Sola Fide

This morning we are at Sola number 4, so let’s go through together what we’ve talked about the last 3 days. What was our first sola? Sola Scriptura, the ultimate authority for believers comes from the reality that God has spoken to us in His Word. What did we talk about on Tuesday? Solus Christus. We are saved solely by the work of Christ and He is the only mediator between God and man. What did we talk about yesterday? Sola Gratia, grace alone. We are saved not because of anything deserving in us, but because God who is rich in grace and mercy sets His sight on us. Any guesses on what today is? Sola fide, which means faith alone. Yesterday, we talked about Ephesians 2:8–9 where Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Even though we talked about grace yesterday, we also need to pay attention to the presence of faith in that verse. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. We are justified by faith alone. Does anyone know what the word justified or justification means? To be justified in the eyes of God means to be made righteous. It means that God looks at us as sinners who have been saved and made new from their sin. George Ladd, a theologian describes it like this, “The root idea in justification is the declaration of God, the righteous judge, that the man who believes in Christ, sinful though he may be, is righteous—is viewed as being righteous, because in Christ he has come into a righteous relationship with God.” Really, to be justified in the eyes of God is a legal term, think of a judge delivering a not guilty verdict to someone that is on trial. The Judge sees the evidence and He renders a verdict. For the Christian, God sees what Jesus has done on behalf of the person and the Lord sees Christ’s righteousness and that righteousness is given to the sinner. What also happens in justification is what some refer to as the great exchange. We exchange our sin and death in exchange for Christ’s sinlessness and life. We give Him nothing of value and He gives us everything of value. But how does this happen? This was one of the central issues of the reformation. Are we justified, are we saved by faith alone in Jesus Christ or is there more to it? You see Martin Luther, the chief reformer of the Protestant Reformation thought that justification by faith alone was such an important issue that he said that it was the doctrine by which the church stands or falls. If you get this wrong, it really doesn’t matter what else you get right. Do we contribute anything to our salvation is really the question we are asking. Do works, do good things that we do, contribute anything to our salvation. The Catholic church, in fact many people even outside Catholicism will say that if they do enough good, that will be enough to get them into heaven. Many people believe that if they live a good life, they will go to heaven. But is that how it works? Are we saved by faith alone or are we saved by faith plus works. Well like anything, we need to answer that question through what Scripture says. Let’s pray and then we will look at a few different passages.

Romans 3

One of my favorite books in all of Scripture is the book of Romans. Romans is Paul’s clearest explanation as to what the Gospel is and Ephesians is kind of like a mini Romans. If you read the first 3 chapters of Romans, Paul starts by establishing the wide spread nature of sin over the entire human race. The conclusion is this: We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. Our entire nature is impacted by sin and the fall. In order for us to appreciate the good news of the Gospel, we need to first know the bad news and the bad news is that we have done nothing but sin against God and we have rejected Him. Paul moves on to talk about the Law and the Law are the commandments that God gave to everyone. This is like the ten commandments which in some ways cover everything. So when we get to Romans 3, Paul is talking about how because we have all broken the Law of God, we cannot be saved by the Law of God. No one perfectly keeps the Law and because no one perfectly keeps the law, no one can be saved by the Law. We are all sinners. Paul says in Romans 3:10-18

Romans 3:10–18 NASB95

as it is written, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,” “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”; “Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Not a single person can claim a righteousness that they produced. All stand guilty before God. Paul continues in Romans 3:19–20 “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” Did you hear what he said there at the end of verse 20? By the works of the Law, no flesh will be justified or made right in the sight of God. So, there we see our great predicament. How then are we saved or made right with God if there is no way that we can earn it? Let’s read Romans 3:21-28

Romans 3:21–28 NASB95

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

What does Paul say in these verses? What do you notice? If we just sort of walk through these verses, Paul says that not all hope is lost because that which was promised in the Law and the Prophets in the Old Testament, the righteousness of God has appeared in human form, has been manifested in Christ so that for those who believe, though they have sinned and fallen well below what God requires, in gift of pure grace, man is redeemed through the redemption which is in Christ through faith. In the death and resurrection of Jesus, God shows that He is just and justifier. He is judge and jury. He holds sin and sinner accountable but for the person that has faith in Jesus, he is declared righteous in the eyes of God. Sam Storms writes,

Romans Romans 3:21–31

Faith is the instrument through which we embrace what he did as our only hope. God doesn’t justify us because we have faith. God justifies us because of what Jesus did, which we receive through faith.

There is no amount of law works or good works that we can do to bring us one inch closer to God. Now some people may argue that it is only when Jesus comes that salvation changes from law to grace. Some will say that God saved in one way in the Old Testament times and He saves in this new way in the New Testament church era. But is that true? Did God save in one way at one point and then another way at a different point? What do you think? Well Paul actually anticipates a question like that and we see in Romans 4 what the answer is.

Romans 4

Look at Romans 4:1-5

Romans 4:1–5 NASB95

What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

How many of you know who Abraham in the Bible was? Abraham was the father of the Jewish people, he was the prime examples of faithfulness in the entire Bible so Paul using him as an example carries a lot of weight. Every Jewish person knew who Abraham was and if you knew a Jewish person, you have probably heard about Abraham and the promises that God made to him. In verse 3, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6. What happens in that chapter? In Genesis 15, the word of the Lord comes to Abraham and the Lord promises Abraham, “Do not fear, Abram. I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.” Abraham or Abram as he was called at that point says to the Lord, “I don’t have an heir, I don’t have any kids, what God can you give me?” The Lord says to Abraham in verse that Abraham would have more than just a child, but his descendants would be beyond what we were capable of numbering. Genesis 15:5–6 says, “And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” What did Abraham do to be counted as righteous? Nothing! He believed and so it was! Abraham was justified by faith alone apart from works! Now this should be a closed case right? After looking at just these 2 sections of Scripture, shouldn’t we all be able to conclude that salvation is by faith alone? But some things aren’t that easy. Do you guys know what a contradiction is? A contradiction is usually when two or more things appear to be saying something that cannot be true at the same time. An example would be that it can’t be both raining and completely dry out. A contradiction is saying “I’m a vegetarian but I only eat meat.” Why is that a contradiction? Because it is impossible to be a vegetarian but only eat meat. Do you think there are contradictions in the Bible? Some people think that and one example that they point to is what James teaches in James 2. Turn in your Bible to James 2:14-26.

James 2

James 2:14–26 NASB95

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and 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. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Just reading it without putting much thought into it, does that sound like James is contradicting what Paul said in Romans 3-4? James even uses the example of Abraham and quotes the same verse that Paul quoted. So what do we do when someone comes to us and says, “Ha! There is a contradiction in Scripture!” How do we answer? How are we supposed to interpret this? What is Sola Scriptura? We interpret Scripture with Scripture. If we know and believe that God is ultimately the author of Scripture and there are no contradictions in God, then the issue of contradiction isn’t with Scripture, it is with the reader. So are Paul and James saying two different things? Not at all! Any guess why? Here’s the explanation: True faith, saving faith that Paul and James both talk about implies that something real, active, and moving is happening in the lives of the believers. It means that there is an authentic work of salvation happening in their lives, a true justification that is gifted by God the Father, accomplished by Christ the Son, and bestowed by the Holy Spirit. For faith to be a work of faith, it means that their faith in Christ has so impacted their lives that all that they do is an outward expression of that faith. Our faith, our salvation is not accomplished by our works, but is seen through our works. A faith void of works is a dead faith. This is what James means in James 2:17-18

James 2:17–18 ESV

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

This doesn’t mean that you earn your way to Heaven. Salvation isn’t 50% faith and 50% good works. What James means and what Paul means here is that our faith is interconnected with our works. To claim to be a Christian but not do the things that Christ has called us to do is contrary to the new life in Christ that we claim to have. We’re not saved by our good works but we’re saved for good works. So, really this is what it means: When you come to faith in Christ, the things that you do, the things you set your heart on, change drastically because you have been made new in Christ and when you are made new in Christ, you will do the works that Christ did. Why? Because you love Christ and to live a live void of good works would be totally foreign to your new life in Christ. No we are not saved by our works but our works show that we have been saved. All true saving faith is a following faith. Saving faith does not leave you where you were. Instead, saving faith will reflect in the actions that we do. An inactive faith is not real faith. This is what James means in James 2:26 “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” Look one last time at James 2:17–18, I think these 2 verses answer the claim of contradiction: “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”” That last part of the verse is so crucial. James says, “I will show you my faith BY my works.” He does not say that he will be saved by his works, he only says that it is through his works that the fulness of his faith will be seen. Faith in Christ drives our works and our works reflect our faith. The Christian is saved FOR good works not BY good works. What James is saying and what the rest of the Bible will testify to is that our faith is so closely connected to the things that we do, that if we fail to do them, it is a sign that our faith was never present to begin with. So what do we think? Contradiction between Paul and James or no contradiction between Paul and James? We are saved by an act of pure grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and all of this is revealed in Scripture alone and as we will see tomorrow, it all leads to the glory of God alone. What questions do you guys have?