Merit (Catholicism)
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In
Christian theology Christian theology is the theology – the systematic study of the divine and religion – of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. It concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Ch ...
, merit (
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: ''meritum'') accrues when a believer's good work incurs "a future reward from a graceful
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
". The role of human merit in Christian life has been a point of dispute between
Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and
Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
. Both Catholics and
Lutherans Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...
affirm the common Christian belief that a person's justification is not determined by that person's merit: "By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works". The Catholic Church further teaches that "When Catholics affirm the 'meritorious' character of good works, they wish to say that, according to the biblical witness, a reward in heaven is promised to these works. Their intention is to emphasize the responsibility of persons for their actions, not to contest the character of those works as gifts, or far less to deny that justification always remains the unmerited gift of grace". The idea of merit underpins many obvious Catholic doctrines: prayers for the dead, indulgences, the Church's treasury of merit, and the intercession of saints. The Lutheran Churches teach "that although justification and eternal life go along with faith, nevertheless, good works merit other bodily and spiritual rewards and degrees of reward."
Reformed Reform is beneficial change. Reform, reformed or reforming may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine Places * Reform, Al ...
doctrine has not developed a positive theology of human merit, except for the merit of Christ that humans receive through divine grace, and also generally dismisses the idea that charitable good works by Christians have any intrinsic merit.


Catholicism

In
Catholic theology Catholic theology is the understanding of Catholic doctrine or teachings, and results from the studies of theologians. It is based on canonical scripture, and sacred tradition, as interpreted authoritatively by the magisterium of the Catholi ...
, merit is a property of a good work which entitles the doer to receive a reward: it is a ''salutary act'' (i.e., "Human action that is performed under the influence of grace and that positively leads a person to a heavenly destiny") to which God, in whose service the work is done, in consequence of his
infallible Infallibility refers to unerring judgment, being absolutely correct in all matters and having an immunity from being wrong in even the smallest matter. It can be applied within a specific domain, or it can be used as a more general adjective. Th ...
promise may give a reward (''prœmium'', ''merces''). It is treasure "laid up in heaven". Just as God is just to punish demerits, he is just to reward merits. The Church has a figurative communal
Treasury of Merit The treasury of all merit or treasury of the Church (''thesaurus ecclesiae''; , ''thesaurós'', treasure; , ''ekklēsía''‚ convening, congregation, parish) consists, according to Catholic belief, of the merits of Jesus Christ and his faithful, ...
. Merit is transferable: it increases by sharing it: a person with merit who prays or acts effectively with that merit increases their own merit and transfers merit to the person prayer for or interacted with. This transferability is part of the Catholic doctrine of the
Communion of Saints The communion of saints (Latin: , ), when referred to persons, is the spiritual union of the members of the Christian Church, living and the dead, but excluding the damned. They are all part of a single " mystical body", with Christ as the head, ...
, which entails that salvation is more than an individual
fiduciary A fiduciary is a person who holds a legal or ethical relationship of trust with one or more other parties (legal person or group of persons). Typically, a fiduciary prudently takes care of money or other assets for another person. One party, ...
arrangement but has communal involvement. It also underlies the doctrines of
indulgences In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission bef ...
,
prayers for the dead Religions with the belief in a final judgment, a resurrection of the dead or an intermediate state (such as Hades or purgatory) often offer prayers on behalf of the dead to God. Buddhism For most funerals that follow the tradition of Chinese Budd ...
and the
intercession of saints The intercession of saints is a Catholic doctrine that maintains that saints can intercession, intercede for others. To intercede is to go or come between two parties, to plead before one of them on behalf of the other. In ecclesiastical usage bo ...
. Prayer need not be made by someone who has merited any reward to be effective, nor is there any aspect of extortion or transaction: God also hears anyone "who prays appeals solely to the goodness, love, and liberality of God for the fulfilment of his desires, without throwing the weight of his own merits into the scale..." (known theologically as the "effect of impetration" ''effectus impetratorius'')


Nature of merit

Merit exists only in works that are positively good. In Christian theology, humans possesses nothing of their own; all that they have and all that they do is a gift of God, and, since God is infinitely self-sufficient, there is no advantage or benefit which a human can by their services confer upon God. Hence on the part of God there can only be question of a gratuitous promise of reward for certain good works. For such works he owes the promised reward, not in
justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...
or equity, but because he has freely bound himself, i.e., because of his own attributes of veracity and
fidelity Fidelity is the quality of faithfulness or loyalty. Its original meaning regarded duty in a broader sense than the related concept of '' fealty''. Both derive from the Latin word , meaning "faithful or loyal". In the City of London financial m ...
.


Kinds of merit; justice and grace

Many Catholic Scholastic
theologians Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
attempted to explain merit by distinguished two kinds: * Congruous merit (''meritum inadœquatum sive de congruo'') or quasi-merit is, according to historian Thomas P. Scheck, "God's loving promise to reward human effort, even that carried out by a man outside the state of grace." ** Congruous merit attracts a reward only on the ground of fairness or appropriateness not obligation. ** The reward for congruous merit is not salvation, but may be supernatural grace, which may lead to justification and salvation. "The doors of divine mercy are closed against none who sincerely ask for mercy." ** Whenever "merit" is mentioned as preceding grace, it is congruous merit only. *
Condign merit Condign may refer to: * Condign merit, an aspect of Roman Catholic theology signifying a goodness that has been bestowed because of the actions of that person * Project Condign, a top-secret UFO study undertaken by the British government bet ...
(''meritum adœquatum sive de condigno'') or merit in the strict sense of the word is, according to Scheck, "God's ''obligation'' to reward man's efforts." ** Outside an infusion of grace, humans have no ability to oblige God. ** However, someone who has been adopted by God is thereby granted rights by God: "If sons, heirs also" (Rom 8:17). ** Condign merit supposes an equality between service and return; it is measured by commutative justice (''justitia commutativa''), and thus gives a real claim to a reward. Philosopher
Richard Cross Richard Cross is the name of: Politicians *Richard Cross (died c. 1438), MP for Reading (UK Parliament constituency) *R. A. Cross, 1st Viscount Cross (1823–1914), British statesman and Conservative politician Others *Richard Cross (actor) (fl. ...
notes "Underlying it is the claim that the reward for condign merit is everlasting life, and that the reward for congruous merit is the gift of sanctifying grace ... " This early-scholastic distinction and terminology, which developed in the controversies with the
Pelagian Pelagianism is a Christian theological position that holds that the fall did not taint human nature and that humans by divine grace have free will to achieve human perfection. Pelagius (), an ascetic and philosopher from the British Isles, ta ...
s and
Semipelagian Semi-Pelagianism (or Semipelagianism) is a historical Christian theological and soteriological school of thought about the role of free will in salvation. In semipelagian thought, a distinction is made between the beginning of faith and the incre ...
s, were again emphasized by
Johann Eck Johann Maier von Eck (13 November 1486 – 13 February 1543), often anglicized as John Eck, was a German Catholic theologian, scholastic, prelate, and opponent of Martin Luther. Life Johann Eck was born Johann Maier at Eck (later Egg, near M ...
, the famous adversary of
Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
(cf. Greying, "Joh. Eck als junger Gelehrter," Münster, 1906, pp. 153 sqq.). The essential difference between
meritum de condigno Mera–Elzab Meritum – a family of Poland, Polish Personal computer, personal computers based on TRS-80 Model I with BASIC Level II. Manufactured in the 1980s by Mera–Elzab in cooperation with ITM company. History In the late 1970s and early ...
and ''meritum de congruo'' is based on the fact that, besides those works which claim a remuneration under pain of violating strict justice (as in contracts between employer and employee, in buying and selling, etc.), there are also other meritorious works which at most are entitled to reward or honour for reasons of equity (''ex œquitate'') or mere
distributive justice Distributive justice concerns the Social justice, socially just Resource allocation, allocation of resources, goods, opportunity in a society. It is concerned with how to allocate resources fairly among members of a society, taking into account fa ...
(''ex iustitia distributiva''), as in the case of gratuities and
military decoration Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations award ...
s. From an ethical point of view the difference practically amounts to this that, if the reward due to
condign merit Condign may refer to: * Condign merit, an aspect of Roman Catholic theology signifying a goodness that has been bestowed because of the actions of that person * Project Condign, a top-secret UFO study undertaken by the British government bet ...
be withheld, there is a violation of right and justice and the consequent obligation in conscience to make
restitution Restitution and unjust enrichment is the field of law relating to gains-based recovery. In contrast with damages (the law of compensation), restitution is a claim or remedy requiring a defendant to give up benefits wrongfully obtained. Liability ...
, while, in the case of congruous merit, to withhold the reward involves no violation of right and no obligation to restore, it being merely an offence against what is fitting or a matter of personal discrimination (''acceptio personarum''). Hence the reward of congruous merit always depends in great measure on the kindness and
liberality Generosity (also called largesse) is the virtue of being liberal in giving, often as gifts. Generosity is regarded as a virtue by various world religions and philosophies and is often celebrated in cultural and religious ceremonies. Scientific i ...
of the giver, though not purely and simply on his good will. The relation between merit and reward furnishes the intrinsic reason why in the matter of service and its
remuneration Remuneration is the pay or other financial compensation provided in exchange for an employee's ''services performed'' (not to be confused with giving (away), or donating, or the act of providing to). Remuneration is one component of reward managem ...
, the guiding norm can be only the
virtue of justice Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues in classical European philosophy and Roman Catholicism. It is the moderation or mean between selfishness and selflessness — between having more and having less than one's fair share. Justice is close ...
, and not disinterested kindness or pure mercy; for it would destroy the very notion of reward to conceive of it as a free gift of bounty (cf. Rom., xi, 6). If, however, ''salutary acts'' can in virtue of
divine justice Divine law is any body of law that is perceived as deriving from a transcendent source, such as the will of God or godsin contrast to man-made law or to secular law. According to Angelos Chaniotis and Rudolph F. Peters, divine laws are typically ...
give the right to an eternal reward, this is possible only because they themselves have their root in gratuitous grace, and consequently are of their very nature dependent ultimately on grace, as the
Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...
emphatically declares (Sess. VI, cap. xvi, in
Denzinger Denzinger may refer to: * Heinrich Joseph Dominicus Denzinger * ''Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum The ''Enchiridion'' (full title: ''Enchiridion symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fi ...
, 10th ed., Freiburg, 1908, n. 810): "the Lord ... whose bounty towards all men is so great, that He will have the things, which are His own gifts, be their merits." Another term used is supererogatory merit, which is merit given for doing above what a Christian is required.


Conditions of merit

In Catholic teaching, for all true merit, there are seven conditions, of which four regard the meritorious work (''viz''. a work must be morally good, morally free, done with the assistance of
actual grace In Western Christian beliefs, grace is God's favor, and a "share in the divine life of God". It is a spontaneous gift from God – "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" – that cannot be earned. In the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...
, and inspired by a supernatural motive), two regard the agent who merits (''viz''. they must be in the state of
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
and in the state of grace), and one regards God who rewards. # In order to be meritorious, a work must be morally good. # As to the second requisite, i. e., moral liberty, it is clear from ethics that actions, due to external force or internal compulsion, can deserve neither reward nor punishment. It is an axiom of
criminal jurisprudence Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law is establ ...
that no one shall be punished for a misdeed done without free will; similarly, a good work can only then be meritorious and deserving of reward when it proceeds from a free determination of the will. This is the teaching of Christ (Matt., xix, 21): "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven." # The necessity of the third condition, i. e., of the influence of
actual grace In Western Christian beliefs, grace is God's favor, and a "share in the divine life of God". It is a spontaneous gift from God – "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" – that cannot be earned. In the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...
, is clear from the fact that every act meriting heaven must evidently be supernatural just as heaven itself is supernatural, and that consequently it cannot be performed without the help of prevenient and assisting grace, which is necessary even for the just. The strictly supernatural destiny of the Beatific Vision, for which the Christian must strive, necessitates ways and means which lie altogether beyond what is purely natural (see
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...
). # Finally, a supernatural motive is required because good works must be
supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...
, not only as regards their object and circumstances, but also as regards the end for which they are performed (ex fine). But, in assigning the necessary qualities of this motive, theologians differ widely. While some require the motive of faith (''motivum fidei'') in order to have merit, others demand in addition the motive of charity (''motivum caritatis''), and thus, by rendering the conditions more difficult, considerably restrict the extent of meritorious works (as distinguished from merely good works). Others again set down as the only condition of merit that the good work of the just man or woman, who already has habitual faith and charity, be in conformity with the
Divine law Divine law is any body of law that is perceived as deriving from a Transcendence (religion), transcendent source, such as the will of God or godsin contrast to man-made law or to secular law. According to Angelos Chaniotis and Rudolph F. Peters, di ...
, and require no other special motive. # The agent who merits must both be in the state of
pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...
(''status viœ''). By the state of pilgrimage is to be understood our earthly life; death as a natural (although not an essentially necessary) limit, closes the time of meriting. The time of sowing is confined to this life; the reaping is reserved for the next, when no man or woman will be able to sow either wheat or cockle. The opinion proposed by a few theologians (Hirscher, Schell), that for certain classes of men there may still be a possibility of conversion after death, is contrary to the revealed truth that the
particular judgment Particular judgment, according to Christian eschatology, is the divine judgment that a departed (dead) person undergoes immediately after death, in contradistinction to the general judgment (or Last Judgment) of all people at the end of the w ...
(''judicium particulare'') determines instantly and definitively whether the future is to be one of eternal happiness or of eternal misery (cf.
Kleutgen Joseph (or Josef) Wilhelm Karl Kleutgen (9 April 1811 – 13 January 1883) was a German Society of Jesus, Jesuit Theology, theologian and philosopher. He was a member of the Society of Jesus, and contributed significantly to the establishmen ...
, "Theologie der Vorzeit", II, 2nd ed., Münster, 1872, pp. 427 sqq.).
Baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...
children, who die before attaining the
age of reason The Age of Enlightenment (also the Age of Reason and the Enlightenment) was a European intellectual and philosophical movement active from the late 17th to early 19th century. Chiefly valuing knowledge gained through rationalism and empiric ...
, are admitted to heaven without merits on the sole title of
inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
(''titulus hœreditatis''); in the case of adults, however, there is the additional title of reward (''titulus mercedis''), and for that reason they will enjoy a greater measure of eternal happiness. # In addition to the state of pilgrimage, the state of grace (''status gratiœ'') (i. e., the possession of sanctifying grace) is required for meriting, because only the just can be "sons of God" and "heirs of heaven" (cf. Rom., viii, 17). In the parable of the vine Christ expressly declares the "abiding in him" a necessary condition for "bearing fruit": "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit" (John, xv, 5); and this constant union with Christ is effected only by sanctifying grace. In opposition to Vasquez, most theologians are of opinion that one who is holier will gain greater merit for a given work than one who is less holy, although the latter perform the same work under exactly the same circumstances and in the same way. The reason is that a higher degree of grace enhances the godlike dignity of the agent, and this dignity increases the value of the merit. # Merit requires on the part of God that he accept (''in actu secundo'') the good work as meritorious, even though the work in itself (''in actu primo'') and previous to its acceptance by God, be already truly meritorious. Theologians, however, are not agreed as to the necessity of this condition. The Scotists hold that the entire condignity of the good work rests exclusively on the gratuitous promise of God and his free acceptance, without which even the most heroic act is devoid of merit, and with which even mere naturally good works may become meritorious.


Church teaching

Apart from earlier dogmatic declarations given in the Second Synod of Orange of 529 and in the
Fourth Lateran Council The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the council's convocation and its meeting, m ...
of 1215 (see Denzinger, 191, 430), the
Council of Trent The Council of Trent (), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation at the time, it has been described as the "most ...
upheld the traditional doctrine of merit by insisting that life everlasting is both a grace and a reward (Sess. VI, cap. xvi, in Denzinger, n. 809). It condemned as heretical Luther's doctrine of the sinfulness of good works (Sess. VI, can. xxv), and declared as a
dogma Dogma, in its broadest sense, is any belief held definitively and without the possibility of reform. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, or Islam ...
that the just, in return for their good works done in God through the merits of
Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
, should expect an eternal reward (loc. cit., can. xxvi).


Lutheranism

The Lutheran Churches teach that God rewards good works done by Christians; the
Apology of the Augsburg Confession The ''Apology of the Augsburg Confession'' () was written by Philipp Melanchthon during and after the 1530 Diet of Augsburg as a response to the '' Pontifical Confutation of the Augsburg Confession'', Charles V's commissioned official Roman Catho ...
teaches: "We also affirm what we have often said, that although justification and eternal life go along with faith, nevertheless, good works merit other bodily and spiritual rewards and degrees of reward. According to 1 Corinthians 3:8, ‘Each will receive his wages according to his labor.’" It further teaches: Regarding the Roman Catholic doctrine, in the Latin version of his ''Assertion of Article Thirty Six'' (1521)
Martin Luther Martin Luther ( ; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, Theology, theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor, and former Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. Luther was the seminal figure of the Reformation, Pr ...
denied the category of congruous merit, writing that Paul "wanted it to be understood that everything we are and do by our nature merits wrath and not at all grace." In his 1532 ''Commentary on the Sermon of the Mount'', he noted that while the reward one gains from condign merit is much greater than that of congruent merit, the sort of good works said to attain each type of merit is similar. Luther thought it did not make sense that the two types of merit could be gained by similar actions when the benefit of condign merit is so much greater than the benefit of congruent merit. Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount"> Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount
translated by Charles A. Hay, 1892, page 97


Reformed

According to the doctrine of Calvin (Instit., III, ii, 4) good works are "impurities and defilement" (inquinamenta et sordes), but God covers their innate hideousness with the cloak of the merits of Christ, and imputes them to the predestined as good works in order that he may requite them not with life eternal, but at most with a temporal reward.


See also

*
Good works In Christian theology, good works, or simply works, are a person's exterior actions, deeds, and behaviors that align with certain moral teachings, emphasizing compassion, Charity (Christian virtue), charity, kindness and adherence to biblical pri ...
*
Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...
* Five Crowns *
Merit (Buddhism) Merit (; ) is a concept considered fundamental to Buddhist ethics. It is a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts. Merit-making is important to Buddhist practice: merit brings good and agr ...
* Thawab


References


Sources

* {{Catholic Encyclopedia, wstitle=Merit Salvation in Catholicism Christian terminology