In one sense we are still talking about justification, but in another sense we are talking about faith. There is no real discussion about justification without talking about faith and the nature of faith. Without question Scripture speaks of a person being justified by faith without works. Some try to interpret the statement of Scripture regarding justification in such a way that allows for works to have a part in some process of justification. Others try to say that one can believe in Christ in some way and yet never bow to the Lordship of Christ. Both views are dependent in some way on a belief in a certain kind of faith. The first view wants faith to be expressed in moral actions and say that God cannot declare a person just without this. The second view wants people to be saved by an intellectual assent to some propositions and then say that the faith a person has may never really be seen after that point. Therefore, faith is a vital part of any study of justification by faith apart from works (alone). In one sense the study of faith determines how we view justification.Let us try to look at how man comes to believe in anything at all. Interestingly enough, philosophers have struggled with this at least since Plato. There is still no consensus on how a person can even know that what he thinks he knows is true. Alvin Plantinga had an interesting insight into this when he posited that God created man with belief developing capacities. This is how people go around in life developing beliefs and can know that when their capacities are operating properly they then know what is true. So God has given man a nature within the physical realm, that is, man was given five senses and the gift of rationality by God. When these are operating properly man can know what is true (on a limited basis) within the physical realm.
Now, let us move to the spiritual realm. Man was created without sin and as such Adam was able to walk with God. However, the fall occurred and man was no longer in fellowship with God and was spiritually dead. This means that man was limited to the physical realm with his abilities and belief forming capacities. However, when man is born from above man is born of the Spirit and as such has some capacity for belief in the spiritual realm.
To have faith or belief in the spiritual realm, one must have a spiritual nature with the capacity for developing beliefs in the spiritual realm. It is the new birth that does this. One is born of the Spirit (John 3:3-8) and as such is born into the spiritual realm. The fruit of the flesh is seen in that it operates according to man-centered and physically oriented things. The fruit of the Spirit is seen in that the man now operates according to what the Spirit is doing in and through the man (Galatians 5:22).
True faith can only come from a spiritual nature. This being true, the type of faith which comes from the fleshly nature or the realm of the world is not true faith. The fleshly nature will look at Christ and interpret Christ and the cross in terms of the flesh. Another way to look at that is to understand that the person in the fleshly nature is all about self and thinks that surely God loves him and is focused on him too. He sees a glory of the cross and of Christ in one sense, and is perhaps moved to tears and even good works as a result of seeing that glory. But the glory that the fleshly person sees is the glory of self. He believes that the cross is all about him and how much God loves him, This is to say that he does not see the glory of the cross as it relates to God and His glory in truth, but he loves God and the cross only out of self-interest. The cross is meant to slay the pride and self-interest of man, but many teach it in a way that actually makes men focus on themselves in a religious way. It is still nothing but pride.
The most pervasive form of evangelism today (in Arminian and Reformed circles) is based on the fleshly, physical,
and self-centered model. People are told that they must believe in certain facts and if they do they will be saved.
However, do they believe from the fleshly and physical realm or the spiritual realm? A faith that does not come from the Spirit actually contributes to the deception of many souls. A faith or belief that is thought to be from self-interest is still nothing but selfishness and self-interest. A faith or belief that comes from the natural man is still a faith or belief based on the physical realm. This is a faith from a natural man based on natural principles. Even if the person goes on to attend church and pursue spiritual activities he or she is still dead to spiritual things and might be hardened in his or her delusion even more by the activities. A person must be born from above to enter the kingdom, that is, to have the kingdom in him and have the reign and rule of God (from the spiritual realm) guiding and ruling all that he or she does. This would include the faith and belief forming capacities.
How does a person come to faith in something? How can a person come to true faith in Christ and trust in his or her justification before God? Usually people trust in self and their own reason or their capacity for developing true beliefs. However, the person who is to have beliefs developed after the truth of God must look to the Word of God and the character of God to have a true way of developing beliefs in accordance with the spiritual realm. Let us examine the difference between true and deluded faith in this light.
A person that is still in the natural realm will always trust in himself and his own ability to determine what is true. This is nothing more than pride and independence which is the result of the fall. This person believes what is in accordance with what he wants to believe and is as he perceives his own self-interest. He believes in order to sustain his independence and pride. He may be an atheist or a thorough Theist, but he is essentially a self-centered individual. When this person is told that God loves him and has a wonderful plan for his life, he believes it because he also loves himself and has a wonderful plan for his life. When he is told that Jesus died for him he will believe this too since he thinks he is worthy enough to be died for. There are many who will take a very intellectual route to deception and even hold with virility the Reformed doctrines because they are logical and sensible. The intellectual aspect of those teachings is also something a proud man can love and be interested in. There are many who appeal to the natural man with promises of worldly riches and health. Man in his self-love loves that.
But the truth of the Gospel is that God is all about Himself. Man cannot know that God loves Him until he loves God (see I John 4:7-10). The Gospel tells man that God does not save man because man is worth it, but because God is worth it. Man is saved by grace and nothing but the grace of a sovereign God. Man must repent of his self-centeredness and his pride in order to be saved. Man must be born from above and nothing that he can do will obligate God to do this. Man must truly confess from the heart (a firm belief) that he is a worthless sinner and be broken and contrite of heart in order to be saved. Indeed, man must be delivered from any trust in himself, his worth, and his own works in order to trust in Christ alone. This, clearly, is nothing that can happen within the physical realm alone. Something must happen in the spiritual realm or man remains dead to the spiritual realm.
We must consider whether man must be delivered from any trust in himself and his natural abilities in order to have a true faith in Christ. The ramifications of this are enormous. Man must be turned from his natural way of looking at things and developing beliefs in order to have a true and biblical faith. In other words, man must not trust in himself and his own heart, he must trust in God and His Word alone (Proverbs 3:5). Man must turn from trusting in his own rationality which judges things within the physical realm to judging things by the Word of God. Even more, man must have faith in order to see things in the spiritual realm and so develop beliefs that are in accordance with the character and glory of God. After all, the person that is truly converted loves God above all other things and knows that He is the standard by which all standards are judged.
Let us try to gather this together and apply it to justification. A person is declared just by God and not by self. Romans 3 and 4 are clear that a person is justified by faith without works. So how does this work in light of the past few weekly discussions? In order to believe in Christ a person must disbelieve in self. This is usually a humbling process by which the person learns to distrust self which necessarily means that he must be turned from his pride. So as the person is turning from his pride and trust in self, he is now beginning to see things differently. Now he can see that indeed it is only the ungodly in and of themselves that God justifies (Rom 4:5) and so this person is now willing to accept the information that he is a wretched sinner. Now the sinner sees that it is not only that his good works are not enough, but that God will only justify those who do not work for salvation (Rom 4:5). So the sinner is humbled enough to see this. During this process the sinner is given a new heart and he is now able to see things in a different light. Now the Gospel is glorious to him and he does not want to contribute anything to his own salvation. Now he sees something of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
The sinner that is given new belief forming capacities in the spiritual realm now sees who he is in light of seeing the glory of God and the Gospel. The sinner now walks by trust in Christ for salvation and not in himself at all. The one who has spiritual sight also sees sin as the most hideous thing on earth. He sees and feels his own ungodliness and wants nothing but a sight and taste of the glory of God in Christ. This person who sees the glory of the cross and of the righteousness of Christ will turn from his own worth and efforts as from a poisonous viper. This is now a person who repeats Psalm 115:1 in all things: “Not to us, not to us, but to Thy name be the glory.” The belief forming capacities given this person in the spiritual realm enable this person to be justified by faith without works. This person now walks by faith and not by sight (in the natural realm).
God Loves... Himself 
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