5 Solas of the Reformation
Reformation Doctrines
We affirm the 5 Solas of the Reformation which are biblical teachings that were widely professed during the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The 5 Solas proclaim that Scripture alone is our utmost authority and that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone.
Consider the following quotes about the 5 Solas from Charles Haddon Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers since the days of the Apostles and commonly referred to as the ‘prince of preachers’.
I. Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
“The way of reaching this state of justification is not by tears, nor prayers, nor humblings, nor working, nor Bible-reading, nor church-going, nor chapel-going, nor sacraments, nor priestly absolution, but by faith, which faith is a simple and utter dependence and believing in the faithfulness of God, a dependence upon the promise of God, because it is God’s promise, and is worthy of dependence.”
II. Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
“God forgives none because of payment made by them in any form. If we could bring him mountains of gold and silver, they would be worth nothing to him: if we bring him tears in rivers or alms in alps, or resolves, vows and promises in countless numbers, all will amount to nothing as a bribe of grace.
Forgiveness, like love, is unpurchasable by us. God’s pardons are absolutely free. He forgives because he chooses to forgive, out of sheer pity to the sinner, out of clear, unmixed compassion, but with no adulteration of anything like bribe or price.
If any man be saved, he is saved by Divine grace, and by Divine grace alone; and the reason of his salvation is not to be found in him, but in God. We are not saved as the result of anything that we do or that we will; but we will and do as the result of God’s good pleasure, and the work of his grace in our hearts.”
III. Solus Christus (Christ Alone)
“It is not written, ‘He that believeth on Jesus nine parts out of ten, and on himself for the other tenth.’ No! ‘Whosoever believeth on him’−on him alone. Jesus will never be a part Saviour. We must not rest in part upon what we hope to do in the future, nor in part upon the efficacy of an outward ceremony. No! The faith must be ‘on him.’
If thou puttest one atom of trust in thyself, thou hast no faith; if thou dost place even a particle of reliance upon anything else but what Christ did, thou hast no faith. If thou dost trust in thy works, then thy works are antichrist, and Christ and antichrist can never go together. Christ will have all or nothing; he must be a whole Savior, or no Savior at all.”
IV. Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
“Evidently, they (the Apostles) regarded the statements of Scripture as conclusive. They took counsel of the Scriptures, and so they ended the matter. ‘It is written,’ was to them proof positive and indisputable. ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ was the final word: enough for their mind and heart, enough for their conscience and understanding.
To go behind Scripture did not occur to the first teachers of our faith: they heard the Oracle of divine testimony, and bowed their heads in reverence. So it ought to be with us: we have erred from the faith, and we shall pierce ourselves through with many sorrows, unless we feel that if the Scripture saith it, it is even so.”
V. Soli Deo Gloria (For God’s Glory Alone)
“Man’s chief end is to glorify and enjoy God. God’s greatest and highest object is to make to himself a glorious and an everlasting name.”
For further reading and Scripture references, click here.
