Justification by Faith

Some people ask, “Did not Jesus himself say to some people, ‘Thy faith hath saved thee’? And does not Paul teach that Christians are ‘justified by faith’?” (compare Luke 7:48-50; Romans 3:28; 5:1).

Yes, indeed! But this does not mean that a person’s faith itself—their own mental (or, spiritual) effort and activity of believing¹ in Christ—is what saved them. Your faith is not your saviour!

When the Lord Jesus declared to someone whom he had healed, “Thy faith hath made thee whole” (e.g. Matthew 9:22; Mark 10:52; Luke 17:19; 18:42), he did not mean that their faith itself had worked their miracle of healing, but that Christ, in whom they believed, was their Healer.

So that we can be sure we understand what Christ meant by the phrase, “thy faith hath healed thee,” let us consider another occasion, where Jesus healed two blind men (see Matthew 9:27-31). He asked them whether they had faith in him: “Believe ye that I am able to do this?” And when they had replied, “Yea, Lord,” he healed them, while he declared “According to your faith be it unto you.” It was not their faith that healed them, but Christ himself.

Similarly, when Jesus told a woman whom he (being himself the Son of God) had forgiven her sins, that “Thy faith hath saved thee” (Luke 7:36-50), that he did not mean that her own belief in him is what saved her. He meant that he himself, in whom she believed, had saved her. Jesus Christ was her Saviour, not her faith!

Likewise, when Paul taught that a person is “justified by faith,” he did not mean that through believing in Christ they justified themselves by faith (or, that they had made themselves righteous in the sight of God by believing) in Christ. Paul meant that a person is justified by Christ, in whom they believe.

Declared and Made Righteous By God

In Paul’s writings, to be justified means to be declared righteous by a judge; in this case, by God. The apostle Paul teaches that believers in Christ are justified by God—not by their faith (in and of itself). God is the justifier: he is the Judge who declares righteous those who believe in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: “Being justified freely by his [i.e. by God’s] grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:24-26).

God justifies believers by Christ in his counting their sins as transferred to Jesus, so that he died in the place these believers, for their sins; and Jesus’s righteousness as transferred to the believer, so that his sinless living is counted by God as theirs: “For he [God] hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This putting of Christ’s righteousness upon the believer is called jusification. This justification is done by God, not by faith itself.

The truth is as clearly Paul preached to the Jews: “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus the Messiah] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38-39). By Christ, believers are justified by God, the Justifier. Believers are justified by God, by Christ. All this is what the apostle Paul means in his summary phrase “justified by faith.” Paul is not saying that faith itself is the justifier, or that faith is in any sense a justifying agent.

So, do not think of “putting your faith in Christ” as though this were a kind of mental (or spiritual) religious work. Salvation is worked (or, and it was said in the old days, wrought) by Christ alone.² Salvation is not earned or merited or contributed to by any kind of work that we do, whether physical, mental or spiritual.

Now, do not say that Reformed theology (or Calvinism) puts the emphasis too much on Christ, or that it minimises the part that faith plays. For another of the Five Solas is: justification by faith alone (Sola Fide). Nor does justification by faith alone (excluding all human works or merit) in any way contradict the truth that salvation is by Christ alone—excluding all pretended mediators between God and men; excluding all synergistic “Christ plus [anything]” (including faith); and excluding all other so-called ways to God.

The False Gospel of the “Modern” Church

Many Pentecostal and Charismatic³ preachers today go further than historic Arminianism did. They have added “faith-healing” and “faith-prosperity” as analogous doctrines to their “faith-salvation” doctrine. Or, to put it another way: they claim that physical health and wealth are also included in the (Arminian) faith-salvation doctrine.⁴

• Faith-salvation: similar to Arminianism, they say that every human being potentially has redemption through Christ’s blood (compare Ephesians 1:7)—and this potential redemption can become actually yours (or, become “real for you”) if you put your faith in it.
• Faith-healing: similarly, they say that every human being potentially has healing from God for all their deseases, broken bones, missing limbs, etc. because “by his stripes we are [all potentially] healed” (Isaiah 53:5-6)—and this healing can become yours if you put your faith in it. They take this to mean physical healing, but this verse is actually speaking about salvation—see how the apostle Peter interpreted it, in 1 Peter 2:24.
• Faith-prosperity: similarly, they say that every human being potentially has financial wealth from God, because “Christ hath [potentially] redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:13-14). They take this “blessing of Abraham” to mean great riches, such as Abraham had in his gold, servants and camels (but converted into modern currency, wealth and stuff). But Paul was talking about righteousness, i.e. justification by faith—see context: Galatians 3:11-14).

As it has often been preached in healing meetings: “Are there any wheelchairs in heaven? No! Then, it’s not God’s will for you to be in that wheelchair. God wants his will to be done ‘on earth as it is in heaven’—but that can’t happen unless you have faith.”

In their churches and parachurch “ministries,” and on their radio stations, TV stations, YouTube channels, social media, and websites, it is often asserted that a person’s faith-decision is what enables God to give them salvation, prosperity, and healing. They describe God as willing, even longing, to make the entire human race healthy, wealthy, and saved. But God needs your faith so that he can get you out of poverty, out of your wheelchair, and out of the road to hell.

In “health and wealth” circles faith is thought of as a kind of mysterious power or force (or, an invisible “substance”—misinterpreting Hebrews 1:1), by which we can reach up to heaven and get through (the Devil’s realm in the air/aether—misinterpreting Ephesians 2:2) to God, and as it were pull down blessings from God.⁵

They sometimes illustrate this by saying that that faith is like a channel through which these blessings can pour down from heaven; or, faith is like a missile to blast a hole through the sky so that God can get his blessings through; or, faith is like a grappling hook on a rope that can pull down blessings from God. I have heard all this nonsense and more in “health and wealth” churches, and on audio and video recordings from famous “word of faith” preachers.

The Arminian says that what Christ accomplished on the cross at Calvary was potential salvation for the entire fallen human race—and so, if you are not saved it is because you don’t have faith in Christ. Faith-healing and faith-prosperity preachers can give you many reasons why you’ve failed to possess health, wealth, or salvation—even if you do have faith in Christ:

• You don’t have enough faith.
• You have doubts that have neutralised your “word of faith” (also known as “positive confession”).
• You have a secret (unconfessed and unforgiven) sin that is somehow neutralising your faith.
• You had an occultist ancestor who has placed a generational curse upon your bloodline or your DNA.
• You have an enemy somewhere who has placed a curse on you (or, they have paid a witch or witchdoctor to place a curse on you).
• You haven’t exercised and strengthened your faith by giving enough “seed money” to your faith-church or your favourite faith-ministry.

How different this all is—totally opposite, in fact—to the true gospel of salvation by God’s grace alone, through the gift of faith alone, by Christ alone, and all to the glory of God alone.

Appendix

William Guthrie, The Christian’s Great Interest, Chapter 3, Section 2, True Saving Faith Described (some italicisation added).

This justifying faith, which we assert to be so discernible, is, in the Lord’s deep wisdom and gracious condescension, variously expressed in Scripture, according to the different actings of it upon God, and outgoings after Him; so that every one who hath it may find and take it up in his own mould.

It sometimes acts by a desire of union with Him in Christ; this is that looking to Him in Isaiah—“Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 45:22). This seems to be a weak act of faith, and far below other actings of it at other times perhaps in that same person…Such are the actings or outgoings of faith expressed in Scripture by “hungering and thirsting after righteousness” (Matthew 5:6), and that expressed by willing—“And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

Again, this faith goeth out sometimes in the act of recumbency [i.e. resting], or leaning on the Lord, the soul taking up Christ then as a resting-stone, and God hath so held Him out, although He be a stumblingstone to others. (Romans 9:33). This acting of it is hinted in the expressions of trusting and staying on God, so often mentioned in Scripture; and precious promises are made to this acting of faith—“God will keep them in perfect peace whose minds are stayed on Him; because such do trust in Him. Trust in the Lord: for with Him is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:3-4). “They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which abideth for ever” (Psalm 125:1). I say, the Lord hath made promises to this way of faith’s acting, as knowing it will often go out after Him in this way with many persons; and this way of its acting will be most discernible to them.

It goeth out after God sometimes by an act of waiting. When the soul hath somewhat depending before God, and hath not clearly discovered his mind concerning it, then faith doth wait; and so it hath the promise—“They shall not be ashamed that wait for me” (Isaiah 49:23). Sometimes it acteth in a wilful way upon the Lord, when the soul apprehendeth God thrusting it away, and threatening its ruin—“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him” (Job 13:15)…

In a word, whatsoever way He [Christ] may benefit poor man, He declares Himself able to do. And as He holdeth out Himself in the Scriptures, so faith doth point towards Him. If He be a Bridegroom, faith will go out in a marriage relation; if He be a Father, faith pleadeth the man to be a child; if He be a Shepherd, faith pleads the man may be one of His sheep; if He be a Lord, faith calleth Him so, which none can do but by the Spirit of Jesus; if He be dead, and risen again for our justification, faith “believeth God hath raised Him” on that account (Romans 10:9). Wheresoever He be, there would faith be; and whatsoever He is, faith would be somewhat like Him; for by faith the heart is laid out in breadth and length for Him; yea, when the fame and report of Him goeth abroad in His truth, although faith seeth not much, yet it “believeth on His name,” upon the very fame He hath sent abroad of Himself (John 1:12).