HELPFUL AND IMPORTANT SCRIPTURES

What are the “Five Solas”

The “five solas” describe a summary of some of the major concerns and focuses of those who sought reform in the church in the 1500s. “Sola” means alone. They saw many things being added to the pure teachings of the Bible. Their corrective focus was not to add to 1) Scripture 2) Christ 3) Faith 4) Grace & 5) God’s Glory when understanding God’s plans for salvation in the Gospel. Here are some verses I think are helpful in explaining each of these areas:

FAITH ALONE

Galatians 1:9 “As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.” (ESV)
1. Galatians 2:16 “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” (ESV)
2. Ephesians 2:8–9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (ESV)
  - NOTE FROM ESV Study Bible: The verb form for “have been saved” (Gk. sesōsmenoi, perfect tense) communicates that the Christian’s salvation is fully secured.
3. James 2:17–18 “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. [18] But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (ESV)
4. James 2:24 “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (ESV)
5. Romans 3:28 “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (ESV)
  - NOTE: “Paul is using the word justified to mean “declared righteous by God.” Paul is speaking of God’s legal declaration of us as righteous as Christ’s righteousness is applied to our account. James is using the word justified to mean “being demonstrated and proved.” www.gotquestions.org/faith-alone.html
  - Ephesians 2:10 “ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (ESV)
6. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV)
7. Romans 3:27 “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.” (ESV)
8. Romans 4:4–5 "Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. [5] And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (ESV)
9. Romans 5:19 “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (ESV)