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Role of Faith in Salvation and Justification

Faith functions as the instrument by which sinners receive justification, a forensic declaration that God pardons sin and accounts believers as righteous before the law [1]. This formulation, rooted in Paul's letters—particularly Romans and Galatians—has generated centuries of theological debate over whether faith itself constitutes a work, what precisely faith apprehends, and how justification relates to the believer's subsequent moral transformation.

The Biblical Foundation

Paul declares in Romans 3:26 that God is "just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus" [3], establishing faith as the means by which justification is received. This justification comes "freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" [5], indicating that grace is the moving cause while faith serves as the receiving instrument. The Apostle contrasts this with justification by works of law, which he categorically excludes [7]. Faith itself involves persuasion of mind that certain statements are true, with trust as its primary idea [2]. It includes knowledge and assent, yet extends beyond mere intellectual acknowledgment to active reliance [2].

The Protestant Consensus

The Augsburg Confession and the Thirty-Nine Articles both articulate justification by faith as a central Protestant doctrine [11, 12]. Charles Hodge, representing the Reformed tradition, defines faith as "merely the instrumental cause of justification," describing it as "the act of receiving and resting upon" Christ [10]. This formulation carefully distinguishes faith from merit: believers do not earn justification through the act of believing, but rather receive an alien righteousness through faith as an empty hand extended toward Christ.

The forensic nature of justification is critical to this understanding. Justification is "the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law" [1]. The law is not relaxed but declared fulfilled in the strictest sense [1]. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown emphasize that justification operates by faith "in order that its purely gracious character may be seen" [8], ensuring that no human contribution obscures the gratuitous nature of God's saving action.

Faith and Works: The Contested Boundary

The relationship between faith and works has divided traditions. John Gill, from a Baptist Reformed perspective, insists that the moving cause of justification is "the free love and favour of God, as it is in his heart" [9], with faith serving only as the receiving instrument. Adam Clarke, representing Wesleyan thought, affirms that "neither the works of the Jewish law, nor of any other law, could justify any man" [7], yet notes that justification by faith is "as reasonable as it is Scriptural and necessary" [7].

The Council of Trent, responding to Protestant formulations, articulated a Catholic position that integrates faith with hope and charity in the process of justification [13]. While Trent affirms that faith is necessary, it rejects the notion that faith alone (sola fide) suffices without the infusion of grace that produces charity. This represents a fundamental divergence: Protestants typically distinguish justification (a declarative act) from sanctification (the Spirit's progressive work of moral renewal) [4], while Catholic theology integrates these more closely.

Faith's Object and Assurance

Faith's object is not a proposition but a person: Jesus Christ and his redemptive work. Adam Clarke notes that "faith must have an object and a reason for its exercise; the object is Jesus Christ—the reason is the infinite merit of his passion and death" [15]. This Christocentric focus prevents faith from becoming a new work or condition that replaces law-keeping.

The question of assurance follows from this understanding. Torrey's Topical Textbook lists assurance as "produced by faith" [6], yet traditions differ on whether believers can possess certain knowledge of their justified state. Reformed theology typically affirms that assurance belongs to the essence of saving faith, while other traditions treat it as a separate grace that may or may not accompany justification.

Historical Development

Augustine's anti-Pelagian writings established the framework for later debates, emphasizing that even the merits believers possess are themselves gifts of grace—"grace for grace" [14]. The Reformation sharpened these distinctions, with Luther and Calvin articulating justification by faith alone as the article by which the church stands or falls. The confessional documents of the sixteenth century codified these positions, creating enduring theological boundaries that persist in contemporary ecumenical dialogue.

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Justification — A forensic term, opposed to condemnation. As regards its nature, it is the judicial act of God, by which he pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, i.e., as conformed to all its demands. In addition to the pardon (q.v.) of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied in respect of the justified. It is the act of a judge and not of a sovereign. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; an”
  2. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Faith — Faith is in general the persuasion of the mind that a certain statement is true (Phil. 1:27; 2 Thess. 2:13). Its primary idea is trust. A thing is true, and therefore worthy of trust. It admits of many degrees up to full assurance of faith, in accordance with the evidence on which it rests. Faith is the result of teaching (Rom. 10:14-17). Knowledge is an essential element in all faith, and is sometimes spoken of as an equivalent to faith (John 10:38; 1 John 2:3). Yet the two are distinguished in this respect, that faith includes in it assent, which is an act ”
  3. Romans “to demonstrate his righteousness at this present time; that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him who has faith in Jesus. -- Romans 3:26”
  4. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Sanctification — Involves more than a mere moral reformation of character, brought about by the power of the truth: it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing the whole nature more and more under the influences of the new gracious principles implanted in the soul in regeneration. In other words, sanctification is the carrying on to perfection the work begun in regeneration, and it extends to the whole man (Rom. 6:13; 2 Cor. 4:6; Col. 3:10; 1 John 4:7; 1 Cor. 6:19). It is the special office of the Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption to carry on this work (1 Cor. 6:1”
  5. Romans “being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; -- Romans 3:24”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Assurance — Produced by faith -- Eph 3:12; 2Ti 1:12; Heb 10:22. Made full by hope -- Heb 6:11,19. Confirmed by love -- 1Jo 3:14,19; 4:18. Is the effect of righteousness -- Isa 32:17. Is abundant in the understanding of the gospel -- Col 2:2; 1Th 1:5. Saints privileged to have, of Their election. -- Ps 4:3; 1Th 1:4. Their redemption. -- Job 19:25. Their adoption. -- Ro 8:16; 1Jo 3:2. Their salvation. -- Isa 12:2. Eternal life. -- 1Jo 5:13. The unalienable love of God. -- Ro 8:38,39. Union with God and Christ. -- 1Co 6:15; 2Co 13:5; Eph 5:30; 1Jo 2:5; 4:13. Peace with ”
  7. Galatians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Galatians 2:16: Knowing that a man is not justified - See the notes on Rom 1:17; Rom 3:24 (note), Rom 3:27 (note); Rom 8:3 (note). And see on Act 13:38 (note) and Act 13:39 (note), in which places the subject of this verse is largely discussed. Neither the works of the Jewish law, nor of any other law, could justify any man; and if justification or pardon could not have been attained in some other way, the world must have perished. Justification by faith, in the boundless mercy of God, is as reasonable as it is Scriptural and necessary.”
  8. Romans (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Romans 4:16: Therefore, &c.--A general summary: "Thus justification is by faith, in order that its purely gracious character may be seen, and that all who follow in the steps of Abraham's faith--whether of his natural seed or no--may be assured of the like justification with the parent believer."”
  9. Romans (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Romans 3:20: Being justified freely by his grace,.... The matter of justification is before expressed, and the persons that share in this blessing are described; here the several causes of it are mentioned. The moving cause of it is the free grace of God; for by "the grace of God" here, is not meant the Gospel, or what some men call the terms of the Gospel, and the constitution of it; nor the grace of God infused into the heart; but the free love and favour of God, as it is in his heart; which is wonderfully displayed in the business of a sinner's justification before him: it appe”
  10. CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 25: peace. This in the last resort is the hope of all believers, whatever their theory of justification may be. Whether Papist, Remonstrant, or Augustinian, they all cast their dying eyes on Christ. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Protestant Doctrine. 4. The common doctrine of Protestants on this subject is that faith is merely the instrumental cause of justification. It is the act of receiving and resting up”
  11. Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), Article IV. Of Justification.: Article IV. Of Justification.”
  12. Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), 11.Of Justification.: 11.Of Justification.”
  13. Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent on Justification (Catholic) “Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent on Justification (Catholic, 1547), « Prev The Decree of Pope Pius IX. on the Immaculate… Next » 211: « Prev The Decree of Pope Pius IX. on the Immaculate… Next » 211”
  14. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 41.--EVEN IN JUDGMENT GOD'S MERCY (part 2): saying is rightly understood which in the gospel is read, "grace for grace,"[1]--that is, for those merits which grace has conferred.”
  15. Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 10:6: But the righteousness which is of faith - As it is most evident that there can be no justification by works, as all are sinful and all in a guilty state; if God will grant salvation at all, it must be by faith: but faith must have an object and a reason for its exercise; the object is Jesus Christ - the reason is the infinite merit of his passion and death. Who shall ascend unto heaven? etc. - As Christ is the end of the law for justification to every one that believes, no observance of the law can procure him. Who, by the practice of the law, can bring Christ down ”
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