On Oct. 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther didn’t realize it at the time, but this simple action would soon start was became known as the Reformation — a movement that changed the world.
Luther’s fight was one of theology. Luther was threatened, exiled, condemned and labeled a heretic by the Roman Empire, yet his teachings exploded in popularity throughout his life and are still followed by millions of Christians around the world today.
Most Protestant churches today can trace their lineage to the Reformation, and in some part, to the teachings of Luther. Although he was a theologian, Luther also wrote and thought about all aspects of life. He was concerned for the children in his town. He was involved in the politics of his day. He was an academic. He was a family man. He was a musician. He was involved in the lives of the poor. He was a revolutionary.
Luther’s teaching, and that of the Reformation, is often summarized in three “solas.” Sola Gratia, Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura — by Faith Alone, by Grace Alone and by Scripture Alone.
By Grace Alone we mean that God gives His love freely. People can’t earn God’s love. We can’t earn forgiveness. God’s love is not gained by human efforts but is given freely by God’s grace.
By Faith Alone we mean that those who believe in Jesus as God’s Savior for all of mankind receive forgiveness and eternal life. Faith is something God gives to people through His Holy Spirit, working in the Word of God in the Gospel, and through the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
By Scripture Alone we mean that God has revealed His truth through the Bible. The Bible is the one trustworthy source for the truth about God. The Bible teaches that Christ’s death and resurrection is the key event in all of history because there, Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins. This does not mean that Christians can only read the Bible, but Sola Scriptura means that the Bible is the only trustworthy and infallible source for doctrine and for life.
The three solas, by Grace alone, by Faith alone and by Scripture alone, are all summarized in one more common phrase from the Reformation, Solus Christus — through Christ Alone. Together, these make up the central theological principles of our doctrine on justification and salvation in the historic Christian church.
Much has certainly changed since Oct. 31, 1517, however much of our world today has been shaped or influenced in many ways by the Reformation. The heart of the Reformation was theology. Sound doctrine. A zeal for Scripture. It was a return to God as the source of mankind’s salvation.
Jeff Shackelford is a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Poplar Bluff. For more information about Zion Lutheran Church, visit zionpb.org.