Faith Alone: The Doctrine of Justification -- Thomas Schreiner

Faith Alone--The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught ...and Why it Still Matters

Historians and theologians have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were five declarations, often referred to as the ‘solas’. Thomas Schreiner, Professor of New Testament, introduces The Five Solas series that offers readers a look back to the five rallying cries of the Reformation, while seeking to apply them in a fresh way to the contemporary church.

[iilwjcanc]

All these comments about "how do you write a whole book about that" or "how can you justify this from scripture". Go read the book. Honestly. Schreiner's book is possibly the most important book on this subject in a LOOOONG time

[jburghau]

In his introduction to this book, John Piper includes comments about "final salvation" which are very disturbing, even though Piper seems to contradict this at the end of the introduction. Please read Gary Gilley`s superb review on Amazon as well as my review and other critical reviews. Confusing at best.

[mvjayas]

WRONG Faith with out work it is dead See the Bible verse.

James 2:14
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, ” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.


James 2:24
....As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.

James 2:26
26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

[bikeoffrd]

Put your Faith in Jesus for one is saved by Faith alone. One is not saved by works, but The Faith that says.. but does not do is really unbelief. One receives a blessing for works. God bless all. 


Matthew 7:21


King James Version 


21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.


James 1:22-25


King James Version


22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.



23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:



24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.



25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.



James 2:26


King James Version


26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

[csc]

An entire religious doctrine has been created using the simple phrase "faith alone" or "faith only." Interesting then how this single phrase only shows up one place in scripture --James 2:24: "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone." How do you write an entire book around an idea that clearly does not exist in scripture.

[TheBibleSays]

The apostle James made it clear that Abraham was NOT justified by faith alone. Neither are we!
Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." Note that the verse does NOT say we receive grace just because we *_have_* faith . . . it says *_through_* faith. So, what does _"through_ faith" mean? Hebrews 11:6 shows that _through_ faith we can make a choice: to choose to come to God: "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." It is the _choice_ we make - to come to God - that makes the difference, not just having faith that God is real and that a choice is available! Faith is given to us to call us. Question is, will we answer the call?

Consider Abraham. Abraham was promised blessings if he would leave home and journey to the promised land. Through faith he chose to obey (see Hebrews 11:8 and Gen 26:5) and then received the blessings. Would he have received the blessings by having faith in the promises but staying home? Of course not! That would have been dead faith, faith without works, faith without obedience. Abraham's "works" was his obedience. James wrote about Abraham:

"Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:22-24).

Those three verses from James show that _true believing is more than "faith alone"!_

Did Abraham receive the blessings, and imputed righteousness, by "faith alone, " by just thinking God's promises were true? No! He was a _believer._ In the true and complete sense of the word _believe, _ he obeyed, he acted on his faith. His obedience made his faith alive and "perfect" or complete.

Do we receive saving grace by "faith alone, " thinking this or that is true? No! Jesus is "the author of eternal salvation unto all them that _obey_ Him" (Hebrews 5:9). And who is it that receives the holy spirit . . . is it those who have "faith alone"? No! "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that _obey_ him" (Peter, in Acts 5:32).

So, how do we obey? The apostle Paul explained: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent" (Acts 17:30). We obey by repenting, choosing to come to God, as we read earlier in Hebrews 11:6. Through the ransom Jesus made available on the cross, His life for ours, we can be redeemed from the death penalty we have earned (Romans 6:23) for our past sins . . . IF we'll choose to turn from living apart from God, to turn from sin that earned us the death penalty in the first place. Without repentance, we remain unredeemed from the death penalty earned for past sins . . . and we will surely perish in death for those sins. That's why Jesus warned "except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:5).

Those who preach "faith alone" are misrepresenting Jesus and deceiving many. After His resurrection Jesus appeared to His disciples. Notice what He told them to preach:

"Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that *_repentance and remission of sins_* should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:45-47).

Let's go back to Ephesians 2:8 and include verses 9 and 10:
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

"Works" means different things according to the context. The "works" Paul referred to in Ephesians 2:9 was "good works" or good deeds as seen in verse 10. Neither these, nor "the works of the law" (circumcision, etc, from Paul's letters to the Romans and Galatians) can ever "earn" grace or justification. Abraham's "works" was another type of works: his simple obedience through faith. Abraham's obedience made his faith alive and complete, making him a believer. For that, righteousness was imputed to him and he received the promised blessings.

Those who abide in a relationship with Jesus are becoming "his workmanship" (v. 10): the relationship with Him "yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11; Rev 3:19). As they become the "new man" Paul wrote about they are learning to keep the commandments. And they produce good works because it is becoming their nature to do so. Those good works in no way earn justification, but they are evidence of faith made alive - and of the holy spirit received - through obedience.