What are the five solas? These solas meaning "alone" are summaries of basic tenants of the Christian faith as taught in scripture. While they have always been true they were first expressed in this form during the protestant reformation beginning in the 1500's. At a time when works for salvation, traditions of men, and corrupt leadership had all but drowned out the voice of scripture, those who fought for the faith set forth these solas as a solid foundation to restore a Biblical Christ honoring Church.
The five Solas:
Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone,
Solus Christus - Christ Alone,
Sola Gratia - Grace Alone,
Sola Fide - Faith Alone,
Soli Deo Gloria - The Glory of God Alone.
Unfortunately we live in a day when if you asked many people what makes a "good" church it would not be its commitment to biblical truth, but its providing: relevance, excitement, entertainment, programs for all ages, friendly atmosphere, comfortable seats, etc. Most of these things can be good, but if you don't make them all subject to the foundational things, they don't intentionally serve to promote the foundational things, then they will become the foundational things. I hope as I add more to this discussion that it helps us to keep the right foundation in our corporate and personal faith!
Pastor Keith;
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate your blog! Thank you for putting into words what I have felt was missing from my church and my own walk with our Lord for the last few years. I have been a Christian for nearly 20 years, but only in the last five have I started turning into what might be best described as a reformed or "Calvanistic" Christian. My interest in the writings and sermons of CH Spurgeon, among others, has led me to the conclusion that I had spent the first fifteen years simply "Doing Church" rather than being a part of the church that Jesus built and following the commands of our Saviour. The church that I belonged to was not, in itself a bad church. Many good works were performed by most of the congregation and they were careful to give the glory to God, but we (along with most of the congregations in America) were not truly equiping ourselves to go out and bring the good news to a lost and dying world as Jesus told us we must. It was easier and more comfortable to do works among familiar faces and let our contributions be more in the form of money to fund others who we hoped were doing our job for us.
I am not perfect and I am still only a sinner saved by Grace alone, in Christ alone, through faith alone, with the aid of the scriptures alone, for God's Glory alone. I need to improve in all that I do, not so that my works will please our Lord and I earn my spot in Heaven as a reward, but out of obedience to His Word as a child to his Father, and because of my love for Him.
larry ><>