Justified by Faith

Grace, faith, and the light of God’s word are the thoughts that come to mind as I think about the historical significance of the Reformation. We are saved and justified by God’s Grace alone, through our faith alone, because of God’s plan of salvation through Christ alone. Our own good works and personal merit do not save us. We can’t be good enough, religious enough, or follow the law perfectly enough to be saved or justified by our own actions.

God wants to have a personal relationship with His children. He wants us to come directly to Him. He wants us to read the word for ourselves. He wants us to come straight to Him in prayer and conversation. We come to the Father in prayer, worship, and bible reading through our spiritual leaders such as priests and pastors, but we should also come to Him in personal, private worship. In history, prior to the Reformation, prior to the translation of the bible into English, and prior to the printing press, Christians didn’t have bibles in their homes like we have today. They depended on the church for scripture reading and explanations of the word. Today, God speaks to us directly as we come to Him in the privacy of our own homes.

Grace does not eliminate God’s laws. His laws set parameters and act as guides in our lives. But the law does not save! Our belief in the Lord Jesus Christ saves us through our faith, by God’s grace, alone. Through Jesus we are forgiven for not keeping the law. No one in his own ability or power is able to keep the whole law. “None are righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). Without God’s laws, there are no absolutes and everything is permissible. With God in our personal lives and in the life of the society in which we live, there is righteous order. God’s promises, laws, words, and righteous order are absolutes.

God’s Grace gives us what we don’t deserve. God’s mercy spares us from what we do deserve. Jesus did it all for us! Jesus didn’t come to earth to start a religion. He came to show us the heart of God. He didn’t come to abolish the law; He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17). When we try to follow the law and leave grace out, we become legalistic. When we follow Christ, we are set free; we are free indeed (John 8:36). There is liberty in Christ by grace through faith when we come to Him believing that He is who He says He is. Search the scriptures for yourself. We are justified by faith (Romans 5:1).