Reformation x Sola Fide

Last week we began exploring the 5 Solas of the Reformation. Sola is a word in Latin that means “alone,” and the 5 solas sum up some of the major disagreements between Protestants and Catholics. Here is a brief summary of the the statements:
 

• Sola Scriptura (By Scripture Alone) — The doctrine that Scripture is the only source of infallible revelation and is sufficient for Christian faith and practice.

• Sola Fide (Faith Alone) — The doctrine that Christian believers are justified by faith alone rather than on the basis of good works.

• Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone) — The doctrine that salvation is based only on the grace of God and not human merit.

• Solus Christus (Christ Alone) — The doctrine that Christ is the only mediator between God and human beings.

• Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone) — The doctrine that all glory is reserved for God alone and should not be given to any other person or being including Mary, saints, or angels [1]. 

Sola Fide

This week I want to touch briefly on the second of the Solas, Sola Fide (Faith Alone). Sola Fide is the doctrine that Christian believers are justified by faith alone rather than on the basis of good works. This doctrine is taught in Scriptures such as:

 
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 

• How are we saved? Through faith in Jesus. Not through works (good deeds). Why? So that no one can boast! God does all the saving, God gets all the credit. 

Romans 3:28
28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

• How can we be justified? By faith. It comes about apart from the works of the law (good works).

Romans 3:20
20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 

• Has anyone ever been justified by the works of the law (good works). Nope! Because the minute God gives us law (rules) we immediately break them. In this way the law helps us realize our sinfulness and our need for grace which can only be embraced through faith in Jesus.

Galatians 2:16
16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. 

• How can we be justified? Not through works (good deeds), but through faith in Jesus. In fact, no one ever has been, or ever will be, justified by works (good deeds).

Justification

Sola Fide largely revolves around the meaning of the word “justification,” and Protestants and Catholics define this word differently. In Protestant thought (and I would argue the Bible’s thought) justification refers to a legal declaration from God that we are righteous because of Christ. We believe in Jesus, and God declares us righteous. Period. However, in Catholic thought, justification also includes the idea of a changed life because of Jesus. In other words, Catholics include the idea of good works in justification—which Protestants think is a mistake and not the actual meaning of the word.

Caveat: There’s no doubt that Christians must have good works (a changed life), but the changed life comes about because Jesus first saves us. And salvation happens not on the basis of good works, but only because of faith (sola fide) in what Jesus has done for us.

Anthony Hoekema defines justification this way, he says:

“Justification may be defined as that gracious and judicial act of God whereby he declares believing sinners righteous on the basis of the righteousness of Christ which is credited to them, forgives all their sins, adopts them as his children, and gives them the right to eternal life [2].”

Here’s the scenario that justification brings to mind: We’re in the courtroom, God is the judge, and he rightly finds us guilty because we have not followed the rules. We are sinners, and we keep on sinning. But then Jesus (the judge’s son), steps in and acts as our advocate. Jesus knows we’re guilty, but he willingly takes our place and our punishment. Jesus asks the judge to look on us as if we are the judge's children. Jesus takes our guilt and our punishment, and we are given Jesus’ guiltlessness, freedom from sin, and perfect righteousness. So we are declared “justified” (legally righteous) and treated as if we had never sinned and have perfectly followed God’s law. 

The Importance of Good Works

Now don’t get it twisted, good works are really important, but they don’t save us. Right after Paul explains that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, he talks about how God is turning us into living and breathing works of art that display good deeds:

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. 

All that’s needed to be saved is faith in Jesus. God doesn’t need us to change before he will save us. However, once he saves us, he does then begin to change us. He won’t let us continue living sinful lives. Instead we become “his workmanship” and he begins helping us walk in good works. 

The Importance of Sola Fide

Sola Fide is so important because it is the essence of not confusing the gospel with religion. Religion says that we need to do something (say something, sacrifice something, give something, etc.) in order to be right with God. Whereas the gospel says that we don’t need to do anything other than embrace Jesus by faith. In fact, if we try to do something (the works of the law) we actually won’t be justified. Because, “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight” (Romans 3:20).

I’ll leave you with a quote from the Heidelberg Catechism that sums all of this up so well:

Question:   How are you right with God?

Answer: Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though I am still inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. All I need to do is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart [3].

- Ben

[1] Jeremy Thompson, Lists from Church History, Faithlife Biblical and Theological Lists (Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2022).

[2] Anthony A. Hoekema, Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994), 172.

[3] Anthony A. Hoekema, Saved by Grace (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994), 170.