More of his conversation can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y6ynnslv.
Peace!
You ask, "What does a Catholic find objectionable about that?" in regards to Martin Luther's saying, "We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone." I'll tell you exactly what a Catholic finds objectionable about it: First, nowhere do I see such a thing said anywhere in the Bible. Second, what that statement is, is a rationalization for a dogma that is contrary to the Bible. It's the result of a realization on Luther's part that the Bible nowhere says such a thing, but that the Bible does say things like, "Faith, by itself [i.e., faith alone], if it has no works, is dead." And, "You see that a man is justified by works, and NOT BY faith alone." And, "If I have all faith, but have not love, I am nothing." And, that in order to have eternal life we must, "Keep the commandments." And that Baptism, "Now saves you." And passage after passage after passage that thoroughly negate the dogma of salvation by faith alone. So, in order to make his dogma of salvation by "faith alone" sound more acceptable, more palatable, more in line with what the Bible actually says, Luther had to invent that little saying of his.
Love is NECESSARY for salvation. And not just as a byproduct of a "genuine faith" one may or may not have, rather as an integral part of the process of being saved. Where does the Bible say, "If you have a genuine faith, you will automatically love and do good works?" Where?! All those people who shout, "Lord, Lord," in Matthew 7, you don't think they had a "genuine" faith? They prophesied in Jesus' name; they cast out demons in Jesus' name; they did might works in Jesus' name." You don't think they believed that Jesus was the Son of God and had died on the Cross for their sins? Of course they did. They believed. They had faith. As it says in James, "Even the demons believe." So, the demons believe...they have faith in Christ...do they automatically do good works? Hell no!
And nowhere does the Bible say, "Faith, if it has no works, isn't really faith." Or, "If I have all faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I don't really have faith." Look at the analogy in James 2:26: "As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead." In this analogy, faith is the body, works are the spirit. For physical life, you need both body and spirit. The spirit is not just some byproduct of the body - it is integral to life. So, for spiritual life - if the analogy is to hold - you need both faith and works. The works - love - are not just some byproduct of faith - they are integral to life, spiritual life. A body without a spirit, is a real body. It's just a dead body. No one says, "Oh, if your body doesn't have a spirit, then it's not a real body." Just so, faith without works, is still faith. It's just a dead faith. You can't say faith without works isn't really faith. It is, it's just dead faith.
In the Bible, faith alone...faith by itself...faith without works...faith without love...is dead! Dead faith. Which means, there is no such thing as salvation by faith alone - Sola Fide - there is only damnation by faith alone. "Faith working through love is of avail," (Gal 5:6). Love is NECESSARY for salvation. You cannot be saved if you do not love. It is not just a sign that your faith is a "saving faith," it is an integral part of the process of salvation. The works that flow from love are an integral part of the process of salvation. "To those who by patience in well-doing [good works] seek for glory and honor and immortality, [God] will give ETERNAL LIFE." Which means, salvation...by faith alone...is not possible.
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