Did anyone believe in justification by faith alone before the Reformation?

The Reformation recovered the Bible’s teaching of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. Is there evidence that anyone believed this doctrine prior to the 16th century? From one of our Ask R.C. events, R.C. Sproul examines the record of church history.

[jesusistheonlygodamen]

"Faith apart from works" and "not by works" means Faith alone saves, works being the results and fruit of saving faith.

[snippletrap]

The doctrine is true with qualification. It must be a living faith that bears fruit and effects change, not a dead faith that produces nothing. Fruitless faith is really no faith at all. It is worthless and will be tossed into the fire, as Jesus warned many times.

[ronaldkulas]

I have been searching for this topic for the past few years.

[denonjoka]

Thanks R. C. Sproul *4 This Powerful, Blessful Perspective 4 I Say That Apostle Paul Is The One Who Believed Justification By Faith Alone If We Read Ephesians 2:8 That We Have Been Saved By Grace Thru Faith; & Not of Our Own That We Should Boast 4 Salvation Is The Gift of God* & May Our Great Almighty God Bless Yu R. C. Sproul & Lingonier Ministries 4 Yu R. C. Sproul are Missed So Much.🙏🙏🕊️🕊️🕊️🕊️

[HillbillyBlack]

Faith Alone


Clement of Rome

All these, therefore, were highly honoured, and made great, not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of His will. And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

John Chrysostom

The patriarch Abraham himself before receiving circumcision had been declared righteous on the score of faith alone: before circumcision, the text says, “Abraham believed God, and credit for it brought him to righteousness.”

“What is the “law of faith?” It is, being saved by grace. Here he shows God’s power, in that He has not only saved, but has even justified, and led them to boasting, and this too without needing works, but looking for faith only.”


To say the early church did not teach Faith alone is a BOLD FACE LIE.

[nicolas]

genesis 15 :5-6 _"5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."_
it is there since the beginning ...

[jvlp]

My understanding of "Justification by Faith Alone (Sola Fide)" means thru the Grace of God, "FAITH" (not work) must come FIRST "alone" before "GOOD WORKS" (Charity of Love/Deeds) that are pleasing in the sight of God, begins/starts...

It can not be WORK alone first before FAITH or both Faith and Work thru Grace justifies us at "the same time"... Our Faith Alone in God must come "FIRST" to each individual, then through our Faith in God... the FRUITS of Good Works (Charity of Love/Deeds) will manifest or reflect on us thru the grace of God in Christ Jesus as "EVIDENCE" to our Faith... Yes, it is true... the Bible said, "FAITH without WORK is a dead faith"... but it did not say, ... "WORK without FAITH is a dead work."... Christ said, No works/deeds of man can be justified in the sight of God unless Faith thru Grace of God must come first to man... and that Faith is thru HIs Son, Christ Jesus... after that, our Charity of Love/Deeds begins/starts throughout our life in Christ and that is where our DEEDS/WORKS will be judged by God on His Judgement Day (Rev. 20:12 / Roman 2:6/14:10-12)...

Therefore, FAITH "alone" must come FIRST before Good Works (Charity of Love/Deeds) begins/starts for those who truly repented and believe in God... Can not be the other way around... Amen.

[gordoncrawley]

Gordon Crawley
1 hour ago (edited)
@MrKev1664 Kind of a snotty, prideful remark for a "Christian" to be making-- "I suggest you give it a read". A different interpretation of the bible does not mean that someone is not reading their bible and reading it well. Let's look at the same account in Matthew 27: 38-44. In verse 44 it says that both robbers heaped insults on Jesus as the others did. But in Luke, after a time, the one robber repented and brought honor to Christ. Then he asks Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into his kingdom. It is obvious by his asking this, that he had come to faith in Christ (alone) for his salvation. It was not his kind words toward Christ that saved him, it was his repentant, contrite heart and his belief in Christ that saved him. Repentance is a change of mind and heart and is not a physical work. And he wasn't even baptized to boot. Eph. 2:8-9 expressly says that works are not credited to someone for salvation, because God's grace onto salvation is a total "gift". The saving part is justification, that is, being made righteous before God, by His decree. And this was done justly, because Christ totally paid the sin debt for us, past, present and future, for God knows all our sins, He is eternal. This is a spiritual transaction and we secure it in a spiritual way--by having "faith", because God's Word says that is the way it happens, over and over again. At the point of having faith we are "born again" not of flesh, but of the Spirit and are adopted into the Family of God. (See John 3) This must happen FIRST, because without it, we are still the enemies of God, dead in our sins, but Christ, by his work on the cross, reconciles us to God. If we are not reconciled to God, all the good works we could ever do are worthless and unacceptable for our salvation. You did not born yourself into this life and likewise you cannot born yourself in the Spirit, you have to be born from above. God knows His people and He will sanctify them as they grow up in Christ. Good works are a part of our new life in God, but it is after the fact of being saved, by faith, and nothing else. Christ saves us, not any "church". We are saved and added to the universal church that God "knows" out of all denominations. There are going to be people in churches, including the RCC that are really not saved, they merely are professors. Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 7, many are calling him Lord, even bragging about their good works, but he tells them he did not know them. Doing good works, can never bring you to salvation, and works are not the only proof of salvation. Do not forget "holiness" love, humility, etc. Those Jesus does know, are the ones who are truly united to him. Christ is "Christianity", it is all about him! Who else was on that cross and who else could qualify as our savior, and he is the one who alone, saves us and sanctifies us, if we belong to him. This is not just about doing good works, it is about being, IN CHRIST! For any of us, our only plea on that day will be, "have mercy on me, an undeserving sinner, because I believed on Jesus Christ, the Son of God

[darrengordon]

The only place in the word of God where it uses the phrase Faith Alone is in James chapter 2 where it is rejected as a means of justification .

[smeatonlighthouse]

Abraham believed God and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. He was the 'father' of faith. All the Old Testament saints were saved on the principle of Faith, looking forward to Christ even though they never heard of Him. God in foreknowledge of what Christ would perform on Calvary, could save these men and women. All the early churches believed in that fashion and that is why the Jews soon persecuted the early believers as they wanted their works of the Law and not Grace which put them on a level par with gentiles.

[johnflorio]

The only place in Sacred Scripture where it says “faith alone” those two words are preceded by “not by.” Read James 2:24 if you don’t believe me.

[paulrock]

Acts 15:8 And God which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness giving them the Holy Ghost as he did also us, And put no difference between us & them, purifying their hearts by faith, Now why tempt ye God to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we are able to bear, But we believe that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. 14: God did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. Amos 9:11, 12 after this he will return & build again the tabernacle of David & so on.

[andrewlawrencei]

Absolutely only one true gospel, salvation is absolutely the work of God a lone non other

[alexjurado]

The answer is no. Not a single early Church Father believed in nor taught the belief of ‘justification by faith alone’ as believed by Protestants today. In fact, every single one of the early Church Fathers taught that Baptism is necessary for salvation, which is in direct contradiction with today’s Protestant understanding of ‘Faith Alone.’ Interestingly enough, even Martin Luther himself, as well as many other key players in the Reformation believed and taught that Baptism is necessary for salvation.

[bmoore]

This is great answer to common (and on the surface understandable) objection many Roman Catholics have to Reform Soteriology

[nalcon]

Yes! Abraham believed in faith alone because God said exactly that! Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him righteousness.

[dalelinebarger]

Yeah, Abraham! King David! Everyone mentioned in Hebrews 11.

[alexanderjohnson]

The Joint Declaration of 1994 between Lutherans and the Vatican is helpful to consider here, as it’s official Vatican doctrine. Both groups carefully lay out their understanding of justification.

[andrewlawrencei]

Salvation only by God forgive ness alone nothing else

[gregwademan]

There is only one place in the bible where we find the words faith and alone together: James 2:24 - Not by faith alone.
The Church fathers did not teach justification by faith alone. What they did teach is, sola fide formata, which means faith formed by charity. In fact, Augustine out-right condemned salvation by faith alone:

“Let us now consider the question of faith. In the first place, we feel that we should advise the faithful that they would endanger the salvation of their souls if they acted on the false assurance that faith alone is sufficient for salvation or that they need not perform good works in order to be saved".
- St. Augustine, "On Faith and Works", 14:21. 413 AD.

“…if one can obtain eternal life without keeping the commandments, by faith alone, which without works is dead. And then, too, how will the Lord be able to say to those whom He will place on His left hand: Go into the everlasting fire, which was prepared for the devil and his angels? For it is evident that He rebukes them, not because they did not believe in Him, but because they did not perform good works”.
- St. Augustine, "On Faith and Works", 15:25, 413 AD.

Justification by faith alone was an invention of Luther and was not taught before this.