In Romans 5:1 Paul begins by summarizing the doctrine outlined in the previous chapter: “Therefore, since (oun) we have been justified by faith…” As Gentiles, the members of the church in Rome had been accustomed to making sacrifices to appease the gods. Now they learn from Abraham and from Christ that a right standing before the one true God can be acquired by faith alone.

If one were to read the phrase by faith in Romans 5:1 as signifying that faith is the cause of salvation, one would be reading too much into the translation and into the text. From the whole of Romans 5:1–2 it is evident that it is God’s grace alone that is the foundation of our salvation (Romans 5:2). Moreover, given that faith is a gift and not a human work, the preposition by here cannot point to faith as the cause of justification but rather as the means thereof. God justifies us by using faith in Christ as instrument.¹