Stylos

“…so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar (stylos) and ground of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

An occasional commentary by Pastor Jeff Riddle, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

Five Great Themes of the Reformation

December 2002

In the Protestant Reformation of the 1500s the Christian Church underwent an incredible renewal movement. Reformation leaders like Martin Luther (1483-1546) and John Calvin (1509-1564) called for the Church’s return to Biblical doctrine. The later Baptist Christian movement of the 1600s was a child of the Reformation movement and has always been impacted by the core Reformation values.

These values may be summarized in five simple phrases (in Latin the common scholarly language in the time of the Reformers). Each phrase begins with the word “Sol-” which means “only” or “alone.” Here they are with some explanation of their meaning:

1. Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone. This means that the Bible is the primary source of authority for believers in determining the truth. There are other sources of authority, like experience (How does it feel? Does it fit?); reason (Is it rational? Does it make sense?); and tradition (How have we understood or practiced it in the past?). Scripture, however, trumps all of the other sources of authority. Paul urged the Corinthian believers: “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Cor 4:6). The primary question for Biblical Christians is: What does the Bible say?

2. Sola Fide: Faith Alone. This refers to the cardinal teaching of “justification by faith.” The Reformers rediscovered the Biblical doctrine that says we are justified before God not by our good works but by faith in Christ alone. Paul wrote about this in Romans 4:4-5: “Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

3. Sola Gratia: Grace Alone. The Reformers stressed salvation as a free gift coming by the grace of God alone. This is the message of Paul in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works so that no man can boast.”

4. Soli Deo Gloria: For the Glory of God Alone. This refers to the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. The Reformers called the church away from a man-centered approach to faith and practice to a God-centered approach. This doctrine affirms that God is not bound by any limitations and that God is the author of salvation. It also affirms that God providentially guides the course of history and is in complete control of all that happens. In Isaiah 48:11, the Lord announces: “I will not yield my glory to another.”

5. Solus Christus: Christ Alone. This doctrine calls for the church to be radically Christ-centered. It affirms that salvation is found in Christ alone. This comes from the words of Jesus himself: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This was also the proclamation of the first believers: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

These great themes, among others, distinguish churches that carry on and affirm the spirit of the Protestant Reformation in our day. These Reformation values are seen at JPBC when we preach that the Bible is supremely authoritative, that God is sovereign, that Christ is central, that we are justified by faith, and that salvation comes as God’s free gift of grace. Of course, these ideas did not begin at the time of the Reformation. They are, rather, Biblical ideas that were recognized by the first Christians and continue to be recognized in churches that strive toward Biblical fidelity.

Jeffrey T. Riddle
Pastor, Jefferson Park Baptist Church

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