- Faith is the Sole Instrument

9. Faith is the Sole Instrument of Justification

This relationship between justification and faith is stated in 1689.11.2. It says: “Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification6; yet it is not alone in the person justified, but ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love7.” (6) Ro 3:28. (7) Gal 5:6; Jas 2:17,22,26.

This portion of the Confession ‘faith… is the alone instrument of justification’ is disputed. There are basically two views: the ‘standard reformed position’ declares that it means ‘faith is the alone instrument to secure one’s justification, to obtain one’s righteous standing before God.’

I believe this position is untenable and indefensible because it is inconsistent with Scriptures, and contrary to the Confession. We have shown above that justification was applied and took place before there was any possibility of faith. It is a justified person who is in a position to exercise faith at the gospel call. Faith cannot be the instrument to obtain justification. It makes perfect sense to understand ‘faith is the alone instrument of justification’ as faith is the alone instrument to evidence, to make manifest, to demonstrate, to bring to light the justification secured at effectual calling to life. It is consistent with, and adequate to express the biblical truth of justification.

Let’s inquire a little further about the statement that ‘Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification.’
- What is an instrument?
- What does an instrument do?
- Why is faith the alone instrument of justification?
- Why are all other graces excluded as instrument of justification?
- Why is faith the alone instrument of justification and yet not alone in the person justified?

An instrument is a device to make manifest or to demonstrate or to evidence the presence of something for which the instrument was designed. It has pleased God in His own infinite wisdom to appoint ‘faith in Christ’ as the sole instrument to bring to light His gracious work of justification at effectual calling, since justification is grounded solely upon Christ and His finished work. The just shall live by faith.

How do we answer these questions in light of the biblical declaration, ‘the just shall live by faith? What does faith declare about a person – does it not declare and demonstrate that he is a justified person? Does faith reveal the justified state of the person or does it secure his justification, his right standing with God? Do instruments like the voltmeter and ammeter evidence the presence of voltage and current in a circuit, or do they secure the voltage and the current for the circuit? “Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification” because justification which had taken place was based solely upon Christ and His righteousness. If justification was based solely upon Christ and His righteousness, then faith in Christ and His righteousness is indeed the sole instrument to manifest, to bring to light, to evidence that justification.

A religious person may appear to possess various ‘graces’ but if he does not have faith in Christ, if he rejects the gospel of Christ at the gospel call, then none of those graces is adequate or fit to evidence or demonstrate that he is a justified man. No amount of good works alone can ever evidence or demonstrate that a man is justified before God. It is faith alone that has been divinely appointed as the sole instrument to manifest, and to experience the blessedness of, the justification by pure grace while we were ungodly and still ‘hated of God.’ Both Abraham and Cornelius had good works. Their justified state is also demonstrated by their faith. The genuineness of their faith is justified, vindicated by their works.

"Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods
we resort to hide them."
Francois, Duc de la Rochefoucauld