1757. Mental belief is only a matter of memory
I spoke with certain souls who thought they had had faith, and that their mental belief would save them, or was the saving kind of faith; and they did not want to withdraw from this thinking. For they insisted that belief by itself saves, and that [salvation] goes hand in hand with it, no matter what their life was like-an opinion held by many. I was prompted to tell them that that kind of belief absolutely does not save a person, that it is not belief, because their life shows what their belief is, and that that kind of faith is only a matter of memory, entirely unproductive; since the life of faith is love from the Lord. And when I had read the passage in Mark 12:28, where a certain scribe asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?"-I asked them [this question]. For the scribe likewise believed, but only mentally, not in his life; for we read that he tempted Jesus [Matt. 22:35, Luke 10:25]. Then they were given to realize that [belief by itself] is only knowledge, which never saves unless it is matched by deeds, so that they love their neighbor as themselves.
1757. THAT INTELLECTUAL FAITH IS A MERE MATTER OF THE MEMORY.
I spoke with certain souls who, in the life of the body, supposed that they had faith, or that an intellectual faith would save, or was of a saving nature [salvifica], nor were they willing to recede from the theory they had established to themselves, that faith alone saved, from which it would follow that the quality of the life is of no consequence, as is the opinion of many. It was given me to say to them that such a faith is by no means saving, that it is not really faith, because the life shows of what kind of faith they are possessed, and that such a faith is a mere matter of the memory, producing nothing, whereas the life of faith is love from the Lord. When I read the passage in Mark 12:28, where a certain scribe inquires what is the first or chief commandment, [I asked them the same question,] because the scribe believed the same thing, but yet only intellectually, and not in his life, for it is said that he tempted Jesus. It was then given them to perceive that such a faith was a mere cognition, which is far from saving, unless it so works as to cause a man to love his neighbor as himself.
1757. Quod fides intellectualis sit modo res memoriae
Cum animabus quibusdam [loquutus] 1
, qui in vita corporis putabant se habuisse fidem, seu quod fides intellectualis salvaret, seu salvifica esset, nec inde desistere vellent-ex 2
eo, quod statuerint, solam fidem salvare, et 3
[quod salvatio] inde consequeretur, qualiscunque 4
vita eorum esset, sicut plures opinantur-iis 5
datum est dicere, quod talis fides nusquam salvificet, quod non sit fides, quia vita eorum monstrat, quali fide sunt, et quod sic talis fides esset modo res memoriae, nihil producens; cum vita fidei sit amor a Domino; cumque legissem ea quae apud Marc. XII: 28, quod scriba quidam interrogaret, quodnam primarium praeceptum?" [hoc] quaerebam, quia scriba quoque idem credidit, sed usque intellectualiter, non in vita sua, nam legitur, quod "tentavit Jesum" [Matth. XXII: 35, Luc. X: 25]-tunc 6
datum est iis percipere, quod sit modo cognitio, quae nequaquam salvat, nisi [quis] etiam talis sit opere, ut amet proximum sicut semet.
Footnotes:
1. sic in J.F.I. Tafel's edition
2. The Manuscript has vellent, ex
3. The Manuscript has salvare; et
4. The Manuscript has consequeretur; qualiscunque
5. The Manuscript has opinantur, iis
6. The Manuscript has Jesum, tunc