Why faith alone?

[zippy2006]

Sola fide is the Latin shorthand for the Protestant claim that we are justified by faith alone. In this thread I want to hear why Protestants think we are justified by faith alone, but I am not interested in scriptural justifications. You might try to answer this question, "Why did God enact the principle of justification by faith alone?" What is the reason for such a doctrine? Why might God have given it to us? How does it help you in your faith? What truths does it safeguard, etc.?

To cite an example, John Piper gives some rationale for sola fide in this video. One of his basic reasons is this: sola fide gives us an assurance and certainty that pave the way for good works. Without sola fide we would not produce any fruits, any good works.

If you like, you can give scriptural justification for your answer. For example, if you were John Piper you could give scriptural support for the idea that good works are necessary, or that sola fide gives us assurance and certainty. I'm just not interested in proof texts for the doctrine of sola fide itself.

 

[Harfelugan]

Sola fide is the Latin shorthand for the Protestant claim that we are justified by faith alone. In this thread I want to hear why Protestants think we are justified by faith alone, but I am not interested in scriptural justifications. You might try to answer this question, "Why did God enact the principle of justification by faith alone?" What is the reason for such a doctrine? Why might God have given it to us? How does it help you in your faith? What truths does it safeguard, etc.?

To cite an example, John Piper gives some rationale for sola fide in this video. One of his basic reasons is this: sola fide gives us an assurance and certainty that pave the way for good works. Without sola fide we would not produce any fruits, any good works.

If you like, you can give scriptural justification for your answer. For example, if you were John Piper you could give scriptural support for the idea that good works are necessary, or that sola fide gives us assurance and certainty. I'm just not interested in proof texts for the doctrine of sola fide itself.

To put all humanity on equal footing. Without Sola-FIda the strong, intellectual, ect...... have leveraged access to God.

 

[JIMINZ]

Sola fide is the Latin shorthand for the Protestant claim that we are justified by faith alone. In this thread I want to hear why Protestants think we are justified by faith alone, but I am not interested in scriptural justifications. You might try to answer this question, "Why did God enact the principle of justification by faith alone?" What is the reason for such a doctrine? Why might God have given it to us? How does it help you in your faith? What truths does it safeguard, etc.?

To cite an example, John Piper gives some rationale for sola fide in this video. One of his basic reasons is this: sola fide gives us an assurance and certainty that pave the way for good works. Without sola fide we would not produce any fruits, any good works.

If you like, you can give scriptural justification for your answer. For example, if you were John Piper you could give scriptural support for the idea that good works are necessary, or that sola fide gives us assurance and certainty. I'm just not interested in proof texts for the doctrine of sola fide itself.

Hi Zippy

In order to pin down your beliefs on Justification.

1) What to you is Justification?
2) When is a person Justified, - - when does the person become Justified?

Be Blessed

 

[SeventyOne]

Why faith alone? Could you imagine the hell on earth it would be if we had to try to earn or maintain salvation based on our works, especially when He equates our works to filthy menstrual rags?

 

[ByTheSpirit]

What if we are Protestant but do not hold a "traditional" faith alone theology?

What if we believe that faith must be evidenced by works to be saving faith? So not just some feeling we get when we consider God but a driving force that reorders our life in such a way that we are never the same as we were before.

 

[Neogaia777]

Sola fide is the Latin shorthand for the Protestant claim that we are justified by faith alone. In this thread I want to hear why Protestants think we are justified by faith alone, but I am not interested in scriptural justifications. You might try to answer this question, "Why did God enact the principle of justification by faith alone?" What is the reason for such a doctrine? Why might God have given it to us? How does it help you in your faith? What truths does it safeguard, etc.?

To cite an example, John Piper gives some rationale for sola fide in this video. One of his basic reasons is this: sola fide gives us an assurance and certainty that pave the way for good works. Without sola fide we would not produce any fruits, any good works.

If you like, you can give scriptural justification for your answer. For example, if you were John Piper you could give scriptural support for the idea that good works are necessary, or that sola fide gives us assurance and certainty. I'm just not interested in proof texts for the doctrine of sola fide itself.

Your faith is much more important than works, and works are a fruit not a root, and your faith will be tested and tried, and if you do not lose it, regardless of good works...?

Well, Only God knows the heart, level of responsibility to do good works, where a person is at or should be in their walk, all that...?

God Bless!

 

[St_Worm2]

Sola fide
Sola Scriptura
Sola gratia
Solus Christus
Soli Deo gloria

The Five "Solas" of the Reformation are themselves a bit of a paradox, yes? I mean, how can the same doctrine claim that there are "5" ways to be justified when each one of the five ways claims to be the 'only' way to be justified

That slightly humorous fact of the paradox aside, sola fide, along with the rest of the solas, all really mean the same thing, that "salvation is by God alone".

We are saved from God, by God and for God, because there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. That's the reason why the Cross AND the Incarnation are both absolutely necessary.

Yours and His,
David

2 Corinthians 5
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.​

 

[zippy2006]

The Five "Solas" of the Reformation are themselves a bit of a paradox, yes? I mean, how can the same doctrine claim that there are "5" ways to be justified when each of the five ways claim to be the only way to be justified

Yes, I've considered that.

The slightly humorous fact of the paradox aside, sola fide, along with the rest of the solas, really mean the same thing, that "salvation is by God alone". IOW, we are saved from God, by God and for God, because we cannot save ourselves. That's the reason that both the Incarnation and the Cross were absolutely necessary.

But how would the absence of sola fide count against the idea that salvation is by God alone? Why is "Salvation by God alone" supported more by justification by faith than justification by works?

 

[RC1970]

Because everything that is truly "Good", only comes from God and He will not accept anything that is not truly "Good".

 

[St_Worm2]

Yes, I've considered that.

But how would the absence of sola fide count against the idea that salvation is by God alone? Why is "Salvation by God alone" supported more by justification by faith than justification by works?

Hi Zippy, because justification by works = a justification that is merited by us, not by Him (which is not possible).

We are actually saved by His gracious choice to do so, IOW, by "grace" (what is referred to as His unmerited favor towards us). But grace isn't really "unmerited", that just means it wasn't merited by us

Rather, He chooses to save us based upon the merits of His Son, which includes not only the death He died for us on the Cross, but the righteous life He lived for us as well (which is just as necessary for our salvation as both His death and resurrection are).

This verse sums it all up nicely, I think.

2 Corinthians 5
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
​

He becomes sin for us/because of us, and we become the very righteousness of God in Him

So again, salvation is by God alone.

--David

 

[JIMINZ]

Zippy

Rom. 3:30
Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, (AND THE UN-CIRCUMCISION THROUGH FAITH).

You must understand, the Jews are Justified BY Faith, while the Gentiles are Justified THROUGH Faith.

Excuse me, but this is what Scripture says, if you have another belief, then it is upon you to FIRST, Refute what Scripture does say on the matter, because Scripture is the inspired word of God, which says.

2Ti. 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, (AND IS PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE) for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Therefore having Doctrine set by the inspired word of God, before you can introduce an alternative belief, you must refute the Scripture, like the two examples in this post.

Rom. 5:1
(THEREFORE BEING JUSTIFIED BY FAITH), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Be Blessed

 

[JIMINZ]

Yes, I've considered that.
But how would the absence of sola fide count against the idea that salvation is by God alone? Why is "Salvation by God alone" supported more by justification by faith than justification by works?

Because, our Faith isn't in the works which we have done, but by the works of Christ, which have secured Salvation for us.

If your Belief is, Believers are Justified by Works, that is fine, as long as you fully understand, the works by which we are Justified, are the works of Christ not ours.

Our works follow our Salvation, they do not precede, or work in conjunction with our Justification to bring about our Salvation.

Eph. 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Justification, and Sanctification are both parts of our Salvation,
they cannot be separated from our Salvation, we cannot be Justified or Sanctified apart from our Salvation.

Be Blessed

 

[mark kennedy]

Sola fide is the Latin shorthand for the Protestant claim that we are justified by faith alone. In this thread I want to hear why Protestants think we are justified by faith alone, but I am not interested in scriptural justifications. You might try to answer this question, "Why did God enact the principle of justification by faith alone?" What is the reason for such a doctrine? Why might God have given it to us? How does it help you in your faith? What truths does it safeguard, etc.?

To cite an example, John Piper gives some rationale for sola fide in this video. One of his basic reasons is this: sola fide gives us an assurance and certainty that pave the way for good works. Without sola fide we would not produce any fruits, any good works.

If you like, you can give scriptural justification for your answer. For example, if you were John Piper you could give scriptural support for the idea that good works are necessary, or that sola fide gives us assurance and certainty. I'm just not interested in proof texts for the doctrine of sola fide itself.

It's always been by faith alone because God alone is righteous. Salvation happens when the communicable attributes of God are bestowed on the believer and they are given the new nature, we can be born again only by faith, apart from works.

Grace not only saves us but sanctifies us, apart from Christ we can do nothing and to make myself clear, your merit counts for nothing. If one were to ask the Apostle Paul how it is that he worked so hard and suffered so much and bringing so many the Gospel, he would, and did, tell us that it is by grace.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (I Cor. 15:10)​

A good working definition for grace is 'unmerited favor', Paul worked in the ministry field by grace alone and he is crystal clear on this point. The merits of Christian ministry are Christ's alone we can add nothing. James in speaking to believers who were obviously showing favoritism was simply telling them that this is not how saving faith works. He was outraged that a wealthy Christian could teach a poor Christian as inferior when they themselves apart from Christ are poor, pitiful, blind and naked. We will receive that full recompense of righteousness and be glorified forever based on Christ's merit, it is never our own and no Catholic theologian would dare deny this.

Even our faith is not our own, because Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.

What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. (Rom. 4:3-5)​

In my latter teens I thought about being a Christian, but it looked like a tall order to me. Living a clean and virtuous life was appealing but hardly seemed something I could manage, at the time I had come under conviction of sin, I wanted to repent, I had no clue how. One evening someone witnessed to me, the simple gospel message I was familiar with since I was a child, that Jesus died for our sins. Did he have the right guy, did he know the guy he was talking to was a wretched sinner? The whole thing just seemed like too much, how was I ever going to find saving faith.

That night I was getting ready for bed and conviction was weighing on me heavily. I simply prayed, God if this is real then you will have to take me as I am and make me what you want me to be. Then something happened I was not expecting, it's like God reached down and grabbed me and said, you got it. Surprised, I shook it off and went to bed, shortly after that I picked up a little pocket New Testament and for the first time, the message started to make sense to me.

I have encountered so many doctrines regarding salvation but always I remember what it meant to be under that kind of conviction. The sense then has endured, I can't keep that standard no matter how hard I try.

In the final hours of darkness, in the garden there he prayed.
Father take this cup from me, is there any other way.
As his prayer turned into pleading, his sweat turned into blood,
Father prepare me now, your will not mine be done.

Then the thousand came to take the one, and there he stood betrayed.
By the kiss that found forever, the lamb who would be slain.
They said which one is Jesus and he spoke these simple words,
And the thousand fell before the answer that changed the world,

I am he he said

In the final hours of darkness in the gardens of my search,
Temptations grown around me like thorns around the word.
I saw my sin before me and I felt my heart turn numb.
When I cried Lord, where is my strength, came the answer that changed my life.

I am He he said.
It is I you seek, and I have come for you,
I am he. (Terry Talbot, I am he)
​

It was never the searching but the fact that God found me while I was trapped in sin. The issue of faith is not so much what you do as trusting that the one who makes the promise is faithful. For me it was not what I found but the one who found me when my condition was completely and utterly helpless and hopeless.

I became acquainted with a former Jesuit around that time who left the ministry to marry. I didn't know the difference between Catholics and Protestants then, I also started going to a lot of Bible studies. That was almost 40 years ago, in all that time the issue has never been what I do but that the one who makes the promise is faithful. I believe in turning the other check, going the extra mile, giving asking nothing in return and forgiving even as you are forgiven. I'm not saying works are not a part of it, only that at the root and foundation it is God that provides the righteousness that comes by faith.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[ViaCrucis]

Faith alone justifies because faith looks upon Christ alone. The faith which justifies is not a quality or power that belongs to us, but is something given to us from God in His grace, this faith is a gift, and not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8). God, creating faith in us, brings to us all that is Christ's and thus we are justified not by our own justice but by Christ's justice. Faith is not something I contribute, that would too be works; faith is something that comes from outside of myself, from God, granted to me by the Holy Spirit through the Means of God's grace.

"For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which we could not attain of ourselves." - The Large Catechism

"In opposition to both these parties it has been unanimously taught by the other teachers of the Augsburg Confession that Christ is our righteousness not according to His divine nature alone, nor according to His human nature alone, but according to both natures; for He has redeemed, justified, and saved us from our sins as God and man, through His complete obedience; that therefore the righteousness of faith is the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and our adoption as God's children only on account of the obedience of Christ, which through faith alone, out of pure grace, is imputed for righteousness to all true believers, and on account of it they are absolved from all their unrighteousness. ...

Concerning the righteousness of faith before God we believe, teach, and confess unanimously, in accordance with the comprehensive summary of our faith and confession presented above, that poor sinful man is justified before God, that is, absolved and declared free and exempt from all his sins, and from the sentence of well-deserved condemnation, and adopted into sonship and heirship of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own, also without any preceding, present, or any subsequent works, out of pure grace, because of the sole merit, complete obedience, bitter suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us for righteousness.

These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the father, and are eternally saved. Therefore it is considered and understood to be the same thing when Paul says that we are justified by faith, Rom. 3:28, or that faith is counted to us for righteousness, Rom. 4:5, and when he says that we are made righteous by the obedience of One, Rom. 5:19, or that by the righteousness of One justification of faith came to all men, Rom. 5:18. For faith justifies, not for this cause and reason that it is so good a work and so fair a virtue, but because it lays hold of and accepts the merit of Christ in the promise of the holy Gospel; for this must be applied and appropriated to us by faith, if we are to be justified thereby. Therefore the righteousness which is imputed to faith or to the believer out of pure grace is the obedience, suffering, and resurrection of Christ, since He has made satisfaction for us to the Law, and paid for [expiated] our sins. For since Christ is not man alone, but God and man in one undivided person, He was as little subject to the Law, because He is the Lord of the Law, as He had to suffer and die as far as His person is concerned. For this reason, then, His obedience, not only in suffering and dying, but also in this, that He in our stead was voluntarily made under the Law, and fulfilled it by this obedience, is imputed to us for righteousness, so that, on account of this complete obedience, which He rendered His heavenly Father for us, by doing and suffering, in living and dying, God forgives our sins, regards us as godly and righteous, and eternally saves us. This righteousness is offered us by the Holy Ghost through the Gospel and in the Sacraments, and is applied, appropriated, and received through faith, whence believers have reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, sonship, and heirship of eternal life." - The Solid Declaration of Concord, from the Third Article

It is through faith, imparted to us by the Holy Spirit, that clings to and delivers to us the full merit and work of Jesus Christ; it is Christ who is the Righteous One of God and it is His righteousness--not our own--that we hope in and which is ours by faith. It is for this reason that no effort of man can contribute anything to our justification, for Christ's work is itself perfect apart from ourselves so that nothing we could do would be of any substance anyway since Christ has made perfect satisfaction on our behalf; further on account of sin no work or effort of man can in anyway be meritorious; for every good work done, even the most noblest of works, are stained with sin and thus we "fall short of the glory of God", as the Apostle says. Neither, then, can we bear good works worthy of salvation; there is no need of them for Christ has accomplished all things on our behalf. The good news of what God has done in Christ is delivered to us, by Word and Sacrament--for this reason Christ founded His Church and commanded it to preach the Gospel and to baptize--that forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations in Christ's name, and that we might have faith and call upon the name of the Lord, the Holy Apostle says "For how can they believe upon one they have not heard?" ... "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ"; it is through the Means God has given that faith is created, and through this faith is appropriated to us the merit, work, righteousness, and holy promises of Jesus Christ.

So that it is God's doing, not our own. God's work, not ours.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[zippy2006]

Hi Zippy, because justification by works = a justification that is merited by us, not by Him (which is not possible).

We are actually saved by His gracious choice to do so, IOW, by "grace" (what is referred to as His unmerited favor towards us). But grace isn't really "unmerited", that just means it wasn't merited by us

Rather, He chooses to save us based upon the merits of His Son, which includes not only the death He died for us on the Cross, but the righteous life He lived for us as well (which was just as necessary for our salvation as His death was).

This verse sums it all up nicely, I think. He becomes sin for us/because of us, and we become the very righteousness of God because of Him

IOW, salvation is by God alone.

2 Corinthians 5
21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
​

--David

But--and this is ironic given your first post--nowhere in this post do you refer to faith at all, much less sola fide. Apparently this is because your "By God alone" renders it rather unimportant. If salvation is by God alone, then it isn't by us, whether by our works or our acts of faith. Faith is just one more item in that package of things that follows upon election. The election is much more interesting than the faith, the cause than the effect. And I suppose that's fine; it certainly makes sense given the Reformed understanding of God and his sovereignty. It's probably why sola fide was the rallying cry of the Lutherans rather than the Reformed.

 

[Wordkeeper]

The topic will require an examination of two issues

Paul's teachings
Luther's teachings

First of all the teachings are unique in the sense that they address problems and set out to correct those problems.

Paul's Teaching
Paul faced a problem with his listeners, consisting of both Jewish and Gentile believers. Both were puzzled by what the inclusion of Gentiles in the group identified by the label People of God meant.

Were Gentiles included because they had become as righteous, or more righteous than the Jews? No, the change occurred because of no reason, it was a gift, not earned.

Were Gentiles to convert to Judaism? No, because while the promises of the Old Covenant required conversion to Judaism, those of the New Covenant required only faithfulness to Jesus.

These were the main issues the inclusion of Gentiles raised, and for our purposes we will study the second.

The Jewish believers found it hard to grasp that the Old Convenant had disappeared. God had ALWAYS required circumcision as a requirement for entry.

So Paul showed how Abraham entered friendship with God just by believing. Faith alone, without working, without circumcision. The approval was recorded to show that God's People were always identified as those with faith, and the minimum requirement had never been any exertion. Israel was a subset of God's People to whom Law had been added, and Gentiles never ever belonged to that subset. Rather than being a standard, Israel was the exception.

Paul's teaching, when understood, solved the problem of whether conversion to Judaism was required. Clearly, it was not. Gentiles became a part of God's People by believing, just like Abraham. Abraham was the precedent, the father, the prototype.

Luther's teaching
Luther faced a problem with the RCC. Their tradition taught men were saved by faith and effort. This effort was from the church and it was activated by payment! It was clear to Luther that this process was not in sync with Christianity on so many levels, and he tried to correct it by using Scripture.

His study showed him entry into the community of God's People was by faith, and no effort was required.

He saw Paul's attack on law as nullification, the text notwithstanding.

Roman's 3
31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.



Those who resorted to law keeping for approval were killed. The answer was to turn to the Gospel, which promised justification through faith alone.

I repeat.

Turning to law was death.
Turning to the Gospel was life.

And the Gospel was to believe on the Lord Jesus.

Unfortunately, in the Ancient Near East, faith was understood to mean loyalty, and not the meaning of cognitive belief it had come to be understood, in the centuries after, in the West.

So in the ANE, if a person became a follower of a leader, his condition was perfected, confirmed, PROVED, by loyal responses to SITUATIONS, reinforcing the initial approval.

James 2
21Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?22You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God.

24You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

So was the RCC right and Luther wrong?

Well the RCC taught that righteousness required for a good welcome into the Kingdom was imparted to the believer through Grace, administered through God's church, the, ahem, RCC.

And Luther?

His study of Scripture told him righteousness, sanctification, was IMPUTED.

However, that's beyond the scope of this discussion. More actors come into play, and more languages too.

Hint
Erasmus and Latin jump in.

Suffice to say that faith alone guarantees entry, and works prove the depth of that faith.

 

[St_Worm2]

But--and this is ironic given your first post--nowhere in this post do you refer to faith at all, much less sola fide. Apparently this is because your "By God alone" renders it rather unimportant. If salvation is by God alone, then it isn't by us, whether by our works or our acts of faith. Faith is just one more item in that package of things that follows upon election. The election is much more interesting than the faith, the cause than the effect. And I suppose that's fine; it certainly makes sense given the Reformed understanding of God and his sovereignty. It's probably why sola fide was the rallying cry of the Lutherans rather than the Reformed.

Hi Zippy, you pivoted to "works", so I naturally pivoted to "grace", since salvation by God's "grace" is the consummate opposite of a salvation by our "works" (again, grace = God's UN-merited favor towards us) .. cf Romans 11:6

As far as faith being unimportant, nothing could be further from the truth, because it's by the exercise of our faith that we believe/trust/know that He will save us in the gracious manner He promised us He would. To quote my Lutheran brother from earlier in this thread,

Faith alone justifies because faith looks upon Christ alone. The faith which justifies is not a quality or power that belongs to us, but is something given to us from God in His grace, this faith is a gift, and not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8). God, creating faith in us, brings to us all that is Christ's and thus we are justified not by our own justice but by Christ's justice. Faith is not something I contribute, that would too be works; faith is something that comes from outside of myself, from God, granted to me by the Holy Spirit through the Means of God's grace. --CryptoLutheran

This is why sola fide remains one of the five ways the Reformers describe a salvation that is by God alone. IOW, salvation is not about us and/or what 'we' do, it's all about Him and what He does and did for us. Salvation is by God's grace, through faith, apart from works we do of any kind .. Ephesians 2:8-9; cf John 5:24. If fact, we come to faith because we are made His workmanship, by God, created (as wholly new creatures) in Christ Jesus FOR good works .. Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

The works that we do are therefore the result or fruit of our salvation, not the cause or the reason for it

As for the instrumental cause, the battle cry of the Reformation (since you brought it up ), it was and remains the same for both Lutherans and Calvinists, sola fide (which again, is simply a way of expressing the fact that salvation is of God alone/the works that He does .. and that it's not about us/the things that we 'do' .. Titus 3:5).

Yours in Christ.
David

Romans 4
5 To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.​

 

[1213]

Sola fide is the Latin shorthand for the Protestant claim that we are justified by faith alone. ....

I believe it is because faith makes people do also right things.

 

[ByTheSpirit]

Hi Zippy, you pivoted to "works", so I naturally pivoted to "grace", since salvation by God's "grace" is the consummate opposite of a salvation by our "works" (again, grace = God's UN-merited favor towards us) .. cf Romans 11:6

As far as faith being unimportant, nothing could be further from the truth, because it's by the exercise of our faith that we believe/trust/know that He will save us in the gracious manner He promised us He would. To quote my Lutheran brother from earlier in this thread,

​

This is why sola fide remains one of the five ways the Reformers describe a salvation that is by God alone. IOW, salvation is not about us and/or what 'we' do, it's all about Him and what He does and did for us. Salvation is by God's grace, through faith, apart from works we do of any kind .. Ephesians 2:8-9; cf John 5:24. We are His workmanship, created as wholly new creatures in Christ Jesus FOR good works .. Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17.

The works that we do are therefore the result or fruit of our salvation, not the cause or the reason for it

As for the instrumental cause, the battle cry of the Reformation (since you brought it up ), it was and remains the same for both Lutherans and Calvinists, sola fide (which again, is simply a way of expressing the fact that salvation is of God alone and the works that He does, not about us, or the things that we 'do' .. Titus 3:5).

Yours in Christ.
David

Romans 4
5 To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.​

I cannot agree.

Hebrews chapter 11 is the most profound scripture passage on faith and what does it say? Right out of the box it says:

Faith is the SUBSTANCE of things hoped for, the EVIDENCE of things not seen.

Substance and Evidence are discernible by the physical senses. You don't go to a court room and hear a prosecutor say that the evidence is all internal and you just have to believe the defendant is guilty. No evidence is real and tangible.

That entire chapter, story after story it says that someone had faith and acted upon that faith to be declared righteous by God.

Faith in the Bible is never ever just an internal feeling or mental agreement. The demons believe and tremble.

No, faith is evidenced by works and that type of faith is what saves us.

It is not works that saves, although people will almost always jump that as if it is being preached. Works cannot and will not save a person.

It is not some worthless mental or inner agreement that saves.

The only thing that saves is faith that causes us to change our entire lifestyle and reorient ourselves in accordance to God's will. We believe and act accordingly. That is it.

Someone who says they have faith without works has a dead and useless faith that will no more save them than the atheist who doesn't even acknowledge God.

Faith must be evidenced by works.

 

[St_Worm2]

Faith must be evidenced by works.

Hi BTS, "saving" faith is always accompanied and "evidenced" by works (please take note of my signature line below and what John Calvin says there).

Likewise, the other "kind" of faith that St. James speaks of is a dead faith. Dead faith is the kind of faith that demons possess (and sadly many/most? humans too) .. e.g. James 2:19, and it is evidenced by the LACK of accompanying works*.

So again, works are the result or fruit of being saved, not the cause. Works, or the lack thereof, is the clearest evidence we have for the 'kind' of faith we possess, either saving or dead.

Works always "accompany" our salvation, but our works cannot save us. Rather, God's works do .. e.g. John 3:16; John 5:24; John 20:31; Romans 3:28; Romans 4:5; Romans 10:9-10; Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 1:6; Philippians 2:13; Hebrews 7:25; Titus 3:5; 1 John 5:13...........

It is, in fact, by works that our claim of coming to faith in Christ is "justified" (proven/demonstrated) to be true or false .. James 2:24, which is something that we are commanded to make sure of, yes .. e.g. 2 Corinthians 13:5. Nevertheless, our works do not/cannot save us.

Yours and His,
David
p.s. - here, in closing, is a pretty good description of a non-Christian by St. Paul. How could such a person (a person who does not know God) figure out how to obey or please Him? For that matter (considering v14's description below), why would he Faith results in works, it cannot be the other way around

1 Corinthians 2:14
14 A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. ​

*(Works that accompany salvation certainly include, but are not limited to, knowing God, the 24/7 desire and choice to please and obey Him in all that we do/say/think, the power not to sin, the resulting desire/ability/choice to live a holy, rather than sinful, lifestyle, the choice to repent and ask God to forgive us whenever we do sin, the love of God, His people, and His word .. I could go on and on, but hopefully you get the point. All these things are the result of the works God has wrought in us )