Justification by Faith

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: 14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: 15 Their feet are swift to shed blood: 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways: 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Introduction

Pope Julius II died in 1513. His successor, Giovanni de Medici, took the name Pope Leo X. He notoriously bartered sin for money in the most infamous indulgence of church history. Leo was known to spend lavishly on himself. He spared no expense on entertainment including plays, shows, ballets, and games. One of the most famous artists that Leo funded was Raphael (of TMNT fame). Where Julius left a full treasury. Leo drained it in eight short years.

In 1517, as St. Peter’s Basilica was being rebuilt, the Church ran out of money. On March 15, 1517, Pope Leo X declared that anyone who contributed to the cathedral would be granted an indulgence.

What is an indulgence? An indulgence would grant you the following:

"...[I] absolve you ...from all thy sins, transgressions, and excesses, how enormous soever they be...and remit to you all punishment which you deserve in purgatory on their account and I restore you...to the innocence and purity which you possessed at baptism; so that when you die the gates of punishment shall be shut... and if you shall not die at present, this grace shall remain in full force when you are at the point of death."

A German Dominican friar named Johann Tetzel was made the Grand Commissioner for indulgences in Germany. Like a door-to-door snake oil salesman, Tetzel was known for granting indulgences on behalf of the Catholic Church in exchange for money.

Tetzel even overstated Catholic doctrine in order to succeed in his commission from Pope Leo X. He sold indulgences for the dead. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, pubished in 1912, Tetzel became known for a couplet attributed to him:

As soon as the gold in the casket rings The rescued soul to heaven spring

While this is not official Catholic teaching, it had the desired effect of filling the coffers. According to the same Catholic Encyclopedia, Tetzel received a substantial amount of money at Leipzig, from a nobleman asking him for a letter of indulgence for a future sin. Supposedly Tetzel answered in the affirmative, insisting that the payment had to be made at once. The nobleman did so and received a letter and seal from Tetzel.

After Tetzel tried preaching indulgences in Saxony, some approached a monk named Martin Luther about the effectiveness of these writs. Luther denied their value and, as a result, posted his 95 theses for debate on the door of Wittenberg castle church. Theses 27 and 28 spake directly to Tetzel’s work:

27. They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory. 28. It is certain that when money clinks in the money chest, greed and avarice can be increased; but when the church intercedes, the result is in the hands of God alone.

Luther's central claim is that faith alone justifies (that is, makes a person righteous in the eyes of God) the one who believes in Christ as a result of hearing the gospel. This faith affects the imputation of Christ's righteousness that covers the sins of the believer.

The doctrine of Justification by Faith, or Sola Fide, or “by faith alone” is the foundation upon which the Reformation stands.

It is not a new doctrine

Some believe that justification was by obedience to the Law or works until Paul came along with “his gospel” of justification by faith. But that simply isn’t so. Paul relies heavily on Old Testament quotes as his proof text for this doctrine.

Romans 3:10-12

In Romans 3:10-12, we have references to no less than three Old Testament passages:

Psalm 14:1–3 KJV 1900

1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good. 2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Psalm 53:1–3 KJV 1900

1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: There is none that doeth good. 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. 3 Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; There is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 KJV 1900

20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

The incontrovertible truth that no man is justified by the Law is seen in many other places in the Hebrew Scriptures (Job 4:17; Ps 5:8–12; 13:title–6; 14:1–7; 36:1–6; 52:1–3; 53:1–6; 140:1–7; Pr 1:1–16; Is 59:1–8).

Romans 3:13

Romans 3:13 KJV 1900

13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Psalm 5:9 KJV 1900

9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is very wickedness; Their throat is an open sepulchre; They flatter with their tongue.

Psalm 140:3 KJV 1900

3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; Adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.

Romans 3:14

Romans 3:14 KJV 1900

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Psalm 10:7 KJV 1900

7 His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: Under his tongue is mischief and vanity.

Romans 3:15

Romans 3:15 KJV 1900

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Proverbs 1:16 KJV 1900

16 For their feet run to evil, And make haste to shed blood.

Isaiah 59:7–8 KJV 1900

7 Their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed innocent blood: Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; Wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they know not; And there is no judgment in their goings: They have made them crooked paths: Whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.

Romans 3:18

Romans 3:18 KJV 1900

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Psalm 36:1 KJV 1900

1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, That there is no fear of God before his eyes.

Closing

Justification has always been by faith.

Romans 3:20 KJV 1900

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

We see here that people were not saved one way before Paul and another way after Paul. Paul’s entire foundation is based upon clear teaching from the Hebrew scriptures. If people could be saved by obedience to the Law then, they could be saved by obedience to the Law today. But Paul demonstrates from many places throughout the Hebrew scriptures that, at no time in history, has anyone ever been saved by obedience to the Law.