This article is the seventh of a series on the “Solas” of the Protestant Reformation. They will post each Thursday here on The Post.
In my journey of faith, I considered several philosophic and religious views while caught up in the powerful cultural stream of the sixties. It was a chaotic period, and many people remember it nostalgically, overlooking the various ways it disrupted and affected people’s lives.
Thankfully, my search for the truth and significance in life culminated in the One who is the Truth and author of Life—Jesus. There was more to becoming a genuine follower of Jesus for me than just reading the Bible and going to church. It’s been a lifelong journey of continuing to choose the Lord’s will over mine.
Quoting a truth is easier than living it out in real life. Putting truth on a plaque or poster is nice, but it doesn’t change a person’s life. Memorization of Scripture is good for retention, but it won’t produce transformation in a person’s life on its own.
What we know in our minds doesn’t automatically bring change in our hearts or our self-will. Truth doesn’t bring transformation until it’s transferred from thought into action, which requires an active, personal faith. This transformation also requires surrendering our wills to the Lord daily, as He expected of His earliest followers (Luke 9:23).
One of the more common criticisms of Christians is the claim of hypocrisy. A popular quote is what Gandhi is purported to have said in reply to a Christian missionary in India, “I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” If our life example doesn’t match what we believe and say about Jesus and our Christian faith, then this is a legitimate criticism. But we don’t need Gandhi to point this out.
Jesus told us this, as did the apostle John and the early church leader James (John 13:17; 1 John 2:4-6; James 1:22-25). Choosing any other option would mean building your faith on an unstable foundation. So, our words and beliefs need to match how we live each day and how we treat others. Jesus gave a strong warning at the end of His teaching in the Sermon on the Mount to emphasize this—
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock… And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. (Matthew 7:24; 26)
How do we become people who are living testimonies of Jesus in the world around us and throughout the world (Acts 1:8)? As Jesus said, we need to “do” what we’ve been taught and believe, if we want a solid foundation for our journey of faith, often referred to as the Christian’s walk.
How can we apply the 5 Solas in everyday life? Here are some simple, practical suggestions under the headings for each of the 5 Solas considered in previous posts.
Sola Scriptura
My journey of faith began with a study of comparative religions and philosophy. I grew tired of philosophical arguments and counterarguments and got lost in the maze of religions, which also seemed more philosophical than practical. Along the way, I made a practice of reading the Bible each morning. I didn’t understand much of it at first, but it rang true to me amid everything else I encountered.
One day, God seemed to speak directly to me through the Bible. Since then, a daily reading of the Bible continues to be a foundational part of my faith. If reading through the whole Bible seems daunting, start with a more simple and brief approach, like a good devotional study.
Many online Bible apps feature various Bible reading plans and most study Bibles will have a plan to read through the Bible in a year. That’s a good place to start. Many good devotionals are available online and in digital or book form. My favorite is Daily Light on the Daily Path because it is all Scripture and related to a theme for daily morning and evening readings.
I also keep a notebook handy for making notes as I gain insight and inspiration, as well as the notes I make in my Bible’s margins. If you like to journal, keep it handy as you read the Bible or devotional reading. Research and evidence clearly show that individuals retain information better when they engage in physical reading and writing compared to relying solely on digital methods.
Sola Fide
As I’ve made clear before, faith is not an abstract belief. It’s relational more than doctrinal. This is made clear throughout Chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews, and especially in this statement—
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
The essence of faith is a personal, confident trust in God, even when faced with the unknown and uncertainties in life. Again, it’s a journey of faith, not a dogmatic theological position to hold or a religious ritual to keep. Authentic biblical faith is not static, but life-giving and dynamic in a progressively deeper way (Romans 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7).
We also need an informed faith, so we need to connect our life of faith directly with the written truth of God. God’s Word informs us Who He is and what He made known to all humanity through the revelation of His Spirit. This, of course, connects us back to Sola Scriptura, the foundation of the Christian Faith.
Sola Gratia
I’m indebted to my first pastor, who exhibited and taught me how foundational the grace of God is to the Christian faith. I learned how the grace of God is transformational and beyond our capacity to grasp, and yet, is essential to the Christian Faith for every believer.
Inherent in Sola Gratia is God’s forgiveness and restoration for any person. This speaks to the heart of why Jesus came to provide redemption for all humanity, or as the Bible says, for “whoever believes in Him” (John 3:16). The grace of God is foundational to genuine Christianity. This is made clear in many Scriptures, especially in these texts—
But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)
In the same way that we (believers) experience God’s grace, we are to show and express it to others. Receiving God’s grace for our own life should not be a one-way or dead-end street. In each of our lives, God wants to extend His grace to others through us, enabling us to serve as conduits of His grace to anyone we come across (Ephesians 4:29; Colossians 4:5-6).
Solo Christo
If you don’t understand the full truth of who Jesus is, how can you claim to be a Christian? Again, it isn’t a set of beliefs to hold or just a way of life, it is a relationship that Jesus calls us to. Jesus’ most basic call is expressed clearly in the gospels of Matthew (Matthew 16:24), Mark (Mark 8:34), and Luke—
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. (Luke 9:23 NLT)
This is a personal call to whoever would choose to follow Him, just as He called Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the other disciples (Matthew 4:18-22).
But we must understand who He is. People who don’t realize who He is find many reasons to turn away from following Jesus (John 6:66-69). Why did Peter and the others continue to follow Jesus after His death and resurrection? Because they knew who He was—
“But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16)
Soli Deo Gloria
A genuine Christian faith stands at odds with the American dream. It stands at odds with almost any culture that focuses on the goodness or greatness of humanity. Why? Because believers are called to surrender their lives to follow Jesus, as mentioned earlier.
And yet, the call of Jesus to follow Him is not to live a life isolated from others in the world. Quite the contrary. We are to be salt and light within the world (Matthew 5:13-16), even as Jesus was (John 9:5). We are to bring the gospel message of reconciliation and restoration to a world lost in moral and spiritual darkness, like stars shining in the night sky (Philippians 2:15-16).
So, how can we live a life that honors and glorifies God while we still need to be rescued from our own struggles with sin and selfishness? Years ago, I came across a book called The Calvary Road by Roy Hession. It still challenges me as it did then. Its one primary message of walking the way of the cross, a life of self-denial and dying to self, is challenging yet freeing.
The simplicity of Jesus’ call to follow Him is somewhat deceptive, as if there should be more to it. And yet, it is the key to personal freedom that enables a person to glorify God with their daily life, and be a living testimony for Jesus to others.
There are no shortcuts to a well-founded faith and to a life that glorifies God and reflects the love, grace, and truth of the Lord to the world around us. It is a daily journey of faith, a daily walk with God within this world.
There are plenty of challenges to genuine faith each day. Every believer undergoes tests and trials, with no exceptions. And yet, we don’t walk this path of faith alone. At least that’s not what God intends.
How are the truths of these 5 Solas at work in your life, or are they?
Are these 5 truths foundational in your journey of faith?
I’ve included many Scripture references in all of these posts on the 5 Solas—I hope you’ll take the time to read and consider them concerning all that’s been written. My goal in all of this is for every believer to be able to give a sound reason for why they believe what they believe (1 Peter 3:15).
