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Introduction : We are continuing a 5 week study on the 5 Solas. Sola is Latin for alone, the solas were considered the foundational principles of Protestantism which was begun by Martin Luther in 1517 (Sola! Pg 3) Last week, we looked at Scripture Alone and this week we will look at Grace Alone. Why is grace alone important for us today?   What is grace? A mother found under her place one morning at breakfast a bill made out by her small son, Bradley, aged eight—Mother owes Bradley: for running errands, 25 cents; for being good, 10 cents; for taking music lessons, 15 cents; for extras, 5 cents. Total, 55 cents. Mother smiled but made no comment. At lunch Bradley found the bill under his plate with 55 cents and another piece of paper neatly folded like the first. Opening it he read—Bradley owes Mother: for nursing him through scarlet fever, nothing; for being good to him, nothing; for clothes, shoes and playthings, nothing; for his playroom, nothing; for his meals, nothing. T...

This Sunday, I continue a 5 week series on the solas of the Reformation.  What is a sola?  It is the Latin word for alone.  This week, we will focus on Grace alone.  Here are a few things to ponder prior to Sunday: Read the Bible passage : Ephesians 2:1-10 Questions to think about: How would you define grace? How does Scripture alone reinforce Grace alone? Why is grace offensive to many?  How is grace messy? If it's not Grace alone, what do we look to instead?  Helpful Resources Why the Reformation Still Matters by Michael Reeves and Tim Chester Sola! What Are We Fighting For? by Leann Luchinger and Heather Choate Davis Charis by Preston Sprinkle The Prodigal God by Tim Keller On the Grace of God by Justin Holcomb Song To Reinforce Message: Grace Wins by Matthew West and Amazing Grace by John Newton

Today marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing 95 theses in Wittenberg which began the Protestant Reformation.  Many key teachings came out of this event, but probably the most notable are the 5 Solas. In honor of this anniversary, I am sharing the 5 Solas with you today. 

I recently finished reading The Whole Christ by Sinclair Ferguson.  Here are some great quotes from the book: There are no conditions that need to be met in order for the gospel offer to be made. everything we need for salvation is in him and not in us. Is it obvious to me, and of engrossing concern, that the chief focus, the dominant note in the sermons I preach (or hear), is "Jesus Christ and him crucified"? Or is the dominant emphasis (and perhaps the greatest energies of the preacher?) focused somewhere else, perhaps on how to overcome sin, or how to live the Christian life, or on the benefits to be received from the gospel?...Is the dominant theme, the lasting impression, the most natural word association, in relation to preaching I hear "Jesus Christ and him crucified"--or something else? Christ himself is the gospel...what we receive in the gospel is not benefits but Christ and that therefore the focus on public preaching and private pasto...

I finally finished Sacred Bond by Michael Brown and Zach Keele. It is a great introduction on covenant theology.  It was insightful and answered a lot of questions I had about the topic.  I would highly recommend it.  Here are several quotes from the book: Covenant theology is the Bible's prescribed method of helping us interpret the Scriptures properly. Covenant theology helps us to deepen our understanding of God's salvation of and communion with his people through the person and work of Christ. It is God's way of giving us the big picture of his plan of redemption and showing us that his Word, from beginning to end, is consistent and not contradictory. we are saved by his merit and not our own. We are acceptable to the Father not because of our obedience, but because of his obedience. In Christ, God's justice and mercy kiss. In other words, in both the Old Testament and New Testament the way in which God saves sinners is always the same: by his g...

Grace Alone. Faith Alone. Here are some quotes from The Pastor's Justification by Jared C. Wilson: People need to know what God's law says, but we need to remember that the law cannot produce obedience to itself. The pastoral imperative, then is to get the gospel indicative into every nook and cranny of church life as we can. We want to be seeding grace in every space.  We are not automatically set to gospel mode, so we all need help in constantly resetting to grace. Sola fide is not just for justification, but also for the working out of our justification in the ongoing work of sanctification. It is not as though what has begun by faith is now continued by works. We are not to find life in the Gospel and then nourish it by the Law. We are not to begin in the Spirit and then seek to be made perfect by the flesh, or by confidence in man--we must continue to walk by the simple faith which rests only upon God... Faith is convicted trust...Another simple way of ...