January 30, 2011: The Five Solas – Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Part 3

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This week we will be wrapping up our study of Sola Fide, or Faith Alone – justification through faith alone. Next week we will begin to look at Sola Gratia – Grace Alone.

To recap, the Five Solas of the Reformation – again, we don’t know that the Reformers themselves actually used these terms, but the terms do summarize the teaching of the Reformers. The Reformers stated that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone, which includes four of the Solas or the “Alones,” with the fifth sola being Sola Scriptura, or Scripture Alone.

Last week we looked at what Jesus said about salvation through faith alone when we looked at multiple passages where Jesus taught this and then we looked at Paul’s teaching of faith alone in the book of Romans and this week we will look at what Paul had to say (and God, Him being the Inspirer of Paul’s words) in Paul’s letter to the Galatians, so please open your bibles to the letter to the Galatians and as we get there, let me tell you we will also look today at a couple other issues – what about James and James chapter 2? The biblical response would be, “What about James and James chapter 2?” W will look briefly at James chapter 2 and we will also look at the source of saving faith which will lead us into next week as we begin a study of Sola Gratia.

The best way to understand Paul’s treatment of salvation by faith alone is to merely read the text. Again, keep in mind this was a letter to be read to the church at Galatia in its entirety. We won’t read the entire letter but we will read large sections to see how Paul lays out his case. To set up the situation, Paul is writing to the church at Galatia. He knows that they are falling under the teaching of the Judaizers, people who profess Jesus as the Messiah but also state that one must become a Jew by observing the law to be saved. Paul had encountered this at Antioch and he mentions an encounter he had with Peter while at Antioch. What may seem to us to be a small thing – Peter switching seats at meals – for Paul endangered the very Gospel of grace that he had taught the Galatians.

Let’s start reading at chapter 1, verse 6:

“6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

At this point Paul hasn’t said what the problem is, but he certainly has said there IS a problem and that problem is worthy of damnation in Paul’s eyes. There is only one Gospel and Paul is going to be very particular in defining that Gospel and as we will see, it is a Gospel of salvation through faith alone.

So what’s the issue here in Galatians? Paul is coming down on those who teach that in order to be saved, one must be circumcised. We see this explicitly in 5:2, where Paul says “if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.” If circumcision were necessary for salvation that brings up the question “how is a woman saved?’” Just asking – food for thought, isn’t it?

If we go to chapter 2, we see Paul giving an account of an encounter he had with Peter while they were in Antioch, beginning in verse 11. We read that Paul confronted Peter to his face because he used to dine with the Gentiles but once the Judaizers showed up he ate with them instead. Paul calls Peter out for living like a gentile – though he himself was a Jew – and also requiring gentiles to live like Jews. Please note that Peter wasn’t preaching circumcision – all Peter did was buddy up to those who were. Paul considered that action as endorsing another Gospel. People say in our age that doctrine doesn’t matter. You don’t have to be particular on matters, even matters of preaching the Gospel. Paul’s words here – inspired – breathed-out – by the Spirit of the living God, state otherwise.

Verse 15 is where Paul defines what he means. Let’s read:

“Gal 2:15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; Gal 2:16 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.

Paul narrows his focus here and talks about a certain group of people within the family of faith in verse 15 – “we” being those who are Jews by birth and this is the same ”we” of verse 16 – just like in Romans, when we discussed personal pronouns, personal pronouns make a difference. In verse 16, Paul says even those who are Jews by birth know that a person is NOT justified y works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Look at verse 16 and verse 17 carefully. Note that what Paul says in verse 16, he reverses in verse 17. (Draw on board)

It is clear here that Paul says justification is through faith alone. We go to verses 20 and 21:

“Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Gal 2:21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Paul says he lives now by faith in the son of God and that if righteousness were by the law, then there was no purpose in the death of Christ. Think about that one – if any obedience to the law is the basis for justification, then Christ’s death was meaningless. Then Paul starts chapter 3 by calling the Galatians “foolish.” I have another translation that calls the Galatians “unthinking.” Paul fires off a series of rhetorical questions – questions designed to provoke thinking from these unthinking people and he again calls them foolish in verse 3 right after he asks them if they received the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith, bringing to mind Paul’s words in Romans 10 when he said faith comes by hearing, right? Verse 5, Paul asks another question – “Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith – and Paul again brings up the Hebrew Scriptures to make his pint – a salient point given that Jews and their insistence upon circumcision was the issue here – Paul, as he did in Romans 4, quotes Genesis 15:6, where Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. As he does in Romans 2, Paul, in verse 6, then states that it is those of faith who are sons of Abraham.

All I want us to do now is read verses 7 through 14:

“Gal 3:7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.

Gal 3:8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

Gal 3:9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Gal 3:10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

Gal 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Gal 3:12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.”

Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us-for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”-

Gal 3:14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.

Then to verse 23:

Gal 3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.

Gal 3:24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

Gal 3:25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

Gal 3:26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.

Gal 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Gal 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

All we have to do is read the text and it’s clear – Paul can’t make it any clearer – justification is through faith alone and not by any works of the law.

One more passage – turn to chapter 5, the first four verses. There are two points to make here, one with regard to circumcision and one with regard to the assurance of salvation. Let’s read:

“Gal 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Gal 5:2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.

Gal 5:3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.

Gal 5:4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.

First, let’s discuss the assurance of salvation. Once someone finds out you believe in the assurance of salvation – that a person can’t lose his salvation – that someone may very well say to you, “Well, you know, Paul says you can fall from grace.” Remember the response I told you about when someone throws “judge not lest ye be judged” in your face? You’re supposed to say in response, what? “Twist not Scripture lest ye be like Satan.” Anyone who says Galatians 5:4 says you can lose your salvation is twisting Scripture. What is Paul saying here – does he say a person can fall from grace? Yes, he does. Does that mean a person can lose their salvation based on this statement? No. Look at what Paul is saying here – in verse 2 he says that, as he did back in chapter 2, verse 21, that if you accept circumcision, then Christ is of no use to you. He then reiterates (“I testify again”) that every man who accepts circumcision is obligated to keep the whole law – and his conclusion if that’s the case? Verse 4 – you are severed from Christ – cut off from Christ – you people who would seek to be justified by keeping the law – even if only one part of the law and if you try to be justified in that manner, you have what? Fallen from grace. Those who fall from grace were never justified in the first place, were they? No, they weren’t, so they couldn’t lose their salvation because it’s something they never had.

Remember last week I wrote on the board “faith” and then started putting check marks, signifying works needed for salvation if one believes in faith plus anything? Which work then justifies you? You never know. Once you start that slippery slope, where does it end? Paul makes that same point if we go farther in chapter 12 with a rather shocking statement in verse 12 – “I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves!” If circumcision is necessary for salvation, Paul says, somewhat sarcastically, the why stop there? Keep cutting!

I also told you we’d look at James. On the audio we heard two weeks ago, one of the pastors interviewed said to let “Paul and James duke it out,” as if they disagreed on the issue of justification through faith alone. Turn to James chapter 2. As we’re getting there, those who wish to say James believed in justification by works would have to then admit that James contradicted himself. We won’t turn there but if we were to go to Acts chapter 15, we’d see that the council at Jerusalem addressed the very same issue Paul dealt with in Galatians – those who wished to say that circumcision was necessary for salvation. Who was one of the leaders of that council which spoke out against keeping the law as a requirement for justification? James. Read Acts 15.

Let’s start James 2 at verse 8:

“Jas 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

Jas 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Jas 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

Jas 2:11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Jas 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.

Jas 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Jas 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,

Jas 2:16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

Jas 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

Jas 2:18 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.

Jas 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe-and shudder!

Jas 2:20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

Jas 2:22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

Jas 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”-and he was called a friend of God.

Jas 2:24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Jas 2:25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Jas 2:26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

If we were to start at verse 10-whoever keeps the whole law but fails at one point has become accountable for all of it – who does that sound like? Paul. Galatians 5, verse 3.

Verse 14 is key here – what if someone has faith but not works? James is talking about someone who is already proclaiming themselves to be a Christian – not one who is seeking to be one. Can that faith save him? Verses 15 and 16 give us examples of faithless acts – not faithful actions – and James then asks, “What good is that? He says in verse 17 that faith – by itself – that does not express itself through works – is dead. As we start verse 18, what is behind James’ point here is another one of our big words and that word is antinomianism. This means “against the law.” This is the same issue Paul dealt with in Romans 6 after having explained the Gospel of God’s grace – that all one has to do is “believe” – accept something as true – and then do nothing else in obedience to the commands of God afterward. No one would believe that, would they? Sure they would. Many people who belong to a movement called “free Grace” would. I’ll give you another one – Charles Stanley. Do we have Stanley’s book “Eternal Security” in the library? We shouldn’t.  Here’s what Stanley believes and this is from his book (read excerpts):

The demons know who Jesus is, right? Not only here in James but in Acts 19 and the account of the sons of Sceva – they were attempting an exorcism and the evil spirit said what? “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” In James 2:20, James asks one of those rhetorical questions to a foolish person – as if this should be basic knowledge – that faith apart from works is useless?

If we take verses out of context, this is a classic passage where we can run into trouble – verse 21 talks about Abraham being justified by works, right? Verse 24 says that a person is justified by works, right? Verse 23 says that Abraham was counted as righteous and declared to be a friend of God by works, right? No, verse 23 says he was counted righteous by faith. Does James contradict himself here – again? No. Justified in this sense is an affirmation or a confirmation. The works here are not grounds for a man’s justification but a confirmation of the justification he has been given through his faith as James himself says in verse 23. This is nothing more than an affirmation of what Paul said in Ephesians 2 – we tend to focus on verses 8 and 9 but forget about verse 10:

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

Eph 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We cannot leave verse 10 out of this because it is a completion of the thought here because it starts with “For.”

Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Saving faith necessarily results in works – we are saved in order that we can be obedient to God’s commands where we could not be obedient before.

Where does this faith come from? Does everyone have faith? Is it just a matter of exercising something that is buried deep down inside every man? Remember I read from our statement of faith a few weeks ago, which says that man is dead in trespasses and sins and is by nature a child of wrath and the Fall has destroyed his desire and ability to say yes to God’s commands? Remember Romans 12:3? God has assigned to each a measure of faith? Remember 2 Thessalonians 3; 2 – not everyone has faith? Which is right? They both are – Romans is referring to believers only while 2 Thessalonians is referring to mankind as a whole. So how does anyone believe if they can’t believe? That’s what we’ll cover in the next three weeks, but as an introduction – it’s a gift. Now, is the gift given to everyone? No, it isn’t. Is that fair? Who are you, O man, to answer back to God, using Paul’s words in Romans 9.

That quote from Ephesians 2 says that it is the gift of God – I’ll let the scholars argue about whether “it” refers to faith or grace or being saved – I would say, “Yes.” The gift really goes back to Ephesians 1 where Paul says that the Ephesians were chosen before the foundation of the world – that’s the gift. God, according to verse 4 of Ephesians 2, is rich in mercy and made them alive in Christ – that’s the gift. Paul, in Philippians 1:29, gives us another answer to this question along with the answer to the question that Dr. Rapa posed during the sermon last week – why do we suffer? We suffer because it’s a gift from God – Philippians 1:29. (cf. Hebrews 12:1-2, 1 Cor. 4:7, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 Tim. 1:14) We have faith because it’s a gift from God.

 

We will cover the issue of the source of our faith in much more detail as we review Sola Gratia – Grace Alone – beginning next week.

 

January 23, 2011: The Five Solas – Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Part 2

Last week we started our series on the five solas of the Reformation and introduced Sola Fide – Faith Alone. Our own statement of faith says we believe that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone, which encompasses in one statement four of the five solas.

Just some food for thought as we get started. I posted a question on my blog a week or two ago. The question was, “According to Rome, which person is saved?”

1)  The Baptist/Lutheran/Methodist/Pentecostal/nondenom/whatever who:

a) Placed his faith in the work of Jesus Christ (His perfect obedience to the Law and His substitutionary sacrifice on the cross) – see John 3:16, Rom. 5:1, Eph. 2:8-9, etc.

b) Strives for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord – see Heb. 12:14

c) Works out his salvation with fear and trembling – see Phil. 2:13.

d) Loves the Lord with all his heart, mind, soul and strength – see Mark 12:30.

e) Loves his neighbor as himself – see Mark 12:33.

f) Examines himself and tests himself to see whether or not Jesus Christ is in himself – see 2 Cor. 13;5.

g) Confesses and submits to Jesus as Lord – see Romans 10:9-10.

h) Confesses his sins, resulting in forgiveness of sins and cleansing from all unrighteousness – see 1 John 1:9.

i) Supplements his faith with virtue, virtue with knowledge,  knowledge with self-control, self-control with steadfastness,  steadfastness with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love – see 2 Peter 1.

j) Is poor in spirit, mourns, is meek, hungers and thirsts for righteousness, is merciful, is pure in heart, is a peacemaker. is persecuted for righteousness’ sake and is reviled by others and persecuted and has all kinds of evil uttered against him on account of Jesus – see Matt. 5.

k) Denies one and only one of any of the teachings on faith and morals set forth definitively by the Magisterium of the [Roman Catholic] Church.

Or,

2) Is a pagan who has never heard of Jesus and who in his paganism worships his own form of Baal in his quest for spirituality apart from the God of the Scriptures.

The answer, according to Rome?

#2 is saved.

#1 cannot be saved because of the statements of Rome including those made in  The Code of Canon Law.  #1′s denial of any single truth, per The Code of Canon Law, sets him outside the Roman Catholic Church and thus outside the realm of the saved.

#2 is saved, according to Rome, because of this statement in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994 edition):

1260 “Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.”63 Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

63 GS 22 § 5; cf. LG 16; AG 7.

Is that what Paul taught?  What John taught?  Peter?  Jesus? How does Rome justify its answer? We’ll find out when we get to Sola Scriptura.

I also told you last week we’d read from the Heidelberg catechism. This was a document prepared in the sixteenth century by the church in a German province and affirmed at Heidelberg and hence the name. I’ll read Questions 60 and 61 and the corresponding responses:

Q. How are you right with God?

A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.¹

Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments and of never having kept any of them,² and even though I am still inclined toward all evil,³ nevertheless, without my deserving it at all,⁴ out of sheer grace,⁵ God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ,⁶ as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.⁷

All I need to do is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart.⁸

Q & A 61

Q. Why do you say that by faith alone you are right with God?

A. It is not because of any value my faith has that God is pleased with me. Only Christ’s satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness make me right with God.⁹ And I can receive this righteousness and make it mine in no other way than by faith alone.¹⁰

People were expected to know that 400 years ago. Elders and deacons were to teach a section of the Catechism each week because us people in the pews didn’t know it and we’re supposed to know it.

Now, let’s get to the Scripture – we’re going to look at examples of how we arrive at this doctrine of faith alone and we’ll also look at the source of our faith briefly but the next two weeks will do a better job in explaining the source of our faith when we look at Sola Gratia – grace alone, and you’ll see why as we work through that.

OK – who was the first great theologian of salvation through faith alone in the New Testament? Of course, it was……..Jesus. You thought I was going to say Paul, right?  We’ll get to Paul but Jesus is clear as crystal that salvation is through faith alone. Let’s start at Luke chapter 18 and we’ll look at a parable – the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Keep in mind who his audience is here because verse 9 tells us:

“Luke 18:9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:

Luke 18:10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

Luke 18:11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

Luke 18:12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’

Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Who were among his listeners? People who believed in their own righteousness and we know from Isaiah, which these very people should know, that man’s righteousness is as filthy rags – bloody menstrual cloths. That right there should give us a pretty good start that salvation is not about works, but let’s read on. What does the Pharisee do? He works. He fasts. He tithes. He has a high opinion of himself because of what he does – and what people he is not like. The tax collector? Blessed are the poor in spirit, as Jesus would say in Matthew 5. Meek, as Jesus would say in Matthew. The tax collector has no high opinion of himself or of his works – all he does is cry out in faith. What does Jesus say? That man went down to his house in what state? Justified. Justified. When he went home from the temple, he arrived there already having been justified. Did Jesus say the tax collector had to be baptized to be justified? No. Participate in the Mass? No. Commit acts of penance? No. Feed the hungry? No. He went home justified because of his faith and his faith alone.

Back up to Luke chapter 7, starting at verse 36, which we won’t read, but it’s the story of Jesus being a guest in a Pharisee’s house and woman enters and cries on Jesus’ feet and wipes them and then anoints his feet and the Pharisee. The Pharisee grumbles to himself and Jesus begins to speak and let’s look at what Jesus says starting in verse 46:

“Luke 7:46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

Luke 7:47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven-for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Luke 7:48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Luke 7:49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”

Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Did the anointing save her? No – her faith produced the anointing. Her faith saved her – and note it is past tense – it’s something that has already happened, based on her faith.

John 3. Verse 13.

John 3:13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

John 3:15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

It’s black and white here according to Jesus – if you believe, you have eternal life. If you don’t believe, you don’t have eternal life.

John 5, verse 24:

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

The one who believes has eternal life. And John 6, verse 44 – the people who had their stomachs filled and had followed Jesus in hopes of more food and He gave them spiritual food instead:

“John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me- John 6:46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

I think it would not be out of line to draw the same conclusion where perhaps Jesus isn’t explicit in saying the word “faith,” but He used other words to describe the same thing, which really mean “faith” or ‘believing.”

When He says, “Come to me, all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest,” that is a statement of faith – coming to Jesus is really synonymous with believing in Him. In John 6 Jesus said that all the Father gave to Him would come to Him and whoever came to him would never be cast out (v. 37). That certainly is an example of salvation by faith alone – there were no works there – no circumcision, no sacraments, no church dogma lesson. A couple verses later Jesus said that whoever looks on the Son and believes in Him should have everlasting life and he will raise him up on the last day. (v. 40) Then in verse 47 He says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.”

One more – how about the thief on the cross? “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23:42).” Jesus’ response? “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” No works – just faith alone.

We don’t have time to look at it but Jesus also makes reference to an Old Testament passage with regard to this and it’s not Habakkuk 2:4, it’s Hosea 6:6. In Hosea 6:6, the Lord says,

“Hos 6:6 ​​​​​​​​For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Jesus made reference to that verse at least twice – in Matthew 9:13 and in Matthew 12:7

There are more but we’ll move on to Paul and let’s turn to Romans chapter 1. Of course, we begin with the verse that fueled the Reformation – Luther’s understanding of Romans 1:17, which is a quotation of Habakkuk 2:4. What was happening in Habakkuk? The prophet was lamenting to the Lord about injustice at the hands of the Babylonians and the Lord answers by telling Habakkuk that He was going to make it worse before things got better and that through it all, the righteous shall live by faith. Paul cites that in 1:17 then in 1:18 through 3:20 gives reason why man is condemned through his suppression of the natural revelation God has given him in his unrighteousness, through the testimony of his conscience and through the fact that he has the works of the law written on heart but he still doesn’t abide by them and in 3:20 Paul explicitly says that no human being will be justified by the works of the law. Then in verse 21 Paul gets into detail – through verse 25:

“Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-

Rom 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Rom 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Rom 3:25 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.

We could spend several weeks just on this passage. How is the righteousness of God manifested? Through faith in Jesus Christ. Verse 24 discusses grace and we will do so starting next week but suffice it to say for now, that grace here actually accomplishes redemption – it doesn’t merely make it available. Verse 25 tells us how we receive the propitiation made through the blood of Christ – we receive it by faith. Not faith plus baptism. Not faith plus circumcision. Not faith plus anything. By faith. Verse 26 goes on to say that God is not only just, He is the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Faith. Not faith plus anything. Paul repeats himself in verse 28 when he says we are justified apart from works of the law and in verse 30 Paul says God will justify BOTH the circumcised and the uncircumcised by faith. If we keep going into chapter 4, Paul now brings Abraham into the mix and says if Abraham was justified by works he would have grounds for boasting and Paul asks one of his rhetorical questions – what does the Scripture say? Paul uses the Old Testament to prove his doctrine of justification through faith alone with his quotation of Genesis 15:6: “Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness.” All we have to do is read the text and Paul gives us the plain meaning – I don’t know how it can be any clearer (read chapter 3:20-4:24 verbatim)

Paul’s conclusion based upon chapter 3;20-4:24? Verse 1, chapter 5: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore. Therefore.

If we move ahead to chapter 10, in verses 5-13, Paul gives us another discourse on justification through faith alone:

Rom 10:5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.

Rom 10:6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down)

Rom 10:7 or “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

Rom 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);

Rom 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”

Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

Rom 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

It is difficult to see how one can state that one is justified by faith plus anything in Paul’s letter to the church at Rome. It certainly seems clear that Jesus taught that same message. Next week we’ll look at what Paul said to the church at Galatia and we’ll also look at the source of faith – whether or not faith is a gift and whether this gift is given to every single human being.

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1. Rom. 3:21-28; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil 3:8-11

2. Rom. 3:9-10

3. Rom. 7:23

4. Tit. 3:4-5

5. Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8

6. Rom. 4:3-5 (Gen. 15:6); 2 Cor. 5:17-19; 1 John 2:1-2

7. Rom. 4:24-25; 2 Cor. 5:21

8. John 3:18; Acts 16:30-31

9. 1 Cor. 1:30-31

10. Rom. 10:10; 1 John 5:10-12

January 16, 2011: The Five Solas – Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Part 1

Today we introduce a new series here – a series on the Five Solas of the Reformation.  Much of what we cover today will be introduction, so please bear with me.  One may think, “What’s the difference?”  When we are addressing something as important as salvation, getting it right matters.

Let me ask you a question:  Why aren’t you at the Mass over at the Shrine (note for blog/Facebook readers: about a mile and a half from IRBC – until a few years ago, home of the largest crucifix in the world) right now?  Why are you here instead of there? (responses/discuss)

It’s difficult to know where to start with a series like this, but where I have chosen is with the sola named Sola Fide.

To give some background, what we know as the Five Solas were most likely not ever referred to as such by the Reformers.  I’ve done some research and haven’t been able to find a definitive source that says the term began to be used at such-and-such a time or place.  It as though, become part of our vocabulary – what the Five Solas do is summarize the teachings of the Reformation.  It is in a sense equivalent to what is known in theology as the Five Points of Calvinism.  Can anybody here tell me when John Calvin wrote the points of Calvinism?  That’s right.  He didn’t.

The Five Points were first formulated in the system we know today by the Synod of Dort in the Canons of Dort written in 1619, in response to the five points of the Remonstrance, which were written in 1610.  Calvin died almost 60 years before what we know as the five points of Calvinism were systematized.  So it is with the Five Solas – we attribute what is contained within the Five Solas to the Reformers such as Luther and Calvin, but they appear to have not used the terms as we do.  Before I forget, the Five Solas are:

1) Sola Gratia – Grace Alone

2) Sola Fide – Faith Alone

3) Solus Christus – Christ Alone

4) Soli Deo Gloria – Glory to God Alone

5) Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone

Most of us know that Luther’s understanding of – ‘the righteous shall live by faith,’ which is merely Paul’s quotation of from the Old Testament, is what fueled the Reformation.  We must also keep in mind a couple things: 1)  Luther’s ideas were not new.  He was not the first to believe in these things.  Men before him had believed in them and in some cases had been killed for them.  Luther and Calvin, in many instances, were doing nothing more than restating many things that had been written by Augustine over a thousand years prior.  By the way, in a couple weeks we will be addressing Augustine in more detail with regard to his debate with a man named Pelagius.  2)  Luther did not set out to separate from the Roman Catholic church but, indeed, to reform it.

This may seem elementary to you but it isn’t for much of contemporary Christianity.  The sola we are discussing today and next week is Sola Fide – by faith alone.  It comes from the phrase that includes three of the other four Solas – we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.  As I said, it may seem to be a no-brainer that we are saved by faith alone and that only Roman Catholics would add some form of works to faith in order to be saved.  Not so.

I don’t remember if I played this clip last year or not, but if I did, it’s a good review.  There is a weekly radio program called The White Horse Inn hosted by four men – one is a professor at Westminster Seminary in California, one is a professor at a Missouri Synod Lutheran seminary, one is a pastor at a United Reformed church in California and one is a pastor of a Baptist church in Florida.  A few years ago they worked through the book of Romans and they addressed this issue of salvation being through faith alone.  Paul also addresses this in Galatians and we will look at that as well next week.  What this program did, though, was send their producer to a national pastor’s convention held in Southern California and asked pastors some questions.  Over the next few weeks I’ll play a few more responses pastors gave to some questions.  Keep in mind these are pastors……

What’s wrong with what you heard?  Multiple things, including the fact that pastorettes, as I would refer to them, responded.    I wonder how many of the churches shepherded by these people believe what their shepherd just said.  How many statements of faith say that a man is justified by faith and works?  Probably not very many, if you really get down to it.  However, what is being taught from those pulpits would be reflective of what we just heard.

What does Indian River Baptist Church believe?  Our Constitution says we affirm a  number of historic and contemporary documents, including the Cambridge Declaration, written in 1996 and which you can read yourself – its statement on salvation by grace alone through alone is very clear -  if you pick up one of the booklets in the display out there in the back on the literature table.

What does our own Statement of Faith say?  Here it is:

We believe that from all eternity¹ God determined in grace to save² a great multitude of guilty sinners³ from every tribe and language and people and nation⁴, whom he foreknew and predestined⁵.  We believe that God justifies and sanctifies those who by grace (sola gratia) have faith (sola fide) in Jesus (solus Christus), and that one day He will one day glorify them and judge the wicked – all to the praise of His glory⁶ (soli deo Gloria).

That’s what we believe.  How can we summarize it biblically?  How about :

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)

It is really very simple, isn’t it?  Paul knew some thought it would be too simple because he wrote to address a natural objection to his teaching on justification by faith alone as he made it to what we know as Romans chapter 6.

What is Rome’s problem with this? (handout chart – available here at David MacDonald’s Roman Catholic site)

What you are receiving now is a document you can download from a Roman Catholic website.  It is a chart on how salvation is worked out through the dogmas of the Roman church.  I’m serious.  This is a Catholic document.  Compare that to “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” as Paul says in Romans 5:1.

We’re not going to take time to work through the chart because you can do it at home and if we did it here your head would be spinning before we finished.  We look at that chart and say, How can anyone come up with that from the Bible?”  The answer is twofold – first, no one came up with that from the Bible and second, when you deny one of the other Solas – Sola Scriptura, it’s very easy to come up with something like this.

In looking at the chart, though, and how Rome arrives at salvation, we have to be careful in what we say.  We can’t say Rome doesn’t believe one is saved by faith.  They would affirm that.  They would deny that one is saved by faith alone.  It’s the “Alones” – the “Solas” – that Rome disagrees with.  Rome’s opinion on anyone who says a man is saved by faith alone?  We quote from the Council of Trent, which met in the mid 1500’s as a response to the Reformation and which is still binding upon Roman Catholics today.

The Sixth Session of The Council of Trent, CANON IX:

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.

Rome says anyone who believes that justification is by faith alone is to be anathema.  Paul used anathema in and we’ll cover next week – this is a review for you, class – what does anathema mean?  Accursed.  Damned.  In the Council of Trent anathema meant a form of excommunication and since in Catholicism there is no salvation outside the Roman Catholic church, this meant one was hellbound.  In the 1980’s The Code of Canon Law removed the anathemas from the decree of Trent, but the doctrine of Rome contained within still remains – with Rome, you cannot deny any part of the teaching  and be saved. (see Question and Answer Catechism)

I’ve said we are justified by grace alone through faith alone. Rome believes differently and according to the audio we heard a few minutes ago, so do many “evangelical” pastors and pastorettes. I would maintain the issue here is that neither Rome nor these pastors who said “faith and works” understand what justification really means, so we need to look at what that big word means.

We won’t take a lot of time in discussing the need for justification because we’ll look at the consequences of Adam’s sin in a couple weeks when we look at Sola Gratia – Grace Alone, but suffice it to say for the sake of today’s argument that Adam’s sin rendered man separated from God, dead in his sins and trespasses and is an enemy of God.  Justification is what is necessary to restore man’s relationship with God.

Martin Luther called this doctrine of justification, ‘The doctrine by which the church stands or falls.’  John Calvin called it the hinge of the Reformation.

Before we discuss this, we have a couple audio clips.  The White Horse Inn producer this time went to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention and to the Christian Booksellers Conevntions and asked people at those conventions – people who are religious broadcasters, book authors and booksellers – what Paul meant when he referred to the doctrine of justification and here’s what he heard:

In the weeks to come we will look more closely at justification – we’ll be looking at man’s condition and his need for justification and what exactly was involved in Christ’s work and how it is applied to us through faith, so how we address this today may not seem satisfactory, but by the end of the series it will hopefully be so.

So what is justification?  In his book, “18 Words,” J.I. Packer says this:

To ‘justify’ in the Bible  means to ‘declare righteous’: to declare, that is, of a man on trial, that he is not liable to any penalty, but is entitled to all the privileges of those who have kept the law.  Justifying is the act of a judge  pronouncing the opposite sentence to condemnation – that of acquittal and legal immunity.⁷

How does that differ from Rome?  Let’s make clear that our own doctrine of justification – the doctrine of the Reformation is this: that God declares a man righteous.  This declaration is a one-time declaration or pronouncement.  Note again – Paul says to the saints at Rome, ‘Therefore, having been justified by faith…”  Paul says their justification was something that was in their past and it was in their past because when they believed, God declared them justified.  This wasn’t even new with Paul, as we know from the study of Romans we just completed.  Paul, in proving his point on justification by faith, uses the Old Testament example of Abraham from verse 6, where Abraham believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness.  We maintain Abraham was not made righteous himself, but the Lord declared him to be righteous because of his faith.

Here’s where we differ with Rome.  Look at the chart I gave you.  At what point on that chart is a man justified?  Not until the very end and when does that happen?  Nobody knows because there is no fixed time any one spends in purgatory.  It might be two years or it might be two million years.  For Rome, justification is a process that the believer undergoes as long as he lives and even after he dies.  What do we call the process that a believer undergoes while he is alive after he is justified?  Sanctification.  Rome makes no inherent distinction between justification and sanctification.  We say a man is not made righteous but declared righteous by his faith.  Rome says at baptism a man is infused with righteousness and the process you see on the chart begins.  In a few weeks we’ll address the doctrine of imputation when we look at Solus Christus – Christ Alone.  If you recall Romans, we discussed that as well – that a man is not made righteous but declared or counted or reckoned or credited as being righteous when he himself is not.

We might say that’s only a Catholic doctrine but think back to the responses you heard from those pastors on that clip a while ago – if they believe a man is saved by faith and works, he is confusing justification and sanctification just like Rome does.

Another Latin phrase from the Reformation applies to this issue – a man being declared righteous while he himself is not righteous – remember what it is, Mr. Griffin?   At the same time just and sinner?  Simul iustus et peccator.  Our sinful nature has yet to be totally eradicated but through faith in Christ, God declares us righteous.  At the same time just and sinner.

The Heidelberg Catechism from the 16th Century gives us a good explanation – children were taught this (not in English, of course) in questions 60 and 61:

Q. How are you right with God?

A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.

Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God’s commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though I am still inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.

All I need to do is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart.

Q. Why do you say that by faith alone you are right with God?

A. It is not because of any value my faith has that God is pleased with me.
Only Christ’s satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness make me right with God.
And I can receive this righteousness and make it mine in no other way than by faith alone.

Next week we will look more at the biblical basis for faith alone and also at what difference it makes in our lives as Christians.  Let’s pray.

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1.  2 Tim 1:9 “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,”

2.  2 Tim 1:9 “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,”; 1 Thess 5:9 “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

3.  Eph 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

4.  Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

5.  2 Tim 1:9 “who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,”; Eph 3:11 “This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,”; Eph 1:4 “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”; Rom 8:29-30 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

6.  Prov 16:4 ​​”​​​​​​The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.”; Rom 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

7.  J.I. Packer, ‘18 Words; The Most Important Words You Will Ever Know,’ (Christian Focus: Scotland, 2008) p. 135.