Why is sola fide important?

Answer: Sola fide which means "faith alone" is important because it is one of the distinguishing characteristics or key points that separate the true biblical Gospel from false gospels. At stake is the very Gospel itself and it is therefore a matter of eternal life or death. Getting the Gospel right is of such importance that the Apostle Paul would write in Galatians 1:9, “As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!” Paul was addressing the same question that sola fide addresses—on what basis is man declared by God to be justified? Is it by faith alone or by faith combined with works? Paul makes it clear in Galatians and Romans that man is “justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law” (Galatians 2:16), and the rest of the Bible concurs.

Sola fide is one of the five solas that came to define and summarize the key issues of the Protestant Reformation. Each of these Latin phrases represents a key area of doctrine that was an issue of contention between the Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church, and today they still serve to summarize key doctrines essential to the Gospel and to Christian life and practice. The Latin word sola means “alone” or “only” and the essential Christian doctrines represented by these five Latin phrases accurately summarize the biblical teaching on these crucial subjects: sola scriptura—Scripture alone, sola fide—faith alone, sola gratia—grace alone, sola Christus—Christ alone, and sola Deo gloria—for the glory of God alone. Each one is vitally important, and they are all closely tied together. Deviation from one will lead to error in another essential doctrine, and the result will almost always be a false gospel which is powerless to save.

Sola fide or faith alone is a key point of difference between not only Protestants and Catholics but between biblical Christianity and almost all other religions and teachings. The teaching that we are declared righteous by God (justified) on the basis of our faith alone and not by works is a key doctrine of the Bible and a line that divides most cults from biblical Christianity. While most religions and cults teach men what works they must do to be saved, the Bible teaches that we are not saved by works, but by God’s grace through His gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Biblical Christianity is distinct from every other religion in that it is centered on what God has accomplished through Christ’s finished work, while all other religions are based on human achievement. If we abandon the doctrine of justification by faith, we abandon the only way of salvation. “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5). The Bible teaches that those that trust Jesus Christ for justification by faith alone are imputed with His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), while those who try to establish their own righteousness or mix faith with works will receive the punishment due to all who fall short of God’s perfect standard.

Sola fide—the doctrine of justification by faith alone apart from works—is simply recognizing what is taught over and over in Scripture—that at some point in time God declares ungodly sinners righteous by imputing Christ’s righteousness to them (Romans 4:5, 5:8, 5:19). This happens apart from any works and before the individual actually begins to become righteous. This is an important distinction between Catholic theology that teaches righteous works are meritorious towards salvation and Protestant theology that affirms the biblical teaching that righteous works are the result and evidence of a born-again person who has been justified by God and regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.

How important is sola fide? It is so important to the Gospel message and a biblical understanding of salvation that Martin Luther described it as being “the article with and by which the church stands.” Those who reject sola fide reject the only Gospel that can save them and by necessity embrace a false gospel. That is why Paul so adamantly denounces those who taught law-keeping or other works of righteousness in Galatians 1:9 and other passages. Yet today this important biblical doctrine is once again under attack. Too often sola fide is relegated to secondary importance instead of being recognized as an essential doctrine of Christianity, which it certainly is.

“Consider Abraham: ‘He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’ Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Galatians 3:6-11).

**The Good vs Evil in them get covered up too many ‘christ’ figures with SUPER powers.**

And the “super heroes” are not omnipresent, don’t go near many of the things that might offend the viewers (religion: personal conduct, right to life, eternal life). Gotta keep folks coming for “escapism” from reality. Bond movies are super hero. For example, from what I saw years ago, never do the flying bullets hit the hero’s heart or head. Never mind the other far fetched stuff.

I remember, about 30 yrs ago, reading the novel (which I guess had some things factual), “The Eagle has Landed”, about an attempt by Nazis to take out Churchill. Interesting read. But, I was disappointed in myself for not spending that time reading actual history, or more importantly something related the word of God.

I have never read a novel since.

In the 1500s the great revolt began to take place as spoken of in 2Thessalonians 2:3 ff: "Let no man deceive you by any means, for unless there come a revolt first, and the man of sin revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes, and is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God."
Galatians 1:6~9: " I wonder that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel. Which is not another, only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Christ. (Martin Luther did not only attempt by his 95 theses and his other books/works to rewrite the Bible, but also took out six books from the Bible. Even those with references in the New Testament but also he tried to rewrite interpretations with his various commentaries. He also broke his perpetual vow of celibacy and caused a nun with a similar vow to do likewise in their illicit/vow busting marriage(?).) But though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so now I say again: If anyone preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema."

These Scriptures can easily be applied to the so called reformers all of whom revolted from the Catholic Church. For 1500 plus years the Gospel handed down from Jesus Christ to His Apostles to every Catholic everywhere the same now comes the "reformers" who do not reform but rather pervert the Gospel of Christ. One absolutely cannot reform God and His Truth. Therefore, it was perverted, leaven was put in. Leaven, as described by St. Paul, corrupts the whole lump. In 1 John 4:1,2,3, St. John tells us how to recognize the Antichrist, and he says that "Every spirit that dissolves Jesus, is not of God: And this is Antichrist, of whom you have heard that he comes, and he is now already in the world. St. John in verse 4 goes on to assure the only Christians on the face of the Earth at that time by saying: " You are of God, little children, and have overcome him. (The antichrist) Because greater is He that is in you, (through the reception of His Body and Blood in the Euchaarist) than he that is in the world." He goes on in verse 5 to say: "They (who are of the antichrist) are of the world, therefore of the world they speak, and the world hears them." In saying, twice, concerning those with another gospel let them be anathema (accursed) he too is speaking of those who are of the antichrist.

As Catholics, and Catholic meaning Universal, we have One Gospel, not 15, one for each reformer different from one another. And we have one group of people who are responsible for interpreting that Gospel which is the teaching magisterium of the Church. And we who hold that faith unchanged pre-Vatican II, keep and hold that same Gospel and that same interpretation. These teachings and interpretations were given by Christ to the Apostles and then to the Fathers of the Church and are in essence in writing that are held as the Deposit of the Faith, and even the protestants quote them as does the Bible.

Why would I or any other Trinity loving and adoring Catholic want to trade in a two thousand year old Truth from Jesus to the Apostles, etc., for an only five hundred year old new gospel which is different in each sect of protestantism and seems to be changing almost daily by each expositor. After all, every one can interprets the Bible in his/her own way so says Martin Luther and so say ye all. It is now at a point where the focus of debate is no longer on what Christ said but each individual interpretation. Smooth move! Now there's very little chance of bringing you back to the truth, because it's impossible to have a legitament set of apologetics for each 'new gospel' established on each NEW interpretation. If you can't believe it because you've never heard it before, how did you move away from a two thousand year old truth to all these new gospels based on new interpretations and new versions?!

I am an unconfused Traditional Catholic and intend to remain in Jesus Christ's immutable and rock solid teachings and the interpretations that He and His Apostles and the Fathers of the Church and the teaching magesterium of the Church have provided. I will remain in the eye of the hurricane. With your free will, its your prerogative to choose to stay in the maelstrom, which without Catholicism has no center, begun by Luther and company, and now made more frantic by the Francis I Catholics.

...its your prerogative to choose to stay in the maelstrom, which without Catholicism has no center, begun by Luther and company

The bold only speaks to a few Lutherans, not the majority of Christians.

You're new here so you probably haven't read back for years of RF posts that refute almost everything you said in your post

Your denomination only speaks to Catholicism, Christians do NOT have to have your "OTC" as it's center.

Contrary to that, we Christians have Jesus as the focus of our "center."

Many Christians, a lot of them ex-Catholics for good reason, have rejected Catholicism just like many Catholics reject their present pope, the so-called "Vicar of Christ" which Catholicism claims speaks for all Christians.

Strange that Catholics for years here have told us Christians that we MUST be in subjection to the pope, and now he is rejected by many Catholics.

The present pope speaks for all Catholics, but NOT all Christians.

He is becoming anathema to Biblical Christianity.

It seems that Catholics are "now made more frantic by Francis..."

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