We are looking at what sola fide means. We are now looking at some of the issues that John Owen raised concerning faith. When someone says “justification by faith alone” we usually have no idea of what the person means by that. Each word in that phrase can be taken in so many ways. Our view of God and our view of Christ and of grace determine who we will view those things. Owen shows at least five ways men “express
what concerneth the use of faith.” He goes on to say that “all these notions of the use of faith are suited and
accommodated unto the opinions of men concerning the nature and principal causes of justification.” The five uses of faith that Owen gave are listed below. Last time we looked at what it means to use faith as an instrument.
- It is used as an instrument.
- It is a condition.
- It is a causa sine qua non. The term sine qua non means “without which, not” and is something that is absolutely essential. The causa refers to a cause and so faith is seen as a cause that is utterly essential.
- It prepares and disposes men to receive justification.
- It merits justification in a congruous way.
Last time I stated that from the Reformation until the time of John Owen (Owen defended the historical Reformed thought on this) faith was viewed as an instrument in justification. Let me quote from the Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC), the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), and then the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith (1689 BCF).
Justification is an act of God’s free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone. (WLC 70)
Those who God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for any things wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience, to them as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith: which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God. (WCF XI.I)
Those thus justified receive and rest by faith Christ’s righteousness; and this faith they have, not of themselves, but as the gift of God. (1689 BCF 11.1)
But the principal acts of saving faith relate in the first instance to Christ as the believer accepts, receives and rests upon Him alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life; and all by virtue of the covenant of grace. (1689 BCF 14.2)
In all of the quotes above (in their own context) justification comes by faith alone and faith is what receives Christ and grace and so the sinner is justified by Christ and His grace which is received by faith. In each one justification and faith are explicitly set out as what they are and what they are not. It is not anything that a person does or that is worked in a person, but justification is totally and absolutely purchased by Jesus Christ. It is true that in some way faith is worked in a person. The context of what is said here is in the context of the Council of Trent which teaches that God justifies sinners through faith. The faith is said to work by grace and so when the grace has worked in the sinner and the sinner responds by works of faith the sinner is declared just. The Westminster divines were repudiating that. Justification is the work of Jesus Christ alone and it is given by grace alone and received by faith alone. Since the only thing that faith does is receive grace and it is a gift of God, it is an instrument that God uses to save sinners. God only saves sinners when they are saved by Christ alone and by His grace alone. This only happens when they do utterly nothing for salvation but receive Christ by grace. A true faith receives and trusts in Christ alone and not itself or its own faith in any way. True faith looks to Christ and His grace and rests in that.
God Loves... Himself 
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