Faith and Its Object

Faith cannot exist on its own. It needs to have an object to which it holds, the thing it relies upon. The Christian faith always includes its object: grace in Christ, the atonement for all sins accomplished by Christ’s blood, the righteousness which counts before God. For Luther, faith and Christ are so intimately connected that, for him, the expression “by faith alone” and “through faith” were synonymous with “Christ alone” and “through Christ.”

It would be a misunderstanding to suppose that Christ indeed earned us the grace of justification by his suffering and death, but that people then need to fulfill some sort of condition before God justifies them. The gospel contains no conditions. This misunderstanding occurs when faith is made into a condition of God’s grace or is turned into a requirement, that is, that people need to have a sufficiently living faith. This turns justification by faith into a justification because of faith, that is, not just because of Christ but also because of something in the individual.

An example of this is when Paul emphasizes that it was not “through the law” that Abraham was declared righteous, but “by faith” in the promise. Paul comments, “For this reason, the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace” (Rom 4:16). Bibel 2000 (the state translation in Sweden) translates: “Faith is the basis so that grace may apply” (SE’s italics).

But grace does not have its basis in something found in an individual—it is always completely undeserved. A person “is justified by faith without the works of the law” (Rom 3:28). “We know that a person is not justified by the works of the law” (Gal 2:16). Faith is a trust created by God’s promise; it is a reception of something which is only and exclusively based upon what Christ has done.

Many understand faith not only as a reception of the justification which already exists as a prepared gift. They understand faith as an inner change that is necessary for a justification to come about. But that which faith receives is itself the basis for the justification, not the action of receiving it. Faith justifies only through its object.

All of the strength and certainty of faith is based on the gift which it is receiving. The certainty of being justified is not based on the sanctification or transformation which follow faith. If that were the case, the sinner would never be certain of forgiveness/justification. He would always wonder if his transformation were sufficient. It gives no certainty to try to look inside oneself, to look within; only looking at Jesus gives certainty. That which Jesus has done gives certainty, because it is perfect, accomplished, and true.

The answer to the question: “On what basis can my sins be forgiven?” is not: On the basis of “the change in my heart and life” or “my new life of obedience”. The answer is “on the basis of the free gift which came by Christ’s vicarious obedience and his payment for my guilt.” Paul is clear: “All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom 3:24). “One righteous verdict led to life-giving justification for all people” (di’ henós dikaiómatos, Rom 5:18, “through the obedience of one man”, dia tes hypokoés tou henós, Rom 5:19).