HILARY OF POITIERS: "He assumed he could be justified by works."

Another example of the Early Church Fathers believing in Justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

Mark 10:17–22 HILARY OF POITIERS: The young man became arrogant through the observance of the law. He did not recognize that the consummation of the law is Christ.

He assumed he could be justified by works. He was not aware that Jesus had come for the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and that the law could not save except through justifying faith.

He questioned the Lord of the law and the only begotten God as if he were an ordinary teacher of precepts that were written down in the law.

Hence, the Lord rejected this declaration of a spurious faith, because the question was put to him as if he were merely a teacher of the law. He replied: “Why do you call me good?” [v. 18].

In order to make known how much he was to be recognized and acknowledged as good, he declared: “No one is good but God only” [v. 18] He would not have rejected the attribute of goodness if it had been attributed to him as God. ON THE TRINITY 9.16.

James Stuart Bell, ed., Ancient Faith Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bibles, 2019), 1203.

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