If there is one doctrine that defines Protestantism, it is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The Reformers rediscovered and recovered the doctrine in the Reformation. The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines justification as “an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone” (WSC Q&A 33).
The importance of this doctrine cannot be overstated. John Calvin called it the central doctrine on which the hinge of the Christian religion turns. Luther stated that the whole of Christianity either stands or falls on this doctrine.
However, there is a tendency among many believers to see the doctrine of justification as a historical dogma without much relevance for one’s life in the modern world. Yet, justification by faith alone still matters and it always will. Here are three reasons why.
1. Without Justification by Faith Alone, There is No Salvation
The central question at the heart of the doctrine is “how can sinful man condemned by the law of God ever be accepted in God’s sight and rendered holy?” The answer of Scripture is that one is “justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom. 3:24-25).
The only thing that can save sinners is the sovereign forensic (legal) declaration of God in the holy court of heaven. Thereby sinners are pardoned and pronounced righteous in God’s sight by the imputation of their sins upon Christ and his righteousness upon them (2 Cor. 5:21).
It is impossible for sinful man to save himself by his moral efforts in keeping the law of God. He can never be declared righteous based on the merits of his good works, which are but filthy rags (Isa. 64:6). Thus, whatever perfect keeping of God’s law, acts of charity, and personal virtues one exhibits, it is still imperfect and insufficient to satisfy the holy standard of God’s justice.
Paul is clear that “by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight” (Rom. 3:20). “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16). The self-justifying efforts of man are in vain and do not avail salvation. It is only by faith in Christ and his work on the cross that one can be justified in God’s sight (Rom. 5:1). Thus, without justification by faith there is no salvation.
2. Without Justification by Faith Alone, There is No Assurance
It is the knowledge that one has been justified by faith alone and not through obedience to the law or works of charity that causes one to rest assured that one is truly forgiven and accepted by God. The forensic verdict of God in Christ Jesus is sufficient to quell all doubts of one’s state of salvation. It is the final word in the high court of heaven.
The doctrine of justification by faith alone produces the greatest comfort in life for the believer.
As Paul asks, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Rom. 8:33). Being justified by God through the blood of Jesus, the believer is saved from the wrath of God (Rom. 5:9).
A person’s assurance of salvation is then not based upon their subjective experience or inward emotions. But rather on the external, objective reality of God’s work in Jesus Christ. It is the truth of the gospel word which declares Christ’s obedience that brings forth true peace of mind.
Martin Luther, in a 1530 letter to his friend Jerome Weller, who struggled with spiritual depression and despaired of his salvation, wrote,
When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made a satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.”
The doctrine of justification by faith alone produces the greatest comfort in life for the believer. He is assured of eternal life even in death. However, without justification by faith, one is left anxious and ever restless in life.
3. Without Justification by Faith Alone, There is No Sanctification
One criticism of Catholic and Arminian theologians is that the doctrine of justification by faith alone leads to a life of licentiousness. They argue that a doctrine that states a sinner is made wholly righteous before God apart from any personal merit, work, or decision gives no motivation for holy living. Without the threat of God’s judgement, can fallen man be expected to live righteously?
God calls the believer not to work for his salvation but rather to work for God since he has been saved!
Paul faced the same line of flawed reasoning with the antinomians who abused the grace of justification as a license to sin. However, Paul is clear that this can never be. He writes, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Rom. 6:1-2). By justification, one is made anew and therefore cannot continue to live a life of sin.
The Scottish Theologian Robert Traill wrote, “No man can abuse (justification) for its power prevents its abuse.” On the contrary, it is spiritual abuse to insist that the only way man may be sanctified is through the threat of condemnation. Such acts are then not works of love rendered to God. Rather, they are selfish works of self-righteousness intended for one’s self-justification.
True sanctification is a result of justification. It is only when one knows that they are saved apart from their works that they can now work for God, doing the good works which he prepared beforehand (Eph. 2:10). God calls the believer not to work for his salvation but rather to work for God since he has been saved!
Thus, the justified sinner serves God and pursues a life of holiness, not out of fear of judgement but rather out of a heart of gratitude for God’s justifying grace in Christ Jesus.
