High Five- Solus Christus

Today we continue a discussion of the 5 "solas" of the reformation. The series is available here.

Solus Christus

Salvation is In Christ Alone

"Without fear or hesitation I proclaim the good news- hear my presentation From the Bible, God’s Word- clear revelation You can’t earn paradise with sheer dedication The Great Physician- He’s got your spirit’s medication Christ’s resurrection- not mere speculation Check the evidence- it bears investigation Solus Christus ideas and meditations" -Shai Linne

In order to really understand what salvation is all about we must first understand why salvation is necessary. We cannot know what the remedy to anything is without first knowing the ailment. That problem can be summarized in Romans 3:10-18:

"None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one."
"Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive."
"The venom of asps is under their lips."
"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."
"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known."
"There is no fear of God before their eyes." (ESV)

Here Paul quotes the Old Testament to summarize the point he has been making in chapters 1:18-3:9. He has shown that man is utterly opposed to the glory of God, suppressing the truth and loving sin. At this point it seems pretty hopeless for mankind. No man is good, they don't even seek after God. This is, of course, a problem because the wrath of God is coming against such people. God cannot overlook or wink at sin. It must be punished. Therefore, no one can escape hell by their own goodness. It seems that from birth every man is destined to eternal flames.

Now that we know what the disease is we can look at the cure. That cure is spelled out in the next verses of Romans 3:

For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:22-26)

So the remedy to the problem, and the nature of salvation, is that God "put forward" His Son, the God-man Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life that we couldn't live and then be punished for sin in our place (also see Colossians 2:13-15 and 2 Corinthians 5:21). For this reason the apostle Peter proclaimed "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

The reason salvation is in Christ alone is because he is the only man who has (or can) bear the wrath of God on our behalf and impart to us a righteousness that is sufficient for us to be in God's presence. Again, Paul tells us, "there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus..." (1 Tim. 2:5).

Grace and Peace,
Stephen