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

High Five- Sola Fide

Today continues our series on the 5 solas of the reformation. Click the following links for parts 1, 2, and 3. This week I have asked Jason Lapp to post in my place. I have written a guest post on his blog www.jrldailythoughts.blogspot.com. Also, if you have any interest in looking more into the seeming contradiction between James and Paul on this issue of justification by faith alone you can see my old post here.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Forsaking All I Trust Him

Let’s first look at a biblical definition of faith. Hebrews 11 is the best place I know to go to see a clear definition: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (1). Assurance and conviction are the two key words in the definition of faith. Assurance indicates this faith is not a blind faith but rather a given faith to see the realities of life and the reality of life eternal. We have the promises of God in his word to cling to as our hope. Conviction is our clinging to those promises. We hold fast to them because God has opened our eyes to see the truth about him from his word. The ESV Study Bible says, “Biblical faith is a confident trust in the eternal God who is all-powerful, infinitely wise, eternally trustworthy.”

Faith is an imparted gift from God to us so that we may see the reality of Jesus Christ and his accomplished work on our behalf at the cross. “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). We are saved by grace alone (which we looked at last week) through faith alone in Christ alone. Grace is a gift given to us from God (Eph. 2:8-9). But we must remember faith is also a gift given to us from God. In this text in Galatians we read that we are “justified…through faith in Jesus Christ.” We read of God’s beautiful work of justification in Romans 5:

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person – though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die – but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (6-9).

God can justify (declare us righteous) because of the work of his Son on the cross. He is able to turn his wrath away from us because he poured it out on Jesus. Faith is the assurance and conviction that Christ’s work on our behalf is sufficient. Only the Spirit’s work of opening our eyes to this truth are we able to cling to this promise. Faith is a great gift given to us.

If we can now look at another passage that has some confused about faith because of the teaching that faith is granted by our works. I also want to look at this text because it is a great way for those who claim to have put their faith in Christ to see whether they genuinely love Christ or not. James 2 says:

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (14-18).

Here is where we visible see faith worked out. Our lives completely change. If you are under the impression that works will save you then you are in dire need of Christ. No man will ever be declared right in the sight of a holy God for his own actions. Only the work of Christ can bridge that huge canyon.

But for those who have submitted by faith to Christ’s finished work it is impossible to go on with life as it was. We have been made new creatures in Christ. The old is passed away and all things are made new. Our faith will pour out in our service and love for others as we strive to magnify the Savior. The whole point of the justified life in Christ is to bring his name the glory. All of the believer’s conviction and assurance is found in trusting Christ’s work on our behalf. If you don’t know Christ I plead with you to repent and trust in him. Look at his promise that while you and I were weak, at the right time, he sent is Son to die in our place. The Father’s love is so great that he sent his only Son to bear the wrath we rightfully deserve. The text says he died for his enemies! None of us were seeking God yet he saves.

Grace upon grace,
JRL

High Five- Sola Gratia

This is a continuation of a series on the five “solas” of the reformation. Feel free to check out last week's post: Sola Scriptura and the introduction.

Sola Gratia

Salvation is by grace alone.

This week I want to take a look at Sola Gratia; that is, salvation is by grace alone. This idea comes straight out of Ephesians 2:8-9:

…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.

Because of clear passages like this no confessing Christian of any stripe (whether orthodox or not) claims that salvation is not by grace alone (pardon the double negative). The real question comes down to what grace really is and how God really saves. Does grace alone mean that God has provided a sacramental system by which one works their way to heaven as Roman Catholics claim? Does it make all men merely savable as some evangelicals claim? Or does it mean that salvation is 100% of God as the reformed tradition claims?

In order to understand where the reformers were coming from it is important to know something of what they were up against. Martin Luther famously opposed the Catholic concept of indulgences by which a person could buy a loved one’s way out of purgatory. The saying of Johann Tetzel went like this “when a coin in the coffer rings, a soul from purgatory springs” a phrase as poetical as it is heretical. Many Roman Catholics would now say that it was right for Martin Luther to oppose this act. Perhaps the medieval church went too far in allowing people to buy their way out of purgatory.

What I want to point out, however, is that the assumption of the concept of indulgences is actually one of the proofs that the Roman Catholic works-righteousness system is not sola gratia, namely, purgatory. To say that one must go to a place before heaven to atone for their own remaining sin is the opposite of what Ephesians 2 teaches. The grace taught here is apparently that Christ’s death achieved very little (especially when considering the concept of the Eucharist which considered a continual sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ).

Unfortunately the debate on this issue doesn’t stop at Catholic vs. Protestant. Within Protestantism are synergists and monergists. Synergists believe that salvation involves the cooperation of two wills: God and man for salvation. Even if you believe this is 99% God and 1% man you are a synergist. Monergists, on the other hand, believe that only one agent, God, is at work in salvation and the exercise of man’s will is an outworking of what God has done in them. When discounting the extremes of these two views they are both considered orthodox, though only one of them can be correct.

My personal belief is that Scripture teaches a monergistic salvation. I believe that when I was saved I put my trust in Christ because the Holy Spirit opened my heart to believe the gospel. This seems to be what Ephesians 2:1-7 teaches. Man is dead in sin which is defined as following our own desires led by Satan. But God saves us out of this by making us alive in Christ. Then in 2:8 Paul says that “this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” The question is, “what is the gift of God?” A synergist would say that Paul is simply speaking of salvation. This is because the way the sentence is constructed “this” can not point specifically to what we might consider the most natural word, “faith”. However, those with much more knowledge of Greek than myself (that’s not hard to do) point to this as an example of a word being used to sum up the entirety of the preceding phrase. In other words, when Paul says “this…is the gift of God” he means grace, salvation, and faith. If that is the way Paul meant his words there is very little doubt left that the monergist understanding of salvation is correct.

I don’t go into this much depth to confuse people or to be overly technical but to show that (1) the fact that there is this much to debate between the two protestant sides shows just how far off the Roman Catholic understanding is. (2) It seems clear that salvation by grace alone means that God saves man rather than merely making man savable. (3) How great is this grace which we encounter daily, mostly without realizing it or being thankful for it.

Salvation by grace alone is surely a wonderful doctrine which we should seek to understand at greater depths. Next week we will look at sola fide, the understanding that justification is by faith alone (Galatians 2:16). Or is it? (James 2:24)

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

High Five- Sola Scriptura

Just in way of reminder, the purpose of this post is to put the ideas expressed in the 5 solas of the reformation in front of us in way of reminder of just how important these truths are. To read my introduction from last week click the link here.

Sola Scriptura

Scripture Alone is the sole standard for doctrine and the Christian life.

The primary text referred to on this point is 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof,
for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work.

The most important thing to note here is that Scripture is “breathed out by God.” When you think of the inspiration of Scripture be careful not think of it as coming from men who were merely enlightened or motivated. Though the Bible certainly reflects the personality, writing style, and motives of the human author it is ultimately from the Holy Spirit. This should be all we need to know about Scripture to understand the concept of Sola Scriptura. Because God is omniscient, omnibenevolent, and cannot lie (Titus 1:2) His word is trustworthy.

Of course we should note some things in way of qualification that many people don’t understand when it comes to the sufficiency, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture.

1. The Bible is sufficient in all that it teaches.
You will not find a direct answer to the question “Does my Islamic friend truly know God?” in the Bible. This is mostly due to the fact that Islam came about after the canon of Scripture was closed. But there are plenty of biblical principles to guide you answering important questions.

2. The Bible does not claim 100% scientific precision.
The Bible is written to communicate to people in the way that people communicate. So when you read about the Sun rising you don’t have to assume that God doesn’t understand that the Earth revolves around the Sun anymore than when your local weatherman talks about the Sun rising. This also means that biblical measurements will not give you the exact number for pi and that round numbers are often used. (Ever notice that Jesus never spoke to a crowd of 4,322 people?)

3. Claims of sufficiency, infallibility, and inerrancy are in specific reference to the original manuscripts of Scripture, not necessarily your version.
Whether or not we can trust that we posses an accurate witness to what was originally written is another subject (I believe we do). But we have to remember that behind the English words in your NIV, NASB, ESV, and even KJV are translators, textual critics, and scribes who have worked hard to make what you read the most accurate reflection of what was originally written. These are imperfect sciences helping you access a perfect document.

The good news about this text is that it doesn’t stop at telling us that Scripture is “breathed out by God.” It continues to help us understand that Scripture is for the full equipping of the saints. We read that Scripture does all of this “that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” When I played baseball I went to a Sport’s shop to get my glove and cleats, a uniform shop for my jersey, and my cap was special ordered somewhere. Not only that but I had coaches to help me play better and none of them were located at those places where I bought my equipment, I had to go to various fields to practice. The baseball player knows nothing of one stop shopping if they want to be both equipped and competent for their trade. The man of God is able to go to the word of God in order to be equipped.

The point might be made, however, that this point diminishes the role of the church in the life of the believer. Does this not contradict Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…”? Perhaps it would contradict the biblical role of the church in the life of the believer if Paul did not continue by showing the powerful role of the word in the church through preaching.

Just a few verses later in 4:2 Paul encourages Timothy, the pastor of the church at Ephesus, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” So the word of God is sufficient to equip a person in their daily individual life as well as the life of the corporate assembly of believers.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

High Five!

In the Bible we find all kinds of special numbers. Jesus fasted for 40 days. The Israelites marched around Jericho for 7 days. Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for 3 days, prefiguring Jesus’ triumph over the grave after 3 days. Some of these translate to modern Christianity quite well. 40 is a good number if you’re looking for purpose (I hope I don’t have to pay Rick Warren for this post now). 7 is the number of boxes of doughnuts a person should bring to Sunday School. And nobody listens to a sermon once it gets past the 3^rd point.

All that to say, there was a time when another number was used to aid Christians in their walk. During the period of the reformation all good things came in fives. In fact, I believe Martin Luther was once quoted as saying, “if you do not pray 5 times a day I will write you a stern letter and nail it to your door” (paraphrase). As much as I would love to use my time discussing Jon Huss’ concept of the $5 foot long (which is still in use today) or even the famous Zwingly handshake I will focus my attention on the 5 “solas” of the reformation.

Even if you have never heard these 5 Latin phrases chances are your life has been affected by them. I want to use some posts putting the ideas that the reformers fought to reclaim in Christianity. Sometimes it is good for one to look at the foundation of their faith and ask “am I building on this correctly?”

As you will see it all starts with where we get our faith. The concept of Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone). The next three involve the essence of the gospel. Salvation is Sola Gratia (by grace alone), Justification is Sola Fide (by faith alone), and this is all Solus Christus (in Christ Alone). The final sola tells us for what purpose creation, salvation, $5 foot longs, and everything else is aimed. It is all Soli Deo Gloria (for the glory of God alone).

Why is it really important for us to consider these things? Because of the importance of preserving the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what the reformers were seeking to do when they were considered accursed by the Roman Catholic Church. But the question we need to face ourselves with is whether we are willing to be cursed for the gospel or embrace a different gospel that will make us accursed?

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)