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Good morning, brothers and sisters. My family was in Malaysia during the summer, and we had a fruitful time there sharing with people about our ministry in Japan. My last sermon at IBF was a summary of the Protestant Reformation—how the Reformation started and how Martin Luther, the most famous Reformer, contributed to the movement. We’ll now continue this series about five key teachings of Reformation, called the five solas.
Today’s message is about sola fide, a Latin phrase which means “by faith alone.”
What does it mean when Protestants say, “We are justified by faith alone”? Where in Scripture do we find support for the idea of sola fide? How is this different from what the Church believed before the 16th century Reformation? Before we begin, let’s pray.
Medieval Catholic view of righteousness
In June, I mentioned that Martin Luther struggled to find peace with God when he was a young monk. He couldn’t escape the feeling that he was sinful and had not done enough to be righteous in the eyes of a holy God. Some of you may feel this way too. Luther’s feeling was partly due to the teachings of the church in his time—that is, the medieval Catholic Church.
The medieval Catholics taught that believers go through an ongoing process of being made righteous by God’s grace. God gives his grace through baptism and other sacraments, such as the Communion. A believer can lose this state of grace through serious sin. But they can be restored to grace through confession, acts of penance, and absolution by a priest. The important point is that they must be in a state of grace to enter heaven. Even so, before entering heaven, they might need to suffer in purgatory for a while to pay off remaining sins.
To summarize, for medieval Catholics, being considered righteous and going to heaven was not guaranteed. They had to engage in a lifelong, cooperative process with God to remain in a state of grace. By “cooperative” I mean that they must choose to repent, obey, and do good works with the help of God. This caused many Christians, such as Luther, to be anxious about whether they were doing enough or being good enough.
But Luther’s view changed after studying Scripture and the writings of St. Augustine. He came to believe that God declares a believer righteous because of Jesus Christ, not because of the believer’s own righteousness.
To put it another way: the medieval Catholics believed that they were being made righteous in an ongoing process. Meanwhile, Luther came to understand from Scripture that God declares a believer righteous once and for all, because of Christ. Protestants call this “justification.” To be justified means we are declared righteous by God.
Sola fide: Justified by faith alone
Now, how does this connect with the idea of sola fide? The Protestant Reformers’ idea of sola fide can be summarized like this: Only by faith in Jesus Christ are we justified. Only by faith in Jesus Christ are we declared righteous.
The word “sola” has the meaning of “only” or “alone,” while “fide” means faith. The nuance of fide is trust, confidence, reliance on Jesus Christ. To have faith in Jesus is to trust, rely on Jesus.
Faith itself is not a good work that earns righteousness. Rather, faith in Jesus unites us with him, through the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit. And when we are united with Jesus, his righteousness is counted as ours. As a result, we too are seen as righteous by God. Jesus’ perfect righteousness is counted as ours. Faith is like an empty hand that receives Christ.
When the Reformers used the term sola fide, they meant: we can only be considered righteous by receiving Jesus’ righteousness. And that comes through faith. Righteousness cannot be gained by our own good works or by receiving sacraments from the Church. This was one of the main points of disagreement between the Reformers and the medieval Catholics.
Key Scriptures on justification by faith alone
So, which parts of Scripture convinced Luther to change his mind?
The theme of justification by faith runs throughout Scripture, but the clearest explanation is found in Paul’s writings, especially in his letter to the Romans. Let me read a few key verses from Romans, where Paul explains the human problem of sin and God’s solution.
In Romans 3:20, Paul states the problem: “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” In other words, the law is good because it reveals God’s holy character and exposes our sinfulness, but the law cannot make sinful people righteous.
Paul states God’s solution in Romans 3:24: “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Then, verse 28: “one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” In other words, we are considered righteous through faith in Jesus, not by obedience to God’s commands.
Paul gives Abraham as an example, in Romans 4:3: “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
The result of our justification is described in Romans 5:1: “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, justification is not something we are waiting for in the future; we already have it and the result is peace with God today.
What about obedience and good deeds?
But what about obeying God’s laws? Don’t we need to be good and do good?
One of the primary arguments Catholics use against sola fide is found in the book of James. The author of James talks about the importance of our actions and says in 2:24: “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” It sounds like the exact opposite of what Paul said.
The Reformers did not overlook this verse in James. They explained that Paul and James are answering different questions. Paul asks, “How is a sinner declared righteous before God?” Paul’s answer is: by faith, not by obedience and good deeds. On the other hand, James asks, “What does genuine faith look like?” James’ answer is: genuine faith produces obedience and good deeds.
James 2 verse 19 says that even demons agree there is a God and fear him. In contrast, genuine faith—that is, trust in Jesus—produces acts of love. Verses 15 to 17: “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James does not deny justification by faith alone. He is saying that mere intellectual agreement is not genuine faith.
Paul, like James, addresses the question about good works. He writes in Ephesians 2:8-10: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Good works are not a method to earn God’s grace. Rather, good works are evidence of God’s grace transforming someone’s life. The God who justifies us also sanctifies us. In other words: The God who declared us righteous is also transforming us to become like Christ.
Therefore, we should obey God’s laws and do good in this world. Not to earn salvation but to fulfil God’s purpose for us.
Am I good enough?
Going back to the start of my sermon, I mentioned that the young Luther often wondered, “Have I done enough? Am I good enough?”
Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought that God would love you more if you prayed more, served more, shared the gospel more, acted more with love?
After Luther rediscovered joy and freedom in the gospel, he realized that the right question to ask was not “Have I done enough?” but “Has Christ done enough?” What do you think, brothers and sisters? Has Jesus done enough to make you righteous in God’s eyes? Was his death on the Cross enough to atone for your sins?
The law (律法) says, “Do this, and this, and this—then you will live.” The good news of Jesus Christ says, “Christ has already done it. Trust him—then you will live.”
The gospel is not just another set of rules. It is not telling you to just try harder to be good. Rather, the gospel is an announcement that Christ has accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. He accomplished it through his perfect life, his atoning death, and his victorious resurrection.
Are you good enough? No, you are not good enough. But Christ is. He is good enough on your behalf.
Righteous yet sinful
I know it can be discouraging to see how we still sin after many years of walking with the Lord.
This summer, an older Christian friend said to me, “I expected that the older I get, the more I should become like Christ. But instead, I feel like I’m becoming crankier, more impatient, and more judgmental. If I’m truly a Christian, shouldn’t I be more like Christ now? Why does it feel like I’m going backwards?”
The Reformers described the Christian life with the Latin phrase simul justus et peccator. It means “simultaneously righteous and sinful.” Until Christ returns, we will continue to wrestle with sin. God has declared us righteous because of Christ (that’s justification); but at the same time, God continues to transform us (that’s sanctification).
Because we are already accepted and loved, we can confess our sins to Him honestly and without fear that He will reject us.
Look both inward and upward
Recognizing our sins and failures without recognizing the work of Christ can lead to despair. So, while we should regularly examine our lives—especially looking inward at our hearts—we shouldn’t forget to look upward at Him.
The famous English preacher Charles Spurgeon said this, near the end of his life: “My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour.”
When the young Luther kept agonizing over his shortcomings, his mentor at the monastery said, “Turn to Jesus and to the cross.”
Our standing before God does not depend on our performance, but on the righteousness of Christ we received through faith. This was the freedom Luther discovered. Luther’s contribution to the Reformation was not to invent new doctrine but to recover what he believed the apostles taught and was recorded in Scripture.
Modern Protestant vs Catholic view
As I end, since this is a sermon about the Reformation, let me summarize the difference between how modern Protestants and Catholics view salvation.
First, let me be clear: Protestants and Catholics have a lot in common. Both teach that salvation begins with God’s grace. Both teach that Jesus Christ is our Savior. And both teach that Christians should grow in holiness.
But Protestants and Catholics answer this question differently: On what basis does God accept us?
For Protestants, God accepts us based on—and only on—Christ’s righteousness, once and for all. Protestants call this justification. After that comes sanctification. Sanctification is the ongoing work of God’s grace in our lives as he makes us more like Christ.
So justification and sanctification are different, but they can never be separated. Protestants say: We are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone. In other words, good works do not make us acceptable to God. But if our faith is genuine, we will do good works.
For Catholics, meanwhile, God accepts us based not only on Christ’s righteousness but also our behavior. Believers need God’s grace to renew their hearts and do good works that earn merit towards salvation. Salvation, in the Catholic view, requires cooperation between God and the believer. Catholics make less distinction between justification and sanctification. For them, justification and sanctification are more intertwined – because salvation, for them, depends partly on our good behavior.
So that is another difference between the Protestant and Catholic view. For Catholics, obedience and good works is necessary for salvation. For Protestants, obedience and good works are evidence of salvation.
Conclusion
As Protestants, we can have deep assurance because our acceptance before God does not depend on the strength of our faith or the consistency of our obedience, but on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Christ alone is the basis of our justification. And faith alone is the way we receive him and his righteousness. Next month, we will look at the second sola: sola gratia, by grace alone.
With that, let me end with a prayer:
Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in purity of life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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