What the Early Church Believed: Reward and Merit

The Church's teaching

Paul says God will repay everyone according to his works, giving eternal life to those who seek glory by perseverance in doing good (Romans 2:6-11; cf. Galatians 6:6-10). In the second century the Latin term "merit" was introduced as a synonym of the Greek for "reward."

Protestants often think Catholics believe we must do good works to come to God. The reverse is true. Trent taught that nothing preceding justification, faith or works, merits the grace of justification, for if it is by grace it is not by works (Decree on Justification 8, citing Romans 11:6). Only Christ merits in the strict sense (CCC 2007). Humans can merit only in the sense that, moved by grace, they do acts that please God and that he has promised to reward (Romans 2:6-11; Galatians 6:6-10). God's grace and promise ground all human merit (CCC 2008).

Protestants largely agree, though some dispute the term, contrary to Paul's warning against disputing over words (2 Timothy 2:14). The Lutheran Book of Concord grants that eternal life is a reward owed because of God's promise.

The witness of the early Church

• Ignatius of Antioch (110): let your works be your deposits, so you may receive the back-pay due you.
• Justin Martyr (151): rewards and punishments are given according to the merit of each man's actions.
• Tatian (170) and Athenagoras (178): the just are praised for freely choosing good; reward or punishment is proportioned to merit.
• Theophilus (181): God gives eternal life to those who seek it by patient good works (Romans 2:7; 1 Corinthians 2:9) and wrath to the wicked (Romans 2:8).
• Irenaeus (189): we value the crown won by our own struggle.
• Tertullian (195, 203): God judges according to each one's merits; a good deed makes God its debtor (cf. Proverbs 19:17; Romans 13:3-4).
• Hippolytus (212): the just are rewarded with everlasting joy, lovers of evil with punishment.
• Cyprian (251, 253), citing Matthew 7:21-23: we must obey God's precepts so our merits may be rewarded.
• Lactantius (317) and Cyril of Jerusalem (350): hope of reward spurs good works.
• Jerome (393): rewards in heaven differ by virtue.
• Augustine (396–412): we cannot do good unless justified by faith; God is our debtor not by receiving anything but by promising; the just have merits, but none by which they were made just; in crowning our merits, God crowns his own gifts.
• Prosper of Aquitaine (431): the justified receive a gift by which they can acquire merit, never without God's help.
• The Second Council of Orange (529): grace is preceded by no merits; reward is due to good works, but grace precedes them.