Who We Are

This week, we’ll be considering what has been called the formal cause of the Reformation, Sola Scriptura, as it is central to the other four solas.

Essentially, Sola Scriptura refers to the idea that the Bible is the highest, ultimate, and final authority for faith and life. It has to do with the sufficiency of Scripture—the supreme authority in all spiritual matters.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

The Westminster Confession of Faith puts it this way:

“The whole Counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.”

At the time of the Reformation, Church Tradition was equal to the Scripture in terms of authority—the problem was that church tradition was not always in line with the Scripture.

Martin Luther was confronted with this issue in 1518 as he was challenged by Cardinal Cajetan regarding the sale of indulgences. Cajetan pointed out that in the year 1300 Pope Bonifice had authorized the use and sale of indulgences. Then in 1334, Pope Clement developed the doctrine of the Treasury of Merit.

Luther’s response, in essence, was that neither of these are taught in the Bible, and that even popes can err. Then, of course, at the Diet of Worms in 1521, in his famous response to the demand that he recant, he stated in part, that his conscience is captive to the Word of God and that popes and counsels have erred—they had gotten it wrong.

Sola Scriptura doesn’t nullify church tradition or subordinate standards—but these must be based on and in line with the Scripture. They can’t add or detract from God’s Word, conflict with it or twist it.

The only way to know for sure, and to be sure, is by going to the Scriptures. So, whether it’s a matter regarding a specific teaching, or a particular moral issue, the Bible has the final say. Now, you may choose to believe or not, to obey or not, but that doesn’t change the truth.

So, you’re taught that Salvation is by faith and works, and it depends on you performing certain rituals, rites, and so on—yet the Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by grace alone. Just look at Ephesians 2:8-9. We’re justified not by the works of the law, but through faith.

So what are you going to do? When you’re told that Jesus is just a way of salvation, but not the only way—but the Bible teaches what?

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Which is it?

This extends to moral issues as well. For example, in the past few years, many churches have adjusted their position regarding the nature and meaning of marriage. They’ve rewritten their standards to reflect the changes. So now marriage is not exclusively between a man and a woman, but includes same sex couples.

But Sola Scriptura informs us of God’s intention and purpose for marriage—that it’s between one man and one woman for life, where companionship, completion, and procreation are fostered in a context of unconditional love.

That will not, cannot change, because he doesn’t change—it’s based on his unchanging character, reflected in his infallible, inerrant, unchanging Word—the only standard for faith and life.

Thanks for checking us out, hope to see you next time as we continue our series on the five solas with Sola Fide.

Blessings, in Him, always in Him.

Today we’re exploring Solo Christo (through Christ alone). This is the teaching that salvation is found in Christ, and Christ alone.

A huge concern for the Reformers was that the Roman Catholic church had placed its Priests into the role of mediators between man and God. In fact, the priest was considered an “alter Christus” (another Christ), especially when celebrating the Mass and in granting absolution for sins. Later, there was concern of the veneration of the saints and the role of many within the church. The Reformers placed emphasis on the fact that Jesus is our high priest and only mediator between God and man.

Christ alone means that salvation depends solely and completely on Jesus Christ, his once for all sacrifice for sin, his finished work on behalf of his people. We need to hold onto this teaching because we find ourselves, as Christians, living in a pluralistic society.

Pluralism basically means a diversity of religious belief systems, each one having validity, one not necessarily better than the other, just different. “You’re a Christian, fine, but being Muslim or Hindu is just fine too. You have Jesus, we have Muhammed.”

Now if this were not enough, there’s a growing concern regarding what is called Inclusivism. The idea behind it is, that since all truth is God’s truth, people may appropriate God’s gift of salvation as they practice their particular religion. By being a faithful adherent to their religion, they gain access to the benefits of Jesus’ atoning work, since aspects of their religion intersect with truths that are found in Scripture.

They’re “saved” by responding to truths in their religion that touch Christianity. The problem is that all other religions and philosophies are incompatible with Biblical Christianity. They may contain elements, but they distort the truth concerning God and suppress it.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (Romans 1:18)

Take Islam for example. They believe in one God, but deny the Trinity. They acknowledge Christ but as a prophet, not all sufficient Savior. They believe in heaven, but the only way to get there is to earn it. Every other religion is works based–something you must do in order to earn and secure a spot in heaven. This is NOT Christ alone! In fact, this is not Christ at all. Yet, this teaching is gaining traction in the church, and especially among younger Christians.

Why? In an age of pluralism, exclusivism seems to be unfair. These people are sincere, many, if not most, haven’t even heard of Christianity. At least they’re practicing their religion–shouldn’t that count for something? In an age of pluralism, being exclusive is seen as “narrow,” “bigoted,” “better than you.” In a pluralistic society, if you do not have a firm grasp on your faith and an adequate knowledge of the teachings, you’re most likely going to try to accommodate the culture rather than defend the faith.

We believe, because the Bible teaches, that salvation is by grace alone through Christ alone. Our sin is against God. The only way to be reconciled to him is through him, and that’s why Jesus came. The Word became flesh.

John 3:16-17 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

The Father sends the Son, the Son secures salvation by reconciling sinners to God the Father.

John 3:36 says: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

We’re taught that only those who obey or believe in the Son escape the wrath of God.

John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus himself, emphatically, teaches that there is NO salvation apart from Him. He is the only way! That’s why we preach the Gospel. That’s why he sends His people.

Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

In the book of Acts, we see the gospel moving, just as Christ said it would. Track its influence to Turkey, Europe, US, the Far East.

We take the message of the gospel, very often at a great cost, in order to, as Jesus stated to Paul, “open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and a place among those who are sanctified in Me.” (Acts 26:18) These are people practicing other religions.

And yet, Acts 4:12 states plainly “that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved”

Christ Alone.

Today we’ll be considering Sola Gratia (Grace Alone). Sola Gratia teaches us that a person is saved from their sins by God’s Grace alone. That’s it! No amount of good works, trying harder, doing better will help you get into heaven. At the same time, your sin will not keep you from entering heaven. Why? Because Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life, a life we could never live. And he died on the cross, paying the price for sins that we could never pay. We can’t improve on, or add to, the perfect, finished work of Christ.

Grace alone means that undeserving, unworthy sinners, of God’s own choosing, receive the unmerited, unearned favor of God—the benefits of Jesus’ work. This truly is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. The Reformers recovered this. It wasn’t that the Roman Catholic Church did not or does not teach that Salvation is by Grace, it does. The issue is that Grace must be accompanied by good works.

In the Catholic Church, it is taught that you are saved by grace (Baptism), but that grace is diminished by sins that are committed. It’s regained and maintained by works, such as the sacraments, acts of mercy, etc. That seems fair, but grace goes beyond “fairness,” and actually gives us what we do not deserve, what we cannot earn—His love and forgiveness, once for all!

Today, the majority of Evangelical Christians do believe that Salvation is by Grace. Yet they also believe that the individual does play a part in their own Salvation, no matter how small. They’ll say that “God votes for you, the devil votes against you, but you cast the deciding vote.” When you choose Christ, the Holy Spirit changes your heart. You’re born again.

Another example is that the sinner is very, very sick—sick to the point of death. God supplies the life saving medicine, he opens the bottle, pours it on the spoon, brings it to your mouth; all you have to do is open your mouth. He does 99.9%—sounds very reasonable, fair even, but ultimately, it rests on us—something we do. So, it is not salvation by Grace, alone. The Bible teaches us that we contribute nothing to our salvation. The effects of sin leave us uninclined, unwilling, and unable to do the slightest thing in terms of salvation.

Several years ago, I suffered a major heart attack. The last thing I remember was my friend, who’s a nurse, saying “sit down.” The next thing I remember is waking up in the back of an ambulance, my friend spraying nitro under my tongue. I had gone into cardiac arrest. They performed CPR, used the defibrillator. I could do nothing to save myself. I was passive—I simply received with gratitude the gift. That’s what salvation by grace alone is like. Through the gospel, He changes hearts, and we receive and rest upon him.

To really gain an appreciation from Sola Gratia, you need to understand two things—the seriousness of sin and the sufficiency of Christ. These two come together beautifully in Eph. 2:1-10 and captures the essence of Sola Gratia. Let’s do a quick study of these passages:

Verses 1-3 deal with our sinfulness and we learn several things. Apart from grace, who is considered spiritually dead? The Ephesians (whom the letter is addressed to), Paul and those who are with him, and every single person (all mankind).

What does it mean to be spiritually dead? One, we’re guilty. We’ve violated his law, we do not do what we ought to do, and we do the things that we shouldn’t do. It means we’re in bondage to sin. We don’t seek God, but serve the world, the flesh (our own desires), and the devil (the enemy of God). It means that apart from grace, we stand condemned under the wrath of God and the punishment our sins deserve—yeah it’s that bad. Paul doesn’t say that we’re simply sick spiritually, no! He emphatically states that apart from grace, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. God would be right to leave us here, yet Paul turns from us to God.

Verses 4-10 point us to God’s grace. This teaches us that even when we were hopelessly, helplessly lost (spiritually dead), he made us alive. Not because of anything in us or about us, but on the basis of his unconditional love for, and deep mercy towards his people; those who by grace believe on and trust in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation.

To what end? That we might show, now and forever, the riches of God’s grace toward us in Christ Jesus. How do we show it? In our gratitude, our obedience, our desire to live for him, through him, and to him.

We come now to what is known as the material cause of the Reformation, because this was at the heart of the Reformation, the central issue, which is justification by faith alone.

This is so important that Martin Luther said that it’s the doctrine by which the church stands or falls. Why? Because it has to do with how a person is accepted by God, how a sinful person is able to stand in the presence of Holy God, declared not guilty before the righteous Judge of the world. This right here is what truly separates Martin Luther and the other reformers from the Roman Catholic Church.

The Roman Catholic Church taught, and still continues to teach, that salvation comes through participation in the sacraments, and to be accepted into God’s presence, a person must be without sin—objectively just, perfectly righteous.

It begins with baptism. The catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Holy baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through baptism, we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God. We become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church, and made sharers in her mission. Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and the word.” At that moment, a person is considered to be perfectly just before God—filled with righteousness, the justifying grace of God.

An illustration, not perfect, but you’ll get the idea:

At baptism, a person is “filled,” or infused, with God’s justifying grace based on the work of Christ, like a glass of water being completely filled. Sin causes the loss of a measure of this—some of the water gets dumped out. So as a person participates in the other sacraments, especially penance, some of the grace is restored, and the cup becomes refilled. When a person dies, remaining sin must be dealt with in purgatory where indulgences, masses, prayers and so on, provide for them the merit needed to become objectively righteous, and to enter into God’s presence into heaven.

So, while faith is necessary for salvation, it is not sufficient for it—there needs to be more—things that we do while we’re alive, things others do for us after we die. So it’s faith plus works that equals justification in the Roman Catholic Church.

As Martin Luther got back to the Scriptures, he discovered for himself, and recovered what has always been there regarding justification—that a person is justified by faith alone. Nothing more needs to be done, or can be done, by us. Christ did it all.

This truth is plainly taught throughout the Bible, but especially in passages such as:
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law.” (Romans 3:28)

“And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteous.” (Romans 4:5)

“Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the Law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the Law, because by the works of the Law, no one will be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

We can go on and on. The thing is, that God accepts us as righteous in his sight only because the righteousness of Christ is granted to us, by faith, as we trust in him. You see, on the cross, Jesus paid for our sin, all of it, taking away the guilt as he satisfied God’s wrath. That’s why he could say “it is finished.”

Amazingly, there’s more! Not only did he take our sins upon himself—his righteousness, the merits of his sinless life and sacrificial death are credited, or imputed, to us! This means that when the Father looks at you, He sees the finished work of Christ applied by the Holy Spirit. We are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, which makes us acceptable to God.

Paul puts it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:21. “For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” This has been called “The Great Exchange.” So, even when we sin, our “cup” remains full—because of Christ. Because of this, when a believer dies his soul goes directly into the presence of God. That’s why Jesus could say to the thief on the cross, “today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Westminster Shorter Catechism says it this way:

“Justification is an act of God’s free grace, whereby, He pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.” That’s why the Reformers would say that Christians are “simul justus et peccator”—at the same time just and sinner.

What are some of the implications for us? I’ll mention just a couple.

First, it means that we are justified by faith alone! We do good works not so that we may one day get into heaven, but because we already have a place in heaven. Otherwise, you do them in a sense for yourself, trusting that by doing these, it will help you get to Heaven sooner. Also, this gives us great assurance that on the day when you die, at that very moment, your soul will be in the presence of your great God and Savior.

Hey, Pastor Joe Griffo of Redeemer Church of South Hills—so glad you’re joining me as we come to the last of the five solas of the Protestant Reformation

Soli Deo Gloria (to the Glory of God alone), is really the overarching theme of the entire Reformation — and not only that, but the entire Christian life. To give glory includes a deep, deep reverence towards, a sincere worship of, and highest praise to God. We’re just left in awe of His majesty. It’s honor of, appreciation for, and obedience to our God. His glory is our priority.

When it comes to salvation, it’s all of God, to the glory of God alone! He chose us in Christ from before the foundation of the world, and He accomplishes salvation through the Son and by the power of the Holy Spirit. He alone is responsible for regeneration, for renewing our hearts. He graciously grants us faith and repentance, with which we believe in, and turn to, Christ. He forgives all of our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight — justification.

He adopts us into His family, and we as members have all the rights and privileges of sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit is working in us, enabling us to die more and more to sin and self, that we may live all the more to Him! We are kept by His power, so that nothing can separate us from His love. He will safely see us into glory.

Soli Deo Gloria.

We, as Christians, with hearts filled with gratitude, ought to seek to glorify Him. All the time. In every circumstance. In all that we do. So this means that for the Christian, there is no separation between the sacred and the secular — we do not compartmentalize — we live our entire lives before the face of God. Every realm, sphere, area of our lives belong to Him, to glorify Him.

This begins with ourselves. We glorify Him when we acknowledge that our heart belongs to Him. Our mind is set on and trained by Him. Our actions are honoring to Him. Our relationships glorify Him. In marriage, we are to behave as the spouse that we’re called to be. With our families, we lovingly lead, train and care for them. In our friendships, we regard others as more important than ourselves. Our work glorifies Him — we work as unto the Lord. So we put forth hard work, quality work, and honest work. Never half-hearted, lazy, or stealing time.

In our worship, we only offer it up according to His word, what He’s commanded and demanded.
In regards to our activities and entertainments — we aren’t overtaken by them, but rather we keep them in perspective. We glorify Him when we acknowledge His sovereignty over all of life, His providence in every situation.

1 Cor. 10:31 sums it up nicely: So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

We should never, ever seek glory for ourselves. This is hard because we want to be noticed, affirmed, and appreciated. Now, if others take notice, and acknowledge what you do, or show appreciation, amen! That gives you an opportunity to glorify God, to witness! But see, it’s ok if we don’t receive credit, if we don’t get that “thank you”, if we’re overlooked, or underappreciated. If you as a Christian need approval, keep a record, get even, are passive aggressive, quick to defend yourself, rattle off how much you’ve done, look for self serving advantages, then it’s not Soli Deo Gloria, but it’s Soli me Gloria.

The Cambridge Declaration puts it beautifully:

“We reaffirm that because salvation has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify Him always. We must life our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God, and for His glory alone.”