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Sola Fide and the Reformers
Introduction
The doctrine of justification by faith alone did not emerge from theological novelty or ecclesiastical rebellion. Rather, it arose from careful, prayerful engagement with Scripture—especially the apostle Paul’s teaching in Romans. As the sixteenth-century Reformers wrestled with the nature of righteousness before God, they recovered a truth that had been obscured by centuries of man-centered theology.This article examines how Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformers articulated sola fide, how Rome responded, and why the doctrine of justification by faith alone remains essential for the church today.Luther and the Birth of Reformation Insight
Luther’s famous Ninety-Five Theses did not yet articulate a fully developed doctrine of justification. They focused primarily on indulgences, penance, and papal authority. It was later—around 1519—while studying Paul’s epistle to the Romans, that Luther came to a decisive theological breakthrough:I began to understand that “the justice of God” meant that justice by which the just man lives through God’s gift, namely by faith. This is what it means: the justice of God is revealed by the gospel, a passive justice with which the merciful God justifies us by faith, as it is written: “He who through faith is just shall live.” Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.Luther’s insight reshaped his theology and helped place the question of justification at the center of the Reformation: How is a sinner made right with a holy God?
The Three Pillars of Luther’s Doctrine of Justification
Luther’s theology of justification was made up of three closely connected elements.1) Imputed, Not Infused, Righteousness
Luther taught that the complete victory of Christ on the cross allowed for Christ’s alien righteousness to be imputed to the sinner, not given only after the gradual curing of sin. Justification was not the infusion of righteousness, like the physician’s pronouncement of recovery— a bill of health attesting the patient’s transformed nature. Instead, it was a judge’s acquittal of the guilty, pronouncing him innocent on the basis of union with Christ.2) Faith as Reception, Not Merit
Luther saw faith not as a virtue formed by love, but as the act by which meritless humans receive the merits of another. Faith is the only act which excludes boasting, for it is the reception and submission to the sufficient person and work of Christ. Therefore, faith alone justifies.3) Simul Iustus et Peccator
Luther’s famous phrase was simul iustus et peccator—“all at once righteous and a sinner.” By seeing justification and sanctification as inseparable and yet distinct, Luther could see our status before God as just, while our transformation into the image of Christ as progressive.Justification is a forensic act whereby we are declared righteous through imputed righteousness, on the basis of faith in Christ. Luther’s theology of justification was mostly unchanged in what became the later Protestant confessions.Attempts at Agreement and the Council of Trent
As we know, much strife and recriminations broke out in the ensuing years. There were various attempts at rapprochement and agreement between the Reformers and the Roman Church. The Regensburg Colloquy in 1541, particularly Article 5 on justification, made remarkable concessions to the Reformers, particularly on justification by faith. Unfortunately, it failed.The Council of Trent (1545–1563) chose to canonise the transformative view of justification and condemn the forensic. Canon IX states:If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.
Three Questions That Clarify the Division
We can articulate the division between Roman Catholic teaching (as represented in the current Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church) and historical Protestant teaching on justification by examining three questions:- What is the nature of justification? Is it a forensic act of imputed alien righteousness, or a transformative act of infused righteousness?
- Why should justification be by faith alone, and what does that mean?
- What role do works play in our justification?
1) What Is the Nature of Justification, According to the Bible?
Protestants believe that the Bible teaches justification is a pronouncement by God, declaring a sinner to be righteous, by imputing the sinner’s guilt to Christ, and imputing Christ’s righteousness to the sinner. There are two parts to that definition. One, it is a legal act—an act of pronouncement and declaration—not an act of transformation. Two, it involves a righteousness not our own being credited to us. It is not an infused righteousness grown by cooperation with the Holy Spirit, but Christ’s alien righteousness credited to us.“Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:4–5).
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:23–26).This teaching is also seen clearly in Romans 5:12–19, 2 Corinthians 5:21, and Philippians 3:9.
2) Why Should Justification Be by Faith Alone?
The theological answer is because Scripture teaches sinful man has no other option if he wishes right standing with God. Man may attempt righteousness by his own hand, but the Bible teaches he will fail. Isaiah 64:6 says all our righteousness are like filthy rags. The moral demand of God’s holiness is not that we do our best, but that we achieve perfection.“And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law” (Galatians 5:3).
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).Paul’s continual testimony is that boasting in our works is impossible—not merely forbidden, but unachievable. We may hope to cooperate with God and earn our share of credit for salvation, but that is not what actually happens. Instead, we either receive righteous status as a gift, with no room to boast, or we keep trying on our own.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).Justification is by faith alone because faith—rightly defined—is the moment of full surrender to the grace of God, the moment of full trust in His righteousness, and the complete transfer of merit from Christ to the sinner. It is the moment where the sinner repents not only of sin, but also of self-reliance—not only of evil works, but of good works done in the flesh.Jesus contrasts these two ways of thinking when a group asked, “What can we do to perform the works of God” (John 6:28). Jesus responded: “This is the work of God—that you believe in the One He has sent” (John 6:29). Believing is receptive activity; Jesus compares it to coming and to eating and drinking (John 6:35).
3) What Role Do Our Works Play in Justification?
Martin Luther went too far when he expressed dislike for the epistle of James. But we must admit that James and Paul, on the surface, sound different when it comes to the relationship between justification and works.“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (James 2:21–24).
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).Instead of seeing Paul and James as opposed to one another, we should see them back-to-back, facing very different foes, with resultant different emphases. Paul is facing legalists—those who thought obedience either to the Mosaic Law, or even the law of conscience could merit eternal life. Paul insists that we are justified by faith in Christ alone, apart from our works. James is facing antinomians—those who think the gospel means mere mental assent is saving faith. James insists that the faith that truly justifies is verified and demonstrated by outward works.Paul is dealing with those who wish to add human works to gain or maintain justification. James is dealing with those who wish to subtract works from the results of justification.
“It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone: just as the heat alone of the sun which warms the earth, and yet in the sun it is not alone, because it is constantly conjoined with light.”
Conclusion
Luther, Calvin, and several others did not introduce a theological innovation when defending sola fide. Instead, they retrieved a doctrine that had been largely forgotten or misconstrued through centuries of man-centered reasoning and scholastic logic. Justification by faith alone stands at the heart of the gospel: Christ’s righteousness credited to sinners, received by faith, and evidenced by a life of obedience that flows from saving grace.
Sola Fide: The Heart of the Gospel: Why Faith Alone Still Matters in a Confused Age
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