The Five Solas of Revived Hearts

This episode contains portions from the following programs:

"Five Solas and Six Lessons"

"He Is the Chief Cornerstone"

"By Faith"

"Grace"

"Show the Glory"

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Dannah Gresh: (rushed) Okay, let’s see here. This is for Revive Our Hearts Weekend, Chris.

Um . . . this says 506. 506 what? M&Ms? People? I don’t get it.

Oh wait . . . 506 years. That’s kind of random.

Oh! Now I get it! That was supposed to be a hint that it’s the 506th anniversary of when Martin Luther put up the 95 Theses! Should I have known that one, Chris?

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Welcome to Revive Our Hearts Weekend! I’m Dannah Gresh.

So, yes. In case you forgot like I did, in the next few days we’re celebrating Reformation Day, which is on October 31.

Like I said, that’s the day—in 1517—that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses onto the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. That action had consequences that reached farther than Martin Luther had ever intended. Eventually it helped call the church to return to Bible-based teaching, rather than relying on human traditions. And by the way, there were many others who were greatly involved in the Reformation, too. It wasn’t just Martin Luther. 

Now, if you’re familiar with the Reformation, you’ve most likely heard of the Five Solas. They are these:

• Sola Scriptura—that means Scripture alone
• Solus Christus—Christ alone
• Sola Fide—Faith alone
• Sola Gratia—Grace alone
• Soli Deo Gloria—the glory of God alone

But here’s something that you might not know—none of the Reformers had that list! That’s right. They didn’t teach through them, step by step, like you might expect. Those solas are just a helpful summary of the teachings of the Reformers.

Unlike Martin Luther and the others, though, we are going to go through them one at a time.

First up is Sola Scriptura, or Scripture alone. That means that God’s Word is the highest authority in our lives. Several years ago, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth had a conversation with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, and they addressed that topic. Let’s listen.

Dr. Lutzer: Sola Scriptura was the basis upon which the Reformation happened. It was really based on the fact that the Bible alone, and not tradition . . . Luther had a great respect for the Bible. That resulted in the fact that he translated the New Testament into a German that the people actually understood.

What he was doing was giving the Word of God to people—that even impacted my life. Let me just read a couple of statements regarding Luther and what he said about the Scripture.

A fiery shield is God’s Word, of more substance and purer than gold, which tried in the fire loses none of its substance, but resists and overcomes all the fury of the fiery heat. Even so, he who believes God’s Word overcomes all and remains secure everlastingly against all misfortunes, for this shield fears nothing—neither hell nor the devil.

When Luther translated the Bible, he did it with a great deal of reverence, because he believed—as we do—that he was translating God’s Word!

Nancy: Yes. 

Dr. Lutzer: Whole books have been written just on the impact of Luther’s translation of the Bible—not to mention all of the people who came to saving faith as a result.

Earlier in one of the programs, I quoted Luther. He said, “I did nothing. I was just here in Wittenberg with Amsdorf, and we let the Word do the work.” Well, he did an awful lot—Luther did. But you’re right, Luther. At the end of the day, the Word that did the work.

Nancy: And the Word—trusted and respected and believed in and stood upon . . . over all councils, authorities, popes, church tradition, history—was the ultimate authority.

Dr. Lutzer: Here’s a challenge to all the parents who are listening right now. You want to know what you can do for your children. Think of the words of Luther at the Diet of Worms. What we need in America today is tens of thousands—and millions—of Christians who say, “My conscience is held captive [I love that expression!] by the Word of God.”

We need consciences held captive by the Word of God and, as Luther said, “I cannot and I will not recant! Here I stand. I can do no other!”

Dannah: Wow. Do you have a conscience held captive by the Word of God? Do I? That’s a good question to ask ourselves.

That’s Dr. Erwin Lutzer and Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, talking about the first of the Five Solas, Sola Scriptura. If you want to hear lots more from Erwin Lutzer on the Reformation and Martin Luther, go to ReviveOurHearts.com/Weekend. We’ll have a link to that series in the transcript of today’s program.

Do you remember what the next sola is? That’s right—Solus Christus. That means Christ alone. Of all of these, you’re probably most familiar with that one, thanks to the Gettys’ wonderful hymn by that name. It’s so important that you and I understand that there is nothing we can do to save or sustain ourselves. Here’s Nancy to talk about that.

Nancy: Peter says,

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (vv. 4–5)

What’s all that talking about? Jesus was chosen by God. He was precious. He is the living Cornerstone, the foundational stone that bears the weight of the house and establishes the entire structure. Through faith in Christ, as we are in Him, we become living stones built on Christ.

We get a new identity. We’re no longer defined by our fallen, sinful nature—by the failures of our past. Our identity is not found in our performance or our gifts or our abilities. We are chosen ones, precious to God, just as Jesus is. 

As you read this passage in 1 Peter 2, you realize there are only two possible responses to Jesus: to reject Him or to believe in Him. For those who believe Him, this is a message of hope and of honor. But it’s a message of judgment for those who reject Him, to those who refuse to believe in Him.

But, you know, salvation isn’t precious until you realize what you’ve been saved from.People are not going to run to Christ until they know that if they don’t run to Him, they will be run over by Him. So we have to preach judgment, because the God of grace and mercy is a God who delivers us from judgment.

For those who believe, whose hearts are soft and pliable and responsive toward Him, they will never be put to shame.

You believe Him or reject Him. You consider Him precious or you despise Him. There is no middle ground.

In Ephesians 2, beginning with verse 19, we see another reference to this Cornerstone.

So then you are . . . members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (vv. 19–22)

So we see that there is a household here . . . a house that’s being built. It’s the household of God, the church of Jesus Christ that is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, the Cornerstone. And we’ve been made living stones, being built on that foundation. We’re part of that building that God has established on Jesus Christ.

“On Christ the solid Rock I stand . . .” That’s what we’re singing about. Jesus Christ. He supports the entire structure—the weight of that building. The weight of the church rests on Him and His finished work on the cross. Aren’t you glad that your salvation doesn’t rest on you? Aren’t you glad it all rests on Him?

And aren’t you glad that the success or the failure of the church doesn’t rest on you or your church or your pastor? It rests on Jesus. He’s the One who joins the whole building together. We’re held together because of Him. 

Dannah: Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has been talking about how Jesus is our Cornerstone and how that means that everything we are and do is based on him. Christ alone is our salvation!

The next one is related, though—well, they’re all kind of interconnected, really. But how do you believe in Christ? By faith. God is the one who gives us the faith to believe that we don’t have to do anything to be saved. Sola Fide.

The second half of Habakkuk chapter two, verse four says, “The righteous shall live by his faith.” Here’s Nancy again to talk about that phrase.

Nancy: There are two senses in which the righteous live by faith. The first sense is that we are justified by faith. We come into a right relationship with God by faith and faith alone. We are delivered from the judgment and the wrath of God. We are made righteous through faith in Christ alone.

That’s the sense that Paul uses in Romans chapter 1, verse 17, when he says,

For in it [that is in the gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith.”

What is he saying as he quotes the book of Habakkuk? From beginning to end, the righteousness of God is completely, 100%, utterly, totally, absolutely on the basis of faith. It’s not our righteousness. It’s our faith in Christ and His righteousness.

You see, we are sinners. We are not righteous. We could never be righteous on our own. So from start to finish, Paul says, we are justified. We are made right with God. We are given right standing with God. We are granted access into the presence of God. We are brought into the family of God by faith in Christ alone.

Galatians chapter 3, verse 11: “Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law.” No one. No matter how good you could be, no matter how many of God’s laws you could keep, you cannot be right with God by the law. Why? Because no one perfectly keeps the law. You may think you are less a sinner than somebody who is a massive mega-lawbreaker, but you’re still a sinner. So no one is justified before God by the law.

“For [and here Paul quotes again the book of Habakkuk] ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” Now this is the crux of our Christian faith—this whole issue that the righteous shall live by faith. It’s so crucial that it actually split a whole generation of professing believers wide open and became the foundation of our Protestant Reformation back in the 1500s. “The righteous shall live by his faith.”

How did that come about? In the early 1500s there was a young German theologian named Martin Luther. Luther had earned a doctorate of theology degree. He knew a lot about the Bible. He knew a lot about theology. He was a quick, bright, young mind, but he had no peace in his heart. He knew he wasn’t right with God, and he didn’t know how to be right with God. In fact, over and over again he would write in his diary, “How can a man find favor with God?” How can I be right with God?

Luther tried his best to be holy. He tried to keep God’s law. He tried to prove his devotion to God. He’d fast for up to two weeks at a time. He was deeply introspective. He was always digging and searching for some new sin to confess, trying to gain God’s favor.

Now, Luther had studied the Bible. He knew that God was holy, and he knew that he had sinned and that he fell far short of the standard of God’s law. So he did everything that he could think of to gain God’s favor, to be made righteous. That word righteousness tormented him and haunted him because he knew he wasn’t righteous, and he knew he couldn’t live a righteous life, try hard as he might.

Luther realized what we have to come to realize and that is you can never be good enough. We have no righteousness of our own. Even our righteousnesses are as filthy rags to God.

He began to understand. “The righteous shall live by his faith.” He began to understand that he could only be right with God through the righteous deeds of Christ and that his sins were forgiven by faith, not by trying, but by faith in the person and the work of Christ on the cross apart from any good deeds of his own.

“The righteous shall live by his faith.” That became the foundation of Luther’s doctrine. That was at the heart of the Protestant Reformation as Luther and the people of his day, many of them, began to realize that righteousness is not something we achieve. It’s not something we can conceivably achieve. Rather, it’s something Christ achieved for us, something which becomes ours, not by any merit of our own, but only through faith in the merit of Christ.

How does a man get to heaven? How does a man become right with God? How is a man born again? How is a man made righteous? “The righteous shall live by his faith.” He shall be declared righteous by his faith, and he shall continue to live that righteous life by faith in Christ and Christ alone.

Dannah: Is your heart stirred by those questions from Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth? If you aren’t sure you understand the answers, we want to help you learn more, because they’re the most important ones you can ever know. Go to ReviveOurHearts.com/weekend, and in the transcript of today’s program we’ll have a link to a free resource called How You Can Be Sure You Will Spend Eternity with God. If you’re understanding the gospel for the first time, let us know! We would love to pray for you and celebrate with you. Again, find out more at ReviveOurHearts.com/weekend.

Now, what we’ve heard so far has been so rich that it’s hard to believe there’s still more! Next up, Nancy’s going to talk about grace—sola gratia. Let’s listen.

Nancy: Grace. Grace. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound! It’s a gift from God. We don’t deserve it. We can’t earn it. It’s given to those who are helpless, those who have no means of making it apart from God reaching down to rescue them.

God’s grace is what gives us the supernatural desire and the power to walk with God. Sometimes you want to walk with God, but you say, “I can’t.” Or maybe you could, but if you didn’t want to, it wouldn’t matter.

God’s grace is that supernatural life of Jesus within us that gives us the desire and the power to walk with God, to trust Him, to obey Him, to love Him, to serve Him and to love and serve others. It’s enabling us to do what God has made us to do and called us to do. God says He blesses obedience, but we can’t obey Him without grace. Right?

You need God’s grace for everything in your life, and I mean everything. I do, too.

• It’s impossible to become a child of God apart from the grace of God.
• It’s impossible to live the Christian life apart from the grace of God.
• It’s impossible to overcome sin in your life apart from the grace of God.
• It’s impossible to serve God or to do those good works He made us for apart from the enabling power of His grace.

Religion says that man is basically good. He’s able to please God if he just tries.
Scripture says that man is basically sinful. He cannot please God. He is helpless to please God no matter how hard he tries. Why? Because he is dead in trespasses and sins.

Religion says, “Trust yourself. Trust your own works.” And I don’t care what religion you’re talking about, it comes down to this anti-grace way of thinking—that’s what religion is. Religion says you’re dependent on your own effort, self-reliant.

Scripture says, “You don’t trust yourself. You will die if you do. You trust Christ. You don’t trust your own works. You trust His work. You don’t trust what you’ve done. You trust what He has done on the cross.” Scripture says that we are dependent on the grace of God, His efforts, His action on our behalf.

Religion talks about man’s effort to earn salvation as a reward for his behavior, for his good works.

But God’s grace poured out to us, His saving grace, is based on the death of Jesus Christ. He redeems and saves all those who believe in Him—not because of what they have done but because of what He has done.

Religion makes us dependent on our own merits.
Grace puts us in total dependence on the merit of Christ.

Religion leads to condemnation.
God’s grace leads to forgiveness.

Religion leads to death.
God’s grace leads to life.

Religion leads to more sinning.
God’s grace leads us to be able to live righteous lives.

Religion leads us to boasting. “Here’s what I did. How good I am.”
God’s grace leads us to humility. “I had nothing to do with this—no say in this. I could not have saved myself.”

If you’ve never been to Calvary for salvation, then maybe God is calling you today to come to Him. Stop trying to lean on your own efforts, your own religion, your own good works, and say, “Jesus, I need You. I’m going to cling to You and Your grace. I could not save myself, but thank You for dying for my sin. I receive Your grace.”

Now, as we’ve said, God’s grace is varied. It shows up in many shapes and forms in our lives. We need it, not just for salvation, but we also need it for sanctification. We need it, not just for conversion, but when God convicts us of sin as believers to grow spiritually, to become more like Jesus.

Saving grace gives us pardon. Sanctifying grace gives us the power to live a Christian life. We couldn’t get saved by ourselves. A lot of people understand that, but then they think, Now I’ve got to live the Christian life. I knew I couldn’t get saved by struggling and striving and trying harder, but now I think I’ve got to struggle and strive and try harder to be this good Christian.

No! You were saved by grace, and you live by grace. As a Christian, you walk by grace. You couldn’t get saved on your own merits or efforts. You can’t live the Christian life, you can’t deal with sin on your own efforts or merits. It’s all, all, all of grace. The law came by Moses—Mt. Sinai. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Dannah: Amen! I am so thankful for God’s gift of grace. Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has been explaining what grace is and why we need it.

Scripture alone, Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone. Those are some of the bedrocks of theology that were defined and defended during the Reformation.

What’s the purpose of all these? 

Well, let me tell you about a children’s catechism called the Prove It! Catechism. It starts pretty simple—even very young toddlers can learn these. Question one asks, “Who made you?” (The answer— “God.”) Another question is, “Why did God make you and all things?” Answer: “For His own glory.”

The purpose of our lives—not just our physical creation, but also new creation in Christ—is for God’s glory. That’s what the last of the Five Solas means—soli Deo Gloria, “to the glory of God alone.”

In other words, it’s all about God! Everything about us should reflect His goodness, His beauty, and His power.

That’s the point that Chris Brooks wanted to make at a True Woman conference not long ago. He looked at Isaiah chapter 6, where Isaiah saw a vision of the throne room of God. Here’s Chris.

Chris Brooks: I want you to see what Isaiah saw. Can you imagine standing at the doorpost, opening the door to God’s throne room? Can you imagine how radiant God must have looked. Isaiah fiercely and scarcely could look at Him, covering his eyes, barely looking over his arm, seeing the radiant beauty of God!

I want you to be reminded that He is greater, that God is bigger, and that He cares for you. The foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of Him who called. (see v. 4) The foundations of the house shook at the declaration of who God is! The foundation of the house shook at the glory of the Lord.

And so it is that the foundations of our lives should shake at the declaration of the glory of the Lord. Now, you may say, “Chris, of course the foundations of the threshold shook, because Isaiah got to see this amazing vision that I could never see.”

But the fact of the matter is that He has given us His Word. And ladies, I want you to know that every time you open the Word of God you are taking a glimpse of His glory. If you want to see His glory and in full expanse, just bury your heart in the Word of God.

Whenever you are starting to feel small and Satan is starting to feel big, whenever the problems of life seem to be gigantic in your heart and your vision, whenever what is going on in the world around you seems bigger than Jesus, just open up your Bible and you will be reminded of the glory of God and see how big He really is!

We now are bearers of the glory as we go forth and declare to the world the salvation that is found in Christ alone. As we celebrate the resurrected Lord and the risen Lamb, as we stand before a watching world and declare that Jesus is Lord and that He is faithful, we are declaring the glory of Jesus, and it is spreading!

When you leave this place, you’re carrying the glory with you! When you deposit the Word of God in your life, you are depositing the glory of God in your heart. When you share it, it is spreading. I want you to not only see the glory, ladies, I want you to show the glory!

I want you to go back to your home and show the glory. I want you to go to your job and show the glory of God. I want you to go to the nations and show the glory of God as this promise of God is fulfilled right before our eyes.

Isaiah is present with a question, and I believe it’s the question of the night. It’s the question each one of us certainly needs to grapple with. Here’s the question: verse number 8, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” 

“Who will go for us?” This is the question of Heaven. If Heaven rules, will you go? If Heaven rules, will you take His Word and His glory, His promises, back home with you? If Heaven rules, will you stand on His truth in spite of the crushing pressure of a culture that is anti-Jesus. Will you declare that His Word is true?

You obey God and let Him handle everything else. You trust that Heaven rules, and you watch Him put His glory on display in your life. Let tonight be the night of demarcation. Let tonight, this evening, be the night where you declare as Isaiah declared with boldness and assurance, “Here am I, send me!”

Ladies, this is your moment! And if you don’t know it, the enemy sure does! What he has tried his best to do is to distract you and discourage you, to get you off mission. What Isaiah discovers when he experiences the glory of God is his mission in life!

What you will discover when you gaze upon the glory of God is your mission in life. What the enemy wants to do is rob you of that purpose and rob you of that mission! But may this be the weekend where you are reminded, and you make the declaration, “Here am I Lord, send me! I’m not turning back. I’m not backing down. But if Heaven rules, my God is with me. And if God is for me, He is greater than the world against me.” How many believe it to be so? (applause)

Dannah: That was Chris Brooks, reminding us that God’s glory means that everything we do should point to Him. That’s our mission in life!

Well, that wraps up our brief look at the Five Solas. Can you remember what they are? Scripture alone, Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone, and the glory of God alone. I hope you’re motivated to live with those truths in mind.

And I know of something that can help you do that! A really important aspect of our salvation through Christ alone is that Jesus actually came to earth to live among people. I know, it might seem early to talk about Advent, but you know how fast it sneaks up on you, right? Well, you’re going to want to go ahead and get our Advent tabletop cards. They were inspired by Nancy’s devotional Born a Child and Yet a King. Each of the thirty-one cards has a Scripture passage and a quote from the devotional.

And right now, we’re going to send you a set of Advent tabletop cards when you give a gift of any amount to support Revive Our Hearts! And if you give forty dollars or more, you’ll get the cards and Nancy’s Advent devotional, Born a Child and Yet a King: The Gospel in the Carols. I know you’re going to love both of those.

You can give a gift by calling 1-800-569-5959, or go to ReviveOurHearts.com/weekend and click on today’s episode. 

Well, have a wonderful Reformation Day this Tuesday the 31st. And be sure to come back next week! All during the month of November we’re going to look at different kinds of blessings from God, and next week we’ll start with the most important blessing—life. I think you’ll want to hear it.

Thanks for listening today. I’m Dannah Gresh. We’ll see you next time for Revive Our Hearts Weekend.

Revive Our Hearts Weekend is calling you to freedom, fullness and fruitfulness in Christ.

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