HISTORY OF THE FIVE SOLAS
The Five Solas come from the protestant reformation. The protestant reformers such as Luther, Calvin, and Melanchthon held fast to the idea that scripture was inerrant.
It is by grace through faith that we are saved, that our mediator and advocate is Jesus Christ; all glory and praise should be directed towards God. The five Solas are ideas that are found in the reformers, the early church fathers and creeds, and most importantly, in Holy Scripture.
Below, I will be going into a brief overview of each one of the five Solas, along with some scriptural references for each one. The five Solas are not just crucial for the sake of understanding protestant history but also for our own theological strength. With a good understanding of the solas, we can preach the gospel with more clarity and know that our beliefs are backed up by rigorous and logical thought.
SOLA SCRIPTURA (Scripture Alone)
Sola scriptura states that scripture is inerrant and sufficient because it is the word of God. Therefore, all church teaching, tradition, practices, creeds, and councils must not contradict what scripture says. It is through the divinely inspired scripture that God has chosen to reveal Himself to us.
What does the bible say about sola scriptura?
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness
We see in Timothy that scripture is truly the word of God and that it is to be used for teaching and correction.
SOLA GRATIA (By Grace Alone)
Sola Gratia gets at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is only by the free gift of God’s divine grace that we sinners are saved. Because of this, sola gratia must exclude the merit of individuals as having anything to do with our salvation. In other words, salvation is unearned. Our works do not increase the grace given to us. Only Jesus Christ’s sacrifice saves us.
Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved
Because of original sin, we were dead in our trespasses, but because of God’s abundance of mercy and love for us, he sent his son to save us through grace alone. This is good news! This truly shows how loving and merciful God is.
SOLA FIDE (By Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia and Sola Fide work hand in hand. We know that we are saved through God’s grace, but how do we receive God’s grace? Sola Fide states that grace is received by faith. We do not need to check off all the boxes of pious behavior and virtuous actions to unlock God’s grace. This is because we are not saved by our merit (it would be quite terrifying if we were). We receive God’s free grace through our faith. Scripture shows us that faith is, in fact, how we receive grace.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.
No one can boast that it was because of their merit that they were saved. It is only through Christ that we are saved!
SOLUS CHRISTUS (Christ Alone)
Solus Christus states that through Christ alone, we are saved and that he is our sole mediator and advocate. We are saved by grace through faith, but there needs to be a giver for the grace to be freely given. The giver of grace is Jesus Christ.
We sinners deserved the wrath of God because we failed to keep his law, but Christ kept the law and bore the wrath on the cross. He died and rose again. In his death, he saved us. We were brought to life from being dead in our trespasses. Because Jesus is the one who has saved us, he is the one who is our mediator and advocate.
1 John 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
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.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus
SOLI DEO GLORIA (Glory to God Alone)
Because salvation is given to us solely through the work of God, we must only give glory to God. Because our salvation does not come from our works but through the grace of God, there is no reason for us to boast or to give ourselves praise. Only God is worthy of such praise because he is our one true savior.
Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
BENEDICTION
I Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Dawson Kiser graduated from Grove City College with a degree in (Austrian) economics. He is a published poet, the vocalist of the band Porcupine, and a committed disciple of Christ.