Martin Luther and the 5 Solas of the Reformation

This article was first published in French at TPSG.

I believe every Christian should understand the basics of church history, as it helps us remember that the Holy Spirit did not inaugurate his work in the 20th-century church but has been working since Pentecost. And that we have a great deal to learn from the saints who have gone before us. This is therefore the first in a series of articles (and podcast episodes) we hope to do on the subject of Church History.

I begin with the German wing of the Protestant reformation under Martin Luther, as October 31 marks the date on which Luther is said to have nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenberg, thus launching the Reformation. 

The Pre-Reformers

Luther was not the first to stand up to the papacy. He was just the first to make it out alive! In the 1300s, the British scholar John Wycliffe was banished by the Church for challenging its teachings that were unbiblical and for seeking to get the Word of God into the language and hearts of the people. 

Another pre-reformer of the 1300s was the Czech John Hus. Influenced by Wycliffe’s writings, he denounced the decadent lifestyle of the clergy and taught the authority of Scripture over any pope or bishop. As a result, he was excommunicated and burnt at the stake. We remember him for paving the way for men such as Luther, who said, “I have hitherto taught and held all the opinions of Hus without knowing it. We are all Hussites without knowing it.”

And thirdly, William Tyndale, a British scholar of the early 1500s translated and printed the Bible into English. He did so even though merely reading the Bible in the vernacular was considered heretical and treason against the crown and was punishable by death. For this, he was strangled and burnt at the stake. 

Martin Luther’s Conversion

And this was the historical background in which Luther was born. He committed his life to God’s service after surviving a terrifying thunderstorm in which he found himself stranded on the open road. But as a monk, he wrestled with an overwhelming sense of guilt for his sin. A sense of assurance eluded him, and we know that it’s with good reason. For if works play any part in our salvation, we have no way of knowing if we’ve done enough to merit forgiveness of sins and eternal life. As Luther studied Romans, he struggled particularly with Romans 1:17,

For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, “The righteous by faith will live.”

Luther thought that this righteousness of God referred to the active or formal attribute of God by which he punishes the unrighteous. A battle raged within him, in which he admits later, 

My conscience was restless, and I could not depend on God being propitiated by my satisfactions. Not only did I not love, but I actually hated the righteous God who punishes sinners.

Yet Paul is speaking here not of the righteousness of God’s holy character in himself, but rather the righteousness that God gives freely by his grace to people who don’t have righteousness of their own. So, the righteousness by which we are saved, Luther discovered, is not our own, generated by our own works, but what he called an alien righteousness, one that comes from outside of us. When I discovered that, Luther said, “I was born again of the Holy Ghost.” 

Luther’s Historic and Religious Context

This was a dark period in church history. The Roman Catholic Church was conducting an enormous capital campaign to finance its building of St. Peter’s Cathedral, for which the most effective way to raise funds was the sale of indulgences. These were grants issued by the Pope lessening the time a person spent in purgatory. A Dominican friar and seller of indulgences by the name of Johann Tetzel arrived in Luther’s region and drew crowds with his theatrics depicting the suffering of loved ones in purgatory. He is famed for having said,
 

When the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.

Luther opposed him directly, and it sparked his writing of the 95 Theses, which were disputations on indulgences. Gutenberg’s printing press made it possible for Luther’s writing to spread, and as it did, so did his popularity. Luther was eventually excommunicated and was ordered to appear before the Diet of Worms, where he was told he must recant or face arrest and most probably death. He stood his ground, however, stating the following:

Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.

The Political Climate that Contributed to Luther’s Survival

Discontentment was growing among German princes who desired more autonomy from Rome. One such man was Frederick III, who offered Luther a safe hideout in the Wartburg Castle. There, he translated the New Testament from Greek into German and wrote extensively. Under the protection of this and other powerful allies, he rallied support for his newfound faith, which contributed to his longevity as well. 

One example of his followers was a group of nuns he helped escape from their cloister, an act punishable by death. Among them was Katarina von Bora, whom Luther went on to marry. She became indispensable to him, bearing him six children, managing a household of nearly a dozen servants and transforming the monastery they lived in it into the equivalent of a hotel, dormitory, and conference center. This freed up the Reformer to travel, teach, write, and preach. 

The 5 Solas of the Reformation

Let's briefly go over each of the five solas one by one in order to better understand them

1. Sola Gratia: This is Latin for "Grace Alone." This declaration means that God saves us from the judgment we deserve by grace. It is an unmerited gift.

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

2. Sola fide: This is Latin for "Faith Alone." This declaration means that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone. He paid the penalty for our sins in full and salvation is a result of God imputing his righteousness to those who put their faith in him. 

Romans 4:4-5 - Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

3. Solus Christus: This is Latin for "Christ Alone." This declaration means that Jesus Christ and no other human agent can save us from God's wrath.

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

4. Sola Scriptura: This is Latin for "Scripture Alone." This declaration means that the Bible is the sole authority for Christians in faith, doctrine, and practice because it is sufficient and without error.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

5. Soli Deo Gloria: This is Latin for "To the Glory of God Alone." This declaration means that God's work of salvation is for his glory and we are to live for his glory.

Ephesians 1:5-6 - 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.

Implications

• “Those who don’t learn from history are bound to repeat it.” Luther, Calvin, and other reformers faced different challenges than we do today. But every generation of believers is under attack from our enemy the devil. How are we equipping ourselves, our children, those we influence in our churches to stand firm in the face of these? Only one strategy will do: Ad fontes. This is a Latin term that means, “To the sources,” and it was popularized by the Reformers to refer to the call they issued to believers to return to the fountainhead or source of all true wisdom, God’s Word. I’m convinced Ad fontes should be our rallying call today as well. Let’s teach the Scriptures!

• Today, we see a different kind of travelling charlatans profiting from the sale of salvation: Prosperity gospel teachers. They make such promises as “Send in your seed offering and God will multiply it one-hundredfold.” We need to counter the prosperity gospel because it's insidious and it’s an attack on the heart of the Gospel. How? By teaching those we influence how suffer well. Christ warned his disciples to take up their cross and follow him. Jesus did not, of course, mean they would have to pay for their salvation through suffering. Rather, he meant that our pilgrimage to the Heavenly City would be marked with suffering. Let’s not give those we teach the impression that the Christian life is easy, that Jesus came to solve all our problems. Instead, let’s fill their hearts with wonder at the free gift of eternal life and of the glories of eternity with Christ.