When conducting Bible studies, it doesn’t take long to find someone who teaches the doctrine of “faith only.”  It is so common that the meaning of the statement really doesn’t need to be documented.  However, for your edification, I will document this to show how it is used.  Hugh F. Pyle wrote, “We are saved by faith alone...”  His, and other’s view of this statement is that a person is saved from their sins by believing in Christ without any other thing involved.   Pyle quotes such verses as Acts 10:43 (.....   whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins), to show that when a person believes he is saved.
     The problem with this is that Pyle assumes that when a verse of scripture says that a person is saved by faith, it means “faith only.”  Therefore, if a person believes in Christ, that person is saved; no ifs, ands or buts.
     Let’s do a little experiment.  Let’s look and see if this form of thinking will stand the test.  Let’s take this assumption to the ultimate and apply it to some other verses of scripture.
     It is written, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).  The Bible tells us to repent so that our sins may be blotted out.  By the thinking of some this would mean that to receive the forgiveness of sins all a person would have to do is repent!
     It is written, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”  (1 John 1:9).  The Bible says that if we confess our sins we will have forgiveness of sins.  According the thinking of some this must mean that we are saved by confession “only.”
 It is written, “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us”  (1 Pet. 3:21).  The Bible says we are saved by baptism.  Some would have to say that this means that we are saved by baptism “only.”
     It is written, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?”  (Rom. 8:24).  The Word of God says that we are saved by hope.  Does that mean that we have remission of sins simply by hoping our sins away?  According to some it must.
     It is written, “by grace ye are saved.”  (Eph. 2:5).  According to the Word of Life, we are saved by grace.  According to Pyle’s thinking, we would be saved by grace “only.”
     It is written, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you”  (Matt. 6:14).  Therefore, according to the theory, all we have to do is forgive people when they offend us.
     “Just don’t make no since!!!”
     It is true that the Bible says that we must believe in order to have forgiveness of sins.  However, it is also true that we are saved by repentance, confession, baptism and grace.  So why is it so hard to see that all of the above are required in order to have forgiveness of sins?  Never forget the words of Christ when he said to teach “them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you....”  (Matt. 28:20).
     That little word “only” has cause a whole lot of misunderstanding.  The Bible never says that we are saved by “faith only.”  In fact, it says just the opposite. “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only”  (James 2:24).
     The sum of the parts makes the whole.  Follow all of the New Testament, not just one verse.