Sola fide: Calvin on faith as the instrument of justification
Rev. Joshua Engelsma examines John Calvin's doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide), explaining how Calvin understood faith as the instrumental means of receiving Christ's imputed righteousness rather than as a meritorious work. This article provides a clear exposition of the Reformation's central principle and Calvin's specific articulation of how faith consciously grasps and receives Christ's righteousness for justification.
Rev. Joshua Engelsma, pastor of the Crete Protestant Reformed Church in Crete, Illinois There is a sense in which it could be rightly argued that the whole of the Reformation came down to one word: "alone." The Roman Catholic Church taught justification by faith and works. In opposition to that false teaching, the Reformers insisted upon the biblical truth of justification by faith alone (sola fide), which is to say, by faith alone entirely apart from good works. In this article, for the sake...
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