Sola Fide - Faith Alone

b. Illust: Back in HS, had a college prep English Class. Mrs. Ross was the teacher. She was tough. First day of class, had us stand to the chalk board and diagram sentences. Now, ashamed to admit this, but I wasn’t underclassman, yet never had English class deal with diagramming. Now, I was in good company, with exception of a few girls in my class no one else knew how to diagram either. Can still remember Mrs. Ross writing sentences and telling us to diagram them by parts of speech and seeing us look blankly at her. She began to get angry and we began to get frustrated because SHE MEANT IT and we knew we couldn’t do it!

B. Understanding this Doctrine is an Essential Point of Distinction still today.

1. There are distinctive and difference that are important to note in some instances.

a. There’s a strong push in the Church today to break down all denominational and doctrinal distinctives among professing Christians. This even includes Catholics and Protestants. . We’re being told that since both groups believe in Jesus Christ, we shouldn’t get hung up over some theological fine points on this matter of justification by faith alone. Love and unity and being perceived as being nice are more important than correct doctrine, so we are told not to debate distinctives. Yet, here is the truth, all groups have their own distinctive whether Protestant or Catholic, whether Orhodox or even the Noon Day Optimist club.

b. Illust: At the Council of Trent (in 1547), the Roman Catholic Church responded to the Protestant Reformation, including the doctrine of justification by faith. The Canons and Decrees of Trent represent the official teaching of the Catholic Church to this day. The Second Vatican Council in the 1960’s declared these doctrines “irreformable.” Trent did not deny that we are saved by God’s grace through faith. But it added works to faith by combining justification (right standing with God) with sanctification (our growth in holiness subsequent to being justified) and by making justification a process that depends in part on our good works.

If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified, in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, ... let him be anathema. (Session 6, Canon 9, in Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom [Baker], 2:112.)

If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ’s sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified: let him be anathema. (Session 6, Canon 12, in Schaff, 2:113.)

2. Man is a fallen sinner with no meritorious, inherent, goodness.

a. Paul argues in the first three chapters of Romans, everyone from the raw pagan to the most religious Jew has violated God’s law and is under His just condemnation. Paul is arguing, using Abraham as his prime example, that no one can gain right standing with God through good works. The only way to be right with God is to trust in God’s provision for sin in Christ.