sola fide

The phrase sola fide (Latin: " by faith alone ", " faith alone " ) refers to a basic element of the Reformation doctrine of justification and is a theological principle of churches that have emerged from the Reformation. He expresses the belief that man alone by his faith obtains eternal life. " Sola fide " is found but already vorreformatorisch, such as Thomas Aquinas.

Importance

He expresses the belief that the human work or earn by good works demanded by God, justice can not, but that he declared righteous only by faith in the atoning work of Christ and be saved thereby. Through this faith the person receives the Holy Spirit ( Gal 3,2.5 LUT).

It is the people according to the Lutheran view is not possible to decide of his own accord for the faith of Christ, since faith alone through God's grace ( sola gratia ) comes about or by him reaching Word of God ( solus Christus ) in the first piqued will. Thus, an autonomous decision of faith, that is an act of free will on the part of man for Luther is completely unthinkable: In terms of his relationship to God and thus His salvation, man is enslaved.

Biblical basis

Saw the most important biblical basis for this idea of ​​reformer Martin Luther given in the Letter of Paul to the Romans (Rom 3.21 to 28 LUT). However, comes in the original Greek text of Romans 3:28 the word " alone " not before. It was added illustrative of Luther to push the time of his popular works-righteousness a tie. The addition has been retained to this day in the King James Bible and been following paraphrased from the Good News Bible as follows her. " Alone takes through faith in the God-man and perpetuates them righteous before his judgment as" Write Most Bible translations at this point urtext faithful, " that man is justified by faith " will, such as the Vulgate. Luther clarification or correction brings Romans 3:28 both in tension with Paul's statement in his letter to the Galatians that when Jesus Christ is a faith counts, " working through love" ( Gal 5:6 ), and in a contradiction with that of the Epistle of James: " So you see now, that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone " (James 2:24 LUT Luther Bible ). Especially in the Lutheran Calvinism " sole efficacy " of faith with reference to the importance of sanctification (conversion of life ) is viewed critically.

Relation to the other " Soli"

The " sola fide " means the trust of the people in the divine grace. " Sola fide " and " sola gratia " refer to the human and the divine side of the salvific action of God: The appropriation of divine grace happens " sola fide " on the part of man, the dedication of grace happens " sola gratia " from God. Since faith a knitted gift from God ( an effect of grace ), may " sola fide ... be explicated as sola gratia " (FW Graf).

Linked to the " sola fide " and " sola gratia " are the principles of " solus Christus " and " sola scriptura ".

Comments

Sola scriptura | sola fide | sola gratia | solus Christus

"Just by the magazine" | "Just by faith " | "Just by grace " | " Christ alone "

• Protestant Theology
• Latin phrase