Justification by faith alone
Historic orthodoxy
God declares sinners righteous in His sight not because of anything they do, but only because of Christ's righteousness, received through faith alone.
Also called: sola fide, justified by faith alone, justification by faith
What it means
To be justified is to be declared righteous by God, the Judge. It is a legal verdict, not a gradual process of becoming good. The question is how a guilty sinner can receive the verdict "righteous." The Reformers answered from Scripture: not by works, not by sacraments, not by faith plus anything else, but by faith alone, because faith looks away from itself to Christ.
God pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous, not by putting righteousness into us first, but by counting Christ's obedience and death as ours. Faith is the empty hand that receives this gift. It is not itself the righteousness that saves; Christ is. That is why Paul can say God justifies "the ungodly" and why a believer can have peace with God now, not only at the end.
Faith alone does not mean a faith that is alone. True faith always bears fruit in love and good works, as James insists. But those works are the result of being justified, never the ground of it. The Reformers called this doctrine the article by which the church stands or falls.
In Scripture
A person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
God justifies the ungodly, and the one who trusts Him has his faith credited as righteousness.
We are justified by faith in Christ, not by works of the law.
Saved by grace through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast.
Paul wants a righteousness from God through faith in Christ, not his own.
Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.
Where it comes up
Confessions: WCF 11.1; WCF 11.2; LBCF 1689 11.1; Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 60; Belgic Confession Art. 22-23; WSC Q 33
On this site: Gospel & justification
Related terms
ImputationHistoric orthodoxy
God counts, or credits, one person's standing to another, so that our sin was counted to Christ and His righteousness is counted to those who believe.
Justification by faith and worksOutside historic orthodoxy
The teaching that a person is made right with God by faith together with his own good works, obedience, or participation in sacraments.
New Perspective on PaulFlagged as a concern
A school of New Testament study that reads Paul's teaching on justification mainly as about who belongs to God's people, often denying that Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers.
Federal VisionFlagged as a concern
A movement within Reformed churches that ties a person's standing with God closely to baptism and ongoing covenant faithfulness, blurring justification by faith alone.
The gospelHistoric orthodoxy
The good news that God saves sinners through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and freely forgives and accepts all who turn from sin and trust in Him.