ca. 70 A.D., Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works; Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance —
16:1-2 “Watch” over your life: do not let “your lamps” go out, and do not keep “your loins ungirded”; but “be ready,” for “you do not know the hour when our Lord is coming.” (Matt. 24:42, 44; Luke 12:35) Meet together frequently in your search for what is good for your souls, since “a lifetime of faith will be of no advantage” (Letter of Barnabas 4:9) to you unless you prove perfect at the very last.
ca. 96 A.D., Pope Saint Clement, fourth Bishop of Rome, disciple of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Letter to the Corinthians
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works —
29:1 Let us, therefore, approach him in holiness of soul, lifting up to him pure and undefiled hands, loving our gentle and compassionate Father who made us his chosen portion. …
30:1-3, 6-7 Seeing then that we are the portion of the Holy One, let us do all the things that pertain to holiness, forsaking slander, disgusting and impure embraces, drunkenness and rioting and detestable lusts, abominable adultery, detestable pride (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-10). “For God,” he says, “resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Prov. 3:34; Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5). Let us clothe ourselves in concord, being humble and self-controlled, keeping ourselves far from all backbiting and slander, being justified by works and not by words. … Let our praise be with God, and not from ourselves, for God hates those who praise themselves. Let the testimony to our good deeds be given by others, as it was given to our fathers who were righteous. …
33:1-2, 7 Let us hasten with earnestness and zeal to accomplish every good work. For the Creator and Master of the universe himself rejoices in his works. … We have seen that all the righteous have been adorned with good works. Indeed, the Lord himself, having adorned himself with good works, rejoiced. So, since we have this pattern, let us unhesitatingly conform ourselves to his will; let us with all our strength do the work of righteousness.
— Merit —
34:1-4, 7-8 The good worker receives the bread of his labor confidently, but the lazy and careless dares not look his employer in the face. It is, therefore, necessary that we should be zealous to do good, for all things come from him. For he forewarns us: “Behold the Lord comes, and his reward is with him, to pay each one according to his work” (cf. Isa. 40:10; 62:11; Prov. 24:12; and Rev. 22:12). He exhorts us, therefore, who believe in him with our whole heart, not to be idle or careless about any good work. … Let us also, then, being gathered together in harmony with intentness of heart, cry out to him earnestly, with one mouth, that we may come to share in his great and glorious promises. For he says: “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the heart of man, what great things he has prepared for those who patiently wait for him” (1 Cor. 2:9; Isa. 64:4).
— Merit; Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance; Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works —
35:1-12 How blessed and marvelous are the gifts of God, dear friends! Life in immortality, splendor in righteousness, truth with boldness, faith with confidence, self-control with holiness! And all these things fall within our comprehension. What, then, are the things being prepared for those who patiently wait [i.e., persevere] for him? The Creator and Father of the ages, the all-holy One himself, knows their number and their beauty. Let us therefore make every effort to be found in the number of those who patiently wait [i.e., persevere] for him, so that we may share in his promised gifts. But how shall this be, dear friends? If our mind is fixed on God through faith; if we seek out those things which are well-pleasing and acceptable to him; if we accomplish those things which are in harmony with his faultless will, and follow the way of truth, casting off from ourselves all unrighteousness and lawlessness, covetousness, strife, malice and deceit, gossip and slander, hatred of God, pride and arrogance, vanity and inhospitality (cf. Rom. 1:29-32). For those who do these things are hateful to God; and not only those who do them, but also those who approve of them. For Scripture says: “But to the sinner God said, ‘Why do you recite my statutes, and take my covenant upon your lips? You hated instruction and threw away my words behind you. If you saw a thief, you joined with him, and with adulterers you threw in your lot. Your mouth produced wickedness abundantly, and your tongue wove deceit. You sat there and slandered your brother, and put a stumbling block in the way of your mother’s son. These things you have done, and I kept silent. You thought, you unrighteous person, that I would be like you. I will convict you and set you face to face with yourself. Now consider these things, you who forget God, lest he seize you like a lion, and there be no one to save you. The sacrifice of praise will glorify me, and that is the way by which I will show him the salvation of God’ (Ps. 50:16-23).” …
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works —
58:2 For as God lives, and as the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and the Holy Spirit (who are the faith and the hope of the elect), so surely will the one who [has kept God’s commandments] … be enrolled and included among the number of [the elect].
— ca. 100 A.D., Death of Saint John, the last of the Apostles —
ca. 107 A.D., Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, disciple of the Apostle John, Letter to the Philadelphians
— Necessity of the Church —
3:3 - 4:1 Do not err, my brethren: if anyone follow a schismatic, he will not inherit the Kingdom of God (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-10). If any man walk about with strange doctrine, he cannot lie down with the passion [of Christ]. Take care, then, to use one Eucharist; so that whatever you do, you do according to God: for there is one Flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of His Blood; one altar, as there is one bishop with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons.
ca. 107 A.D., Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to Polycarp
— Merit —
1:3 Where there is more work, there is much gain. …
— Merit; Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance; Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works —
6:2 Please him whom you serve as soldiers, from whom you receive your wages. Let none of you be found a deserter. Let your baptism serve as a shield, faith as a helmet, love as a spear, endurance as armor. Let your deeds be your deposits, in order that you may eventually receive the savings that are due you. Be, therefore, patient and gentle with one another, as God is with you.
ca. 107 A.D., Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans
— Necessity of the Church—
8:1-2 You must follow the bishop as Jesus Christ follows the Father, and the presbytery as you would follow the Apostles. Reverence the deacons as you would the command of God. Let no on do anything of concern to the Church without the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is celebrated by the bishop, or by one whom he appoints. Wherever the bishop appears, let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church. Nor is it permitted without the bishop either to baptize or to celebrate the agape; but whatever he approve, this too is pleasing to God, so that whatever is done will be secure and valid (see Heb. 6:19).
ca. 135 A.D., Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, disciple of the Apostle John, Letter to the Philippians
— Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance —
7:1-2 Let us, therefore, forsake the vanity of the crowd and their false teachings and turn back to the word delivered to us from the beginning, “watching unto prayer” (1 Pet. 4:7) and continuing steadfast in fasting, beseeching fervently the all-seeing God (Clement, Corin. 55:6; 64:1) “to lead us not into temptation” (Mt. 6:13), even as the Lord said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41).
8:1-2 Let us, then, hold steadfastly and unceasingly to our Hope (Col. 1:27; 1 Tim. 1:1) and to the Pledge (Eph. 1:14; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5) of our righteousness, that is, Christ Jesus, “who bore our sins in his own body on the tree, who committed no sin, neither was guile found on his lips” (1 Pet. 2:24, 22); but for our sakes he endured everything that we might live in him. Therefore let us be imitators of his patient endurance, and if we suffer for the sake of his name, let us glorify him (1 Pet. 4:15-16). For he set us this example (1 Pet. 2:2; Clement, Corin. 16:17) in his own Person, and this is what we believed.
ca. 150 A.D., Saint Justin the Martyr, First Apology
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works; absolute necessity of God’s grace —
10 We have been taught that God, in the beginning, in His goodness and for the sake of men, created all things out of formless matter. And if men, by their works, show themselves worthy of His design, they are deemed worthy, so we are told, to make their abode with Him and to reign with Him, being freed of all corruption and passion. Just as in the beginning He created us when we were not, in the same way, we believe, He will regard all those who choose to please Him, because of their choice, as worthy of immortality in communion with Him. Our coming into being in the beginning was none of our doing. But now, to follow those things which are pleasing to Him, and to choose them by means of the rational faculties which He has bestowed upon us: to this He persuades us, and leads us to faith. …
— Merit —
12 More than all other men, we are your helpers and allies in maintaining peace; for it is our position that it is no more possible for the evil-doer, the avaricious and the treacherous, to hide from God, than it is for the virtuous; and that every man will receive the eternal punishment or reward which his actions deserve. Indeed, if all men recognized this, no one would choose evil even for a short time, knowing that he would incur the eternal sentence of fire. On the contrary, he would take every means to control himself and to adorn himself in virtue, so that he might obtain the good gifts of God and escape the punishments. …
— Merit —
43-44 We have learned from the Prophets and we hold it as true that punishments and chastisements and good rewards are distributed according to the merit of each man’s actions. Were this not the case, and were all things to happen according to the decree of fate, there would be nothing at all in our power. If fate decrees that this man is to be good and that one wicked, then neither is the former to be praised nor the latter to be blamed.
Furthermore, if the human race does not have the power of a freely deliberated choice in fleeing evil and in choosing good, then men are not accountable for their actions, whatever they may be. That they do, however, by a free choice, either walk upright or stumble, we shall now prove.[i] … God did not make man like the other beings, the trees and the four-legged beasts, for example, which cannot do anything by free choice.
Neither would man deserve reward or praise if he did not of himself choose the good; nor, if he acted wickedly, would he deserve punishment, since he would not be evil by choice, and could not be other than that which he was born. The Holy Prophetic Spirit taught us this when He informed us through Moses that God spoke as follows to the first created man: “Behold, before your face, the good and the evil. Choose the good” (Deut. 30:15, 19). …
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works; Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance —
65 After we have thus washed [i.e., received Baptism] the one who has believed and has assented, we lead him to where those who are called brethren are gathered, offering prayers in common and heartily for ourselves and for the one who has been illuminated, and for all others everywhere, so that we may be accounted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, to be found keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an eternal salvation … . Then there is brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup of water and of watered wine; and taking them, he gives praise and glory to the Father of all, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
ca. 150 A.D., Hermas, brother of Pope Saint Pius, The Shepherd
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works; Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance —
Vis. 3:8:7 “And yet to these [sinners] also,” [the shepherd] continued, “repentance is possible. You see,” he said, “that some of them have repented, and there is still remaining in them,” he continued, “a hope of repentance. And as many of them,” he added, “as have repented, shall have their dwelling in the tower [i.e., the Church]. And those of them who have been slower in repenting shall dwell within the walls. And as many as do not repent at all, but abide in their deeds, shall utterly perish. … But if any one relapse into strife, he will be cast out of the tower, and will lose his life. Life is the possession of all who keep the commandments of the Lord."
ca. 156 A.D., The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp
— Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance; merit —
19:1-2 So much, then, for the Blessed Polycarp. … By his endurance he overcame the unjust ruler, and thus gained the imperishable crown.
ca. 181 A.D., Saint Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch, To Autolycus
— Merit; Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works —
1:14 He who gave the mouth for speech and formed the ears for hearing and made eyes for seeing will examine everything and will judge justly, granting recompense to each according to merit. To those who seek immortality by the patient exercise of good works (Rom. 2:7), he will give everlasting life, joy, peace, rest, and all good things, which neither eye has seen nor ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man (1 Cor. 2:9). For the unbelievers and the contemptuous and for those who do not submit to the truth but assent to iniquity … there will be wrath and indignation (Rom. 2:8).
ca. 185 A.D., Saint Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, disciple of Polycarp, Against Heresies
— Absolute necessity of God’s grace —
3:17:2 The Lord promised to send us the Paraclete, who would make us ready for God (Jn. 16:7). Just as dry wheat without moisture cannot become one dough or one loaf, so also, we who are many cannot be made one in Christ Jesus, without the water from heaven [i.e., Baptism]. Just as dry earth cannot bring forth fruit unless it receive moisture, so also we, being at first a dry tree, can never bring forth fruit unto life, without the voluntary rain from above. Our bodies achieve unity through the washing [i.e., Baptism] which leads to incorruption; our souls, however, through the Spirit. Both, then, are necessary, for both lead us on to the life of God. …
— Necessity of the Church —
3:24:1 The preaching of the Church truly continues without change and is everywhere the same, and has the testimony of the Prophets and the Apostles and all their disciples. … That in which we have faith is a firm system directed to the salvation of men; and, since it has been received by the Church, we guard it. Constantly it has its youth renewed by the Spirit of God, as if it were some precious deposit in an excellent vessel; and it causes the vessel containing it also to be rejuvenated. … In the Church, God has placed apostles, prophets and doctors, and all the other means through which the Spirit works (1 Cor. 12:28); in all of which none have any part who do not conform to the Church. On the contrary, they defraud themselves of life by their wicked opinion and most wretched behavior. For where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God, there the Church and every grace. The Spirit, however, is Truth. …
— Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance; merit —
4:37:7 [Paul], an able wrestler, urges us on in the struggle for immortality, so that we may receive a crown, and so that we may regard as a precious crown that which we acquire by our own struggle, and which does not grow on us spontaneously. And because it comes to us in a struggle, it is therefore the more precious; and as it is the more precious, let us love it always the more. Those things which come to us spontaneously are not loved as much as those which are obtained by anxious care.
ca. 203 A.D., Saint Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis or Miscellanies
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works —
6:14:108:4 When we hear, “Your faith has saved you” (Mt. 9:22; Mk. 5:34; Lk. 8:48), we do not understand [the Lord] to say simply that they will be saved who have believed in whatever manner, even if works have not followed. To begin with, it was to the Jews alone that He spoke this phrase, who had lived in accord with the law and blamelessly, and who had lacked only faith in the Lord.
ca. 215 A.D., Saint Hippolytus of Rome, Bishop of Pontus, disciple of Irenaeus, Against the Greeks
— Merit —
3 Standing before [Christ’s] judgement, all of them, men, angels, and demons, crying out in one voice, shall say: “Just is your judgment!” (Ps. 118 [119]:137; Rev. 16:7) And the justice of that cry will be apparent in the recompense made to each. To those who have done well, everlasting enjoyment shall be given; while to lovers of evil shall be given eternal punishment.
248 A.D., Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews
— Justification by Faith Alone?/necessity of good works —
That it is of small account to be baptized and to receive the Eucharist, unless one profit by it both in deeds and works.
In the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: “Know ye not, that they which run in a race run indeed all, although one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And those indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible” (9:24-25). In the Gospel according to Matthew: “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire” (3:10). Also in the same place: “Many shall say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name, and in Thy name have cast out devils, and in Thy name have done great works? And then shall I say to them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye who work iniquity” (7:22-23). Also in the same place: “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (5:16). Also Paul to the Philippians: “Shine as lights in the world” (2:15).
— Eternal Security?/necessity of perseverance —
That even a baptized person loses the grace that he has attained, unless he keep innocency.
In the Gospel according to John: “Lo, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing happen unto thee” (5:14). Also in the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God abideth in you? If any one violate the temple of God, him will God destroy” (3:16-17). Of this same thing in the Chronicles: “God is with you, while ye are with Him: if ye forsake Him, He will forsake you” (2 Chr. 15:2).
ca. 250 A.D., Origen, Homilies on Josue
— Necessity of the Church —
3:5 If someone of that people wishes to be saved, let him come into this house, so that he may be able to obtain his salvation. … Let no one, then, be persuaded otherwise, nor let anyone deceive himself: outside this house, that is, outside the Church, no one is saved. For if anyone go outside, he shall be guilty of his own death.
ca. 254 A.D., Cyprian of Carthage, The Unity of the Catholic Church
— Necessity of the Church —
6 The Bride of Christ cannot be defiled. She is inviolate and chaste. She knows but one home, and with a chaste modesty she guards the sanctity of one bedchamber. It is she that keeps us for God, she that seals for the kingdom the sons whom she bore. Whoever is separated from the church and is joined to an adulteress is separated from the promises of the Church; nor will he that forsakes the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. He is an alien, a worldling, and an enemy. He cannot have God for his Father who does not have the Church for his Mother. If anyone outside the ark of Noah was able to escape, then perhaps someone outside the pale of the Church may escape. …
… Whoever holds not fast to this unity holds not to the law of God; neither does he keep the faith with the Father and the Son, nor does he have life and salvation.
7 This sacrament of unity, this bond of an inseparably cohering harmony, is indicated in the Gospel when the tunic of the Lord Jesus Christ is in no way divided nor cut apart.
252 A.D., Pope Saint Cornelius, twenty-first Bishop of Rome, Letter to Cyprian of Carthage
— Necessity of the Church —
[Certain men, having fallen into a schism and now seeking reconciliation, besought Cornelius, saying:] “We are not ignorant of the fact that there is one God, and one Christ the Lord whom we confess, and one Holy Spirit; and that there must be one bishop in the Catholic Church.” (Cyprian, Letters 49 [46]:2)
254 A.D., Cyprian, Letter to Florentius Pupianus
— Necessity of the Church —
66 [69]:8 You ought to know, then, that the bishop is in the Church and the Church in the bishop; and if someone is not with the bishop, he is not in the Church. They vainly flatter themselves who creep up, not having peace with the priests of God, believing that they are secretly in communion with certain individuals. For the Church, which is One and Catholic, is not split nor divided, but is indeed united and joined by the cement of priests who adhere one to another.
ca. 255 A.D., Cyprian, Letter to Jubaianus, A Bishop in Mauretania
— Necessity of the Church —
73:12 [If a heretic] were made a temple of God—now I ask you: of what God? Of the Creator? But that is not possible, because he does not believe in Him. Of Christ? One who denies that Christ is God cannot become His temple. Of the Holy Spirit? Since the Three are One, how were it possible for the Holy Spirit to be reconciled to him that is an enemy of either the Son or of the Father?