Luther Added 'Faith Alone' to Romans 3:28
What the video says
Protestants not only removed books from the Bible but also added words to Scripture. In Romans 3:28, Luther added the phrase 'faith alone' to the text. In the Greek, 'faith alone' appears only in James, where it says we are not saved by faith alone.
The speaker argues that if salvation by faith alone were true, Luther would not have needed to change the text to prove it. We must return to the apostolic faith and not let one man determine the canon; that belongs to the reception of the entire Church.
Key moments
- Protestants removed books from the Bible and also added words to Scripture.
- Luther added the words 'faith alone' to Romans 3:28.
- In the Greek, 'faith alone' appears only in James, which says we are not saved by faith alone.
- If we are saved by faith alone, Luther would not have had to change the text to prove it.
- We must return to the apostolic faith and not let one man determine the canon, but the reception of the entire Church.
The speaker argues that the Protestant Reformation changed Scripture in two ways: by removing books from the Bible and by adding words to the biblical text. The key example given is Romans 3:28, where Martin Luther added the phrase 'faith alone' to his German translation, even though the phrase does not appear in the Greek text of Paul's letter.
The speaker points out that in the Greek New Testament, the phrase 'faith alone' appears only once, in the Epistle of James, where it says the opposite of what Luther's addition implies: that a person is not saved by faith alone. From this the speaker draws a conclusion: if salvation by faith alone were a biblical teaching, Luther would not have needed to alter the text of Romans in order to prove it.
The change, in the speaker's view, shows that the doctrine required an adjustment of Scripture rather than support from it. The video closes with a call to return to the apostolic faith and a claim about who determines the canon of Scripture. The speaker argues that the canon was not settled by one man, such as Luther, but belongs to the reception of the entire Church.
The hashtags attached to the post indicate the intended audience: Christians generally, with particular reference to Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. The argument as presented rests on the textual point about Romans 3:28 and the single occurrence of 'faith alone' in James, and it moves from that textual claim to the broader conclusion about Church authority over the canon.
Main points
- The speaker claims Protestants both removed books from the Bible and added words to Scripture.
- Luther added the phrase 'faith alone' to Romans 3:28 in his translation.
- In the Greek, 'faith alone' appears only in James, which says we are not saved by faith alone.
- The speaker argues that if salvation by faith alone were true, Luther would not have needed to change the text to prove it.
- The speaker calls for a return to the apostolic faith, saying the canon belongs to the reception of the entire Church, not to one man.