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A common objection brought against the biblical gospel of
grace alone through faith alone, is that it was simply an invention of the
Reformers. "They desired to break away
from Rome and start their own church," the charge is often laid. In response to this objection I can
confidently say one thing: the person speaking has never read the Reformers or
Church history. I would challenge an
objector to find a single place where Martin Luther or John Calvin talked about
creating their own church. In fact, there
are several places where they talked about a desire to restore the church to
what it had always believed- that salvation was by the grace of God alone,
through faith alone, in the finished work of Christ alone, for the glory of God
alone, according to the Scriptures alone.
But were the doctrines of the Reformation articulated before Martin Luther? Absolutely! Were the doctrines of the Reformation doctrines which were taught by the historic church? Absolutely! With this post we will examine the doctrine of sola fide. This doctrine teaches that we are made receive the salvation purchased by Christ, by the means of faith alone, and not through any righteous deed or work of merit. The biblical case for this doctrine has been made elsewhere. Today I desire to turn to history and examine quotations from the early church Fathers and draw the timeline all the way up until the time of the Reformation. This doctrine was not foreign to the early church.
First, let me briefly define sola fide. Luther’s quote at the introduction is very helpful alongside the image that is included.. Faith is not just an act of the head, but a submission of the will. It is a confidence. Hebrews 11 describes faith as “assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen.” The way the term “faith” is used in the 21st century is an act of the head, but faith is an act of the head, heart, and hands. It is a submission of ourselves, with absolute confidence in the object of our faith. It is the confidence we have to sit in a chair, knowing that it will hold our full weight. We sit down in the promises of Christ, fully assured that they will hold up.
But were the doctrines of the Reformation articulated before Martin Luther? Absolutely! Were the doctrines of the Reformation doctrines which were taught by the historic church? Absolutely! With this post we will examine the doctrine of sola fide. This doctrine teaches that we are made receive the salvation purchased by Christ, by the means of faith alone, and not through any righteous deed or work of merit. The biblical case for this doctrine has been made elsewhere. Today I desire to turn to history and examine quotations from the early church Fathers and draw the timeline all the way up until the time of the Reformation. This doctrine was not foreign to the early church.
First, let me briefly define sola fide. Luther’s quote at the introduction is very helpful alongside the image that is included.. Faith is not just an act of the head, but a submission of the will. It is a confidence. Hebrews 11 describes faith as “assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen.” The way the term “faith” is used in the 21st century is an act of the head, but faith is an act of the head, heart, and hands. It is a submission of ourselves, with absolute confidence in the object of our faith. It is the confidence we have to sit in a chair, knowing that it will hold our full weight. We sit down in the promises of Christ, fully assured that they will hold up.
