From the Protestant Reformation came the “Five Solas” which can be summarized as follows:
Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)
Sola Christus (Christ Alone)
Sola Fide (Faith Alone)
Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)
I am not going to exhaust you with a history lesson about the Protestant Reformation or the history of the Five Solas in this article. Being a Baptist, I did not grow up with these sayings. However, just like everything else, we must check to see if they are Biblical.
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)
The Bereans were called noble in that they received the Word of God with all eagerness and they searched the Scriptures daily whether the things taught by Paul were so. Whether it’s something you hear from a Baptist preacher, a Presbyterian elder, read in a book, or sing in a song you ought to examine it to see whether it is truth….according to the Word of God.
I am not so foolish to believe that everything written by Baptists is true, and nor will I believe that everything that came from the Protestant Reformation is evil. If you believe that (or some variation of that) you are falling for the error of Priesthood of the Church. You have been deceived, and may possibly be in a cult rather than a church.
The standard must always be the Word of God. Our beloved King James Version is a product of the Reformation. Many of the songs in our hymnbooks are songs written by men and women (our Christian brothers and sisters) who came from the Protestant Reformation. The standard cannot is not the prominent Baptist pastor who stands in your pulpit (or the church across the state), nor is it the men who were involved with these things or else we will be in big trouble.
There was a time not too long ago that I scoffed at these Latin phrases. Disbanding the church at Mansfield caused me much reflection which I have not yet gotten over. In that process, I discovered there are many people looking for churches that teach some of the things we teach, but they speak a language we don’t. They get on the internet and they are looking for churches that are Calvinistic (more on that later), meaning churches that are preaching the Doctrines of Grace. What do they find oftentimes when they find churches likes us online? They find articles and sermons that say “Baptists are not Calvinists.”
Same goes for the Five Solas. They either get turned away or a blank stare. There are some Calvinistic Christians looking for churches who hold to the Five Solas. I’m not willing to die on that hill.
There’s a couple of passages to consider. 1 Corinthians 9.19-23 comes to mind, as well as Acts 23:6 where Paul identifies the similarities he had with the Pharisees and even said “I am a Pharisee….” (He didn’t say he was a Pharisee….or he used to be a Pharisee…. He clearly said “I am a Pharisee.”) We focus on the differences we have with others a lot in our circles and I believe we miss opportunities because of it. We ought to know the language of those around us, and I believe we can do that while still being good Baptists.
Even though Sovereign Grace Landmark Baptist Churches don’t often use the terms often, we do agree on the authority of Scripture alone and we do preach that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone!
Although the followers of Luther and Calvin did not take the Five Solas far enough I can say that these are Biblical terms and I affirm them when I am asked the question. Same thing for Five Points of Calvinism, many of the hymns in the book such as “Amazing Grace,” “Rock of Ages,” etc.
I thank God the truth is found in His Word, and not locked up in some church somewhere. If He did, it wouldn’t get out very far at all. Let’s be willing to share it with others and rejoice with our brothers and sisters who might sometimes use a language a little different than ours.
Soli Deo Gloria.