Can a single preposition make or break the gospel? When it comes to justification, the answer is yes. The difference between being justified “by” faith and “because of” faith may seem like splitting hairs, but it’s actually the difference between resting in Christ’s finished work and anxiously evaluating whether our faith measures up. Let’s explore why this seemingly small distinction carries such enormous theological and pastoral weight.

 

THE REFORMED THESIS: GETTING THE GOSPEL RIGHT

Here’s the crucial distinction: We are justified by faith alone, not because of faith.

If that sounds like theological nitpicking, stay with us—this little preposition carries enormous weight. The difference between “by” and “because of” is the difference between a salvation that rests entirely on Christ and one that subtly depends on the quality of our faith.

Think of it this way: Faith is the empty hand that receives a gift, not the payment that purchases it. Faith is the instrument—the means by which we lay hold of Christ—but never the ground or basis for God’s verdict of “not guilty.” The ground of our justification is exclusively Christ’s perfect obedience and His atoning blood shed on the cross (what Reformed theology calls solus Christus—Christ alone).

To say we’re justified “because of” faith makes faith itself sound like a meritorious work, something we contribute that makes us acceptable to God. But to say we’re justified “by” faith preserves the gospel truth: faith receives what Christ accomplished; it doesn’t achieve anything itself.

 

WHAT SCRIPTURE ACTUALLY SAYS

The Bible consistently presents faith as instrumental, not causal. Consider these key passages:

• Romans 3:21-26 declares righteousness comes “through faith in Jesus Christ” for all who believe. Notice the through—faith is the channel, the conduit. The actual ground of justification appears in verse 25: Christ’s blood as a propitiation (a sacrifice that turns away God’s wrath). Our faith doesn’t propitiate God; Christ’s death does. Faith simply connects us to that finished work.
• Romans 4:3-5 recounts how Abraham’s faith “was counted to him as righteousness.” Paul’s point isn’t that faith itself equals righteousness, but that faith united Abraham to the One who is righteous. Then comes the stunning statement in verse 5: God “justifies the ungodly.” Read that again. We don’t become godly enough through our faith to merit justification. We remain ungodly sinners, yet God declares us righteous through faith in Christ. That’s the scandal and beauty of grace.
• Philippians 3:8-9 shows Paul explicitly rejecting “a righteousness of my own” in favour of “the righteousness from God that depends on faith.” The preposition matters enormously here. Righteousness comes from God, received by means of faith—not produced or generated by faith itself.
• Ephesians 2:8-9 seals the case: “By grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Grace is the source, faith the instrument. Paul’s emphatic “not a result of works” excludes any possibility of faith functioning as something we do to earn salvation.

 

WHY “BECAUSE OF FAITH” ENDANGERS THE GOSPEL

The Reformed tradition has fiercely guarded this distinction for good reason. Our theological ancestors saw what was at stake.

John Calvin wrote that faith justifies “because it receives and possesses Christ’s righteousness”—the “because” refers to faith’s receiving function, not its inherent quality or strength.

The Westminster Larger Catechism (Question 73) crystallises this: Faith justifies “not as any work wrought in us… but only as it is an instrument by which we receive and apply Christ and his righteousness.”

Francis Turretin warned that treating faith as the formal cause (the actual basis) of justification “confounds justification with sanctification” and smuggles works back into salvation through the back door.

James Buchanan offered a memorable image: faith is “the hand of the soul” that receives the wedding ring, but the hand isn’t the treasure—the ring is.

Louis Berkhof stated plainly: “Faith is never the ground on which God forgives sin… it is only the instrument.”

The danger of “because of faith” language is subtle but deadly. It makes faith itself sound like a condition we must fulfill, a work we perform, a quality we achieve. It redirects attention from Christ’s sufficiency to our faith’s adequacy. And that’s a recipe for either pride or despair.

 

BUT WHAT ABOUT JAMES 2?

The objection always comes: “Doesn’t James 2:24 say we’re justified by works and not by faith alone?”

Context rescues us here. James is addressing people who claim faith while living in total contradiction to it (verses 14-17). He’s not contradicting Paul about how sinners gain right standing before a holy God. Rather, he’s describing how genuine faith demonstrates its authenticity before watching people.

Two complementary truths emerge: Paul discusses justification before God—the forensic (legal) declaration where faith alone justifies because faith alone receives Christ. James discusses vindication before others—the evidential demonstration where works prove that faith is the real thing, not a dead counterfeit.

Abraham was declared righteous when he believed God’s promise (Genesis 15:6), long before he offered Isaac on Mount Moriah (Genesis 22). James points to Isaac’s near-sacrifice to show the faith that justified Abraham was genuine faith—the living kind that produces obedience. But that obedience proved faith’s reality; it didn’t provide justification’s ground.

 

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR OUR SOULS

This isn’t academic abstraction—it’s oxygen for gasping consciences.

If we’re justified “because of” our faith—because our faith is strong enough, sincere enough, persistent enough—we’ll spend our lives anxiously examining our faith’s quality. Every moment of doubt becomes an existential crisis. Every wavering feels like damnation knocking.

But if we’re justified BY faith alone, as the instrument that receives Christ, our eyes fix on Him, not on the steadiness of our grip. The question shifts from “Is my faith good enough?” to “Is Christ sufficient?”

And oh, is He sufficient? He is altogether sufficient.

Faith saves not because it’s impressive but because it looks away from itself to the One who is glorious. A trembling hand can receive a priceless gift just as surely as a steady one.

 

CONCLUSION: CHRIST ALONE, RECEIVED BY FAITH ALONE

Let’s preach this clearly to our own souls: Christ is the ground; faith is merely the receiving hand. All glory to Christ alone. All comfort for trembling sinners. All peace for troubled consciences.

The preposition matters because the gospel matters. We’re saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And that changes everything.

 

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RELATED FAQs

Did the Reformers ever use “because of” language when discussing faith and justification? Yes, but context matters enormously. Luther and Calvin occasionally used causal language (“because of faith”) but always clarified they meant faith’s instrumental role, not its meritorious value. They were describing the means by which justification comes to us, not suggesting faith earns it. The Reformers consistently distinguished between the “formal cause” (God’s declaration based on Christ’s righteousness) and the “instrumental cause” (faith as the receiving mechanism). When they said “because of faith,” they meant “by means of faith as instrument,” never “on account of faith as merit.”

• How do contemporary Reformed theologians explain this distinction? Michael Horton emphasises faith is “the empty hand” that contributes nothing but receives everything—it’s not a work but the cessation of working for salvation. JI Packer describes justification as God’s “once-for-all accounting of righteousness to Abraham-type believers,” where faith’s role is purely receptive. Both scholars stress that faith unites us to Christ, and in that union we receive all His benefits. RC Sproul used the analogy of faith as the “electrical cord” connecting us to the power source (Christ), but the cord itself generates no power.
• What’s the difference between the “ground,” “instrument,” and “evidence” of justification? These categories help us think clearly about justification’s moving parts. The ground (or basis) is Christ’s perfect obedience and atoning death—what actually satisfies God’s justice and earns righteousness. The instrument is faith—the means by which we personally receive and are united to Christ. The evidence (or fruit) is good works—the visible proof that our faith is genuine and living. Confusing these categories leads to disaster: making faith the ground turns it into a work; ignoring evidence leads to cheap grace; mistaking evidence for ground breeds legalism.

How does the Roman Catholic view of faith and justification differ from the Reformed view? Rome teaches that we’re justified by faith “formed by love” (fides formata caritate), making love or charity an essential component that makes faith justifying. This effectively makes sanctification part of justification’s ground. The Council of Trent declared that justification is “not remission of sins merely, but also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man.” Reformed theology insists justification is purely forensic (a legal declaration) and distinct from sanctification (moral transformation). For Rome, faith + inherent righteousness justifies; for the Reformation, faith receives Christ’s alien righteousness that justifies.

• If faith doesn’t contribute anything, why does the Bible sometimes seem to command faith as something we must do? This touches on the mystery of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Scripture does command faith (Acts 16:31, “Believe in the Lord Jesus”), showing faith involves human activity and responsibility. But Scripture equally teaches that faith itself is God’s gift (Ephesians 2:8, Philippians 1:29). The resolution: we genuinely believe, and we’re responsible for believing, yet God graciously works that belief in us. Even our act of believing doesn’t merit justification because (1) it’s a gift, and (2) it merely receives rather than achieves. Think of it this way: we must open our hand to receive a gift, but opening our hand doesn’t earn the gift.
• Does saying “justified by faith” risk making faith sound too important or even a “work”? This is precisely why Reformed theology emphasises “by faith alone” while simultaneously insisting faith is merely instrumental. The “alone” guards against adding works; the “instrumental” guards against making faith itself a work. Martin Luther said faith justifies “not because it is a work worthy of such glory, but because it grasps the mercy of God.” John Owen wrote that faith “receives a righteousness wherein it has no hand.” The key is understanding that faith’s power lies entirely in its object (Christ), not in itself as an act. Weak faith in a strong Saviour saves; strong faith in a false saviour damns.

How does understanding faith as instrumental rather than meritorious change how I pursue assurance of salvation? Everything changes. If faith is meritorious (something that makes us worthy), assurance requires constantly evaluating our faith’s quality, strength, and sincerity—an exhausting, impossible task that breeds either presumption or despair. But if faith is instrumental (simply receiving Christ), assurance looks outward to Christ’s sufficiency rather than inward to faith’s adequacy. We ask not “Do I believe enough?” but “Is Christ enough?”—and the answer is always yes. The Westminster Confession (18.2) says assurance comes from “the divine truth of the promises of salvation” and “the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made.” We’re to look to Christ promised in the gospel, then look for the evidential fruits in our life, but never to look to faith’s quality as our ground of confidence.

 

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