October 31st is a day to remember Luther, the Protestant Reformation, and the 95 Theses nailed to the castle church door in Wittenberg. This year marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation was not about one or two big names - Luther, Calvin, Zwingli - but about a massive movement of Christian conviction, boldness, and joy that cost many men and women their lives - and scattered the seeds that are still bearing fruit in the twenty-first century. Not only was Luther surrounded by many Reformers in Germany, but lesser-known heroes of the faith rose up all over Europe. Luther was the battering ram, but he ignited, and stood with, a chorus of world changers. In an age of corruption and false teaching, the Protestant Reformers returned to the Scriptures. There they found the way of salvation. Instead of indulgences, the Mass, relics, and other superstitions, they rediscovered the ancient way of salvation: the gospel. The five solas were their attempt to summarize biblical teaching on salvation. The Five Solas are:

1. Sola Scriptura ("Scripture alone"): The Bible alone is our highest authority.

2. Sola Fide ("faith alone"): We are saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ.

3. Sola Gratia ("grace alone"): We are saved by the grace of God alone.

4. Solus Christus ("Christ alone"): Jesus Christ alone is our Lord, Savior, and King.

5. Soli Deo Gloria ("to the glory of God alone"): We live for the glory of God alone.

The men and women of the pre-Reformation and the Reformation rediscovered essential Christian truths in the Bible and changed the course of history. (Source: John Piper  desiringgod.org & kootenaichurch.org)

 

C. Verbeek