I grew up in the 1960’s, a time full of protest songs. And this was one of my favorites, an a capella version in English from a German composer.
So what qualifies this as a protest song? BACH was a Protestant.
For years his hymns and music heavily taken from Scripture were banned from the Roman Catholic church (although now, Bach is back even in Catholic worship).
You may have heard today’s short take on Scripture as a benediction of worship:
Now to the King [lit. of the ages] eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory [lit. to the ages of the ages] forever and ever. Amen.
ONLY FIVE – 5 Sola’s of the Protestant Reformation
You likely understand something of the history of the Church, especially if you’ve followed my previous Saturday posts on Doctrine or our current series in ACTS. Sola in celebration of ‘Reformation Day’ of the Protestant Church, I’ll ask: ‘Do you know what Protestants were protesting about the ‘Catholic Church?’
Jesus changes how sinners give glory to God.
The Apostles then set out on the sola journey of the faith grounded in Scripture and in Christ.
You may know about The Great Schism and certainly know something about a doctrinal line in the sand which marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesesto the church door at Wittenberg, on 31 October, A.D. 1517.
Today, however, I will nail just two doctrinal questions about the teaching of your ‘church’to the door of your thinking:
Do you know the 5 Sola’s of the Protestant Reformation?
How have these five doctrines defined differences even today betweenthose professing other faiths (including Roman Catholics) andProtestants?
HERE is a bit of researched HISTORY about October 31, in the year of our Lord 1517 AND events leading up to the PROTEST against the authority of 'The Church' from Rome.
Luther
Luther originally had no intention of breaking from the Catholic church, assuming that his call for theological and ecclesiastical reform would be heard, and ordinarily his theses would have been of interest only to professional theologians. However, various political and religious situations of the time, and the fact that printing had been invented, combined to make the theses known throughout Germany within a few weeks. Luther did not give them to the people, although he did send copies to the archbishop of Mainz and to the bishop of Brandenburg. Others, however, translated them into German and had them printed and circulated. Thus, they became a manifesto that turned a protest about an indulgence scandal into the greatest crisis in the history of the Western Christian church, and ultimately Luther and his followers were excommunicated.
Luther’s 95 complaints to the Church concerned indulgences and other imperfections of a politically-driven Papacy. He was by no means the only cleric who objected to Church corruption, defects in doctrine and cardinal crimes.
The Roman Catholic Church survived the fifth century fall of Rome by an authoritarian political intervention of an aristocratic league of bishops led by the Bishop of Rome.
In fact, by the fifteenth century the common people of Europe no longer had to rely on certain corrupt church officials who intentionally misinterpreted the Holy Bible.
The movable type of Gutenberg’s printing press lit the light of the Renaissance with its rebirth of Scripture in the hands of everyday saints, written in their everyday vernacular rather than ancient Latin.
The Protestant Reformation
“The Reformers did not see themselves as inventors, discoverers, or creators,” according to historian Stephen Nichols. “Instead, they saw their efforts as rediscovery. They weren’t making something from scratch but were reviving what had become dead. They looked back to the Bible and to the apostolic era, as well as to early church fathers such as Augustine (354–430) for the mold by which they could shape the church and re-form it. The Reformers had a saying, ‘Ecclesia reformata, semper reformanda,’ meaning ‘the church reformed, always reforming.’”
It is translated by English refugees and published by John Calvin’s brother-in-law, William Whittingham. The Geneva Bible is the first English Bible to add numbered verses to the chapters. It becomes the Bible of the Protestant Reformation, more popular than the 1611 King James Version for decades after its original release.
To answer my first question to name five solas,first you must know what a sola is.
from Latin:– solus, sola, solum – alone, only, unique.. (similar to ‘solo,’ meaning one);
plural: solas or solae (similar to soli, i.e. multiple soloists)
consequently, each of the five ‘Solas’ has a singular focus.
Sola – a Singular focus
In time, the message of the Reformers became encapsulated in five slogans known as the solas of the Reformation: sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”), solus Christus (“Christ alone”), sola gratia (“grace alone”), sola fide (“faith alone“), and soli Deo gloria (“the glory of God alone”).
You may encounter the five solas in different orders, but keep in mind the equal importance of EACH singular issue to the reformers of the Church we now call 'Protestants.' - RH
I can only speak briefly to each of these five solas; therefore we will address EACH as part of an ANSWER to my more difficult second question:
How do these five doctrines define differences even today between those professing other faiths and Protestants?
email your answers and questions to Roger@talkofJESUS.com or comment on this post as you share it.
by Scripture alone
Scripture of the HOLY BIBLE:
All Scripture is [God-breathed] inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for [reprimand or proof] rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;
The short answer of Luther and the reformers is that IF HOLY SCRIPTURE is “God-breathed,” THEN it contains the final and only (sola) Authority of what God says; THEREFORE
NO Pope, Bishop, Priest or Preacher may cling to ANY authority to over-rule the Written Word of God.
sola Scriptura – ONLY Scripture, by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God can interpret Holy Scripture.
Learn more from my earlier post linked here: sola scriptura = ONLY SCRIPTURE: The Highest Authority of GOD!
* NOTE: For each of the 5 Sola's I will provide secure links for your further study to both the Hebrew & Greek roots containing additional Biblical references using the same word, as well as definitions.
For the LORD God is a sun and a shield. The LORD will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
Tehillim 84:12 WLC; Psalm 84:11 HNV
Using this same Hebrew word for favor Zechariah prophesies:
“And I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of pleading, so that they will look at Me whom they pierced; and they will mourn for Him, like one mourning for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.
Christians, of course, bring the Good News [Gospel] of grace through Jesus Christ to the world primarily from the (Greek) writings of the New Testament.
For of His fullness we have all received, and graceG5485 upon graceG5485. For the Law was given through Moses; graceG5485and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.
Gospel of John 1:16-17 NASB20 – His emphasis on grace
The KJV translates Strong’s G5485 in the following manner: GRACE(130x), FAVOR favour (6x), THANKS (4x), THANK (4x), thank (with G2192) (3x)[*quoted below], PLEASURE (2x), miscellaneous (7x).
And I thank [καί echō g2192 – {to have, i.e. to hold} charis G5485 {with grace}] Christ Jesus our Lord [christos iēsous hēmōn kyrios], who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry
1 Timothy 1:12KJVΚαὶ Χάριν ἔχω τῷ ἐνδυναμώσαντί με Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν ὅτι πιστόν με ἡγήσατο θέμενος εἰς διακονίαν – Greek Textus Receptus with Strong’s links from blueletterbible.org
through Faith Alone
Faith is NOT just an unfounded belief, as some would accuse God’s faithful.
conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
relating to God, relating to Christ, the religious beliefs of Christians, belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
fidelity, faithfulness
the character of one who can be relied on
Biblical faith was not changed from the Old Testament to the New or by challenges from faithful Protestant Reformers.
Roger@TalkofJESUS.com
Faithful Roman Catholic clerics like Martin Luther struggled with this.
Old Testament Prophet like Habakkuk and New Testament letters to Rome, Galatia and to the Hebrews (throughout the Roman world)ALL pointed through Scripture that the righteous will live by FAITH!
Even though Catholic Bishops with their emphasis on works (to fund their great cathedrals of worship) may have quoted James as Jesus’ brother writes to the church:
You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
As a Catholic cleric Luther had a Bible. He recognized that by taking Scripture out of context, FAITH can be discounted to the unread saints of the church in order that ALL will believe the Overseers of Church Authority.
Yet Luther and many more who READ and studied SCRIPTURE understood James’ context and a critical connection between FAITH and works.
For James wrote to saints under persecution, just as the Protestant reformers would soon suffer.
Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faithG4102produces [steadfastness] endurance. And let endurance have its perfect [Lit work] result, so that you may be [mature] perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
James 1:2-4 NASB20 – Jesus’ half-brother & ‘bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,’ leader of the Jerusalem church
The gloryH3519 of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. And to the eyes of the sons of Israel, the appearance of the gloryH3519 of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.
“Has a nation changed gods, When they were not gods? But My people have exchanged their glory For that which is of no benefit. Yermiyahu (Jeremiah) 2:11
primarily denotes “an opinion, estimation, repute;” in the NT, always “good opinion, praise, honor, glory, an appearance commanding respect, magnificence, excellence, manifestation of glory;” hence, of angelic powers, in respect of their state as commanding recognition, “dignities,” 2Pe 2:10; Jud 1:8. See GLORY, HONOR, PRAISE, WORSHIP.
SHALL GLORY be given to a mere man in the pulpit?
To a Bishop over Bishops — a Shepherd of this world — a Saint long gone?
SHALL GLORY be given to a Father confessor —
Or as worship of a mortal mother who served the Son of God?
THESE are the questions of the Protesters and Reformers who asked for Soli Deo gloria – GLORY to GOD ALONE!
“anointed,” translates, in the Sept., the word “Messiah,” a term applied to the priests who were anointed with the hol for today in the city of David, oil, particularly the High Priest, e.g., Lev 4:3, 5, 16.
The prophets are called hoi christoi Theou, "the anointed of God," ..
The title ho Christos, "the Christ," is not used of Christ in the Sept. version of the Inspired Books of the OT. In the NT the word is frequently used with the article, of the Lord Jesus, as an appellative rather than a title, e.g., Mat 2:4; Act 2:31; without the article, Luk 2:11; 23:2; Jhn 1:41. Three times the title was expressly accepted by the Lord Himself, Mat 16:17; Mar 14:61, 62; Jhn 4:26.
It is added as an appellative to the proper name “Jesus,” e.g., Jhn 17:3, the only time when the Lord so spoke of Himself; Act 9:34; 1Cr 3:11; 1Jo 5:6.
It is distinctly a proper name in many passages, whether with the article, e.g., Mat 1:17; 11:2; Rom 7:4; 9:5; 15:19; 1Cr 1:6, or without the article, Mar 9:41; Rom 6:4; 8:9, 17; 1Cr 1:12; Gal 2:16.
The single title Christos is sometimes used without the article to signify the One who by His Holy Spirit and power indwells believers and molds their character in conformity to His likeness, Rom 8:10; Gal 2:20; 4:19; Eph 3:17.
As to the use or absence of the article,
the title with the article specifies the Lord Jesus as “the Christ;”
the title without the article stresses His character and His relationship with believers.
Again, speaking generally, when the title is the subject of a sentence it has the article; when it forms part of the predicate the article is absent. See also JESUS.
These things Jesus spake, and when he had cast up his eyes into heaven [and the eyes lifted up to heaven], he said, Father, the hour cometh, clarify thy Son, that thy Son clarify thee.
John 17:1 Wycliffe Bible
As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to all them that thou hast given him.
John 17:2 + 1599 Geneva Bible
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Excerpts from Scripture in the letter from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, and Timothy,
Note the small 's' in saints, the faithful worshipers in Christ Jesus who are His Church. - RH
To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae:
We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel..
For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation:
.. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:15,17 NASB20
He is also the head of the body, the church;
and He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
.. I was made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit,
so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,
that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations,
but now has been revealed to His saints,
to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
.. Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority..
Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:15-16 NASB20
“.. specifically seen in Colossians 3 when Paul commands the Church to let the word of Christ dwell in us richly when we meet together, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” – Keith Getty
Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
from the letter to the saints at Collosae 3:17
sola: + by Scripture alone + by Grace Alone + through Faith Alone + to the glory of God Alone + in Christ Alone
The TEACHING & solaDOCTRINES OF GOD, CHRIST, GRACE, FAITH and SCRIPTURE as taught by JESUS and the APOSTLES remain foundational for THE CHURCH.
EVERY written WORD! Trouble is (and was) that MOST could not read OR would not read what is written.
So our dilemma becomes faith in the authority of a man reciting AND teaching the WORD OF GOD; that is, SCRIPTURE.
“Assemble the people, the men, the women, the children, and the stranger who is in your town, so that they may hear and learnH3925 [לָמַד ] and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to follow all the words of this Law And their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land..
Do we trust that a man interprets the TRUTH of SCRIPTURE from what is written?
Could it be that YOU do NOT understand the Scriptures? (Do you overlook the power of God in what YOU have misinterpreted from Scripture?)
‘Words [logosegō, λόγος ἐγώ – gk] of Mine’
“You shall therefore take these words of mine to heart and to soul; and you shall tie them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. – Moses
“And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. – Jesus – Parable of the wise and foolish builder
Deuteronomy 11:18; Matthew 7:26 NASB20
Christ Jesus taught His Apostles to build a foundation of the church grounded in Scripture. These disciples of the Teacher recorded in writing the truth of Jesus’ authority.
And it happened when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching, for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
The Apostle John even begins his Gospel by connecting the Written Word {logos} with a Higher Authority of Christ Jesus, Son of Man, the Only Son of God!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Gospel of John 1:1 – logostheos – THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE
ONLY SCRIPTURE
Along with so many others, I am grateful to God for the teaching ministry of our beloved brother R. C. Sproul and his ongoing work through Ligonier Ministries, without whom this witness of Doctrine would not have been possible. RHSource: R. C. SPROUL - A lifeby STEPHEN J. NICHOLS(whose 5 Minutes in Church History I also recommend highly)
What happens when authoritative men (Shepherds of God’s flock), fail to reiterate SCRIPTURE accurately or teach God’s Holy Word of TRUTH fully?
Jesus IS the Higher Authority who challenged the Scribes and other Shepherds of Israel for this very reason. A remnant of the LORD’s leaders recognized their Messiah from the written word of Scripture. The flocks of the lost sheep of Israel heard the Higher Authority of Jesus and followed Him.
Christ’s resurrection of the true word of God became veiled once more by errant teachings of the Church. As in the days of Ezra the written word of Scripture would be forgotten and men once more had to trust the teachings of religious leaders for centuries. Scripture would once again be discovered by the lost sheep of Christ’s flock with the good news of the printing press.
Then the faithful of the flock protested. The saints of the Church read Scripture for their own understanding through the Holy Spirit as given to them.
IV. The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.(i)
VI. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.(m)
The Apostle Paul’s Second Letter of instruction to Timothy
and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus
2 Timothy 3:15
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 NASB20
The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself
IX. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself: and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.(y)
X. The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined; and in whose sentence we are to rest; can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.(z)
Scripture is therefore the perfect and only standard of spiritual truth, revealing infallibly all that we must believe in order to be saved and all that we must do in order to glorify God. That—no more, no less—is whatsola Scripturameans. – John MacArthur
“The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.” —Westminster Confession of Faith
Since WE trust the absolute truth of God in ‘what is written,’ and acknowledge that Jesus Christ IS God, we must trust the very Word of God — in writing — and revealed through the Holy Spirit ONLY in SCRIPTURE.
AND the interpretation of Scripture?
Can a group of learned Christian leaders provide the ONLY interpretation of the word of God?
Will one High Shepherd of the Church give the ONLY valid application of ‘what is written’ in the Bible?
And might the Holy Spirit reveal any unseen truth of the Lord Jesus Christ which will overturn ‘what is written’ in Holy Scripture?
According to Christ Jesus and Holy Scripture, CERTAINLY NOT!
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to the things that have been heard, so that we do not drift away from it..
God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, and by various works of power and by distributions of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
Leaders of men appointed by God certainly must know better than we how to interpret Scripture (perhaps).
Will encyclical instruction of a Pope or clerical council confirm any new TRUTH of Scripture? Does a mere man enter a place of mystery to contradict what Scripture has already said? Has some new Prophet come along who claimed to unveil ‘what God said?’
OR
Does SCRIPTURE ALONE interpret Scripture?
“The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
But this He said in reference to the Spirit,whom those who believed in Him were to receive..
And born again believers will receive the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture. According to Christ Jesus the HOLY SPIRIT will interpret Scripture to ‘those who believe.’
Therefore, once more the Doctrine of Scripture, in order to teach the HIGHEST Authority of God leaves no other choice for one in Christ.
SOLA SCRIPTURA & the Reformation
Do you recognize my DOCTRINE of the BIBLE topic today as Sola Scriptura, one of the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation? I cannot address the remaining crucial doctrines of the church today, but I will introduce them here.
Perhaps first in importance is: Sola Fide, by faith alone
Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone
Solus Christus, through Christ alone
Sola Gratia, by grace alone
Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone
THE Church AND Scripture
Doctrine of the BIBLE
The BIBLE IS HOLY – Spoken by God, Written by Men and confirmed by the Holy Spirit.
SCRIPTURE ONLY interprets Scripture.
The line in the sand delineates two choices:
SCRIPTURE OR the Authority of the Church
ScriptureAND an AUTHORITY of the church.
NOT any earthly ‘authority‘ AND Scripture
IN the 15th and 16th centuries, Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Luther, Thomas Cranmer, John Calvin and many other faithful saints of the Church sought to reformRoman catholic [καθολικός katholikos ‘universal’]worship and traditions which had become corrupted over the centuries.
As Good News from Gutenberg’s printing press [c. A.D.1440] spread throughout Europe and the world, many saints of the Church could read the BIBLE. The Protestant Reformers, who had hoped to renew the faith of the ‘catholic’ Church, consequently drew their line in the sand on the side of SCRIPTURE ALONE and stood their ground.
Corrupted ‘christian’ churches of recent centuries (Protestant by denomination, but not by DOCTRINE) preach many heresies directly opposed to the ‘written Word of God’ in Scripture.
Conclusion: Only Scripture conveys God’s Highest Authority
Only Scripture – Sola Scriptura, as the Protestant reformers reminded, can assure an accommodating 21st century ‘christian‘ church which struggles to go in to all the world without a Doctrine of the Bible.
No other authority will convince perishing flesh of God’s great mercy on mankind for those who love and worship Him by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. For many false teachers and false prophets do mislead the faithful away from God’s word.
The early Creeds of the Church and Confessions of faith all confirm this from Scripture, but only Scripture through the Holy Spirit can reveal God’s will for those who believe.
Only Scripture speaks the very Word of God through the Holy Spirit directly into the hearts of those who the Lord chooses. Believers, Christians – Bible believing Christians who confess Christ crucified, buried, risen in the body and ascended into heaven.
IT IS WRITTEN.. in SCRIPTURE –
WE have it on THE HIGHEST AUTHORITY: The Bible speaks God’s word through the men who authored its Holy Books.
For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty...
And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
