Today we continue our look at “The Five Solas,” the five biblical truths taught since the early church that constitute the unique claims of Christianity regarding the nature and purpose of salvation. One of these five basic truths is Sola Gratia, which in Latin literally means, “by grace alone.” This truth teaches us that salvation comes to humanity only because of God’s grace as revealed and mediated through the life, death and resurrection of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Grace itself can be defined as God's favor through Christ to people who deserve His wrath. By His grace, we do not receive the wrath we deserve. Instead, we receive the favor we don't deserve.
As with the rest of “The Five Solas,” Sola Gratia rests firmly on the unanimous testimony of God’s Word. A couple of texts in particular reveal this crucial truth. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “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.” Titus 3:5-7 declares, “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
The crucial aspect of this truth is that in our relationship with God, we bring nothing to the bargaining table. We are dependent entirely upon God’s grace to put us into a relationship with Him. As that prince of preachers Charles Hadden Spurgeon stated it, “It is not because of anything in us, or that ever can be in us, that we are saved; but because of the boundless love, goodness, pity, compassion, mercy, and grace of God.” In other words, we’re not saved because of anything we are or do, but only because God gave His favor through Christ to us who deserve His wrath.
It is the grace of God that shows us our innate sinfulness; that convinces us that we can’t save ourselves by our own merit; that reveals to us that Christ is sufficient to be our Savior; and that then makes us able to trust Christ’s finished work for our salvation. Thus, as we remember God’s grace, we are rightly moved to glorify Him as the sole source of this immense miracle of being forgiven, made new and adopted into His family.
John Newton, a slave-trader whom God saved and called to preach, wrote of the working of grace in his life this way:
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.
Never let yourself stop being amazed by God’s grace!
Next week: “Sola Fide,” only through faith
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment