5 Solas Of The Reformation Essay

The five solas of the Reformation were, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, sola Scriptura, and Soli Deo Gloria. Each of the five solas refuted at least one Roman Catholic teaching or doctrine that the Reformers did not find Biblical or true. The five solas of the Reformation were the foundation upon which all other Reformation teachings were based, and all of the Reformers agreed, despite their various other doctrinal differences. Sola gratia, Latin for by grace alone, means that man is saved by God’s grace alone and not by his own works. Paul explains this in detail in Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV): “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” The point that the Reformers were to emphasize was that salvation is by God’s grace alone because they disagreed with what the Roman Catholic Church believed, which was that man was saved by grace through good works. All the Reformers firmly believed that man was saved by God’s alone and that there was nothing man could do to earn or gain his salvation. As Martin Luther said, “He who does not receive salvation purely

The true definition of Solus Christus can be fully explained by Paul, in 1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV) “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” The Reformers believed that Christ was the one and only mediator between man and God. As Calvin states: “Concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, we must also be aware that he is our Advocate, and that without him we cannot approach God.” (John Calvin) The Roman Catholic Church, however, thought that man did not have direct access to Christ or God, but that a priest must intercede between man and Mary, and Mary must intercede between the priest and Christ, and only then can Christ intercede to God for