SOLA

It was the darkest of times. The Roman Empire had crumbled, the church was married to the state, religious corruption was rampant, and salvation was for sale. Howard Pyle wrote: “Between the far away past history of the world, and that which lies near to us … there lay a great black gulf in human history, a gulf of ignorance, of superstition, of cruelty, and of wickedness.” We call that time “the Dark Ages.”

Yet, as the saying goes, it is always darkest just before the dawn. And a great revolution shook the world from its nightmare into one the greatest eras of discovery, invention and religious awakening. So what woke up the world?

In 1517, a priest named Martin Luther nailed a series of 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenburg, Germany. Those documents ignited a spiritual revolution that led to what we call the “Reformation.” Luther’s bold challenge to the status quo, coupled with the nearly simultaneous invention of the printing press, led to an explosion of spiritual and mental awakening.

Theologians who have studied the Reformation highlight five “big” ideas espoused by Martin Luther and other religious reformers. These ideas are commonly known as the “Five Solas of the Reformation.” They are:

1. Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
2. Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
3. Soli Gratia (Grace Alone)
4. Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
5. Soli Deo Gloria (For God’s Glory Alone)

So how do these big ideas apply to us, almost 500 years later in Southlake, Texas?

I believe the modern church is moving dangerously close to another period of spiritual and cultural darkness, so on Sunday, Jan. 17, we will launch into an epic sermon series at Southlake Baptist Church called “Sola—The Doctrines that Pierced the Darkness.” Each week we will look at one of these important “Solas” from scripture and then apply them to our circumstances:

January 17, Sola Scriptura— We will discuss how important it is to understand that the Bible is God’s revelation to man. The church is far too often guided by culture and tradition instead of Scripture. Marketing and the entertainment world’s circus have replaced sound biblical exposition. We will discuss how the Bible is the owner’s manual for our lives and the sole authority for our faith and hope.

January 24, Sola Christus––We will discuss how God’s plan for us centers around Jesus. He alone is our hope for salvation and eternal life. We have substituted “recovery for repentance, wholeness for holiness, intuition and feeling for belief, and immediate gratification for eternal hope.” Jesus Christ is the only hope for our world.

January 31, Sola Gratia—God’s grace in Christ is the sole cause of salvation. We have placed unwarranted confidence in human ability. This false confidence now fills Christendom and manifests itself as a self-esteem Gospel, a health and wealth Gospel, and a self-help Gospel. But God’s grace does more than save us. After salvation, we are kept and transformed by His grace.

February 7, Sola Fide––According to Martin Luther, the church stands or falls on justification by faith alone. J.I. Packer writes: “Two things have threatened the truth as stated: first, the intruding of works as the ground of justification; second, the displacing of the cross as the ground of justification. Both are familiar weeds in the church’s garden; both express in very obvious ways the craving for self-justification which lurks (often in disguise!) in the fallen human heart. Something may be said about each.” We will address the proper relationship between faith and works.

February 14, Soli Deo Gloria––The composer Johann Sebastian Bach initialed many of his compositions with “S.D.G.” Those letters, which stood for the Latin phrase that means “glory to God alone,” were Bach’s way of giving God glory for the ability to compose. Modern life, unfortunately, is no longer centered on God, and our lives have recentered around emptiness. The chief end of man is the glory of God, and when that is replaced by anything else, the result is a shallow life of no eternal consequence.

As you can tell, these topics are profound. This series isn’t exactly “Christianity for Dummies.” But don’t let these heady theological terms hinder you. A friend of mine named Ed Stetzer says, “If you can learn to order at Starbucks, you can learn theological language at church.”

The “Five Solas of the Reformation” have already changed the world and “pierced the darkness.” We encourage you to join us for this series as it begins Jan. 17 at 10 a.m. We believe it can ignite a spiritual revolution in our lives, families, and community today.