maintained that Christ merited that our works should merit, then He would be meriting that our tainted righteousness — which, being tainted, is by its very nature incapable of merit — should nevertheless merit. I call it tainted because we are partly flesh and partly spirit, and therefore in ourselves deserving the curse of the law, even as regenerate people. Moreover, for every good work we do, we commit many evil ones — and the offense of these evil works cancels out the merit of our best deeds and makes them fall short in the balance of the law.
Objection 3. Our works merit by bargain or covenant, because God has promised to reward them. Answer: God's word sets out two covenants — one legal, the other evangelical. In the legal covenant, everlasting life is promised in exchange for works, for that is the law's condition: 'Do these things and you will live.' But no one can merit everlasting life on these terms, because no one is able to do everything the law requires — either in the manner or the measure of obedience. In the evangelical covenant, the promises are not made to any work or virtue in the person, but to the person himself — and not on account of any merit of his person or work, but on account of the person and merit of Christ. For example, Revelation 2:10 says: 'Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.' The promise is made not to the virtue of faithfulness but to the faithful person, whose faithfulness is simply a token that he is in Christ — and it is on account of the merit of Christ's obedience that God promises the crown of life. Christ says further: 'I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done' — note that He says to the person according to his works, not to the work or for the work. The substance of all the Gospel promises, in which God willingly binds Himself to reward our works, does not directly regard us but has regard to the person and obedience of Christ, for whose sake alone God binds Himself as debtor to us and gives the reward according to the measure of our faith as shown by our works. It therefore cannot rightly be concluded that works merit on the basis of any promise or covenant God has made with people. Someone may ask: if works do not merit, why are they mentioned in the promises? I answer: not because they merit, but because they are tokens that the one who performs the work is in Christ, on whose merit the promise will be fulfilled.
Objection 6. Good works are perfect and without fault, because they are the works of the Holy Spirit, who cannot sin. Therefore they merit. Answer: If works proceeded only and immediately from the Holy Spirit, there could be no fault in them. But our works come from the Holy Spirit working in and through the will and understanding of a human being — and in this way they are tainted with sin. Water in a spring is clear and pure, but the streams that flow from it through a contaminated channel become polluted. They also argue: what we are bound to do has no fault in it; we are bound to do good works; therefore good works are perfect. Answer: The premise must be qualified. What we are bound to do — in itself, according to the intention of the one commanding — has no fault. Or again: what we are bound to do, done exactly as we are bound to do it, has no fault. But in terms of the intention of the doer, or the manner in which we actually do it, there may well be a fault.
Objection 5. Christ says in Revelation 3:4 that the faithful in the church of Sardis shall walk with Him in white, 'for they are worthy.' Therefore believers merit. Answer: Every believer is worthy to walk with Christ — yet not worthy in himself, but in Christ, to whom he is united and made bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. It is because of this union that believers are said to be worthy, since they are enriched with Christ's merits and righteousness.
Objection 7. 2 Timothy 4:8 calls everlasting life a crown — specifically a crown of righteousness to be given by a righteous judge. Therefore a person deserves it by his works. Answer: Everlasting life is called a crown only by way of analogy. Just as a runner must press on to the end of the race before receiving the crown, so we must continue in good works to the end and then receive everlasting life. It is called a crown of righteousness not because any person has earned it by his own due and desert, but because God has bound Himself by a promise to give it — and in fulfilling that promise He is called righteous. It is obtained by virtue of that promise, and in no other way. These are the main objections, by which we may judge the strength of the rest. Here then is the truth: merit is necessary to salvation — but not the merit of any person's works or person. It is the merit of Christ imputed to us, through which we, being in Him, obtain and receive the favor of God and everlasting life.
