Rev. Aaron Long: Sola's Save the Church
Faith, Opinion
Sola’s Save the Church
A lot of people in the modern church have forgotten that we are protestants. Whether you are Baptist or Lutheran, reformed or Presbyterian, methodist or Pentecostal, episcopal or disciples of Christ, even the non-denominational churches, we are all protestant. All of our churches stem from Martin Luther’s 95 theses and the greater reformation movement starting in 1517.
This protestant reformation came out of roman Catholicism over the primacy of the bible and being saved by grace through faith, ultimately a return to early church teachings. The protestant church tried to scrape off all the pagan and traditional accumulations that had built up on the church over 1500 years.
They have turned out differently and held to differing beliefs but there is a core of beliefs that these protestant churches hold to that give them strength, but the problem is that in the modern church we have forgotten these principles and have tried to rely on worldly methods and business models to build the church.
If we want to return to a solid, Christian basis we need a new reformation, a return to the sola’s that Protestantism is built off of, that made protestants the basis for the United States, that has created the modern world we live in today. The sola’s are what ultimately allow us to truly be Christians, to truly follow Jesus. The word sola is Latin for alone. These principles are alone what defines the nature of how we define our Christian experience. Every one of them is drawn from the scripture and based off of scriptural principles. But what are these sola’s? Well, here they are:
1. Sola Scripture: by the bible alone. This is the foundational principle. All Christian belief, doctrine, knowledge of morality and dogma must come from God’s infallible Word, delivered through prophets and apostle’s over thousands of years. People fail, denominations fail, church councils fail but God’s Word stands forever and not a jot nor a tittle shall pass away.
2. Sola Fide: by faith alone. We are saved from our sins not through our own efforts, not through a system, not through anything man made. We are saved by faith alone. Trusting in the completed work of Christ on the Cross. Your emotion, your feelings, your opinions will and can be wrong, but Christ has accomplished all for us on the Cross.
3. Sola Gratia: by grace alone. God gives us His grace, trough Word and Sacrament in the Church. This grace from God saves us, washes us, strengthens us, enables us to lead a Christian life.
4. Sola Christus: by Christ alone. There is nothing good in us, all that is good comes from Christ and Christ alone. He is the one who saves us, He is the one who leads us, guides us, teaches us, and provides an example for our life.
5. Sola Dei la Gloria: to the glory of God alone. All of our life should be lived to the glory of God alone, in His service. We should not be working for ourselves, our selfish wants, but instead strive to serve and please God in all we do.
The church doesn’t need more programs, more light shows, more bands and music, more celebrity speakers. The church needs to get back to first principles. We need to understand all we believe and do comes from and is regulated by the bible. That we are saved by grace through faith in Christ and that all we do needs to glorify the God who made us. Amen.
