--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Paul does not teach a “faith alone”…" description: "\"“Paul does not teach a “faith alone” position, as I have sometimes heard it put. Rather, his is a “by faith alone” position. This is not just a verbal ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/richard-b-jr-gaffin-41475_faith_paul-does-not-teach-a-faith-alone-positi_2760007.jpg" --- # Paul does not teach a “faith alone” position, as I have… ![“Paul does not teach a “faith alone” position, as I have sometimes heard it put. Rather, his is a “by faith alone” position. This is not just a verbal quibble; the “by” is all-important here. The faith by which sinners are justified, as it unites them to Christ and so secures for them all the…” quote by Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/richard-b-jr-gaffin-41475_faith_paul-does-not-teach-a-faith-alone-positi_2760007.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/richard-b-jr-gaffin-41475_faith_paul-does-not-teach-a-faith-alone-positi_2760007.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f5/richard-b-jr-gaffin-41475_faith_paul-does-not-teach-a-faith-alone-positi_2760007.jpg) > ““Paul does not teach a “faith alone” position, as I have sometimes heard it put. Rather, his is a “by faith alone” position. This is not just a verbal quibble; the “by” is all-important here. The faith by which sinners are justified, as it unites them to Christ and so secures for them all the benefits of salvation that there are in him, perseveres to the end and in persevering is never alone. Faith is, as Luther is reported to have said, “a busy little thing.”86”” [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Distinguishes “faith alone” from “by faith alone,” emphasizing that faith is an active, enduring process that unites believers with Christ. **In simple terms:** Faith is active, not passive. Key Takeaway Live by active faith. Themes faith theology Christianity perseverance Mood hopeful inspirational Type doctrinal inspirational When to use this quote - church life - personal devotion Key Concepts doctrinal nuance spiritual practice Questions to Reflect On - How does active faith shape daily life? - What sustains perseverance? A Different Perspective Faith alone be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Faith Position](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-position-1265715/) [Faith Sinners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith-sinners-3163459/) [Important Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-faith-260246/) [Persevering Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persevering-faith-244564/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Sinners Justified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinners-justified-3163458/) ## Related quotes > [Spiritual maturity is measured in terms of persevering faith, not perfect behavior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/spiritual-maturity-is-measured-in-terms-of-persevering-faith-not/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [ “Perseverance Here is a key to great earnestness in preaching. If you really believe that “\[those who endure\] to the end will be saved”… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/perseverance-here-is-a-key-to-great-earnestness-in-preaching-if-you/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Short of actual blunders, lack of faith in one's position is the chief cause of defeat. To be sure, it is easy to recommend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-reinfeld/short-of-actual-blunders-lack-of-faith-in-one-s-position-is-the-chief/) [Fred Reinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-reinfeld/) > [Faith is homesickness. Faith is a lump in the throat. Faith is less a position on than a movement toward, less a sure thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/faith-is-homesickness-faith-is-a-lump-in-the-throat-faith-is-less-a/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The most important is to keep faith, to keep belief and be ready to fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-lloris/the-most-important-is-to-keep-faith-to-keep-belief-and-be-ready-to/) [Hugo Lloris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-lloris/) > [I believe that it is important to have faith in a cosmic, universal power and identify the reasons for one's existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/i-believe-that-it-is-important-to-have-faith-in-a-cosmic-universal/) [Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyotiraditya-madhavrao-scindia/) > [I love having millions of viewers and I want the show to grow. But more than anything I hope it always impacts people's lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-garrett/i-love-having-millions-of-viewers-and-i-want-the-show-to-grow-but/) [Cynthia Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-garrett/) > [In all the wide gamut of human experience, nothing plays so important a part as faith… Faith that is as broad as the heavens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-foote-macdougall/in-all-the-wide-gamut-of-human-experience-nothing-plays-so-important/) [Alice Foote MacDougall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-foote-macdougall/) > [I can't say enough, how important my faith is to how I play the game and who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-curry/i-can-t-say-enough-how-important-my-faith-is-to-how-i-play-the-game/) [Stephen Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-curry/) > [Why is Love more important than Faith? Because Faith is merely the road that leads us to the Greater Love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/why-is-love-more-important-than-faith-because-faith-is-merely-the/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It's important to have faith and it also plays a big part in my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-wanyama/it-s-important-to-have-faith-and-it-also-plays-a-big-part-in-my-career/) [Victor Wanyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-wanyama/) > [Faith in your partner, your fellow men, your friends, is very important, because without it there's no mutual component to your relationship, and relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-graffin/faith-in-your-partner-your-fellow-men-your-friends-is-very-important/) [Greg Graffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-graffin/) > [There's a lot of kids who look up to me, and that's humbling. Because being human, I don't want to fail them. But being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/si-robertson/there-s-a-lot-of-kids-who-look-up-to-me-and-that-s-humbling-because/) [Si Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/si-robertson/) > [There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/there-are-many-things-that-are-essential-to-arriving-at-true-peace-of/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) ## More by Richard B. Jr. Gaffin > [“For him it does not go far enough to say, as it is often put, that Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of our resurrection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/for-him-it-does-not-go-far-enough-to-say-as-it-is-often-put-that/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“The notion that one applied benefit can cause another applied benefit has always perplexed me. But when union with Christ structures the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/the-notion-that-one-applied-benefit-can-cause-another-applied-benefit/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“For Christians, then, Christ’s justification, given with his resurrection, becomes theirs. When they are united to the resurrected and justified Christ by faith, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/for-christians-then-christ-s-justification-given-with-his/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“it is not an overstatement to say, as Paul sees things, that at the core of their being, in the deepest recesses of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/it-is-not-an-overstatement-to-say-as-paul-sees-things-that-at-the/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“To summarize, the “outer man” of the believer does not yet experience the saving benefits of union with Christ, either transformative or forensic. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/to-summarize-the-outer-man-of-the-believer-does-not-yet-experience/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“is 100 percent the work of God and, just for that reason, it is to engage 100 percent of the activity of the believer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/is-100-percent-the-work-of-god-and-just-for-that-reason-it-is-to/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“From this perspective, it should be appreciated that the antithesis between law and gospel is not an end in itself. It is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/from-this-perspective-it-should-be-appreciated-that-the-antithesis/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“For Christians, then, Christ’s justification, given with his resurrection, becomes theirs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/for-christians-then-christ-s-justification-given-with-his-2/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) > [“Christ’s passivity in his resurrection reflects his identification and solidarity with believers in being raised from the dead. For Paul—certainly not in conflict with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-b-jr-gaffin/christ-s-passivity-in-his-resurrection-reflects-his-identification/) [Richard B. Jr. Gaffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) [Explore all 10 Richard B. Jr. Gaffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-b-jr-gaffin/) ## More Faith quotes > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/) [Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/) [Matt Morris (1](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-morris-1/) > [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. The eternal truths of the Kingdom aren’t altered or affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/just-because-your-faith-is-shaken-doesn-t-mean-the-faith-is-shaken/) [Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/) > [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/) [Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/) > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) [Browse all 37,796 Faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Paul does not teach a “faith alone” position, as I have sometimes heard it put. Rather, his is a “by faith alone” position. This is not just a verbal quibble; the “by” is all-important here. The faith by which sinners are justified, as it unites them to Christ and so secures for them all the benefits of salvation that there are in him, perseveres to the end and in persevering is never alone. Faith is, as Luther is reported to have said, “a busy little thing.”86”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard B. 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