Sola Fide

Introduction

We started a new series called The Solas: 5 sayings that will change your life and the big idea here is that out of the protestant reformation 500 years ago, these 5 sayings were born and have changed lives and hearts ever since. We don’t believe these are new sayings or new truths but these 5 truths are biblical truths we find in the bible and have deep real meaningful implications in our lives. Each saying is very short and has this word “Sola” in it. Which is latin for “alone” so 5 key sayings with 5 key things we need alone.

2 weeks ago: Sola Scriptura; scripture alone.

Last week: Sola Gratia: grace alone.

This week and last week are closely related. Grace and faith work hand in hand even though they function differently.

Faith alone: justification is by faith alone. (really this could be two parts but we don’t really have the necessary time in the calendar to do so.)

Define justification: the action of showing something to be right or reasonable.

Define justification:

the action of showing something to be right or reasonable.

Define faith: complete trust or confidence in something. (bring two students up to do a trust fall, afterwards make the smallest one hold up me)

Define faith: complete trust or confidence in something. (bring two students up to do a trust fall, afterwards make the smallest one hold up me)

Representation

Believing in what you do not see.

Just like Person A needed to trust that Person B was going to catch person a, we all exercise faith every day, faith that a chair will hold, a car will start, that our lungs with work, and the sun will shine. All faith that things will work out fine.

What is our faith in God? How did we even receive this faith?

Last week we talked about how salvation was a gift of grace, but that wasn’t the only gift of grace. We also receive faith.

So what is our faith in God? Simple, we are confidant and trust that Jesus lived a perfect life, died a death he didn’t deserve but that I do, and resurrected and appeared before 500 people proving it. We have faith that Jesus’ clean life was offered as an atonement or our own.

Call back to last week: Salvation is freedom from the wages of sin and then reconciled to God. We have faith that Jesus saves through his life death and resurrection and that it works for us/applied to us.

Here’s why this is important:

Romans 4:4–5 ESV

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Two kinds of people in this text:

the one who works.

the one who believes.

if you remember last week, we all agree with this notion. You work hard, you earn your keep.

Hard work pays off. Hard work is good. I want my boys to know that nothing in life will be handed to them, they gotta work for everything they got. No one is paying you at the end of a work week as a gift, you got what you worked for.

But this text is talking about righteousness. We cannot apply that to God. If we can work for our salvation, work for righteousness then all of a sudden God owes us. Can you imagine! NO WAY.

The only way to be blameless before God, to be saved by God is by God’s work in saving us and gifting us the faith to trust that his work for us- works.

the one who believes in him who justifies.... Guys this is an incredible truth, do hear what I hear when this text is read?

How can we believe, well God gives us the power to believe. How can we be right before God, well God already makes us right before and then gives us the power to trust him. Guys. It’s all done for you.

Now for some more context, lets go back to verse 1,

There are

Romans 4:1–5 ESV

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 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 counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

I had a friend who would complain constantly that Christianity was exhausting. Its just a bunch of rules and it’s so hard keeping up because everything from the world just feels so good.

And I told him, you got a few things wrong with your thinking there bucko. First, Christianity is the easiest religion because all the work that needs to be can only be done by God. He basically took the test, aced it with extra credit and wrote your name at the top of the page so you got the credit for it.

Second, there aren’t any rules. There’s instructions. And not following those instructions leads you down the wrong path that ultimately leads to death. Before the GPS we had to MapQuest and if you took a wrong turn maybe that road was prettier than the roads you would’ve taken if you followed the instructions but ultimately you’ll be left with no gas, no reception, miles from civilization and nowhere near where you meant to go.

and last, I don’t obey instructions to keep up. I’m already kept so I find freedom in following them and I’m allowed to give myself the same grace that was given to me when I don’t obey them and that motivates me to obey them even more.

Maybe this still isn’t clear enough for you. So lets go a bit deeper, can I go a bit deeper with you?

You could be asking yourself: What is faith made up of, how do I know if I have real faith? Faith is made up 3 basic parts: knowledge, assent, and trust.

Knowledge, because you believe in something, you cant trust in something you can’t be confident in something unless you know what that something is. So what is the knowledge here:

We know who Jesus claimed to be, and what he claimed to do.

We know that we are sinners.

That God is good and holy.

Assent, this like a fancy word for agreement. More so and expression of agreement. You cant just have head knowledge (I say this all the time).

We can just know who Jesus was we have to agree with it. “I think Jesus IS who he says He is.”

I don’t just know Jesus’ claims, I believe them.

A lot of us live here (knowledge & assent). Its so easy to just be here and coast through life here. But this is not yet saving faith. You can have knowledge and you can agree with something but that doesn’t mean you have faith.

Bring trust fall people back up and walk through it.

Trust, (ask the trust fall to happen) you actively have to actually depend on who Jesus is and what he said he was going to do.

That is what faith is, you don’t just know, you don’t just agree, you trust and depend on it.

Justification

“if the article of Justification is lost, all the heart of true christian doctrine is lost.” - Martin Luther

Basically, Luther this is the most important doctrine/truth in all the Christian faith. This is the heart of our faith.

Here’s why, justification means two things happen to us

First, through faith in Jesus we are clean. We are no longer condemned. But thats not all that’s there.

Second, declared to be righteous. So now the debt is removed, and filled with righteousness of Jesus.

See, but this is so scandalous. God doesn’t justify the wealthy, the elite, the healthy, the moral. He justifies the ungodly! People like you and I who fail him, don’t want to be with him, live as though we know more than him we are the undeserving elect and God, for some reason, sees it fit to save us.

he offers grace

Representation

In court, my representative never showed up to represent me and because of that (and other reasons) I went sentenced to serve time in jail.

We all have a representative, someone who advocates for us to the just judge, God. Your representative is either Adam (sin) or Jesus (righteousness)