Sola Fide: Faith Alone

“Sola Fide: Faith Alone God Justifies. We Trust” November 12, 2017 The Big Question: How can a sinner like me stand in the presence of a flawless, Holy God? Or, to put it another way, how can I be right with God? Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV) 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. Romans 4:5 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, è “counted” is “to credit to your account what belongs to someone else” The Big Idea: Humanity’s big questions have always revolved around, “How can I know, connect with, and please God? All religions and philosophies, with the exception of Christianity, answer in ways that have to do with a person’s efforts and behaviors. The Bible says that God initiates relationship with us, offering salvation as a gift (grace) that is received through absolute trust (faith). Since we cannot justify ourselves, our only hope is for God to justify us. Scripture has said in the Old Testament and the New that people are justified by faith. Galatians 2:15–21 (ESV) 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 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. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. 21 In the book of Romans righteousness does not first directly touch on behavior. “Righteousness” is not what you do; it is what you are! That is even more important, because your behavior stems from what you are. The gift Paul is talking about, the gift from God, is that of a righteous standing. It is not until Romans 12 that Paul finally says, “Therefore … present your bodies as living sacrifices …” Belief drives behavior! Romans 3:21-26 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. What is Biblical “Faith”? The combination of agreement about certain truths and absolute trust of your life into another’s hands. LESSONS FROM FAITH ALONE 1. There are a number of ways that people try to be right with God. à We appeal to our own basic “goodness” compared to others. à We try to keep God’s Law or other moral codes. à Christianity stands absolutely alone in saying that God provides salvation that is not based on what you have done, but on what He has done. 2. We must stop clinging to our past. To do so reveals a focus on self, instead of Christ. 3. Justification By Faith Alone is the Only Way to Have Assurance About Your Relationship with God and the Salvation He Gives. 4. Faith is the Only Way God Has Ever Given for Us to Receive the Gift He Offers to Us. John 1:12 Romans 10:9-10 “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (ESV)