Sola Fide, Part One

Our journey through the Five Solas continues, and today we're looking at Sola Fide: Faith alone.

The Catholic Church taught that Salvation is gained by a combination of faith and works, and that you must have both to be able to be saved. The Protestants objected to this teaching with Sola Fide, which said that salvation is by faith alone, not by works or by faith+works.

Some of us don't realize (and others forget) just how important Sola Fide is. The doctrine is what separates not only the Protestants from the Catholics, but it's what separates Christianity from almost all other religions and cults. Most other belief systems emphasize works, and that you can only gain your salvation by completing certain deeds, living a certain way, or by doing certain things. Christianity is the only belief system that recognizes the fact that mankind can never achieve salvation through his own accomplishments, because "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).

But is Sola Fide biblical? Does the Bible really teach that salvation is by faith alone? The answer is yes.

"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)

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life." (John 5:14)

"Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.'" (John 6:29)

 "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (Acts 10:43)

"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law." (Romans 3:28)

These are just a few verses that serve to prove that we are justified by faith, and not by our works. However, I'm going to go a step further and say that if good works were required for salvation, then nobody would get saved, because of our sinful nature.

Isaiah 64:6 says that:

"all our righteous acts are like filthy rags." 

Psalm 53:1-3 says:

"The fool has said in his heart,'There is no God.' They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one."

Psalm 14 and Romans both echo the same thing. It's clear that man cannot do good works apart from God's grace (and I'll talk more about this when we get back to Total Depravity). If man can't do good works outside of salvation, then he can't save himself by said works.

In summary, Sola Fide s a Biblical doctrine, and the Reformers were right to challenge the Catholic Church's false teaching that works contribute to salvation. We are justified by faith alone!

Stay tuned for the next post, which will deal with common objections to Sola Fide.