WAFFLE HOUSE APOLOGETICS--SOLA FIDE

I was on my own for breakfast one Saturday morning as my wife, the Power-of-Attorney for an elderly friend, was called out of town. So I treated myself to the Waffle House. Sitting at a booth I was amused and amazed at the waitress as she barked out orders in something of code to a cook who was multitasking as he stared down at a sizzling griddle.

"Pull one bacon, scramble plate, drop hashbrowns scattered, smothered, and capped!"

I blinked, trying to decode what sounded like trucker jargon mixed with diner poetry.

There’s not much crowd—one long-haul trucker hunched over his coffee, a young mother feeding her toddler bits of toast, and two college boys in the booth next to mine, their backpacks tossed into the aisle like they own the place.

They're deep in conversation. At first, I think it's politics or sports. But a phrase catches my ear.

“I just don’t see it, Carl. Paul clearly says in Romans that we’re justified by faith, not by works.”

Now, that’s a sentence you don’t hear every day in a Waffle House.

I can’t help it. My fork hovers halfway to my mouth. I’m eavesdropping. Any attempt at pretending not to would be dishonest.

The boy who spoke—Barry—is lean, blond, wears a faded Mississippi State sweatshirt. The other one, Carl, has dark hair and wearing a miraculous medal.

“Right,” Carl replies, “but that same Paul also says in Galatians 5:6 that what counts is ‘faith working through love.’ It’s not just faith in isolation. It’s a faith that acts.”

Barry leans forward, a little defensive now.

"Sure, but that's after salvation. The works are fruit--evidence--not the means of salvation. Sola fide, man. Faith alone. It's the whole backbone of the Reformation."

Carl smiles. Not smugly, but with the air of someone who's heard the argument before.

"Luther's phrase, yes. But he added the word alone to Romans 3:28--'we hold that one is justified by faith alone.' Trouble is, the word alone isn't in the original Greek. Luther added it."

Barry waves his hand like he's brushing off a fly.

"It's implied. The whole context supports it. Ephesians 2:8-9: 'By grace you have been saved through faith...not by works, so no one can boast.' That's clear as day."

Carl sets his mug down with care.

"Yes, but let's read the next verse too. Ephesians 2:10: 'For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand.' So we're saved by grace through faith for good works. They're not optional. They're part of the package."

Barry frowns, glances down at his plate of uneaten hash browns. He's thinking. I sip my coffee,pretending to study the laminated menu again, but I'm riveted.

"So are you saying you earn salvation?" Barry asks. "Because that's what it sounds like. That's the slippery slope."

Carl shakes his head.

"No, not at all. Grace is the beginning. Grace moves us to faith, and faith brings us into relationship with Christ. But Scripture says that justification is not a one-time event. It's a process. James 2:24--'You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.' That's the only place in the Bible the phrase 'faith alone' appears. And it's rejected."

Barry blinks.

"Wait, James? Seriously?"

"Yep. Go read it again sometime. He says even the demons believe--and tremble. Faith without works is dead."

The waitress refills my mug.

Barry is quiet for a beat. Then: "But doesn't that conflict with Paul? Isn't that the whole Protestant position--Scripture interpreting Scripture?"

Carl nods thoughtfully.

"Exactly. Which is why we need to take all of Scripture together. Paul and James aren't fighting. They're just talking about different parts of the journey. Paul's warning against legalism--thinking you can earn salvation. James is warning against dead faith--faith that never acts. They're two sides of the same coin."

Barry chews on that--literally and figuratively. He finally takes a bite of his bacon.

"Still sounds Catholic."

Carl grins. "That's because it is."

They both laugh. It's a friendly laugh, the kind that comes when two people realize the disagreement is serious, but not personal. 

But what about assurance?" Barry asks. "Like, if I've got to do something to stay justified, how can I ever be sure I'm saved?"

Carl leans in a little.

"Because God is faithful. He gives us everything we need. He gives us grace. He gives us the sacraments. He gives us the Church. We're not working on our own strength. We're cooperating with His strength. And we can trust Him.

Barry rubs his temple. He's clearly wrestling with it.

"So you're saying it's not faith alone...but it's not works alone either."

"Exactly. It's grace, through faith, working in love."

A silence settles over the booth. The air is heavy with thought, and sausage grease. Barry finally looks up.

"Man, I'm not saying I'm convinced. But...I don't have a comeback for James 2:24. I've never really sat with that verse."

Carl shrugs modestly.

"Neither had I, till a few years ago. I thought Catholics believed in 'works righteousness.' Turns out they just read all the verses."

Barry chuckles.

"You're gonna make me go look at my commentary."

"Do it. And read the Early Church Fathers while you're at it"

"Oh boy," Barry mutters.

The waitress slides Carl his check and walks away without a word.

They stand to leave, throwing on their jackets. As the pass by my booth, Carl glances at me. He must've noticed my attentive stillness. he gives a short nod.

"Morning, sir."

"Morning," I reply, smiling, "Good talk, boys."

Barry raises an eyebrow, surprised.

"You were listening?"

"Couldn't help it," I say, patting my coffee mug. "You're not the first folks to argue theology in a Waffle House, but you might be the first to do it with footnotes"

Carl laughs.

"Did we make any sense?"

I tilt my head. "Let's just say James 2:24 is going home with me."

They walk out into the parking lot, still talking, Barry with one hand in his pocket, Carl gesturing with quiet enthusiasm. Their conversation lingers in the booth like the smell of bacon on your clothes long after you've left.

And just like that, the hum of the Waffle House returns to normal.