Similar Sound, Opposite Sense

Sounds so similar, but completely opposite sense!
The reason why any are justified is not because they have faith;

but the reason why they have faith is because they are justified."

Similar sound, Opposite sense

A grand and plain statement about the just - those justified by God, freely by His grace when they were in their native condemned state - has been grotesquely twisted into a proposal how the unjustified can be justified by God, through their faith. The latter is popularly known as the "sola fide" of the Protestant Reformation.

Romans 3:24 KJV — Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Justification before God is:

- FREELY by His grace

- THROUGH the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.

WHERE in the whole of Holy Scriptures is the popular concept of "sola fide" found? The "sola fide" popularised by the followers of the protestant reformation plainly repudiates the Scriptures even though they shout "sola scriptura" ever so loudly.

The popular retort from the reformed folks, when shown the above, is this, "... but faith is the gift of God!"

Let's see. Assuming that be true, then they are saying that:

- the gift of faith is given to one who is not justified, i.e. still under condemnation, and the unjustified then utilize that gift in order to be justified before God.

- the gift of faith is given to one who is still dead in trespasses and sins (a man unjustified by God is still a man without the righteousness of Christ, thus still under the condemnation of sin and death), and the one still dead in trespasses and sins will utilize the gift of faith in order to be justified before God.
- See what further mess is produced; error leading to more error.
- The gift in Eph 2:8 is NOT faith; it is the eternal salvation and this is bestowed freely by God's grace, necessarily so because those dead in trespasses and sins are incapable of meeting any condition; such CAN'T exercise faith.
- For an exposition on Eph 2:8-9, take a look here: https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2008/01/saved-by-grace-through-faith-whose.html

There is a Scriptural "faith alone." It is how the just (i.e. those already freely justified by God through the redemption of Jesus Christ) can be blessed to experience the blessedness of their justified state, even through faith in Christ Jesus. This is solely and wholly because their free grace justification by God is THROUGH the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Apostle Paul demonstrated and illustrated and evidenced and vindicated this truth with the glorious example of Abraham. It is simply by faith, without any keeping and observing any ceremonial laws of the old covenant.

The popular Protestant Reformation "sola fide" is a perversion of the Scriptural "faith alone."

Roman 4

1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?

(What was Abraham's experience?)

2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

To refute the Jewish believers who wanted to impose the old covenant ceremonial laws upon the Gentile believers, Apostle Paul demonstrated that Abraham (already freely justified by God way back in Genesis 11) experienced the blessedness of righteousness through faith in the promised Seed (Genesis 15:1-6); it was NOT through the works of keeping the ceremonial laws.

May the Lord open your eyes to see the truth of faith alone, and save you from the popular lie of "sola fide."

Since "sola fide" has been asserted and touted by many Reformed folks as the article of the standing or falling of the church, then by this standard, most churches are fallen churches because of their addiction to sola fide.