What is Sola Fide?
The second of the Five Solas is Sola Fide: faith alone. Sola Fide has been called the “material issue” of the Reformation; that is, the issue of justification by faith alone—and not by works—was the chief article of debate in the period of the Protestant Reformation. Sola Fide is an extension of Sola Gratia, and says that, in the same sense that we are saved by grace alone (that grace being the work of God), we are united to that grace by faith alone.
Sola Gratia positively asserts that the only cause of our salvation is the extension of God’s grace; no works or Law-keeping on our part could ever make us righteous before God, for if God were to judge us by our works, we would only be found guilty of an innumerable count of sins. Therefore, Sola Gratia also condemns the notion that man is saved by his own doing or inherent goodness. The question then is this: if our salvation rests only in God’s grace, and that grace does not need to be cooperated with through meritorious works, but saves wholly and effectually on its own, then how does one participate in and enjoy that grace which leads to salvation? The answer: by faith alone.
We receive the grace of God which has been poured out through the Lord Jesus by faith alone and by nothing else. Faith is the substance of believing, or trusting God’s promises. Faith, in itself, is a noun—a thing that someone either has, has partially, or doesn’t have at all. Faith in action—or rather, faith that is being put to use—expresses itself in the verbs believe and trust. To believe and trust God is to have faith in God. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “The assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” In relation to Christ, the “things hoped for” are forgiveness of sins and eternal life; “conviction of things not seen” is the death, resurrection, and person of Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, to have faith in Jesus is to trust with full confidence that you will receive every promise He has made, while being fully convinced of His atoning death, victorious resurrection, and deity.
Sola Fide posits that this act of believing—this faith—is all that is required of a man to obtain justification before God. This faith, however, is not a meritorious act like those works of the Law. Instead, this action lays hold of Christ’s merit and confesses full dependence upon Him. Faith in Jesus Christ is not an action that looks inward towards inherent righteousness (as works of the Law do), but it looks outward toward an alien righteousness, that is, the righteousness of Christ. A true profession of faith in Christ is also a confession that you have no claim of righteousness within yourself. By this we understand that men are saved entirely by grace alone (Sola Gratia), and yet all men are responsible before God to repent and believe The Gospel if they wish to be saved [Acts 17:30]—because only by clinging to Christ in faith does one receive the justifying grace of God.
The Biblical Foundation
Sola Fide is—like Sola Gratia—the unanimous teaching of Scripture. The eternal life that is offered to us by Jesus Christ is described as life received by faith, and not by works. This is most explicitly described in the New Testament, but God has always saved His people through faith—even in the Old Testament. We see this in the story of Abraham, where Moses comments, “[Abraham] believed in Yahweh; and He counted it to him as righteousness” [Genesis 15:6]. The Apostle Paul makes reference to this passage on two separate occasions [Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6] and concludes that, “To the one who works, his wage is not counted according to grace, but according to what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” [Romans 4:4 - 5], and, “[We] know that those who are of faith, those are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer” [Galatians 3:7 - 9]. Paul explains that, because we are saved by the grace of God, we do not bring any works. Instead, we bring faith. This faith, which lays hold of God’s grace, is counted to the one believing “as righteousness,” so that “we might become the righteousness of God in [Christ]” [2nd Corinthians 5:21].
Paul concludes his line of reasoning in Romans chapter 4 with the triumphant statement, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we boast in hope of the glory of God” [Romans 5:1 - 2]. According to Paul, by what are we justified? Faith. We are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul attributes nothing else to our justification except faith in the Lord Jesus, which grants us access “into this grace in which we stand.”
As previously noted, Sola Fide is the extension of Sola Gratia. God’s grace alone has saved us; our faith alone has saved us. ‘Well,’ you may ask, ‘which is it? Are we saved by God’s grace or our faith?’ The answer, clearly, is both. We are saved solely by God’s grace through faith—as Paul so clearly states: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast” [Ephesians 2:8 - 9]. It is not a contradiction to say both, ‘we are saved by grace alone,’ and, ‘we are saved by faith alone,’ for our faith is nothing more than the action of trusting in God’s grace.
But this teaching did not begin with Paul. Rather, it was Lord Jesus Himself who first preached salvation by faith alone. In His dialogue with Nicodemus, Jesus explained His mission as this: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” [John 3:14 - 16]. According to Jesus, by what does man receive eternal life? By belief in Him. Does Jesus say, ‘God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son so that whoever does good works will be saved?’ No. Does He say that the one who believes and works will have eternal life? NO! Jesus says that the one believing will have eternal life. Literally, in the Greek, / πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων / — “all the believing ones.”
This teaching of Christ absolutely saturates John’s gospel. In His dialogue with the Jewish leaders, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” [John 5:24]. In His dialogue with the Jewish people at Capernaum He says, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day,” and, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life” [John 6:40, 47]. Speaking to Martha at the grave of Lazarus the Lord says, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever. Do you believe this?” [John 11:25 - 26]. The Apostle John even identifies the purpose of his gospel as attempting to bring you to faith in Jesus Christ so that you would be saved: “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” [John 20:31]. Clearly the unanimous teaching of Scripture—from the Old Testament, to the Lord Jesus, to His Apostles, is that a man is saved by faith alone.
About James Chapter 2
Now, the most common response to the doctrine of Sola Fide is the Apostle James’ words in James 2:14 - 26. However, it has been widely held and explained by protestants that James chapter 2 does not stand in contradiction to the doctrine of Sola Fide. Instead, James provided a helpful insight into making the distinction between true, saving faith, and false, dead faith.
First, let’s address a common-sense principle of hermeneutics. It is understood by basic reason and by scholarship that when we are interpreting the whole of Scripture about a given topic (Tota Scriptura), we must interpret unclear passages in light of clear passages, and we must harmonize the sparse teachings of the Bible to fit with the prevalent—not the other way around. What this means is that if a passage appears to be unclear in its teaching, then we consult the clear passages of Scripture, which provide the boundaries and confines in which our interpretation of the unclear passage must fit. Also, if there exist two teachings in Scripture which appear to be in conflict, then we take the teaching with the least biblical texts associated, and interpret to fit within the teaching that has the most biblical texts associated.
For example, the Bible explicitly teaches that Yahweh is the one, true God. This is the clear and prevalent teaching on Scripture. However, the Bible also teaches that there are three distinct persons who are truly divine: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This, as it may be called, is the relatively unclear and sparse teaching of Scripture. So, we harmonize the teachings not towards tritheism (which would be leaning on the sparsity) but towards the Trinity (which emphasizes monotheism, the clear and present doctrine).
So, in respect to James chapter 2, we should expect that its teaching (which is not unclear but simply sparse) should fit within the clear and prevalent teaching of Sola Gratia and Sola Fide. To say that James chapter 2 would force us to redefine our stance on Sola Gratia and Sola Fide is backwards on that face of it.
Now, with that in mind, let’s examine James 2:14 - 26.
Verse 14 says, “What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? First, we see that this passage is going to be an examination of an individual’s profession of faith. Essentially, what this passage is focusing on is how to discern whether an individual truly possesses saving faith, or whether they are deceiving themselves and others with a false profession of faith. Keep in mind, the end of the verse still implies that it is indeed faith which saves someone—the question is, ‘What kind of faith? What does saving faith look like?’
Verse 18 says, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’” Now I ask, does James say here that works save? No! Rather, he says that works demonstrate true saving faith. The idea is: how does someone show that their faith is genuine? By producing good works! So, if someone has no good works, then we can have no confidence that they possess saving faith. This is made clear in verse 20 which says, “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” Again, it is faith which is in view, but the kind of faith that is actually effective produces good works.
Now, verses 21 through 26 is where things get more difficult. They read as follows:
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
And now I remind you of the hermeneutical principle that we discussed previously: we interpret the sparse teachings of Scripture to be in alignment with the prevalent teachings. It is our contention that James is using the term “justified” in a different sense than the Apostle Paul. We say this not as a matter of needless reinterpretation, but because we believe that Scripture does not contradict itself. For, if it is the case that James and Paul use the term “justified” in the same sense, then we are forced to conclude that the two are in direct contradiction. For Paul says, “If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God! For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not counted according to grace, but according to what is due” [Romans 2:2 - 4]. But James says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” [James 2:21] Again, I say, if we are meant to believe that “justified” is being used in the same sense by the two authors, then we are forced to conclude that they have contradicted themselves.
So, it appears that we must investigate an alternative understanding of “justified” for at least one of these authors. Now, because we have more writings of Paul which present a clear and prevalent teaching on justification, we are inclined to re-examine James’ definition of the term.
We contend that when Paul uses the term “justified” in relation to faith in Christ, he means a forensic, legal declaration of innocence. On the contrary, we hold that when James uses the term “justified,” he means that one is vindicated in his profession of faith. So while Paul is interested in discussing our justification before God (in the sense of our sins being imputed to Christ), James is interested in discussing our justification before men (in the sense that we are found to truly possess the faith that we profess). Of course, we understand that the latter definition of “justified” is a perfectly valid one, because we use the definition in everyday language. For example, if I tell my brother not to wear a certain shirt to school because he will be bullied, but he does anyway, and then comes home crying, then I will have been justified (or, found correct; vindicated) in my statement. Much the same, if I claim to believe The Gospel and have the fruit of salvation, then I am justified in my profession of faith: I am found to truly possess it.
So James 2:14 - 26 does not refute Sola Fide. Rather, it provides a helpful clarification that the kind of faith that saves will naturally be accompanied with (because it produces) good works. The common adage stands true: we are saved by faith alone, but saving faith is never alone.
Why It Matters
Sola Gratia and Sola Fide are the very heart of The Gospel. Without them, the message of Jesus Christ becomes a watered down perversion—and this is why we hold so passionately to them. On the one hand, Sola Gratia offers a blessed relief to the believer. “Stop striving,” it says. “Don’t you know that your works are like filthy rags? Brother, God has done the work; rest in His grace.” That message of God’s love, a love which comes to use without regard to our works, is the very power of the Gospel message. In denying it, a man loses both true peace with God and true assurance of his salvation. So, if Sola Gratia is lost, then the one ‘believing’ (that is, believing that his works are necessary) has missed out on the great joy of salvation—he has missed the point entirely.
However, whereas Sola Gratia emphasizes what a gift it is to receive biblical salvation, Sola Fide outlines the great danger of denying that gift in its true fullness. Sola Fide declares that we are saved by faith alone because what God has given in His grace is perfectly sufficient for our salvation. Therefore, because God’s grace is sufficient to save us and to bring about forgiveness of sins, we are to do nothing but believe The Gospel. We put forth our faith and not our works; we look towards the righteousness of Christ and not our own; we understand that Christ alone can purify us, and we understand that Christ alone has purified us. With this in view, we see that adding works, Law-keeping, or any hint of meritorious deeds—denying Sola Fide—actually means that you don’t trust Christ at all. The Bible teaches that Jesus “has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” [Hebrews 10:14]; the work is completely accomplished by Christ—inserting works of our own denies that what Christ has done and actually removes us from the benefits thereof. The Apostle Paul, in his first remarks to the Galatians—essentially the introduction to his refutation of demanding works—explains his bafflement with them, saying, “I marvel that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel, which is really not another, only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” [Galatians 1:6 - 7]. Paul calls their insertion of works “a different gospel,” which really means that it is not The Gospel. Meaning, consequentially, that it cannot save anyone.
To deny Sola Fide is to deny Sola Gratia. This, in turn, denies that the work of Christ is sufficient to bring about total salvation and perfect righteousness—which the Bible explicitly teaches. So not only does the man who relies on works not get to enjoy the immediate benefits of resting in God’s grace, but he furthermore does not get to enjoy the benefits of eternal life, for he has actually denied Christ Jesus.
This is why we urge so strongly that Sola Gratia and Sola Fide must be defended—because without them, no man can be saved.
See Also:
Romans 10:9
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
1 Corinthians 1:21
“For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased, through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who believe.”
Galatians 2:16
“Nevertheless, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
Galatians 3:14
“In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Galatians 3:22
“But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”
Galatians 3:24
“Therefore the Law has become our tutor unto Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.”
Galatians 3:26
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 1:9
“Receiving as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”
1 John 5:4
“For everything that has been born of God overcomes the world; and this is the overcoming that has overcome the world—our faith.”
1 John 5:13
“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
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