Did Jesus Teach Justification by Faith Alone?

Sometimes Christians will say things like, “I’m not interested in all those heavy doctrines that Paul talks about. I’m only interested in the simple teachings of Jesus.” But did Paul reshape the Christian message, or was he actually a faithful apostle? To put the question more sharply, did Paul invent the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone, or was this something that Jesus himself clearly taught in a variety of ways throughout his earthly ministry? That’s the focus of this edition of White Horse Inn.

SHOW QUOTE

I think a lot of people read the gospels and they think, “Well, I don’t see that word justification like I do in Paul’s letters.” And so they assume, well, Jesus is all about the ethical teachings and Paul’s all about that legal stuff, justification. But the reality is, when you look at the gospels, Jesus focuses on the forgiveness of sins which is a part of our justification. You think of Mark 2 where he basically says that the forgiveness of sins is central even above doing miracles.