Many non-Catholic Christians hold to Sola Fide—“faith alone”—the belief that salvation requires nothing more than personal belief in Jesus Christ and that good deeds play no essential role. At the same time, many misunderstand what the Catholic Church actually teaches, assuming Catholics believe we can earn heaven by doing enough good works. But that is not the Catholic position. The Church teaches that we are saved by God’s grace, received through faith, and that authentic faith is never sterile or inactive—it becomes visible through love, obedience, repentance, and good works. In other words, works don’t replace faith, and they don’t compete with grace—they flow from living faith. Because you cannot honestly claim to love Christ, trust Christ, and belong to Christ, while doing nothing in His name—real faith moves the heart, and it moves the hands.

Not by Faith Alone: James 2:24, the Protestant Reply, and the Catholic Answer

The phrase “faith alone” is one of the most debated ideas in Christianity. But here’s what surprises many people: the only place the exact phrase “faith alone” appears in Scripture is in James 2:24—and it’s explicitly rejected:

“You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

That verse doesn’t mean we “earn” salvation like wages. It means something more realistic and more human: saving faith is living faith—the kind of faith that actually obeys, repents, loves, and changes.

This matters because many Christians agree that belief matters—but the Bible repeatedly insists that mere belief is not the same as saving faith.

James puts it bluntly:

“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.” (James 2:19)

So what is James doing? He’s drawing a line between dead faith (empty profession) and living faith (faith that acts).

The Catholic View in Plain English

Catholics believe:

We are saved by grace (God’s gift).
Grace is received through faith.
And the faith that saves is never merely mental—it becomes obedient love.

A simple way to say it:

Faith is the root
Love and obedience are the fruit
Dead faith doesn’t save

Catholic theology is not “works without grace.” It’s grace that changes a person—and that change shows up in what you do.

“Okay, but how would a Protestant respond?”

A thoughtful Protestant can respond to James 2:24 in several common ways. Let’s lay them out fairly—and then give the Catholic response to each.

1) “James is talking about proof of faith, not how we are saved.”

Protestant response:
“James isn’t saying works justify you before God. He’s saying works justify you before people—works prove your faith is real.”

Catholic reply:
James doesn’t frame it as “before people.” He frames it as real justification, and he uses Abraham’s obedience as his example:

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works…?” (James 2:21)

And then:

“You see that faith was active along with his works… and faith was completed by his works.” (James 2:22)

James isn’t merely saying “works show faith.” He’s saying works are part of how faith becomes complete—how it becomes real.

2) “Paul says we’re justified by faith apart from works.”

Protestant response:
“Romans and Galatians are clear: we’re justified by faith, not by works.”

Catholic reply:
Catholics agree that we are not saved by “works of the law” as if we can earn righteousness by our own power.

But Paul also says things like:

“Faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6)
“He will render to each according to his works.” (Romans 2:6)

So Paul isn’t anti-obedience. He’s anti-self-salvation. The Catholic position is: grace comes first, but grace doesn’t leave us unchanged.

3) “James is describing sanctification, not justification.”

Protestant response:
“Justification is a one-time legal declaration; sanctification is the lifelong transformation. James is talking about sanctification.”

Catholic reply:
That’s a system being placed on the text. James uses the same word—justify—and then anchors it in Abraham and Isaac. And he makes a sweeping conclusion:

“A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

James does not present salvation as a legal fiction. He presents salvation as a living reality—a faith that’s alive or dead.

4) “We believe in faith alone, but faith is never alone.”

Protestant response:
“True faith produces works. Works are evidence, not a cause.”

Catholic reply:
Catholics agree that true faith produces works. The difference is that James goes further than “evidence.” He says works are part of faith’s completion:

“Faith was completed by his works.” (James 2:22)

So the Catholic claim is not “works replace faith,” but rather: faith that saves is obedient faith—faith that cooperates with grace.

5) “James is only correcting hypocrites, not defining doctrine.”

Protestant response:
“He’s addressing hypocrisy, not giving systematic theology.”

Catholic reply:
Even if he’s correcting hypocrisy, he corrects it by issuing a doctrinal conclusion:

“Not by faith alone.” (James 2:24)

James’s whole argument is: if your ‘faith’ never moves your hands, your mouth, your choices, your repentance—then it isn’t saving faith.

The Real Difference in One Paragraph

Many Protestants will say:

Faith alone saves
Works are the result and evidence of salvation

Catholics will say:

Grace saves
Faith receives grace
Works are the cooperation of a living person with grace
And dead faith doesn’t save

Or, in one line:

✅ We are not saved by works without faith.
✅ But we are not saved by faith without works.