Merit (Christianity)

In Christian theology, merit (Latin: meritum) accrues when a believer's good work incurs "a future reward from a graceful God".^[1] The role of human merit in Christian life has been a point of dispute between Catholics and Protestants.

Both Catholics and Lutherans affirm the common Christian belief that for justification "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".^[2]

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".^[2] The idea of merit underpins many controversial Catholic doctrines: prayers for the dead, indulgences, the Church's treasury of merit, and the intercession of saints.

Protestant and Reformed doctrine has not developed a positive theology of human merit, except for the merit of Christ that humans receive through divine grace,^[3] and also generally dismisses the idea that charitable good works by Christians have any intrinsic merit.

Merit bears resemblance to Thawab in Islam.