Five Solas of the 16th Century Reformation

RACC are now studying the Five Solas of the Reformation started last March until July of this year. Started last March, we aim to learn the fundamental teachings of the Reformers of the 16th Century. The Five Solas are five Latin phrases (or slogans) that emerged during the Reformation to summarize the Reformers’ theological convictions about the essentials of Christianity.
The Five Solas are:
  1. March- Soli Deo Gloria (“to the glory of God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.
  2. April- Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.
  3. May- Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.
  4. June- Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.
  5. July- Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by the grace of God alone.



SOLI DEO GLORIA
Glory belongs to God alone. God’s glory is the central motivation for salvation, not improving the lives of people—though that is a wonderful by product. God is not a means to an end—he is the means and the end. The goal of all of life is to give glory to God alone: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).  As The Westminster Catechism says, the chief purpose of human life is “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

SOLA SCRIPTURA
The Scriptures are our ultimate and trustworthy authority for faith and practice. This doesn’t mean that the Bible is the only place where truth is found, but it does mean that everything else we learn about God and his world, and all other authorities, should be interpreted in light of Scripture. The Bible gives us everything we need for our theology. Every word of the 66 books of the Bible is inspired by God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also helps us to understand and obey Scripture. 2 Peter 2:20, the Bible is about Jesus Christ and his role as God and Savior  (Romans 15:4 is 2 Timothy 2:16).

SOLA FIDE 
We are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s grace and Christ’s merit alone. We are not saved by our merits or declared righteous by our good works. God grants salvation not because of the good things we do, and despite our sin. As humans, we inherited (from our ancestor Adam) a nature that is enslaved to sin. Because of our nature, we are naturally enemies of God and lovers of evil. We need to be made alive (regenerated) so that we can even have faith in Christ. God graciously chooses to give us new hearts so that we trust in Christ and are saved through faith alone (Romans 3:21-26).

SOLUS CHRISTUS
God has given the ultimate revelation of himself to us by sending Jesus Christ, (Colossians 1:15). Only through God’s gracious self-revelation in Jesus do we come to a saving and transforming knowledge of God (1 Timothy 1:5). Because God is holy and all humans are sinful and sinners (1 John 1:1 Hebrews 7:25 Romans 8:34). Neither religious rituals nor good works mediate between us and God.  By which a person can be saved other than the name of Jesus (Acts 4:12),  and his sacrificial death alone can atone for sin (Hebrews 7:23). 

SOLA GRATIA
God graciously preserves us and keeps us. When we are faithless toward him, he is still faithful. We can only stand before God by his grace as he mercifully attributes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ and attributes to him the consequences of our sins. Jesus’ life of perfect righteousness is counted as ours, and our records of sin and failure were counted to Jesus when he died on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9).






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