The Five Solas of the Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a call to acknowledge the authority of God’s Word alone on all matters and that sinful man is reconciled with God by faith in Christ alone. The five solas of the Reformation state that Christians are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone.
Sola Scriptura (scripture alone) - this doctrine is the foundation of the other four, with the doctrine of “to the Glory of God Alone” being the end or purpose of all the others. The dispute with Rome was not over the inspiration or inerrancy of Scripture. Rome affirmed both doctrines. The problem, instead, is that Rome had gradually adopted a view of the relation between the church, Scripture, and tradition that effectively placed final authority somewhere other than God. Sola Scriptura, or the Reformation doctrine of the relation between Scripture and tradition, affirms that Scripture should be understood as the sole source of divine revelation, the only inspired, infallible, final, and authoritative norm of faith and practice.
Sola Gratia (grace alone) - this doctrine underlies everything regarding the state of the fallen sinner, election, calling, regeneration, conversion, justification, and more. The Reformers wanted to make the point that we are not saved by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. The fallen sinner is not a drowning man who merely needs to do his part by reaching out to grab the life preserver tossed by God. His salvation will be an act of pure grace, and grace alone, on the part of God (Eph. 2:8).
Sola Fide (faith alone) - for Roman Catholics, justification is by faith, not by faith alone - faith is necessary, but faith is not sufficient. For Roman Catholics, the instrumental cause of justification is baptism. The Reformers argued, on the contrary, that the sole instrument of justification is faith and that even this faith is a gift of God. It is by grace (Rom. 3:28; 5:1; Eph. 2:8). The Reformers rejected the idea that justification means “making just” by a faith that is not alone and that it is accomplished through the instrument of baptism. The problem is that although God is perfectly just and righteous, we are not. We are fallen, sinful, unjust, and unrighteous creatures (Rom. 3:9–18).
Solus Christus (Christ alone) - the Reformers accepted the Roman Catholic Church’s doctrine of the person of Christ. The problem was the work of Christ. The debate centered on the sacramental system that Roman Catholics had constructed, where the grace of Christ was mediated to the people through an elaborate system of priests and sacramental works. Christ alone is the object of our faith: “The principal acts of saving faith are accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace” (Westminster of Faith XIV.2).
Soli Deo Gloria (glory of God alone) - this doctrine is both the beginning and the end of the other four. The Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures to the glory of God alone. Christ humbled Himself to the point of death and was raised and exalted to the Father's right hand to the glory of God alone. Grace and mercy are offered to rebellious sinners to the glory of God alone. Justification is by faith alone to the glory of God alone. Soli Deo Gloria is an attribute of God. God glorifies Himself in and through the church. We, as believers, are called to do whatever we do to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
The Protestant Reformation (webpage) - the Reformation was a religious revolution in the Western church in the 16th century. It was one of the most significant events in the history of Western Civilization. There were three main reformation movements: one in Germany, one in England, and one in Switzerland. The Roman Catholic church claimed it had supreme authority over all people, but the Reformers believed Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) was our supreme authority. The Reformation was a battle over the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God. In the Reformation era, the sufficiency of Scripture was restored to its rightful and prominent place.
The Five Solas by Keith Mathison (article) - the people of Israel forgot the past with disastrous consequences, and the medieval church forgot the past with disastrous consequences. But what do you do when you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere along your journey? You go back and seek to find the correct path. We should not view the past as something gone and useless. We should look at the past more like the way someone on the second floor of a building looks at the foundation.
CH Spurgeon and the Five Solas of the Reformation by Reasonable Theology (article) - Spurgeon’s teaching reflected his steadfast belief in the “Five Solas” of the Reformation. These Biblical truths served as theological pillars that supported the whole of Spurgeon’s ministry. This article shows what Spurgeon had to say about the Five Solas.
What Are the Five Solas? by Ryan McGraw (article) - the five solas are not Reformation slogans but serve as a good summary of the Reformed faith. They guard and clarify the gospel, mounting a friendly offensive attack on an unbelieving world and transforming Christ’s enemies into His friends.
Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide by Guy Prentiss Waters (article) - the Reformers rejected not only the view that authority in matters of faith and practice lies ultimately in the church but also that such authority lies ultimately in the individual. They understood that radical individualism and licentious living were bondage to sin and did not want to see human beings transferred from one form of spiritual bondage to another. They longed to see men and women freed from sin and freed by and for Jesus Christ through the gospel of grace.
Justification by Faith Alone by R.C. Sproul (video series) - examines justification—how we are declared righteous by God—and explains biblical teachings regarding justification and the consequences awaiting us if we fail to hold on to this foundational teaching of Scripture. Demonstrating that Christ’s righteousness is reckoned to us by faith alone, Dr. Sproul joins Martin Luther in calling the church to proclaim boldly that this doctrine is integral to the gospel of God.
Justification By Faith. The Name And Thing Defined by John Calvin in The Institutes - We confess, indeed, with Paul, that “the doers of the law are justified before God.” Still, since we are all far from being observers of the law, we conclude that those works that should be principally available for justification afford us no assistance because we are destitute of them. Concerning the common Papists, or schoolmen, they are in this matter doubly deceived, both in denominating faith a certainty of conscience in expecting from God a reward of merit and in explaining the grace of God to be, not an imputation of gratuitous righteousness. Still, the Spirit assists in the pursuit of holiness.
Dr. Steven Lawson gives an overview of the Protestant Reformation and describes the 5 Solas of the Reformation.
In his 95 Theses, Martin Luther addressed many unbiblical practices that the Roman Catholic Church endorsed. Today, Stephen Nichols recounts a sermon that Luther preached based upon this famous historical document.
This episode fleshes out some of the differences between RCC and biblical Christianity. The Devil's in the details.
Five "solas" represent the five foundations of Christianity brought about in the 16th century through the Reformation. When we know them and teach them, we gain wisdom, understanding, faith, and a biblical worldview for the glory of God.
What must you do to be right with God? The Reformers broke with the Roman Catholic Church when they insisted that faith alone justified people. But today, many Protestants fail to grasp that keystone of faith. In Faith Alone, a Gold Medallion finalist, R. C. Sproul explains why Protestantism and Roman Catholicism split over justification in the first place and why that division remains an uncrossed chasm. Protestants must understand the biblical Reformation view of the doctrine of justification to grasp the power of the gospel and proclaim it far and wide today. This repacked edition of a classic offers a new generation of Christians a clear explanation of the vital doctrine of salvation.
In this book, several leading Reformed pastors and scholars, including Joel Beeke, Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Ray Lanning, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Derek W.H. Thomas, and James White, unpack the meaning of the doctrine of sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”). They also explain where the attacks on the Bible come from and show how those who accept it as God’s inspired Word should respond. Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible is a treasure trove of information and a comfort to those who grieve to see the twenty-first-century church wandering away from the safe harbor of the Bible.
Christ Alone seeks to recover a robust biblical and theological doctrine of Christ's person and work—and a renewed understanding that apart from Christ, there is no salvation—in the face of today's challenges. It unpacks why a fresh appraisal of the Reformation understanding of Christ alone is so necessary today. Wellum examines the historical roots of the doctrine and then shows how the uniqueness of Christ has come under specific attack today.
Dr. Sinclair Ferguson laments that “we have lost the joy and energy that is experienced when grace seems truly ‘amazing.’” To restore the wonder of divine grace, he reflects on it from seven angles, each built around a stanza from a rich but little–known hymn, “O How the Grace of God Amazes Me,” written by Emmanuel T. Sibomana, a pastor in the African nation of Burundi. This book poses probing questions for today’s believers: “If I am not amazed by God’s grace, can I be living in it? Can I be tasting, and savoring, and delighting in it?” But those willing to delve into God’s Word with Dr. Ferguson will come away with a more profound astonishment at the depths of God’s grace.
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