Sola
Fide?
Faith
Alone – Is It Really “Alone?”
An
Article By:
Scott
Windsor
http://www.americancatholictruthsociety.com
One of the mainstays of Protestantism
is the concept of “sola fide.” Two very straight-forward
words which translated mean “faith alone.” The stand,
foundationally started with Martin Luther, is in opposition to the
Church's position that true “saving faith” is never
alone. True “saving faith” is always accompanied by good
works, the first and foremost of these works is believing. Believing
in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is the foundational work of
faith in our lives. That is the Catholic position. Now what
Protestant really disagrees with this position? I am not aware of
any, yet they have this “doctrine” of “sola fide!”
So as to not misrepresent the
Protestant position, let's present some Protestant definitions of
“sola fide:”
James White:
Sola Fide –
faith alone, that is, saving faith, resting solely in the perfection
of the work of Jesus Christ in my stead. That is my hope. That is
the Good News. Not justification by baptism, then rejustification
after committing a mortal sin by sacramental forgiveness, penances,
and satisfactions. No merit from good works done in a state of grace
so as to receive eternal life.
No, justification
is by faith alone, so that it can be by grace alone. That is the
Gospel. (White, 151, The Roman Catholic Controversy).
R.C. Sproul:
“justification
is by faith alone, it is not by a faith that is alone.”
(Sproul, 26, Faith Alone).
J.I. Packer:
It was this
conflict with the medieval message that occasioned the fivefold
"only" in the slogans quoted above. Salvation, said the
Reformers, is by faith (man's total trust) only, without our
being obliged to work for it; it is by grace (God's free favor) only,
without our having to earn or deserve it first; it is by Christ
the God-man only, without there being need or room for any
other mediatoral agent, whether priest, saint, or virgin; it is by
Scripture only, without regard to such unbiblical and
unfounded extras as the doctrines of purgatory and of pilgrimages,
the relic-cult and papal indulgences as devices for shortening one's
stay there; and praise for salvation is due to God only, without
any credit for his acceptance of us being taken to ourselves.
(http://www.the-highway.com/Justification_Packer.html)
And we cannot forget Martin Luther on
the subject of justification by faith:
“articulus
stands aut cadentis ecclesiae” –
the point on whether the Church stands or falls. (qtd on:
http://www.the-highway.com/Justification_Packer.html)
So there we have it in a nutshell, this
is the doctrine which makes or breaks the Church, in the eyes of
Protestants. One thing that I find a bit interesting with virtually
every argument I've seen on the subject of “sola fide” is
that it is NEVER alone! We even find apologists arguing for FIVE
SOLAS! The term “sola” flies in the face of those boast
to have FIVE of them! If it's truly “sola,” then why do
they have five?! Sproul sums up most, if not all, Protestant
arguments quite succinctly in stating that though “justification
is by faith alone, it is not by a faith that is alone.” What I
find even more ironic is that few, if any, Protestants see the
double-speak of that statement! Is it “alone” or not?
If it is by faith alone, then nothing – and we must insist that
nothing – stands next to it for justification. But what does
Sproul say? “It is not by a faith that is alone.” All
in one breath Sproul both affirms and denies “sola” in
“sola fide.” More importantly that what Sproul says,
what does Scripture say? James
2:24 “You see that a man is
justified by works and not by faith alone.” James goes on to
say “For just as the body without the
spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James
2:26).
Now many Protestant apologists with
whom I've debated in the past will try to explain that justification
truly is by faith alone, and then join Sproul's double-speak stating
it is not a faith that is alone. One recent challenger, known only
as “Chris,” tried to explain it by analogy stating:
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I was walking along the bridge with
my wife when suddenly I saw a man lose his footing. I grabbed
his arm and stopped him sliding off. Later he circulated the
story "I was saved by Chris alone, however he was not a
man who was alone, his wife was there too."
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/catholicdebateforum/message/8276)
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The obvious flaw to Chris' analogy is
that even though his wife is there with him, she does nothing to save
the falling man. Now THAT is Chris' point, right? Yet, where the
point fails is when we compare that to faith, or more specifically a
“saving faith” we see that “works” are what
are “next to” the “saving faith.” Chris has
equated his wife to “works” in his analogy, yet in
“saving faith” the works are what make “saving
faith” a “living faith,” for “faith without
works is dead!” To make Chris' analogy complete, if his wife
is not there with him, then Chris would be DEAD! If Chris were
“dead” then he would not have the capacity to “grab”
the falling man's arm and “save” him. Chris' analogy is
“fatally flawed.”
From the same forum (the Catholic
Debate Forum on Yahoogroups) where Chris makes his argument, I also
received this challenge from one, for the sake of this article, I
will refer to as “Dr. Jim.” The challenge from Dr. Jim
is this:
Tell you what --
find one verse from Paul that says we are
justified by faith AND works and we'll have something.
That's your
challenge.
Ready? GO (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/catholicdebateforum/message/8258)
(1Ti
4:16) Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching;
persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure
salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Hmmm,
the word “justification” is not there, but St. Paul is
telling Timothy if he “persevere(s) in these things” that
he “will ensure salvation...” Clearly we see that St.
Paul is telling Timothy that he must DO something or “work”
to ensure his salvation.
To the Thessalonians St. Paul said:
2Th 1:3 We ought always to give thanks
to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is
greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another
grows ever greater;
2Th 1:4 therefore, we ourselves speak
proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and
faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you
endure.
St. Paul here (and several other
places, see below) includes the act or work of “perseverance”
with faith and encouragement to “endure.”
Back to the subject of analogies, Jesus
Himself uses a parable of the sower, with the seeds being the Word of
God, and the ultimate teaching is that those who honestly, with a
good heart, do the “work” of holding it, the Word of God,
and bearing fruit with it in perseverance. What is the subject of
this parable? The subject is the “kingdom of heaven!”
(see Luke 8:1, 11-15).
But “Dr. Jim's” challenge
was that I show St. Paul using “justified” in combination
with “works,” so let's look at Romans 2:
Rom 2:13 “for it is not the
hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law
will be justified.”
So, you must be a “doer” or
one who “works” to be justified!
The case against “sola fide”
is so strong, it seems silly that Protestants still attempt to defend
the doctrine. Clearly Luther overstated his case in making sola fide
the point on which the (Protestant) Church stands or falls, for
certainly one who reads the Scriptures objectively can see that
saving faith is NEVER alone (James 2) and that throughout the New
Testament we're taught perseverance, endurance, and constantly
reminded about what we must “do” for our salvation
(justification is the process of making one “just” or
“right” in the sight of God, which is necessary and a
process in which the “end” is either salvation or
condemnation).
A point which I have not yet mentioned
in this article, but no article in opposition to “sola fide”
is complete without is the fact that the ONLY place in ALL of
Scripture where “faith” and “alone” are used
together is in James 2:24, and that is in NEGATION of the concept of
“sola fide.” I will close this article quoting that
verse, then follow with many others which mention things we must “DO”
in the process of salvation.
You
see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Scriptural references showing that
we are expected to DO something:
Verses which mention we must
“persevere” or “perseverance:”
Luk
8:15 "But the seed
in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an
honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with
perseverance.
Rom
2:7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory
and honor and immortality, eternal life;
Rom
5:3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations,
knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
Rom
5:4 and perseverance, proven character;
and proven character, hope;
Rom
5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was
given to us.
Rom
8:25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance
we wait eagerly for it.
Rom
15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written
for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the
encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Rom
15:5 Now may the God who gives
perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind
with one another according to Christ Jesus,
Rom
15:6 so that with one accord you may
with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2Co
12:12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you
with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
Eph
6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the
Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance
and petition for all the saints,
Eph
6:19 and pray
on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my
mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
Eph
6:20 for which I am an ambassador in
chains; that in proclaiming
it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
2Th
1:3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren,
as is only fitting, because your
faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one
another grows ever greater;
2Th
1:4 therefore, we ourselves speak
proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance
and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which
you endure.
1Ti
6:11 But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and
gentleness.
(2Ti
3:10) Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith,
patience, love, perseverance,
(2Ti
3:11) persecutions, and
sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and
at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord
rescued me!
(1Ti
4:16) Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching;
persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure
salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
(Tit
2:2) Older men are to be temperate, dignified, sensible,
sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.
(2Pe
1:5) Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence,
in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your
moral excellence, knowledge,
(2Pe
1:6) and in your
knowledge, self-control, and in your
self-control, perseverance, and in your
perseverance, godliness,
(2Pe
1:7) and in your
godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your
brotherly kindness, love.
(Rev
1:9) I, John, your brother and fellow partaker in the
tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which
are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of
the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
(Rev
2:2) 'I know your deeds and your toil
and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put
to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and
you found them to be
false;
(Rev
2:3) and
you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have
not grown weary.
(Rev
2:19) 'I know your deeds, and your love
and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late
are greater than at first.
(Rev
3:10) 'Because you have kept the word
of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing,
that hour
which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell
on the earth.
(Rev
13:10) If anyone is destined
for captivity, to captivity he goes; if anyone kills with the sword,
with the sword he must be killed. Here is the perseverance and the
faith of the saints.
(Rev
14:12) Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the
commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.
What
must we DO to be saved?
Act
16:29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling
with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas,
Act
16:30 and after he brought them out, he
said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
Act
16:31 They said, "Believe
in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved
Joh
3:16 "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.
Luk 8:11 "Now
the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.
Luk 8:12 "Those
beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and
takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe
and be saved.
Luk 8:13 "Those
on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word
with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and
in time of temptation fall away.
Luk 8:14 "The
seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard,
and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches
and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
Luk 8:15 "But
the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word
in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with
perseverance.
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