Part
1 of 10
The
“Five Solas” of the “Good News Gospel”
In
this series we will explore and define the “Five Solas” of the
Reformers that still are the foundational elements of “the faith”
that Paul delivered to “the church, which is the body of Christ”
(Eph 1:22b-23a). These “Five Solas” are absolute truths
of the faith that will nourish the believer’s in their “present
life and also for the life which is to come” (1Tim 4:7) Martin
Luther and the Reformers labored to “re-form” the church back to
having a Biblically and dispensationally based system of faith, against
the unbiblical numerous traditions of Rome.
The
Apostle Paul alerted his son in the faith, Timothy, to the deceptions of
the “DELUDING
AND SEDUCING SPIRITS
AND DOCTRINES THAT DEMONS TEACH” such as would come “latter
times” (1Tim 4:1b), as
we see today. These demonic
errors aren’t taught in taverns or baseball parks, but from the
pulpits of church buildings, under
the guise of a system that calls itself “Christianity.” These false
teachings are usually mixed with bits and pieces of the Bible to make it
seemingly Biblical, but still this serves to deceive and rob naive
believers of their inheritance “in
Christ” alone. The best defense for these lies and omissions of
the truth is for one to actually KNOW “the truth” of “the
gospel of the grace of God” (Act 20:24) for themselves.
Interestingly, Paul uses the words “know”
and “understand” 93 times
in his 13 epistles. The Reformers “Five Solas” proclaim five core
elements of the truth of the grace gospel for this age in which we live
today.
The
word “evangelical” originated in the 16th century
to identify those who embraced the “message” of the
Protestant Reformation. The word “evangelical” is taken from
the Greek word “evangelion, which is translated “gospel”
in the Bible. It literally means a “message of good news.”
The word “message”
is from a related Greek word, “epangelia.” The “Five
Solas” listed below are
five Latin phrases that summarized the “gospel message” of
the Reformation. We will expand upon these
later in the series.
The word
“sola”
is Latin for “alone,”
or
“only,” which indicates these truths as singular absolutes
that are not to be adulterated with any caveat or stipulated requirement
– they stand complete on their own as our basis of salvation.
Therefore, in this series I’ve sometimes
highlighted the words ONLY
and ALONE.
Thus,
“sola
fide” is Latin
for “by
faith
ALONE.” This refers to the central Christian doctrine known as “justification
by FAITH ALONE.” In “justification”
one
is declared justified and righteous before God. Any person
who by
FAITH
ALONE
trusts
in the shed blood, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the Son of
God fully satisfies the righteous requirement of God. He is then declared justified
and saved
by God – through
FAITH ALONE
- “NOT
BY WORKS of righteousness that we have done” (Titus 3:5a).
So, our faith
in CHRIST ALONE, plus NOTHING, is the only basis of our justification
to save us.
“24Being
JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE
through the REDEMPTION that is IN CHRIST JESUS… 28Therefore
we conclude that a MAN IS
JUSTIFIED BY FAITH WITHOUT THE DEEDS OF THE LAW. (Romans
3:24, 28)
The truth concerning “justification”
is that it’s available to us ONLY
by
placing our faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice at
Calvary
’s cross on our behalf – no
good works or sacraments are necessary to be accomplished for
salvation. The doctrine of “Justification
by faith ALONE” most distinguished the Protestant
Reformers
from the Roman church. “Sola
fide,” as the heart the
Reformers “message,” was largely taken from the writings of “the
Apostle to the Gentiles,” Paul, (Rom 11:13).
Martin Luther’s life was changed by the revelation of the core truth of
“justification by faith ALONE.”
From:
Lectures on Galatians,
in Luther’s
Works,
ed. Jaroslav Pelikan (St. Louis: Concordia, 1963) 26:9.)
“No
doctrine is of greater importance throughout the history of mankind than
the doctrine of justification.
Since the opening pages of human history, man has had an insatiable
hunger to know how to have his sins atoned for and how to propitiate
(satisfy) the demands of a holy God (Job 9:2; 25:4). Furthermore,
in the evangelical world, no
doctrine has been of greater import and significance than ‘JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH ALONE’” — the Reformation
principle of SOLA
FIDE.
Martin Luther rightly contends that “if
the doctrine of justification is lost, the whole of Christian doctrine is
lost.”
The
“Five Solas” emerged during the Protestant
Reformation in direct contradistinction with the teachings of
the Roman church. The “Five Solas”
became significant because the Roman church had muted and actually “twisted”
the truth of Paul’s grace gospel
message, just as Peter forewarned in his second epistle.
2
Peter 3:15-16 And
account that the
longsuffering of our Lord is
salvation; even as our beloved
brother Paul also according
to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16
As also in all his
(Paul’s) epistles,
speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be
understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest (twist), as
they do also the other
scriptures, unto their own destruction.
According
to Peter in his last years, Paul’s “wisdom”
as seen “in
all his epistles”
was then and now still is twisted.
Peter said ignoring Paul’s truth leads men to “destruction”
(perdition, eternal loss).
“Grace”
means “unearned
favor.” The church’s twisting and forsaking of Paul’s “gospel
of the grace
(unearned favor) of God” is
what led to the Reformation. Thanks to God’s grace, the Reformers
recovered many of the truths of Paul’s “gospel
of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Though Paul had
never followed Jesus of Nazareth on earth, Paul received his
“gospel of the grace
of God” directly from the ascended Lord
Jesus. Paul then traveled widely to proclaim the grace
message he had “received…
by revelation of Jesus Christ”
(Gal 1:12). Paul preached salvation
by grace ALONE, through faith ALONE, in Christ ALONE.
The Bible says Jesus was opposed and killed
by
Israel
’s religious leaders (Act 3:15). Likewise, the “gospel
of the grace of God” that
Paul, as Jesus’ “Apostle to the
Gentiles,” delivered. Paul was opposed by
Israel
’s religious leaders who had called for Jesus’ crucifixion; they went
on to oppose Paul’s gospel vehemently, seeking to kill him also. Even
the believing Messianic
Judaizers of the church at
Jerusalem
tried to undermine and subvert Paul’s grace
gospel message wherever Paul had traveled, preached and
established churches. Religion’s effort in every age is always directed
against the essence and simplicity of the Paul’s grace
message.
“We
have… the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His GRACE”
(Eph. 1:7).
The climax of Paul’s first recorded
sermon is seen in Verses 38 and 39 of Acts 13, where he declares:
“Be
it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this
Man (Jesus) is preached unto you (for) the forgiveness
of sins: And by Him all
that believe are justified from all things, from which ye
could not be justified by
the law of Moses.”
When God forgives us He no longer sees us
according to our poor selves, but He sees us clothed “in
Christ.” Jesus Christ took our place, dying for our sins on
Calvary
’s cross. There He hung in our place that we might now stand in His — “complete
in Him” (Col. 2:10).
“For
he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to
be sin for us, who knew no sin; (so)
that we might be made the righteousness of God “IN HIM.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21)
God has long-endured in His love for
mankind, while man has long rebelled against God in every age. God has
desired to come to intimate union
with each believer.
Through their simple FAITH ALONE,
He offers to freely
cleanse every person of his sins by the shed blood of His dear Son,
Jesus. Then He would also freely
dispense the “Spirit
of life in Christ Jesus” into
their spirit to be their ALL sufficient eternal life.
Thankfully, religion’s efforts that would
subvert God’s message of pure
grace fails, whenever any person is willing to open his heart to simply
believe, trusting in the truth of “the
gospel of the grace of God.”
Today, the good news is exactly
as it was two thousand years ago; “…believe
on (trust in)
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved…” (Acts 16:31)
This message of God’s grace is still the most profoundly relevant message
ever spoken to men.
Religion’s
administrative misconduct
has long hindered the message
of
God’s love and grace
toward fallen mankind. Jesus warned
Israel
’s religious leaders of their “tradition”
and manmade
laws that
they promoted, saying these serve to go against the instruction of God.
“…
Thus
have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by YOUR TRADITION.
7 Ye
hypocrites… in vain they do
worship me, teaching for
doctrines the COMMANDMENTS OF MEN. (Matt
15:6-9).
Paul wrote and foretold of a time when men
would not tolerate proper “sound
doctrine”; rather they would favor hearing religion’s offerings of
philosophy, myths, traditions, and
falsehood.
“PREACH
THE
WORD…and
DOCTRINE (instruction).
3 For the
TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL NOT ENDURE SOUND DOCTRINE; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having
itching ears;
4
THEY SHALL TURN AWAY THEIR
EARS FROM THE TRUTH, AND SHALL BE TURNED UNTO FABLES.” (2Tim
4:2-4)
“Beware
lest any man spoil you through PHILOSOPHY
AND VAIN DECEIT, AFTER THE TRADITION OF MEN, after
the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (
Col
2:8).
Many
Christian’s today sit under; the legalistic, or the
organized hierarchical, or the neo-evangelical religious systems of
Christianity. They are fed a diet of false doctrine, fables,
traditions, manmade laws, pomp and spectacle, mixed with
“out of context” parts of the Bible, to suit them.
Sadly,
most
then are left lacking in sound doctrinal teachings of “the
faith.”
This robs them of God’s love and grace that is found only
in union with Christ. They miss out on the blessings of knowing
Jesus Christ personally and in the simplicity of a relationship afforded
them in the truths of the “Five Solas” that we are studying.