Jesus only

October 29, 2021 (Friday)

 

The fourth sola is “solus Christus” (“Christ alone”). It is in this doctrine the Reformers claimed to be RECOVERING the gospel, rather than our idea of reforming the church. The main idea is that salvation is found in Christ alone. Period.

 

Let’s dig into the history of the Roman church during Luther’s time to give us perspective on how “solus Christus” came to be recovered. The claim was that the church was “the God-appointed, infallible mediator of infused grace.” [Matthew Barret, “Sola,” p 79] The idea was salvation was found only in and through the church. The claim was the sacraments were the way grace was given to people. No sacraments, no grace, and thus no salvation. Merit toward salvation was something earned.

 

The church of the day created something called an “indulgence.” Indulgences were purchased to shorten time in Purgatory. Johann Tetzel would emotionally manipulate audiences with the mental image of loved ones in torment in Purgatory. His jingle was “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” Luther’s reaction in the “95 Thesis” was, “They preach only human doctrines who say that as soon as the money clinks into the money chest, the soul flies out of purgatory.” [#27]

 

Let’s see what the Bible has to say about salvation in Christ alone. Check out Romans 3:24, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus [ESV] The legal understanding of being justified goes back to the Greek text. The natural way to understand this, as a legal term, means this justification is instantaneous. It does not accrue over time, it happens when we believe (see “faith alone”).

 

By God the Father’s grace (loving kindness, want too), we are freely (gift) righted in His sight BECAUSE Jesus paid the penalty for our sins. This payment can be understood as a ransom or redemption (buy back) for the price of our freedom. In Galatians 3:22, Paul declared, “But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.” [NLT] Freedom comes from the guilt of sin and the eternal consequences of sin. There is a certain sense where we have freedom from the control (slavery, reign) of sin. We no longer have to submit to or obey our sinful nature’s impulses and fears.

 

Continuing the line of reasoning in Romans, Paul argues, “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood….” [Romans 3:25a NLT] Some prefer the big word “propitiation,” which has its roots in the image of the blood sprinkled on the “mercy seat” (lid of the Ark of the Covenant) on the Day of Atonement. Maybe another way to state this is that Jesus blood was placed on were mercy is found (assuming we need a physical visual).

 

For an idea of how this applies to us today, Paul tells us, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” [Romans 5:1 ESV] It is through Jesus alone that we have access to grace. That is a relief.

 

We never have to guess about where we stand with God. We never have to hope we are saved. We never have to fear the doubts, threats, and accusations of the devil. We are in Christ.