Calvin points out in his work on justification in the Institutes that, Scripture affirms that “Christ is both righteousness and life, and that the blessing of justification is possessed by faith alone.”
(Inst. 3.14.17)
Tabernacle Types
Thomas Goodwin makes a great point in his work on Justifying Faith (Works, Vol. 8) where he speaks of Christ justifying us.
He says the Ark of the Covenant is a type of the Person of Christ and the Mercy Seat is a type of God’s grace. I prefer to think of it as a type of the Propitiation of Christ. So the Person and Work of the Son are necessary elements in our being justified. There can be no justification apart from the other. Just as the Ark and the Mercy were joined together, so too is the Person and Work of the Son.
The Works of Thomas Goodwin, Volume 8, Book 2, Chp. 1, p. 141.
Sola Fide
Luther’s famous dictum (probably not his exact words-but certainly his conviction) is still true for us today:
“Justification is the article by which the church stands and falls” (justificatio est articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae).
Don’t let anything stand in the way of this great point. Don’t add anything to it either. God imputes the righteousness of Christ to us through the instrument of faith only. this is how we are right with God.
Happy Reformation Day!