Did you know that October 31st is Reformation Day? It was a historic and impactful day in the history of the church (See last October’s blog). It started a movement that spanned centuries and continues today. The Reformers sought to go back to the Holy Scriptures and the early church. One of the main points of contention between the Reformers and Rome was justification by faith. How is a sinner justified before God? Is it by faith alone as the Reformers taught? Or is it by faith and works as Rome taught? What does the Bible teach? In this article I will aim to proclaim and defend the teaching of justification by faith alone. So, what exactly does that mean?

Justification by faith alone is a historic reformation phrase that refers to the biblical truth that the only way a person receives the free gift of grace and salvation, accomplished solely by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, is through faith (trust, belief) in Christ.  A gift cannot be earned. It can only be received. To be justified is to be viewed as right. There are different senses of this, which we will get to later. But in this sense, we mean right before God. More specifically, we are talking about standing before the judgment seat of God. The believer is declared right (or righteous) solely by what Jesus Christ did on the cross. When the believer identifies with the Lord Jesus Christ and His work, he or she is viewed as righteous because of Christ. This identification or union happens when the sinner believes in Christ and His Work. He or she is declared righteous at the moment of belief.

Where is this in Scripture, you might ask? Well, it is all throughout the Bible. But, in this brief article we will simply take a glance at the subject. We will look at the book of Romans written by the apostle Paul, and even then, we will only be looking at a small sampling of what Romans has to say about this. This small article will not exhaustively cover all the verses in Romans related to this subject. So after you are done reading this article, read the whole book of Romans! The book of Romans is abundantly clear that a believer is justified (declared righteous) by faith (Romans 1:16-17; 5:1, 17). A person cannot be justified by keeping the law, but only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-28). A person is saved by faith, not works (Romans 4:1-8). Yes, the apostle Paul does say that “the doers of the law will be justified” (Romans 2:13), but not much later he writes that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20). Paul’s whole point is that all of humanity is guilty before God (Romans 3:23). No one can earn their way to God. Salvation has to be received as a gift. Paul explains later that the reason the nation of Israel did not receive righteousness is because they sought to earn it by works, and not faith (Romans 9:30-10:4). The Law was given to show humans they are sinners and they need grace (Romans 7:7-12). Salvation is either a gift you receive (grace) or a reward you earn (works). It cannot be both. Paul makes this point in Romans 11:6. There is so much more that can be said. But hopefully this suffices to make the point that the Bible is emphatically clear that salvation is received by grace through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-10).

At this point let me include a brief word on repentance. Someone might ask, if it is by faith alone then where does repentance fit in? A whole article could be written on this subject alone, but it warrants at least a brief explanation here. The Bible in many places talks about repentance, and in many places talks about faith. Sometimes they are mentioned together, but not always. Repentance and faith are connected. They are two aspects of the same act. Faith is turning to God in trust. If one is turning to God, they are turning from something else. There are several words the Bible uses for repentance, and one is a Greek word meaning a “change of mind.” When one changes, they are making a turn. When one changes their mind about God, Christ, and the Gospel, they are turning from something. When one turns to Christ in faith, they are turning to Him as Lord, and they are turning from whatever was their master, purpose, or goal in life previously. For sure, a believer grows in repentance throughout their Christian walk, but there is that initial genuine turn from sin to faith in Jesus Christ. This has been a brief explanation admittedly, but hopefully it helps you to see how repentance and faith are two sides of the same act.

Now in light of what was said above about faith alone, you may be wondering about James. Particularly James 2:14-26. Let’s focus in on the words of James 2:24: “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” Those words are pretty straightforward. Does that annul everything that has previously been said in the Bible about justification by faith, not works? It cannot cancel that out, because it is what the apostle Paul clearly teaches (as well as other places in Scripture). This has been a point of contention between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals (among others) for a long time. The purpose of this article is not to go through all the different explanations on each side. I will offer an evangelical* understanding of this passage. Before I do so, let me share a few preliminary thoughts. First, the Bible is the Word of God, and it does not contradict itself. When there is an apparent contradiction, it is either a misunderstanding (on the human side) or a mystery. Though the overall message of Scripture is clear, not every verse of Scripture is easy to understand (2 Peter 3:16). Second, both sides of this debate would claim to believe that the Bible is the Word of God, so both sides are going to attempt to understand Paul and James in a harmonious way. Third, the explanation I will offer is not the only explanation offered by evangelicals, though it is a common one. And even with that said, there are going to be variations and different nuances in the ways others might explain this. I have learned much from other evangelical thinkers in forming this response, and in particular I am greatly indebted to a work I recently read by sixteenth and seventeenth century Reformation theologians which I will cite at the end of this article. Lastly, I recognize that my response may have flaws and holes. Interpreting Scripture is a serious work, and it is not always easy. I am not trying to dishonor what James has said, but I also have to honor all of Paul’s clear statements that justification is by faith and not by works, or keeping the law. So whatever side you are coming from, we all have the task of taking all of Scripture seriously. With all this said, I think there is a very reasonable way to understand James that does not contradict Paul. And here it is:

Scripture uses justification in multiple senses. In James the sense of justification is that of being vindicated. Being proved as right in the eyes of others. The only way a person can be justified in the eyes of a watching world is through the actions of their faith. Faith without actions is not real. We could also put it this way, believers are proved as believers by their love. A believer is forgiven of his or her sins before God by receiving Jesus Christ through faith alone. God justifies the believer at the moment of belief (Further, we believe that it is God’s grace at work in the human heart that causes someone to believe, but that’s another study). But a believer’s faith is not proven before others until they live it out. James gives the example of Abraham’s being “justified by works” by his willingness to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice (James 2:21-24). But Abram was justified in Genesis 15:6 (if not before). In fact James explains that Abraham’s offering of his son (in Genesis 22) is a fulfillment of Genesis 15:6 (when Abraham believed in God). God knew Abraham’s heart perfectly beforehand and that he would do the right thing when He tested him (as recorded in Genesis 22). But there was still a need for his faith to be demonstrated before God and the watching world. Who else saw Abraham pass the test besides God? There was at least Isaac at the time, but also think of how this account has been passed down and made known to countless multitudes. It is an example of Abraham’s sincere faith on the record for the world to behold, and as an example to all believers in Christ today. For those of us who trust in Christ today the same principle applies. If we are trusting Christ, God knows the sincerity of our faith (He gave it to us!). But there is a real sense in which this faith has to be walked out to be proven genuine. Not to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift. But to show others my faith is real. People around me are not going to be convinced of my mere words. When I live out my faith, I demonstrate my faith. It is a confirmation of my testimony to a watching world for the glory and honor of God.
 
So Scripture uses justification in two different ways (actually more than two, but two we are concerned with here). The Protestant Reformers were focused on our justification before the judgment seat of God. That is a gift of grace alone from God through Christ. And it is received by trusting Christ alone.

So, we might also call the teaching of justification by faith alone:
Absolution of sins by faith alone
Forgiveness of sins by faith alone
Not guilty before God by faith alone

Salvation does produce love and a changed life. And according to Scripture it is important to see that love in the work of our lives and others. Seeing that love at work in us is confirmation that we are saved. John’s First Epistle has a great emphasis on this. It is a great encouragement to see God at work in our lives, and transforming us day by day to be more like Him. While recognizing that important truth, we must also recognize that we are not justified before God’s judgment seat by love, but by faith. Faith is what gets us in. And for that reason, there is nothing to boast about. Faith simply receives the gift. Love is evidence we are in, not the way we get in (at least when talking about our own love! It’s God’s love that gets us in, not ours). We must understand this. Otherwise, we could start boasting about our acts of love. Our response to the change we see in our lives should not be “look how holy I am, I am doing a lot better than these people” – it should rather be, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see!” We should be humbly and gratefully praising God for the change He has produced in our lives by His grace!

A person is given righteousness as a gift by faith alone (and grace alone through Christ alone). A person is vindicated (proven) as a Christian by faith and works. I believe that Paul and James are speaking about two different kinds of justification and that their teaching can be harmonized. So, to summarize, when we are talking about one being forgiven of their sins and declared not guilty before the throne of God, no one could ever earn forgiveness. Scripture is clear: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, was the only righteous man who ever lived. He took the punishment for sinners on the cross. He rose from the grave and defeated death for all who believe. The Bible declares that God is “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26) And the Scriptures we have looked at make it clear that the only way to receive total and complete forgiveness of sins is through faith in the only Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. It by faith in Jesus Christ, not our works. When we speak of the other sense of justification, we mean justified in the sense of being vindicated as a genuine believer by the way one walks and lives. The former is about how we are forgiven and accepted by God, and the latter is about the genuineness of our testimony.

I trust this helps, if there are any further questions or comments do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Article by Sam A. Torcasio

The work I mentioned in this article is:
Justification by Faith Alone: Selected Writings from Theodore Beza (1519-1605), Amandus Polanus (1561-1610), and Francis Turretin (1623-1687). Classic Reformed Theology, Vol. 6. Translated by Zachary Purvis. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2023.

*By evangelical, I mean one who is committed to the authority of the Bible and believes that Scripture is the highest authority in the church and stands high above all traditions.

Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version.

Check out this sermon video which covers the same topic:

This month I am posting a review I wrote some time back about the 2023 film The Essential Church. What prompted this is that NFBC will be showing this film on Sunday night, February 22nd at 6 pm. This is an important film that has a message that reaches beyond the covid lockdown era. If church was essential then, is it not still essential now? God’s people need to meet. Unfortunately, amongst evangelicals there does exist an attitude that church attendance is not necessary or essential. It is true that a person is not justified before God by going to church, they are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone. But it is essential for a justified/forgiven person to gather with God’s people and hear the Word preached weekly to grow in their sanctification/walk with Jesus Christ. I do hope this review will be of benefit to you.

***
“We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29) The Apostle Peter said this in response to the Jewish leaders who commanded him and the other apostles not to speak in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is at the heart of the film The Essential Church. The story of Grace Community Church, GraceLife Church of Edmonton, and Fairview Baptist Church during the Covid lockdowns is told in a seamless way with beautiful cinematography, powerful music, and an overall superb production along with a powerful message about the authority of Christ Jesus over His Church. The movie also has a clear gospel presentation, so that everyone who watches will understand how to be saved. Pastors John MacArthur, James Coates, and Tim Stephens told of their accounts during the lockdowns with conviction and clarity, which makes for a very moving film.

The film does deals with various aspects surrounding the coronavirus lockdowns including the political agenda behind the lockdowns, the legal battles of the church to stay open, and the questionability of the science behind Covid-19 among other matters. This movie also includes powerful anecdotes and examples from church history that very much relate to what happened during the covid period. But again, I believe that at the heart of the film is an argument as to why the church had a right to stay open during the pandemic. The film makes a compelling case as to why the government has no right to tell the church how and when to worship, and for why Christ is the Head of His Church, and not Caesar (government). Mike Riccardi, a pastor at Grace Community Church, details his own wrestling with Romans 13, a chapter in Scripture that tells believer to submit to “governing authorities.” (Romans 13:1) Riccardi, after reading Martin Lloyd Jones' commentary on Romans 13 came to the understanding that the state does not have authority over the church, nor does the church have authority over the state. They are both authorities established by God, and each one has a certain jurisdiction. History has seen the error of both the church trying to control the state, as well as the error of the state trying to control the church. Both are authorities under God, but they each oversee a different sphere. When the lockdown mandates were first in place, Grace Community Church along with many other churches took the threat of the virus seriously and wanted to honor what the governing authorities were saying. When the mandates continued and increasingly became unreasonable, it became increasingly clear to the churches represented in this film as well as many other churches in the country that continuing to stay closed down would be spiritually detrimental for people, as well as disobedient to the Lord’s command to gather for worship (Hebrews 10:25).

Many disagreed with the conclusions of the pastors and people in this film. Was opening the churches an instance of obeying “God rather than men”? Does the government have authority to close down the church? Biblically speaking the government’s responsibility includes keeping peace in society (See Romans 13). But its responsibility does not include telling the church when and how it should worship. Jesus Christ is the only Head of His Church, and He governs it by His infallible Word.

Some may not agree with every point in the film, or every action that the churches and persons represented in this film took, and they don’t need to in order to agree with the overall trajectory. As mentioned earlier, the movie does deal some with the science behind covid, but that is not the main focus. The film demonstrates how governing authorities used the coronavirus situation to attempt to severely limit and control the gathering of Christ’s people to worship Him. John MacArthur and Grace Community Church, along with others, took a bold stand that inspired and encouraged countless other pastors and churches to do the same. God was faithful to His people during this time. May we learn the lesson. If you have not yet seen The Essential Church, please do so soon! It is now available on DVD as well as on the Grace Media app.

***
And as mentioned earlier The Essential Church will be showing at Niagara Frontier Bible Church on Sunday night, February 22nd at 6 pm! We will also have food before the show. Come on down and invite a friend!

Sam A. Torcasio

                                                       REFORMATION DAY

Society is preparing to celebrate Halloween. Many consider it an innocent day for the children to dress up like characters they look up to. Sadly, others use this day for dark and occult practices. We want to “TAKE BACK” this day for God’s Glory! By the way it is Reformation day!

What is Reformation Day? It is the day Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517 on October 31st. What did the 95 opinions (theses) say? They centered around 2 central beliefs: 1.) The Bible is the ultimate and only perfect authority for the church. [Ephesians 2:8-10] 2.) Humans may reach salvation ONLY by their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and not by their deeds. [II Corinthians 5:21]

What’s the connection between Halloween and Reformation Day? It’s more than just the proximity on the calendar. Here’s a little history to help you understand.

Martin Luther was confronting religious observances that exploited people’s fear of judgment and purgatory. Two important matters happened as a result of the Reformation. 1.} A rediscovery of the doctrine of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. [Galatians 12:2], 2.} A protest against the corruption within the Roman Catholic Church (ex, false doctrines, Biblical illiteracy, and superstition). The leaders of the church practiced selling of indulgences, the treasury of merit, purgatory, and salvation through good works.

Halloween’s deepest roots originate in paganism. {This is the reason why many Christians base their choice not to participate in the holiday.} Modern Halloween’s origin is Celtic; it has to do with the summer sacrifices to appease Samhain, the lord of death and evil spirits. It was believed that Samhain sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could only escape by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. All Saints Day (a.k.a. All Hallow’s Day) was an attempt to have a Christian alternative that celebrated the lives of saints and martyrs on November 1st. The evening before became known as All Hallow’s Eve, hence “Halloween.”

All Hallows Day was first celebrated on May 13, 609 when the Roman Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to the Virgin Mary. Later the date was changed to November 1st by by another bishop of Rome, Gregory III who dedicated a chapel in honor of all saints in the Vatican Basilica. In 837, Gregory IV (827-844) ordered its church wide observance. All Soul’s Day (a.k.a. Day of the Dead)  is another day observed by Roman Catholics on November 2nd. This is a day of prayer and almsgiving in memory of ancestors who died, but its practices are not Scriptural. Prayers are offered for the souls of the dead in an effort to hasten their transition from purgatory to heaven by being purged and cleansed from sin. The treasury of merits was believed to justify people by charitable works, pilgrimages, and all kinds of religious performances and devotions. The people were encouraged to acquire this “merit” by purchasing certificates of indulgence. This left them wondering if they had done or paid enough to appease God’s righteous anger and escape his judgment. Salvation cannot be earned in this way, but only through the grace of God in Christ alone. This is precisely the kind of matter that concerned the Protestant Reformers.

This was the context of society that prompted Luther. Luther protested, “the true treasure of the church is the Most Holy Gospel of the Glory and the Grace of God” (thesis 62). This was Luther’s desire for Reformation Day!

In his own way Martin Luther was “taking back” the day for the Glory of God wanting to let the common people know what God’s Word (The Bible) said, and that they could know if they were going to heaven.

Here are a few Scriptures that will teach you about the grace of God – John 3:16; Romans 3:21-26; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-10. These are a great place to start, but there are many more!

Salvation is by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and His work on the cross alone. If you have not, please put your complete trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today!
 
Article originally written by Paula Copland with some contributions from Sam A. Torcasio.