The Thomistic Institute Justified by Grace, Works, or Faith? – Prof. Michael Root
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Mar 25, 2026 
Prof. Michael Root, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology who moved from Lutheranism to Catholicism, explores how grace, faith, hope, love, and works interrelate in salvation. He reframes the faith versus works debate, traces historical arguments, and explains how grace elevates human nature toward a merited destiny while preserving freedom.
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Two Senses of Faith Shape the Debate
- Faith has both a broad sense (total orientation of trust and dependence on God) and a narrow technical sense (virtue of the intellect).
- Root notes Romans presents faith as life-shaping trust, while 1 Corinthians treats faith as one of three virtues alongside hope and love.
Augustine Versus Pelagius Shaped Western Theology
- Root retells the 5th-century Pelagius-Augustine dispute: Pelagius stressed human effort, Augustine insisted on grace, famously 'give what you command.'
- Augustine's victory shaped Western theology: salvation as a gift of grace, not self-achieved.
Lutheran Justification Is Forensic and Receptive
- Root summarizes Luther: justification is forensic—Christ's righteousness is imputed; we receive it by faith understood as trust (fiducia).
- Luther stresses faith is receptive and imperfect human works cannot ground acceptance before God.
