One of the heart cry of the reformation was faith alone.Martin Luther studying the Epistle of Romans discovered that man is justified by faith and not by works of the law. By observing the moral law no one can at any point seek justification from God. Isaiah , the Prophet cried , "Our righteous deeds are like filthy rags in the sight of God". The Psalmist cried , "Who can ascend the hill of the Lord ..." and goes on to say that purity is necessary prerequisite to approach a Holy God.
Romans 3 categorically states that the whole human race has intentionally sinned and fallen short of the "Glory of God". We who were made in the image of God have lost the glory the image of God gave. Though we still bear the image of God, it is a tarnished image; an image which is not the original. Every sin we do further tarnishes that image as the conscience gets more and more used to sin. We start becoming more and more like the devil.
If you take a life span of 50 years ,a man left to himself and lives by his own rules and strength keeps getting worse morally as he defies his conscience which is the moral compass given to every human being by God and continues to grow in evil.
We can do some good but our primary intentions and motives if analyzed will reveal that we are evil and have many times gone against our own conscience. Now for this man to go before a perfect and holy God and claim that he has done somethings right and thus should be accepted by God , is unacceptable to a holy and perfect God. God expects perfection. No one can be perfect by himself. All have sinned intentionally atleast once. It is a hopeless situation for any human being.
God who created man and knew he would sin also prepared Jesus , before the foundation of the world , before man was created and before sin entered our world , to be a sacrifice for our sins. God did this arrangement in his foreknowledge and in his great love for us.
God grants justification of the basis of the death of Christ , on the basis of the sacrifice of Christ , when a man repents and believes in Christ. Yes justification is granted to those who repent and believe . Not just those who believe. That's why James , in his epistle writes very clearly ,"You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone".
Unless the faith produces the work, it is a dead faith . Repentance and the fruits of repentance if not seen make the faith ,null and void. That is why justification is by repentance and faith and not by faith alone.
This is one of the reasons Martin Luther said the epistle of James is an epistle of straw ,because he saw in it a doctrine of salvation which not consistent with his own.
"The conclusion: Only he who has faith that has works following it is justified." - John Calvin .
Even John Calvin , the reformed theologian agrees in his Geneva study bible that faith which has work brings justification.
It is a common misunderstanding among evangelical Christians that faith alone justifies. The bible never says man is justified by "faith alone". It says just the opposite . It says in James 2 , that man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Unless the faith produces good works , unless the faith is expressed as love , it is impossible to have justifying faith.
John Wesley sums up the apparent contradiction in the most beautiful way in the Wesley's Notes
2:24 "Ye see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only - St. Paul, on the other band, declares, A man is justified by faith, and not by works, Rom 3:28. And yet there is no contradiction between the apostles: because, They do not speak of the same faith: St. Paul speaking of living faith; St. James here, of dead faith. They do not speak of the same works: St. Paul speaking of works antecedent to faith; St. James, of works subsequent to it.
Justification is by faith , but not faith alone. Justification requires repentance and faith , not faith alone.
Repent and believe the good news! - Jesus
Romans 3 categorically states that the whole human race has intentionally sinned and fallen short of the "Glory of God". We who were made in the image of God have lost the glory the image of God gave. Though we still bear the image of God, it is a tarnished image; an image which is not the original. Every sin we do further tarnishes that image as the conscience gets more and more used to sin. We start becoming more and more like the devil.
If you take a life span of 50 years ,a man left to himself and lives by his own rules and strength keeps getting worse morally as he defies his conscience which is the moral compass given to every human being by God and continues to grow in evil.
We can do some good but our primary intentions and motives if analyzed will reveal that we are evil and have many times gone against our own conscience. Now for this man to go before a perfect and holy God and claim that he has done somethings right and thus should be accepted by God , is unacceptable to a holy and perfect God. God expects perfection. No one can be perfect by himself. All have sinned intentionally atleast once. It is a hopeless situation for any human being.
God who created man and knew he would sin also prepared Jesus , before the foundation of the world , before man was created and before sin entered our world , to be a sacrifice for our sins. God did this arrangement in his foreknowledge and in his great love for us.
Now 2000 years ago, Christ came and suffered under Pontius Pilot and died as a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. 1John 2: 2 confirms what he did , " He is the atoning sacrifice not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world."
Unless the faith produces the work, it is a dead faith . Repentance and the fruits of repentance if not seen make the faith ,null and void. That is why justification is by repentance and faith and not by faith alone.
This is one of the reasons Martin Luther said the epistle of James is an epistle of straw ,because he saw in it a doctrine of salvation which not consistent with his own.
"The conclusion: Only he who has faith that has works following it is justified." - John Calvin .
Even John Calvin , the reformed theologian agrees in his Geneva study bible that faith which has work brings justification.
It is a common misunderstanding among evangelical Christians that faith alone justifies. The bible never says man is justified by "faith alone". It says just the opposite . It says in James 2 , that man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Unless the faith produces good works , unless the faith is expressed as love , it is impossible to have justifying faith.
John Wesley sums up the apparent contradiction in the most beautiful way in the Wesley's Notes
2:24 "Ye see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only - St. Paul, on the other band, declares, A man is justified by faith, and not by works, Rom 3:28. And yet there is no contradiction between the apostles: because, They do not speak of the same faith: St. Paul speaking of living faith; St. James here, of dead faith. They do not speak of the same works: St. Paul speaking of works antecedent to faith; St. James, of works subsequent to it.
Justification is by faith , but not faith alone. Justification requires repentance and faith , not faith alone.
Repent and believe the good news! - Jesus
