John OweN Justifying faith

“We are justified by faith” 

To get there, we need to look at two aspects of faith.

1. What actually faith is

2. How it functions in our justification

   
   

The Bible clearly shows that there are two kinds of faith when it comes to believing the gospel. On one hand, there’s the kind of faith that justifies—the kind that truly saves. This is the faith that purifies the heart, that works through love, and that guarantees salvation for the one who has it. 

By faith only in the righteousness of Christ

But on the other hand, there’s another kind of faith that does none of those things. And just because someone says they believe—or even shows signs of belief—doesn’t mean they have saving faith. 

People can have this kind of faith—and even experience everything that comes with it—and still not be justified before God. If they don’t have a different kind of faith, they simply can’t be justified. 

The Bible never says that this kind of faith leads to justification. In fact, the apostle James makes it clear that no one is justified by this faith alone. It’s not the kind of faith that connects someone to Christ in a saving way.