To my knowledge the RCC has never denied that justification is by a prolific act of God's grace. In fact, Roman Catholicism's paid writers often make it sound like it's perfectly biblical- and this of course leads to confusion. Here's an example; consider the plain answer given to the question, "How is the sinner justified?" in Stephen Keenan's Doctrinal Catechism: "He is justified gratuitously by the pure mercy of God, not on account of his own or any human merit, but purely through the merits of Jesus Christ; for Jesus Christ is our only mediator of redemption, who alone, by His passion and death, has reconciled us to His Father."
As cited in "The Basic Catholic Doctrine of Justification by Faith,
" Present Truth: - Special Issue - Justification by Faith,
Robert D. Brinsmead, ed.
(P.O. Box 1311, Fallbrook, California 92028),.d., 7.
So, what is the real and true RCC Teaching being taught today, on their doctrine of justification?
“Justice is uprightness rectitude-of-will kept for its own sake.” [St. Anselm, On Truth, 12]. Continuing Anselm said, “Justice is not rightness of knowledge or rightness of action but is rightness of will.” [St. Anselm, On Truth, 12]. The will is contained in the intellect of man, thus ‘to will’ something is an. As we are, Adam was free to act either in obedience or in disobedience. Prior to his original act of rebellion, Adam 'abided' in God. This abiding is more intense than abiding in Christ when partaking in the Eucharist. [Cf. John 6:57]. Without justification found in the Baptism all acts, whether good or evil remain avaricious and thus not charitable.
Until baptism, where some semblance of justification is restored in the founts of the Church, we remain part of the corporate army of Satin. Denouncing Satan, rectifying the will, we enter the Kingdom through the doors of Baptism. Every personal act, good or bad, out of charity or not, is avaricious and sinful because we have not restored our honor. Whether sinful or not an act of will merits us according to the measure equal to the act when baptized incorporated in the ‘Body of Christ’, the Church. We merit punishment for sin or we merit the promises of Jesus Christ for fidelity.
The original justice accompanying Adam's creation was a moral quality or habit perfectly joining the will to an enlightened understanding of the will of God. It is a state of being in which Adam possessed sanctifying grace with the beatific vision and other preternatural graces. His graces inexplicably joined the cardinal virtues having rights to honorable prudence, temperance, and fortitude in all moral acts. These gifts were inheritable, had Adam not sinned we would have enjoyed the same honors given to Adam.
Because of the fist sin we bear the guilt and punishment. We inherit the punishment and guilt in our birth because we are progeny of Adam. Prior to his original to Adam’s rebellion, it could be said Adam 'abided' in God as we are invited to abide in Christ in the Eucharist after Baptism [Cf. John 6:57]. The punishment of original sin is not something put into us, or something that re-creates us into sin, rather it is the withdrawal of original justice that once belonged to the patriarch of all men. It was something we would have rightly inherited as his progeny had it not been Adam’s sin. Prior to the fall, Adam stood before God as a just man. The original man was created with a soul that was perfectly joined to the intellect and perfectly united with the will of God. The deprivation of justice finds its origin in Adam’s sin through his act of revolutionary disobedience; it is our heritage.
One can not find justification in protest.
JoeT
