Sola Fide

This post is part of a series I’ve been sharing with my Sunday School class on the five Solas and is a continuation to my devotion on Sola Scriptura. Here’s a little bit about what Sola Fide means. . .

For the past few months we have been talking about syncretism and a series of doctrines called the five Solas. These doctrines came out of a period in church history known as the Reformation. Last time I spoke about Sola Scriptura and the importance of studying God’s Word for ourselves. Today I will talk about the second Sola, Sola Fide, which means “by faith alone.”

One of the most important doctrines presented in the Bible over and over again is faith. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Obviously faith is of great importance to God, because without it we cannot please God.

But how does the Bible define faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” We see that having faith means believing in something we cannot see. If we look back at Hebrews 11:6, we can see we have to believe that God exists in order to receive the reward of knowing Him personally. I know of atheists who say they don’t believe in God because they have “never felt his presence in (their) lives.” But in order to have a personal relationship with God, we have to believe (or want to believe) that He indeed exists.

All the doctrines of Christianity require faith. We were not there when Christ died and rose from the dead. We need faith to believe that we receive salvation (atonement) through a personal relationship with Christ by His grace alone. We need faith to believe that heaven and hell really exist because we have no physical proof here on earth. It takes faith to believe that every word of the Bible was spoken and inspired by God alone.

It also takes great faith to believe that we are saved by God’s grace alone and not by works. I have been reading a fascinating book called “So What’s the Difference?” by Fritz Ridenour. The book compares all of the major world religions plus several cults with Christianity, and explores the differences. As I have read about Roman Catholicism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, and right now Jehovah’s Witnesses, I have noticed a common theme. Every other religion requires some form of work to earn salvation, paradise, etc. All other religions when compared to Christianity can be defined as “do versus done.” Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” We are completely saved by God’s irresistible grace through faith in Christ Jesus, and God alone receives the glory.

But all this is not to say that we believe by faith and that’s all we are called to do as Christians. We are called to be sanctified, which means becoming more holy as God is holy. But unlike the Catholics, the Mormons, the Muslims, and all other religions, we are not saved by good works, but rather for good works.

And last—but certainly not least—we must have faith in God’s perfect will for our lives. And by “perfect” I don’t mean that all goes well! Until we get to heaven, we’ll never understand why we get hurt, why plans go wrong, or why we experience pain. But we must have faith that God has a plan to use every hurt, every trial, and every persecution to bring Himself more glory. We must have faith in His promises such as Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”)

I would suggest that you all take time to read Hebrews 11 when you get home this afternoon. This is the “Hall of Faith” chapter of the Bible and is chock-full of examples of men and woman who lived lives of faith. I always find it encouraging when I hear of others who have lived through difficult circumstances and grown in their faith because of it.

I’d like to close by repeating the verse I shared earlier, Hebrews 11:6: “And without faith it is impossible to please God.” Ask yourself this week, “am I growing in my faith in God? Do I know how to defend my faith when others question my beliefs? And am I holding onto the idea that I can earn salvation by doing good works rather than by His grace alone?” Remember that it is by faith alone that we are saved!