JUSTIFIED BY CHRIST ALONE
We speak often of justification by faith alone; yet somewhere along the way, a living truth has grown stiff, like a well-worn phrase that once burned in the heart but now sits cold upon the tongue. Once, it was a miracle—the miracle—that a sinner could stand righteous before God, not through merit, not through effort, but by resting in Christ alone. Now, if we are not careful, it becomes a slogan rather than a song. The gospel was never entrusted to us as a museum piece or a Latin phrase to guard; it was given to draw us to a Person—Jesus Christ, our righteousness, our wisdom, our peace (1 Corinthians 1:30).
Paul never wrote as a professor building a system; he wrote as a shepherd with tears in his ink, longing for Christ to be formed in weary hearts (Galatians 4:19). The Scriptures were never breathed out merely to arm us with correct terminology; they were meant to awaken us to the living Christ Himself (John 5:39-40). Yet in our day, some measure soundness by how neatly one repeats inherited formulas. We call it orthodoxy—but too often it is only echo. The truth needs no man-made fortress; it stands firm in the power of God (Romans 1:16).
Look at the thief on the cross. He knew nothing of imputed righteousness; he had never heard the phrase sola fide. He simply turned his dying face toward Jesus and whispered, “Lord, remember me,” and heaven opened to him (Luke 23:42-43). The woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears did not understand doctrines in tidy categories; she only knew she loved Him, and He declared her forgiven (Luke 7:47-48). A heart turned toward Christ is dearer to Him than a mind full of definitions with no devotion.
The Bible never says we are justified by understanding, or by precision, or by theological polish. It says we are justified by faith—faith that clings to a living Savior, not to lifeless slogans (Romans 4:5). Doctrine is a faithful servant, but a harsh master; if it does not lead to Christ, it leads nowhere. The gospel is not our accuracy; the gospel is our attachment to Christ. “He who has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). Everything else stands in the shadow of that truth.
We have taken the lovely fingers that point us to Christ—sola fide, sola gratia, sola scriptura—and sometimes we stare so long at the finger that we forget to follow where it points. If it is by faith alone, it cannot also be by grace alone; if by grace alone, it cannot be by faith alone—the word alone refuses companions. The truth is simpler and sweeter: we are justified by Christ alone. Faith reaches; grace gives; but Christ is the treasure held in trembling hands.
Systems do not save; slogans do not justify; precise vocabulary does not bring peace with God. Jesus does. The living, bleeding, risen Lord is the One who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:25; 5:1). Let us lay aside the combative spirit, the pride of tidy definitions, the impulse to measure one another by syllables or phrases. The Holy Spirit is not impressed by our polish; He is moved by our surrender.
Justification is not a banner to wave; it is a life to walk. The justified man or woman trusts Christ, leans on Christ, rests in Christ, day after day. The deeper our understanding grows, the humbler our worship becomes—because the doctrine always bows before the Deliverer (Romans 3:26).
So let us speak gladly, not of faith alone, but of Christ alone. For in Him, through Him, and unto Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Faith without Christ is an empty hand; grace without Christ is an empty word; Scripture without Christ is a closed door. Everything leads to the Lamb—everything bends before the Savior who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Let us fix our eyes not on our creeds but on the Cross; not on Latin syllables but on the Lord who still calls weary sinners to rest. When the heart is filled with Christ, the slogans fade, the systems quiet themselves, and the soul at last finds peace—not in an idea, but in a Person.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
BDD
