Romans 3:28

We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Works of the law ... as used in the last of this verse, is a reference to the works of the law of Moses, and is excluded, by the distinction noted in the previous verse, from any reference to the works of the law of faith. And are there certainly any such works? Indeed, for Paul wrote of the "work of faith" as follows:

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3).

"Works of law" in the RSV would have the effect of including other laws than that of Moses in Paul's statement here; but, in any case, the law of Moses is the one primarily in view, the inclusion of any such similar laws being immaterial, since the law of faith was excluded in the previous verse. Phillips and the New English Bible both reject the RSV rendition, Phillips even going so far as to capitalize Law, thus referring it exclusively to Moses' law.

Greathouse noted that:

Here (in Romans 3:28) is the basis for the Protestant doctrine of sola fide, "by faith alone."[38]

This great Protestant heresy came about from a stubborn failure to heed a number of surpassingly important considerations.

(1) Both at the beginning (Romans 1:5) and the end (Romans 16:26) of Romans Paul hurled forth like a great banner at the entrance to a city, that the end and all of his apostleship was UNTO OBEDIENCE OF FAITH AMONG ALL NATIONS, indicating that wherever Paul spoke of sinner's faith, it was an obedient faith which was meant.

(2) Justification "by faith" is not from sinner's faith, but from "the faith of the Son of God," there being nothing of the sinner, either of faith or obedience, that can justify him in the ultimate sense.

(3) Justification "by faith," in the secondary sense of meaning that a sinner has entered a state of justification, is "by faith" in the degree that faith is required of all who are to be saved; but "faith" in this usage is invariably a synecdoche and does not exclude other conditions of salvation. "By faith of the Son of God" is even a synecdoche, since it was not even Christ's faith ALONE that wrought redemption, but his perfect faith and obedience. Thus it can be confidently affirmed that there are no scriptural examples of "by faith" being used in any other way except as a synecdoche. For more on this figure of speech, see under Romans 3:22.

(4) Paul never wrote anywhere at any time that people are saved "by faith alone," or by "faith only"; and the ease with which commentators use those expressions is absolutely astounding, it seemingly never having occurred to any of them that the word of God says no such thing, the single reference in all holy writ to this monstrous anti-Scriptural contradiction of the truth, being this from James:

You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone (James 2:24).

Sola fide is thus a clever contrivance of people, nothing but a groundless speculation, added to the word of God and contrary thereunto. Dear as this false theory appears to be to so many, it seems that the crumbling towers of Protestantism should alert some of the blind leaders of the blind to the fact that something is wrong. And what is wrong? Half the world have been taught that they are saved by faith ONLY; and, upon a man's acceptance of such a proposition, why should he bother with religious chores of any kind? The commentators who glorify sola fide should take note of the fruits of it.

Whiteside wrote on this same subject thus:

Paul is not contrasting faith and the obedience of faith, but he is contrasting justification by works of law and justification by faith. In Romans 1:5, he speaks of "the obedience of faith" - that is, obedience of which faith is the source and foundation, an obedient faith. When Paul talks about faith, he means an obedient faith. Many have stumbled through Romans without ever recognizing the fact that Paul made that plain in the very beginning of his letter. To make "works of law" refer to the obedience of faith is to enshroud ourselves in a fog of confusion from which we will not be able to emerge with any clear idea of the gospel plan of salvation.[39]

For one to be justified by the works of any law (except that of faith outlined above) would require that he should have kept it perfectly throughout every moment of his existence; and it is obvious that no man could so procure justification. The great good news of the gospel is that, regardless of universal human inability to acquire justification through perfect obedience of law, God has made the perfect righteousness to be available to all people "in Christ."

[38] William M. Greathouse, op. cit., p. 95.

[39] R. L. Whiteside, op. cit., p. 83.