by faith

• Paul + Martin Luther speak about justification by faith
• for humans to be counted as righteous does not mean they 'earn' righteousness

  • cannot be earned due to original sin, therefore judged righteousness by God can only be a free gift by God's grace
  • faith has more importance than good moral conduct
• Abraham could be justified by God (despite living before Jesus) due to the extent of his belief
• Martin Luther + justification by faith

  • doctrine of sola fide
  • faith of the believer is passive; justification comes by what God achieves through the atoning death of Jesus
  • good conduct is nothing more than an expression of faith, with no saving value
• faith as a channel for salvation:

  • it is not a person's faith that saves, but God who saves the person through the channel of their faith