Sola Fide

One of the solas of the reformation is sola fide which means that we are saved by faith alone. We are not saved by works. The Bible tells us:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

He saved us, not by works which we did in righteousness, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).

nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified (Galatians 2:16).

The Bible is clear that works will never save us no matter how good they are or the intention of our hearts. Because of our sin, God demanded perfect obedience for all His children. There were 613 laws and if you break just one, you are convicted as breaking all of it (see James 2:10).

Jesus came to fulfill the Law on our behalf. The Bible says:

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

Jesus lived on our behalf so that He could die on the cross to be the perfect sacrifice:

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:10).

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Three days after His death, God rose Jesus from the dead because He accepted the sacrifice of Jesus in our place (see Romans 4:24-25). We received eternal life through Jesus by faith not by works which we can never boast about because we boast in Him:

Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law (Romans 3:27-28).

Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31).

We are not saved by works; however we are saved for works as the evidence of one who has been given eternal life from God the Father:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

What use is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith; and I have works. Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26).

We are saved by faith alone which is backed up by the works God has given us to walk in obedience to Him as a response to this salvation He has given us.