Sola Fide | Justified and Righteous By Faith
No discussion of faith is complete without at least a brief look at Hebrews 11 which walks through the faith in the heroes of the Old Testament. While the Old Covenant put the crux of salvation on the ability of mankind to be obedient to the law, the author of Hebrews still draws the conclusion that man still acted in faithful obedience to God as expressed through what they do. Their works came as a direct result of their faith as they sought to trust in the future promises of a loving and saving God. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 ESV) What then proceeds is the expression of faith throughout the whole body of the Old Testament.
Within the context of faith, two important topics quickly surface as we explore the idea that we receive salvation by faith alone. First, that our legal right standing does not come from our own actions, but instead comes from the actions of God. Second, that our righteousness comes by faith rather than our faith coming from our righteousness. All salvation comes by grace alone (Sola Gratia) so that no one would be able to boast. This applies also to our faith. The very fabric of our faith comes by the grace of God that justifies our right standing before the judgment of God and sets us our feet on the foundation of righteousness.
Justified By Faith
Without the works of Christ, we could not maintain an ounce of right standing before a Holy and Righteous God. Our sinful actions, produced in the blackest corners of our heart that craves flesh, render mankind unrighteous and guilty of crimes against God. Our legal status is beyond repair and our debt has risen above levels we would be able to pay. Justification is a legal term designating a persons right standing. Yet, from our sin, our legal stand holds nothing on its own. Our own action render us unjustified. Any attempt to show ourselves justified will only fall short compared to the richness and greatness of God’s holiness.
Justification, though, if it cannot come from our works, can only be produced by grace through faith. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 ESV) Our justification comes from faith in Jesus Christ, which is given to us as a means of grace. Even our faith finds its source in our Heavenly Father. As we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, believing in faith that everything we have comes from Him, we find our justification as being made right in the eyes of God. Our legal status changes when we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our justification comes from the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
Righteousness from Christ Alone By Faith Alone
Righteousness is similar to justification. Where justification looks at the legal and right standing of a person, righteousness looks at the the heart standing. Throughout scripture, there is a clear and evident link between righteousness and faith. “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17 ESV) Yet, bear in mind, that our actions on our own cannot produce any goodness on our own. For us to be considered righteous, we hold faith in the person of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins, defeated death, and rose again on the third day.
The righteousness of God is imputed to us as a gift of grace. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV) Even in our righteousness, we receive it as a gift by grace through faith. The works of Jesus Christ provide for our eternal salvation and our righteousness. When we submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in faith, we receive the righteousness of Christ as our own as we learn to express our faith through our redeemed actions. Faith trusts that the work of Christ will produce the righteousness in our souls, on our behalf, and transforms our thoughts, words, and deeds.
