On this post, I want to discuss precisely what the Reformers meant by the term
sola fide.
Sola fide is a reference to the idea that it's through "faith alone" that the believer is justified. Before the Reformation, there was no defined doctrine of justification in the church. It wasn't until the Reformation that the doctrine of justification first became an issue in the church. What Martin Luther and the Reformers pointed out, was that the language of justification in Scripture was used forensically. In other words, Paul's references to the believer's justification referred to an official verdict from a judge. When God declares us just, he's saying that we're "not guilty" in His sight. Since God is a holy and righteous God, the only way in which we can be declared not guilty of our sin is if our sin is not
imputed to us, and instead, perfect righteousness
is imputed to us. The Reformers proved from Scripture that we're declared just, because our sin was imputed to Christ, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to us. Therefore, we can have peace with God because God has declared us just based upon the imputed righteousness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The incarnate Christ perfectly fulfilled the law of righteousness, and it's His righteousness that is "credited to our account," and not our own, since our sin renders us unrighteous.
This doctrine of imputed righteousness is not to be confused, though, with the doctrine of sanctification. The Reformers never taught that God declared us righteous and then just left us as sinful as we were before. At the moment we're justified, God begins the work of sanctification whereby we're being daily conformed to the image of Christ. It's this work of sanctification that we, as believers, are required to actively cooperate with. But in no way does anything we do or not do contribute to or detract from our justification.
To sum it up, the doctrine of sola fide refers to the doctrines of forensic justification and imputed righteousness. We're legally declared not guilty because of an alien righteousness (the righteousness of Christ, and not our own righteousness) having been credited to us through the means of genuine saving faith.
What then shall we say that Abraham our father* has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was *accounted to him for righteousness." 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but </I>as debt.
David Celebrates the Same Truth
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."*(Romans 4:1-7)