What does it mean to be justified by faith alone, but not by
a faith that is alone?
This saying is attributed to Martin Luther, and both halves
of it are true. But usually folks lean one
way or another on this, causing no end of theological controversy. In one camp are the “faith alone” folks and
in the other camp are the “faith isn’t alone” folks.
Faith alone
God justifies us, declares us righteous in His sight,
without considering our works at all.
Like the thief on the cross, or Mary Magdalene, you never have to worry
that awful things you have done, or good things you’ve not done, jeopardize
your salvation, as long as you are trusting Jesus Christ to atone for your sins
at the cross. God doesn’t care how much
damage you’ve done by your sins, if you are truly trusting His provided
sacrifice to pay for your sins. Works do
not enter the equation in any way. To
call your faithfulness your faith in this justification equation is dangerous
and starts to sound like justification by works. In this regard, we want to keep a strict
separation between our trust, however faltering, and our life which remains
sinful. Do not put any trust or hope in
your life of integrity. Any obedience
you have is downstream from God justifying and changing you before.
Faith isn’t alone
The way we and others see our faith is by our works. This is the point in James 2:14 and
following. We show our faith by our
works, but we don’t earn our justification by our works. We should be diligent to make our calling and
election sure, to do good works which God created us before to do. If we say we believe, but never act like a
Christian, it’s a hollow profession that will not justify. We can reach a point where we are so
unfaithful in the present, that it discredits our profession of faith before
God. God makes this determination at the
end of your life, as shown in Matthew 7:21-23.
You can’t rely on a profession of faith in the past or present to save
you, if your heart is far from God and you are living as you want without
regard for God.
Suspicion abounds;
affirm the truth
Both of the above paragraphs are true. But some will emphasize the first and suspect
the “faith isn’t alone” camp of legalism.
Others stress the second and suspect the “faith alone” camp of
antinomianism. If you are worried about
this in someone, just check that they believe both sides. If they do, don’t sweat it too much that they
emphasize the other camp. Teachers
should hit both of these about equally in their teaching.
Steve, good summary. I think the hardest part isn't necessarily other people's faith, but our own. I guess it depends on the person, but for some they are more ready to doubt their own faith than others.
ReplyDelete