Sola Fide: Justified only by faith/Justificados sólo por la fe

Introduction

500 years ago men and women were told they could not really know that they were saved.

500 years ago may men and women died without having assurance of salvation.

In fact, many people would buy indulgences from the Dominican friar Johan Tetzel. The purpose of these indulgences were to avoid going to purgatory upon death.

According to RCC teaching purgatory was a place where people go after death to suffer and be purged of their sins. No one could be sure that upon death they would go to the presence of Jesus.

People were told that in order to avoid purgatory, in order to avoid hell, in order to avoid the wrath of God they needed to pray, give offerings, do penance, mortify their bodies. The purpose of all this suffering was to achieve merit such that God would allow them to bypass purgatory and enter into heaven.

God raised up men such as Martin Luther who came upon the scriptures and understood. Martin Luther’s eyes were open by the word of God after reading

Romans 3:28 NIV

For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Romans 3:28 NVI

Porque sostenemos que todos somos justificados por la fe, y no por las obras que la ley exige.

Martin Luther understood the truth of the word of God: We are justified by faith lone, apart from the words of the law.

We will consider this life transforming truth under the following headings:

What is faith? / ¿Qué es fé?

What does it being to be justified? / ¿Qué significa ser justificado?

Why is justification by faith lone? / ¿Por qué la justificación es sólo por la fe?

I.

1. What is faith? / ¿Qué es fé?

In verse 27, 28, 30, and 31 the apostle Paul refers to the word “faith”. But what is faith?

Many people see faith as a wish, a hope, or a desire. People see faith simply as something that you feel or gives you confort.

Brothers and sisters, biblical faith is none of these things. If we are to understand what it means to be saved / to be justified by faith alone - we must understand what faith is because our justification depends on faith.

In the protestant reformers referred to the elements of saving faith as being:

Notitia: Refers to the content of our faith. These are the things we believe. / Se refiere al contenido de nuestra fé. Son las cosas que creemos.

In order to have faith we must first understand that the message of our faith is not a fuzzy and warm feeling. The message of our faith is based on a marvelous historical event. The apostle Paul describes the message of our faith. This is the content of our faith:

1 Timothy 3:16 NIV

Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

1 Timothy 3:16 NVI

No hay duda de que es grande el misterio de nuestra fe: Él se manifestó como hombre; fue vindicado por el Espíritu, visto por los ángeles, proclamado entre las naciones, creído en el mundo, recibido en la gloria.

In other words, the message of our message depends on historical events, it depends on a historical person (the Lord Jesus Christ).

Without the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ our faith is dead. Without a real Jesus our faith is worthless.

Our faith is not simply a hope that everything will turn out well in the end. No! We can have the best intentions and the best hopes and dreams - but this means nothing. We need a real message, a true message, a message that depends upon a real person, a message that depends upon the only God who was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Assensus: Refers to the conviction that our faith is true. / Se refiere a la convicción que nuestra fe es verdadera.

It is not

Real biblical faith requires exercising our intellect to affirm that something is true.

Many people have heard the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ but they think it is not true. Many people deny the existence of the Lord Jesus Christ and refuse to believe in the Jesus revealed in the Bible.

Many people prefer to deny what the bible reveals about God and create for themselves a god of their own imagination. They create a god according to their own desires but not according to the real god revealed in the bible.

Genuine faith says that the message of God revealed in the bible is true.

Assensus refers to the truthfulness of what the bible reveals such as: God exists, Jesus exists, there is only one God, God is the creator of all that exists, Jesus in the only savior.

Fiducia: Refers to to our personal trust in the message of our faith / Se refiere a nuestra confianza personal en el mensaje de nuestra fe.

It is possible to know the message of the bible (notitia), it is possible to even assent that it is true (assensus). There are many people that fulfill these two elements of faith.

In fact, they are very similar to certain characters that the bible calls “demons.”

James 2:19 NIV

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

James 2:19 NVI

¿Tú crees que hay un solo Dios? ¡Magnífico! También los demonios lo creen, y tiemblan.

Those that believe that the bible is true. Those that believe that God is real just as the bible reveals are no different from demons. Demons share these beliefs .

It is very possible to be so close to saving faith; yet at the same time be so far from genuine saving faith.

Saving faith, faith that justifies requires that men and woman personally put their trust in the message of the bible. It is not enough to say I believe God exists; it is necessary to trust entirely in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is necessary to completely surrender to God. This is actual saving faith.

This type of faith is a gift of God. This type of faith is a work of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:8 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

Ephesians 2:8 NVI

Porque por gracia ustedes han sido salvados mediante la fe; esto no procede de ustedes, sino que es el regalo de Dios,

For this reason, we pray that God would grant the gift of faith to all those that do not yet put their trust in the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Without faith there is no hope of salvation. People must trust put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ so they may be saved.

2. What does it mean to be justified? / ¿Qué significa ser justificado?

Romans 3:28 NIV

For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Rom. 3:28

Romans 3:28 NVI

Porque sostenemos que todos somos justificados por la fe, y no por las obras que la ley exige.

The bible declares that we justified by faith. What is justification? What does it mean to be justified?

In order to understand justification we must understand:

Man’s sin / El pecado del hombre

God gave his holy law and man sinned against God’s law. Man rebelled by preferring to do his own will.

God gave his law so that we would walk in righteousness and enjoy his presence.

Man preferred to rebel against God’s law and walk according to his own understanding.

God’s judgement / El juicio de Dios

God’s judgement

God is a holy God who must punish sin. The consequence of sin is death.

Surely, Adam and Eve did not die immediately when they sinned, but spiritually they were dead. They no longer enjoyed the presence of God.

They no longer enjoyed communion with God.

God’s eternal punishment because of sin is an eternity in hell separated from God.

God’s salvation / La salvación de Dios

God, in his great mercy, sent his Son to die upon the cross.

God sent his Son to live a perfect life. He lived in obedience to every aspect of the law of God.

God’s Son lived a perfect life. He was sinless in every respect.

Upon the cross, God’s Son took our sin upon him. He was our substitute. He died the death we should have died.

We deserved to die upon the cross and receive the just punishment for our sin.

Upon the cross there was a great exchange / Sobre la cruz hubo un gran intercambio

Jesus took upon himself our sin / Jesús tomó sobre sí mismo nuestro pecado

God declared us innocent / Dios nos declaró justos

Hallelujah, what a savior! Jesus is indeed a great savior!

3. Why is justification by faith alone? / ¿Por qué la justificación es sólo por la fe?

Romans 3:27 NIV

Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.

Romans 3:27 NVI

¿Dónde, pues, está la jactancia? Queda excluida. ¿Por cuál principio? ¿Por el de la observancia de la ley? No, sino por el de la fe.

In v. 27 the apostle talks about those that would boast. Boasting describes those that think that they have achieved something as a result of their own hard work, as a result of their own effort.

In v. 27 the apostle talks about those that would boast. Boasting

There are many that boast about achieving a career, fame, or fortune. However, when it comes to salvation no one is able to boast because no one can be good enough such that they would salvation.

There is no way for us to save ourselves. We simply cannot be good enough to merit salvation.

This is why justification, God’s declaration that we are innocent, free of the condemnation and guilt of our sin, is entirely dependent on faith.

God saves those who trust in him completely. God saves those who put surrender their lives to him.

This is the reason why there is no boasting. We cannot boast if it is all of grace, it is by faith.

Paul is writing to the Jews and possibly jewish christians who thought that gentiles were lesser or inferior people of God. But Paul declares there is only one way of salvation.

Romans 3:30 NIV

since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.

Rom. 3.30

Romans 3:30 NVI

pues no hay más que un solo Dios. Él justificará por la fe a los que están circuncidados y, mediante esa misma fe, a los que no lo están.

There is only one way to be saved, we must believe, we must have faith in the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must trust that this is enough to be saved.

We must trust in him alone.

If we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ we shall not fear. We can have full assurance of salvation if we have truly believed.

I cannot add to my salvation nor can I subtract from my salvation. The Protestant Reformation declared that those who have believed can - today - have assurance that they have been forgiven, that they are saved from their sins, that there is no more condemnation, that their guilt has been removed!