"Reformation truth; reformation life" (Sermon FFMC 31/12/17)

Introduction

I felt that, before 2017 comes to a close, I would like to teach about the event that exactly 500 years ago caused a major rift in the Church. In 1517, a monk and university lecturer named Martin Luther posting of 95 theses (statements for debate) to the church door at Wittenberg castle. Within a few years he was the most wanted man in Germany. He and other Reformers were convicted that the church of their day had drifted away from the original teachings of Christianity, especially in regard to its teaching about salvation. They wanted to re-anchor Christianity on the original message of the Bible. The Reformation was a ‘protest’ against the doctrinal and moral corruption of the church of the day. We know that this ended, not in reform, but in separation. And that is why today most Christians are divided into Catholic and “Protestant” categories.

As we come to the core beliefs of the Reformation I want to make 3 observations:

1.       History matters. We deprive ourselves of much encouragement and wisdom if we are unaware of the way in which God has worked in the past in the world and through His people. We would not be here if not for reformers like Martin Luther.

2.       Being nice all the time does not matter. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you” (Ro 12:18) we should aim for peace and unity. But our Lord is not only Prince of Peace, but He did say,  “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.” (Mat 10:34). Nowadays it is fashionable to describe the Reformation as a ‘mistake’ or a ‘failure’. Pope Francis calls it a “wound in the body of Christ”. The Archbishop of Canterbury has said that Christians should ‘repent’ of the divisions caused by the Reformation. Being always nice does not matter because...

3.       Truth matters. We live in times where it is unpopular to emphasize theological differences. Many Christians feel that love is more important than theology. At these times we should look again at what it means to call ourselves “Protestant”, and to understand why the Reformers fought and died for what they believed in. Why is it important to be Protestant? Why care about the Reformation at all?

So today I want to share with you the core teachings of the Reformation. I hope to show you why they are supremely important to us as modern-day Christians.  There are 5 Latin phrases that sum up the core of the teaching of the Reformers. These are called the five ‘solas’. If you believe the truths of the  5 solas, you can call yourself a Protestant!

1.       Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone.

The question is: Who or what guides your life and tells you what is right and wrong, what you should or shouldn’t do? How do we act in difficult situations? Do you ask your pastor? If you don’t listen to your pastor or TRAC President, do you deserve to go to hell? Church goers were in a place equivalent to this situation before the Reformation. The Roman Church taught that the basis for faith and practice was a combination of the Scriptures, sacred tradition, and the teachings of the church and the pope. All church-goers would have accepted this as truth. Against this the Reformers said that the Bible is the only written divine revelation, and it is the final source of truth and authority.

This doesn’t mean that the Bible is the only place where truth is found. Spiritual leaders, church teachings and tradition can be helpful, but these can never take the place of or even a place alongside Scripture. They are all subject to its authority and their worth is judged on how true they are to Scripture. The worth of this sermon- and all sermons- is judged on how true it is to scripture. Also, personal spiritual experiences can be helpful, but we do not interpret Scripture according to our experiences – we interpret our experience according to Scripture.  We can argue together as Christians as to how to do this or that, but all our arguments must rest on Scripture. Sola scriptura reminds us that God is God and alone trustworthy while humans are completely dependent on Him for true knowledge. Scripture alone is perfect, Scripture alone is from God. Scripture alone is authoritative.

The Catholic Church in the day of the reformers conducted services in Latin, which the priests, but not the common people understood. The Roman Catholic view was the Church alone could infallibly interpret scripture and that individual Christians should not do so. The greatest persecutor of those who translated the Bible into common languages (like English and French) was not communists or people of another religion, but the Church. William Tyndale, for instance, was among the first to translate the Bible into English from the original Greek and Hebrew. He told a priest: “If God spare my life, before many years pass, I will cause a ploughboy to know more of the Scripture than you do.” Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake not many years after Luther’s publication of his theses. It is because of the Reformation that we have the ability to criticise our preachers and spiritual leaders when they fall short of the standards of Scripture!  The reformers argued that through the Holy Spirit, individuals can by themselves interpret the scriptures responsibly. The Bible became available to all, so all might read and see the truth of God and see the glory of God in His Word for themselves.

“You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:14-17)

15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Ti 2:14)

4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Ro 15:4)

The doctrine of Scripture alone means that

• We should appreciate the cost of bringing Bible translations in English to us.
• We should know scripture well. How else will we have godly wisdom?
• We should know scripture well. How else will we become Christ-like through obedience?
• We should know scripture well. How else will we be equipped for every good work?
• We should know scripture well. How else will we stand approved and unashamed before God?
• We should know scripture well. How else will we have spiritual encouragement?

2.       Sola Fide, by faith alone.

The great question is: how are we saved from the judgement of a holy God? How are we “justified” (or made righteous) so as to be acceptable to Him? The  Catholic Church teaches that we are made righteous before God by faith as well as the work of the Church and works that we produce. For them, God will declare you righteous only after you cooperate with Him to become righteous. For Protestants, increase in holiness occurs after we are declared righteous by God on the basis of faith. The reformers said, “We justified by faith alone, without any contribution from our good deeds”.

What does it mean to be saved by faith alone? It means that we put our whole trust that God will accept us on the basis of Christ’s righteousness, not on our own. It does not mean having ‘head knowledge” about Jesus, because good theology does not save demons (Js 2:19). We receive salvation by an act of relying fully in the finished work of Christ on Calvary. It is only in His righteousness that we become acceptable to God.

When Luther understood that God had provided for his righteousness and salvation through faith, he said, “Here I felt that I was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open gates.”

¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,^[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

²⁰ For by works of the law no human being^[a] will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. ²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Ro 3: 20-23)

Salvation by faith alone means that:

We cannot earn God’s favour so as to be saved

All our good works are evidence of our salvation – of a living faith (Js 2:14), not a means to gain salvation.

We cannot assure our salvation by church attendance or taking communion or baptism, or serving in church, or giving money, or reading your Bible and praying daily. These works show that you are saved, they do NOT make you more acceptable to God.

3.       Sola Gratia, by grace alone.

While faith alone has to do with how one is saved, grace alone has to do with who is saved.  The Catholic Church taught that salvation comes (amongst other things) through a combination of God's grace, the sacraments of the church, and the cooperation individuals manifest with God through penance and good works. One modern way of putting this is, “God helps those who help themselves” so that it means “God saves those who save themselves”

To speak of grace alone means that our salvation does not rest on any goodness or merit to be found in us. We are wholly undeserving of heaven. The Bible speaks of us being ‘dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). ^“For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Ro 8:7-8). Grace is the unmerited favour that God shows us when “He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he^[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship^[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” (Eph 1:4-5)

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8-9)

¹¹ though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— (Ro 9:11)

⁹ who saved us and called us to^[a] a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began” (2 Ti 1:9)

Salvation by grace alone means that:

• We cannot pay God back. This is an insult to His generosity
• We have no ground for boasting or a superior attitude. We did not will our salvation/save ourselves any more than a baby could will its own birth.
• God gets all the glory for our salvation. We get the benefits
• We can only respond in gratitude

4.       Solus Christus, in Christ alone.

The Catholic Church taught that we benefit spiritually by the meritorious work of Christ as well as through the spiritual benefits obtained through the agency of the Church, including the merits of the saints. The Reformers responded, “No, we are saved by the merits of Christ alone, and we come to God through Christ Alone”.

Christ’s sinless life and his atoning sacrifice alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father. We rest in Christ’s exclusive identity and His sufficient work.

There is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time...For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (1TI 2:5-6)

 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. ³ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, ⁴ having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Heb 1:1-4)

Belief in Christ alone means:

• We reject all other human mediators. We do not have to go to a pastor or a priest to communicate with God. All of us are priests (1 Pe 2:9) “the priesthood of all believers”
• We do not look to go through saints and angels and Mary. Through the indwelling Spirit we commune directly with God.
• We cultivate a relationship with Him – the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. We hear His commands and submit to Him as our Lord.

5.       Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone.

This sola is the pinnacle of the other solas. On one hand, it reminds us to rejects the glorification of the Pope, the clergy, the Virgin Mary and the saints. All the other solas refer to God’s actions. God has revealed Himself in His Word, He has freely chosen us by His grace to be saved through faith through Jesus Christ. God is the highest object of praise, worship, and devotion. This universe is His, and we are made for Him.

Giving glory to God alone is more than just worshipping the true God alone. As The Westminster Catechism says, the chief purpose of human life is “to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” In t4he past only priests, monks and nuns were felt to be engaged in God’s work.  There was a separation between the sacred versus secular – something we still see today, when we think that full time work is the really Christian thing to do. The reformers saw all of life to be lived under the Lordship of Christ. Every activity of the Christian is to be sanctified unto the glory of God.

“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).  

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. (Ro 11:36)

 ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Pet 4:11)

Glory to God alone means:

• Rejecting a cult of personality around our leaders
• Wholeheartedly worshipping Him in church
• Living a life full that brings glory to Him

Conclusion

If the teachings of the solas are familiar to you, that’s great. They should be. The solas define are what it means to be a Protestant. But it is not important to be classified as a Protestant. I suspect that there are many unsaved people attending Protestant churches and that there are many saved people attending Catholic churchs. Categories are not important. Being Biblical is important.

Why care about the Reformation at all? Because truth matters. Truth sets free. Lies put us in bondage. The truths of the Reformation set us free from fear of condemnation. They give us the power of assurance. They enable us to worship wholeheartedly. They give us strength and guidance for daily living. They are a source of sustaining joy. They give peace and security in Christ. They are tell us all our relationship to God should be.

The solas, then, are not mere slogans from yesteryear; they are truths to be received and wholeheartedly embraced. They remind us what is central to Scripture and what is vitally important for the church to teach, preach, and joyously live out before the watching world.

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