WORTHINGTON

In the middle ages the Church had become extremely corrupted by the hands of man.  Reformers focused on five simple concepts taught in Scripture that had been forgotten.  These became known as the five 'solas' of the Reformation.  They still have relevance in today's culture:

1) Sola Gratia (Grace Alone): 

Our salvation is completely and totally a gift of God which we call grace.  Nothing we do on our own can get us into heaven.  Just 'living a good life' doesn't cut it - no matter how good you live it.  We need God's grace.

 

2) Sola Fide (Faith Alone): 

You can't earn or buy salvation.  The only way to get this grace is by believing.  The Apostle Paul teaches that "we are saved by grace, through faith."  Don't worry if you don't think you can have enough faith to believe... Paul goes on to remind us that even our faith is a gift of God.  He'll give you the strength you need to trust Him.
 

3) Solus Christus (Christ Alone): 

Grace doesn't mean God forgets about or ignores the sins we've committed.  God is perfectly just and holy - He demands that all sins be paid for (and thus our problem as sinful humans).  The good news is that Jesus Christ pays that debt for us.  The Bible is very clear that the only way to have our sins paid for and forgiven is through Christ's atonement (payment) on the cross.  Jesus said that "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No man comes to the Father except by me."  Millions of people are lost and hopelessly looking for answers in other religions because they won't accept this simple truth.
 

4) Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone):

The Bible (scripture) is God's inspired revelation to us.  It's infallible (totally truthful) and it's complete.  Scripture contains everything we need to know for our salvation.  We don't need to search all over the world for other truth, nor do we to add to what's been given already.  We live in a society dominated by relativity.  This is absurd and illogical - truth must be absolute.  God is the ultimate absolute truth, and the Bible is His message to us.
 

5) Soli Deo Gloria (For God's Glory Alone): 

This brings us back to the beginning.  The first four "solas" remind us why we don't need to live a life motivated by doing enough good deeds to earn our way into heaven.  We can live our life with the assurance of God's grace.  Once we understand this free gift, we can't help but want to thank and glorify God in all that we do.