BENEDICT DE SPINOZA: Theological-Political Treatise

Theological-Political Treatise
people of every age and sort. From these things alone it most evidently
follows that we are not obliged by Scripture to believe anything other
than what is absolutely necessary to ful¢l this command. Hence, this
decree alone is the one and only rule of the entire universal faith; it alone
must govern all dogmas of faith, that is, all dogmas that everyone is
obliged to believe.
175 [4] Since this is entirely obvious and everyone can see that everything
can properly be deduced from this foundation alone or by reason alone,
how could it have happened that so many dissensions have arisen in the
church Could there have been other causes than those we set out at the
beginning of chapter 7 This is what compels me to explain at this point
the correct method and means of de¢ning the dogmas of faith on the
foundation we have discovered. Unless I do this, and de¢ne the matter
by certain rules, I shall rightly be thought not to have got very far. For
anyone will be able to introduce any novelty they like by insisting it is a
necessary means to obedience, especially when it is a question of the
divine attributes.
[5] In order to set the whole thing out in proper order, I will begin with
the de¢nition of faith. On the basis of the foundation we have laid down,
faith can only be de¢ned by, indeed can be nothing other than, acknowledging
certain things about God, ignorance of which makes obedience
towards him impossible and which are necessarily found wherever obedience
is met with.This de¢nition is so evident and follows so plainly from
what we have just demonstrated that it requires no commentary.
[6] I will now explain in a few words what follows from it.
(1) It follows that faith does not lead to salvation in itself, but only by
means of obedience, or, as James says at 2.17, faith by itself without works is
dead; on this subject see the whole of this chapter of James.
[7] (2) It follows that whoever is truly obedient [to the moral law] necessarily
possesses the true faith which leads to salvation. For, as we said, if obedience is
met with, faith too is necessarily found, as the same Apostle explicitly states
(2.18): ‘Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith
from my works’. John likewise a⁄rms in his ¢rst Epistle (1 John 4.7^8):
‘Whoever loves’ (i.e. his neighbour),‘is born of God and knows God; he who
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