It's truly a pleasure to be here today.
Thank you, Jason, for inviting me down.
Would you please bow with me as we go to the Lord in prayer?
Almighty gracious Father, since our whole salvation depends on our true understanding of your holy word,
grant that our hearts, freed from worldly affairs, may hear and understand your word with all diligence and faith,
so that we may rightly discern your gracious will, cherish it, and live by it with all earnestness.
To your praise and honor, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Would you please turn in your copy of God's word to Romans chapter 5, and we will read verses 1 and 2.
And please stand for the reading of God's word.
And when I'm done reading, I will say, this is the word of the Lord, and your reply will be, thanks be to God.
Romans 5, 1 and 2 says this,
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through him, we have also obtained access by faith into his grace in which we stand,
and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please be seated.
Political activist Marcus Garvey said this,
A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.
Friends, today we're going to take a brief look at our history and roots as God's covenant people.
The verses in Romans we just read summarize well the heart of the Protestant Reformation.
And there's no better day than Reformation Sunday,
and no better place than Reformed Heritage Church,
to talk about our legacy that was birthed in the unlikely place of Germany.
Now, while tomorrow most of the nation will be celebrating Halloween,
we as Protestants must remember that October 31st stands as one of the most important days in our history for the past 505 years.
Why is this?
Because it was October 31st, 1517, that a young German monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses,
which was a challenge to the Roman Catholic Church doctrine,
to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany,
sparking the move known as the Protestant Reformation.
So why the church door?
Because at the time, the church door acted as a type of town bulletin board,
a medieval Twitter, if you will.
And Luther's 95 Thesis was an invitation to public debate with his fellow university professors
over the sale of indulgences.
And because the printing press had recently been invented,
Luther's ideas were printed and spread rapidly throughout Europe.
So what prompted Luther?
So visually picture this.
A church built in the 4th century.
It's called the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran Church
and was built in honor of John the Baptist.
Above the entrance, the builders engraved these words,
the mother and head of all the churches in Rome and all the world.
And these engraved words accurately express the authority that the Roman Catholic Church
held over Europe for more than a thousand years.
And at the time, for Luther, there was no other church in Europe.
And the Western world was dominated by the power of the Roman Catholic Church.
It controlled and shaped all religious activity and heavenly influence politics in Europe
since approximately 476 AD.
Now, despite its power, there was a darkness within the ranks of the Roman Catholic Church.
It was characterized by political intrigue, moral corruption, and Burdesen ritual.
The church had replaced the authority of Scripture with its own traditions
and obscured the message of the gospel
by making grace only available to the sinner if you did your part by works.
Now, as Luther studied the Scriptures, these corruptions troubled him.
But his breaking point came through the work of a Dominican friar by the name John Tetzel.
Now, Tetzel was commissioned by the church to raise money for the ongoing construction
of St. Peter Basilica in Rome.
And Tetzel, like a door-to-door salesman, would move from town to town selling indulgences.
Now, indulgences were written promises from the Pope
that if you purchased one, you or a loved one would get time reduced in purgatory.
Tetzel would call out in an authoritative voice,
As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.
Now, Tetzel's falsity spurred Luther into action.
So, let's take a minute to understand who Luther was.
Throughout history, Martin Luther has been portrayed as a simple or obscure monk.
But in reality, at the time he posted his 95 Thesis,
he was head of his monastery and the district superior over 11 other monasteries.
He had a master of arts and a doctorate in theology.
Luther was known as a great preacher, lecturer, and teacher at Wittenberg University.
He was the first professor in Germany to lecture in the Bible's original languages of Hebrew and Greek.
And he was also one of the first professors in Germany to lecture in the German language
instead of the traditional Latin that was advocated by the Roman Catholic Church.
No, Luther was not a simple or obscure monk.
So, what was his 95 Thesis?
The 95 Thesis reflected Luther's great theological mind
and would later become the foundation of the Reformation itself.
It was written in a remarkably humble and academic tone,
questioning rather than accusing,
and the overall thrust of the document, nonetheless, for the time, was quite provocative.
The first two points of his Thesis contained Luther's central idea.
One, that God intended believers to seek repentance,
not penance, but repentance.
And second, that faith alone and not deeds would lead to salvation.
The other 93 Thesis that followed supported these first two
with a number of them directly criticizing the practices of indulgences.
Again, the 95 Thesis was intended to spark debate,
to stir some soul-searching among his fellow brothers in the church.
And the 95 Thesis sparked far more than just a debate.
It revealed the church was far beyond rehabilitation.
It needed reformation.
The church and the world would never be the same.
The Protestant Reformation itself was a callback to biblical Christianity,
to acknowledge that the authority on all matters,
both for the church and believers,
is God's word alone,
and that sinful man is reconciled with God by faith in Christ alone.
It literally changed the European cultural, religious, social, and political landscape,
and is often referred to as the birth of the modern age.
Although there were earlier movements in response to the corruption of the church,
modern technology in the form of the printing press
allowed for the dissemination of Protestant literature
and the publication of the Bible in the vernacular,
resulting in widespread support for the movement.
This brought an end to the monolithic religious, cultural, and political authority
that the Roman Catholic Church had held on Europe.
This evident corruption of the Roman Catholic Church
had left the church's theological landscape
as dry tinder,
waiting for combustion,
and Luther was the match.
Though Luther ignited the fire that started the Reformation,
God used Luther's work to influence other men in other countries.
In the Swiss city of Zurich,
Ulrich Zwingli was introducing reform
on the basis of citizens reading the Bible.
In England, William Tyndale was influenced by Luther's ideas,
and he was working on translating the Bible into English,
which actually he'd be burned at the stake for.
John Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland,
was writing and reforming the city into a literal city of God.
John Knox in Scotland adopted Luther's position on justification
and helped write the Scottish Confession.
Thomas Cranmer, Theodore Beza, Philip Melanchthon,
and other scholars and churchmen
contributed to the Protestant Reformation
that would reform all of Europe and the Western world.
Now, in the following years of Luther's ministry,
he would continue to challenge the most powerful organization in the world
on their authority and on their doctrine.
At the historic interrogation of Luther,
at the Diet of Worms in 1521,
where he was summoned by the church to recant of his writings,
he answers his accusers this way,
unless I am convinced by Scripture of the clear reason,
of by clear reason,
for I do not trust either in the Pope or councils alone,
since it is well known that they have erred and contradicted themselves,
I am bound by the Scriptures that I have quoted,
and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.
I cannot and will not retract anything,
since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience.
I cannot do otherwise.
Here I stand.
May God help me.
Now, Luther's dramatic performance at the Diet of Worms
ended any hope of reconciliation with the Roman Catholic Church.
He was officially declared a heretic and an outlaw,
which effectively was a death sentence at the time.
Yet, despite this burden,
Luther would go on to develop and refine his view of ecclesiology
and the doctrines that would fuel the Protestant Reformation.
Now, although not written down in a tidy list as we have them today,
what flowed out of Luther's writings and the writings of other reformers
is what we know as the five solas.
These five Latin statements serve as a summary of the core beliefs
that separate Protestantism from Roman Catholicism.
And it captures the core of the gospel in all its graciousness
and Christ-centeredness,
just as we read about it in Scripture.
The five solas show the glory of God's gracious way of salvation
in a way that sets the tone for us to have true theology,
resounding in how we think and live in this world.
Therefore, it's worth us studying and knowing them.
Now, for clarity, the term sola in Latin simply means alone.
So it's in these five scriptural points alone that we are saved,
and they work together collectively.
So let's take a quick, brief look at these five statements.
Our first sola, and the most important sola, I would say,
is sola scriptura.
That Scripture alone is our standard.
So would you please turn with me to 2 Timothy 3.
I'll read 14 through 17.
Just follow along as I read.
But as for you,
continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed,
knowing from whom you've learned it,
and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings,
which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is breathed out by God
and profitable for teaching,
for reproof, correction,
and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God
may be complete, equipped
for every good work.
Friends, our theology
must be scripturally grounded.
God's life-giving speech
reveals to us his salvation
and calls us to faith
and repentance.
The doctrine that the Bible alone
is the ultimate authority
was the formal principle
of all the reformers during the Reformation.
The God that commands light
to shine out of darkness
shines in our hearts,
giving us the light of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
We see that in 2 Corinthians 4.
God always does this
by the Spirit working through the Word.
The Holy Spirit is the author of the Scriptures,
and He speaks through the Scriptures.
The Scriptures teach us everything
that we need to make us wise
for salvation through faith in Christ,
and to be thoroughly equipped
for every good works.
Yet without the Spirit,
even the Scriptures cannot help us.
We're dead in our trespasses and sins,
and our minds and hearts are darkened.
And we need someone to raise us from the dead
and turn on the lights.
We see that in Ephesians 5.
If Scripture is sufficient
to make us wise for faith and life in Christ,
then Scripture alone
can be our guide to walking with God.
Our second sola is sola fide,
that our justification is by faith alone.
Please turn to Galatians 3,
and I'll read verses 6 through 11.
Just as Abraham believed God,
and it was counted to him as righteousness,
know then that it is those of faith
who are sons of Abraham.
And the Scriptures,
foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham,
saying,
In you shall all the nations be blessed.
So then,
those who are of faith
are blessed along with Abraham,
the man of faith.
For all who rely on the works of the law
are under a curse,
for it is written,
Cursed be everyone who does not abide
by all things written in the book of the law,
and do them.
Now,
it is evident that no one is justified
before God by the law,
for the righteous shall live by faith.
Again,
church,
theology must be faith-driven.
Without faith,
it is impossible to please God.
We see that in Hebrews 11, 6.
Like the hand,
like the empty hand of a beggar,
faith reaches out
to receive Christ.
By faith,
we believe that he who is promised
is able to perform that which he promises.
God will fulfill his purposes,
but if we do not believe,
then we will not be established in his ways.
We are justified by faith
without the works of the law,
and we are not saved by good works,
but are saved for good works.
Knowledge of Christ through Scripture,
assent to these truths in our minds,
and spirit-wrought trust from our hearts
characterize saving faith.
So knowledge,
assent,
and trust
characterize
saving faith.
And we live by faith
in the Son of God
who loved us
and gave himself for us.
We see that in Galatians 2, 20.
Our third sola
is sola gratia,
meaning salvation
is by grace alone.
Please turn to Ephesians 1,
and I'll read
verses 3 through 8.
Blessed be the God
and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places,
even as he chose us in him
before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy
and blameless before him.
In love,
he predestined us
for adoption
to himself as sons
through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose
of his will,
to the praise
of his glorious grace,
with which he has blessed us
in the beloved.
In him,
we have redemption
through his blood,
the forgiveness
of our trespasses,
according to the riches
of his grace,
which he lavished upon us
in all wisdom
and insight.
Again, church,
our theology
must be grace-saturated.
If we are saved
by faith,
then we are saved
by grace alone,
not by works.
Grace is God's
generous disposition
by which he lavishes us
with good things
that we do not deserve.
Everything we receive
from God
is by grace
from our daily bread
to our final resurrection.
The grace of God
is vested in Christ,
and he alone
gives saving grace.
The Holy Spirit
teaches us
through Scripture
that salvation
is by grace alone
because salvation
is by faith
in Christ alone.
Grace is not
a sentimental idea
leading us
to ignore our sins,
nor caring
for how we live.
For the grace
of God
has appeared,
bringing salvation
for all people,
training us
to renounce
ungodliness
and worldly passions,
and to live
self-controlled,
upright,
and godly lives
in this present age.
We see that
in Titus 2.11.
Our fourth sola
is Solos Christo.
By Christ's work alone
are we saved.
Please turn
to 1 Timothy 2.
We'll look at
verses 5 and 6.
For there is
one God,
and there is
one mediator
between God
and men,
the man
Jesus Christ,
who gave himself
as a ransom
for all,
which is the
testimony given
at the proper time.
Again, church,
our theology
must be Christ-focused.
Christ is in the
main point
of the Bible,
and the whole Bible
itself testifies
to him.
Without the Spirit,
we could not
receive God's
testimony in Scripture,
and without Christ,
even God's word
could not save us.
Theology is
Christ-focused
because no one
comes to the Father
apart from him.
We see that
in John 14, 6.
And because the Spirit
seeks to glorify him
for our salvation,
Jesus is truly God
and truly man.
He alone
can reconcile
God and man,
killing the animosity
between us
and creating friendship.
the Father.
The Father is well
pleased with his Son,
and he is well
pleased with us
only when we are
in the Son.
And he is well
pleased with us.
Excuse me.
Jesus alone
can save his people
from their sins
because he alone
is our prophet,
revealing to us
by his word
and spirit
that the will of God
is for our salvation.
He alone
is our priest
who offered himself
as a sacrifice
to satisfy
divine justice
for us.
And he alone
is our king
who rules
and defends us.
There is no fellowship
with God
apart from Christ,
and we count
all things as loss
compared to the
excellencies
of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus,
our Lord.
Philippians 3, 8.
Our fifth
and final sola,
the sole
Deo Gloria,
for to God alone
be the glory.
Please turn
to Romans 11,
verse 36.
For from him
and through him
and to him
are all things.
To him be glory
forever.
Amen.
The Reformation
reclaimed
the scriptural
teachings
of the sovereignty
of God
over every aspect
of the believer's
life.
All of life
is to be lived
to the glory
of God,
and the Westminster
Shorter Catechism
asked this,
what is the
chief end of man?
The answer being,
man's chief
end is to glorify
God and enjoy
him forever.
Because we have
nothing that we
have not received,
we should do
all things in the
name of the Lord
Jesus Christ,
keeping thanks to
God the Father
through him.
Colossians 3, 17.
So if we go back
to the beginning
of our lesson
today,
and we think
back to what
Marcus Garvey
said,
a people
without the
knowledge of
their past
history,
origin,
and culture
is like a tree
without roots.
These five
statements of the
Reformation
are our history,
steering us back
to our roots
in our faith,
and these
teachings and
beliefs are the
collective pillars
which uphold the
biblical revelation
of God's plan of
redemption and the
execution of that
plan.
The five
solas work
together collectively,
affirming through
scripture,
teaching us that
the person and
work of Christ are
the sinner's only
hope of escape
from God's wrath.
self.
The only way
that any sinner
receives the benefit
of this work
is through the
application of it
by the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Effectively,
the Father
plans redemption,
the Son fulfills
all the requirements
for redemption,
and the Spirit
applies the benefits
of redemption
to each and every
sinner who
receives it.
The historicity
of these statements
should be known
and studied
because through
them we know
our family history
is Protestants
and the deep
roots that
provide the
foundation of
our saving
faith.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
thank you for
our family history
and thank you
for the men
and women
throughout your
history who
you have used
to bring your
flock back
to be centered
on you.
For from you
and through you
and to you
are all things.
To you, Lord,
be the glory of God
forever.
Amen.