The 5 Solas

This post is via The Resurgence.  Couldn’t have explained it better myself…

Click here for the original link

The Five Solas are five Latin phrases (or slogans) that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and that summarize the Reformers’ basic theological convictions on what they believed to be the essentials of the Christian life and practice.

The Five Solas are:

1. Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): Scripture alone is our highest authority.

2. Sola Fide (“faith alone”): We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone.

3. Sola Gratia (“grace alone”): We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone.

4. Solus Christus (“Christ alone”): Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.

5. Soli Deo Gloria (“glory to God alone”): We live for the glory of God alone.

The following is a brief explanation of each. (For further reading, on this see The Cambridge Declaration.)

Sola Scriptura

When rightly interpreted, the Bible is about Jesus Christ and his role as God and Savior. Additionally, Scripture is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

Every word of the 66 books of the Bible is divinely inspired. The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture, illuminates the meaning and understanding of Scripture, and empowers obedience to Scripture.

The Scriptures alone are our only ultimate and inerrant 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, are subordinate to the Scriptures. The Scriptures are the sole necessary and sufficient source of our theology.

Sola Fide and Sola Gratia

We are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s grace and Christ’s merit alone. We are neither saved by our merits nor declared righteous by our good works. We do not deserve grace, or else it wouldn’t be grace. This means that God grants salvation not because of the good things we do, or even our faith—and despite our sin. God’s election is the unconditional and unmerited nature of his grace.

As humans, we inherited a nature that is in bondage to sin from Adam. We are born in sin. We are naturally enemies of God and lovers of evil. We needed to be made alive (regenerated) so that we could even have faith in Christ. All of this is grace that we don’t deserve. Because we didn’t earn or attain this grace, we cannot lose it.

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, which were judged on the cross. The effects of this gospel are many. According to the Heidelberg Catechism, our only comfort in life and death is this:

“That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, has fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.”

Ephesians 2:8–10 teaches all this clearly:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ”

Solus Christus

God reveals himself to everyone everywhere through general revelation, which includes creation and conscience. In general revelation, God has made known his power and divine nature, wisdom, majesty, justice, and goodness.

God has supremely revealed himself to fallen humans through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It’s only through special revelation, God’s gracious self-revelation in Jesus, that any of us comes to a saving and transforming knowledge of God.

Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity. Because God is holy and all humans are sinful and sinners, we need a Savior who mediates between us and God. Religious rituals do not mediate between us and God—neither do the good works we do. Nobody else, except the God-man, Jesus Christ, serves as our mediator to God. There is no other name by which a person can be saved other than the name Jesus. Jesus intercedes on our behalf and his sacrifice alone is sufficient to atone for sin.

Soli Deo Gloria

We live in a culture of self-glorification. People work their whole lives to gain glory through money, fame, or achievement. Self-esteem is the highest goal. As every Little League coach now claims, “Everybody is a winner.”

Unfortunately, the reality is that everybody is a loser. And it is by God’s grace alone that we become winners. Because of this, glory belongs to God alone. God’s glory is the central motivation for saving sinners, not improving the lives of people—that is a wonderful byproduct.

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). The Westminster Catechism says the chief purpose of our life is “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

God’s glory and fame are to be our only and ultimate ambition.

The Miniature Earth

I don’t know who the organizations are at the end of the clip, but I thought that it provides an interesting demographic perspective.  By the way, by showing posting this clip I am NOT advocating a social gospel.  If you are confused on this, read the previous week’s post.  :)

 

The Road To Hell Is Paved With The Social Gospel

For some of you, the title of this blog post probably shocked you or even turned you off.  Others of you, nodded your head in agreement.  Perhaps some of you wondered why I would make such a strong statement.  In order to understand why I would say “the road to hell is paved with the social gospel”, you should first understand what I mean when I say “the social gospel”.

The social gospel is “a religious movement that arose in the United States in the late nineteenth century with the goal of making the Christian churches more responsive to social problems, such as poverty and prostitution. Leaders of the movement argued that Jesus’ message was as much about social reform as about individual approaches to salvation.”1  Let me state, I do think it is important to work to combat social problems and injustices.  However, the main interest and goal for the Church is not to cure social ills, but rather to fulfill the Great Commission.

Jesus’ mandate to the Church was to “Go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)  Jesus did not command the church to eradicate poverty, combat slavery, or stop human trafficking – even though those things are important to fight.  He commanded his disciples to spread the good news that salvation has come to man by grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ.  This is the Church’s goal and duty.  As a matter of fact, if Jesus’ goal, main message, or purpose was to combat and solve social problems, He certainly possessed the power to do so (and still does).

Now, why would I say that “the road to hell is paved with the social gospel”?  I think in this way because the social gospel is not the authentic gospel.  It is substituting good works for the message of salvation by grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ.  Jesus did not say that his followers would gain social mobility – nor should that be their goal.  The goal of a Christian is to glorify God – by denying themselves through expressions of love for their Savior.

The social gospel merely gives people hope for this life - that their lives can be better than what they currently are.  The authentic gospel gives people hope for the life to come – that their lives in eternity will be better than what they currently are.  I think this is an important distinction.  The social gospel – at best – only affects people temporarily and does not give them the necessary information for God’s salvation to come to them.  The authentic gospel gives people eternal hope by giving them the necessary information for God’s salvation to come to them.  Therefore, the social gospel makes people feel good, puts band-aides on their real problems, and is a false gospel leading people further down the broad road – the end of which is destruction.

The Church must not be seduced by the attractiveness of the social gospel, but must stay true to teach and preach the authentic gospel by which men are saved.

BK

1  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/social+gospel

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 6,100 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 5 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Essentials of the Faith: The Virgin Birth

…for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit ~ Matthew 1:20

There are certain doctrines of the faith which must be essential, one of which is the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ.  The reason for the essential nature of this doctrine has to do with origin, either Jesus was Emmanuel (God with us; God come in the flesh to save us) or Jesus was simply an illegitimate child who a couple tried to pass off as something more due to the shame of their fornication.  The Scriptures teach us Jesus was the Virgin born Son of God and leave no room for any other interpretation.  Mary was chosen by God as the instrument to bring His Son into the world thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 3:15 stating the Messiah would be of the seed of the woman.  In other words, the Messiah would not come by the will of man, but by the will of God.  You see, salvation does not come because of man’s will, but by the will of God.

One reason why the Virgin birth is essential has to due with an understanding of original sin.  Adam, the first man, sinned and all his descendants sinned with Him.  This is called federal headship.  Jesus did not have a human father, therefore he did not inherit the guilt of the original sin and moral corruption that accompanied it.  Jesus is called the holy, Son of God.  Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

If one does not accept the doctrine of the Virgin birth, the rejection of the doctrine presents significant problems.  If one rejects the Virgin birth, they are rejecting the truthfulness and veracity of the Scriptures because the Scriptures clearly teach the doctrine of the Virgin birth.  If one rejects the Virgin birth, Jesus was not God, could not have been sinless, and could not have paid the price for salvation.  If one rejects the Virgin birth, then the Messiah has not come, we are still in our sin, and of all men to be pitied for following a lie.

However, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary.  He is the Messiah.  He did make salvation available to all who will believe.  He is the holy, Son of God.  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  He is the great I AM.  Praise be to God for the unimaginable wonders of His majesty.

BK