Foundations: Church History: Protestant Reformation: Quotes Comments

Foundations
Christian Beliefs, Teachings, Doctrines, Christian Living, Christian Ethics

Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them ...
is like a [wise] man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundations on a rock:
and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it:
for it was founded upon a rock (Luke 6:47-48)

Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
For other foundation can no man lay that is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10b-11)

"Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Soli Deo Gloria"
"by Scripture alone, by grace alone, by faith alone, through Christ alone, glory to God alone"

"This I say and profess as resolutely as I may ... that if I be not convinced by testimonies of the Scriptures ...
my conscience is so bound and captived [sic] in these Scriptures and the Word of God,
that I will not, nor may not revoke any manner of thing; considering it is not godly or lawful
to do anything against conscience. Hereupon I stand and rest" [Martin Luther]

"Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man.
We shall this day light shall a candle, by God's grace, in England,
as I trust shall never be put out" [Bishop Hugh Latimer]

The Protestant Reformation - The Issues

"At the heart of the Protestant Reformation lay four basic questions: How is a person saved? Where does religious authority lie? What is the church? What is the essence of Christian living?" [source].

The Five Solas

The Authority of Scripture Alone:

"As God's Word, the Bible is completely authoritative and reliable in all it says. It's truthfulness is confirmed in many ways and especially by the Holy Spirit in believers. The Bible clearly reveals what is necessary for salvation, and equips believers for the Christian life. The teaching ministry of the church sits under the final authority of Scripture alone" [The Christian Institute].

"The Bible alone is the sole authority for all matters of faith and practice" [source].

Salvation by Grace Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone:

"All people are cut off from God by sin. There's nothing we can do to earn peace with God. In fact, in ourselves, we don't even want to. But by God's grace Christ took our punishment in His death on the cross, and we have His perfect righteousness imputed to us. This free gift of salvation is received by simple faith alone" [The Christian Institute].

Sola Fide "maintains that we are justified before God (and thus saved) by faith alone, not by anything we do, not by anything the church does for us, and not by faith plus anything else" [source].

"Sola Fide or faith alone is a key point of difference between not only Protestants and Catholics but between biblical Christianity and almost all other religions and teachings. The teaching that we are declared righteous by God (justified) on the basis of our faith alone and not by works is a key doctrine of the Bible and a line that divides most cults from biblical Christianity. While most religions and cults teach men what works they must do to be saved, the Bible teaches that we are not saved by works, but by God's grace through His gift of faith. Biblical Christianity is distinct from every other religion in that it is centred on what God has accomplished through Christ's finished work, while all other religions are based on human achievement. If we abandon the doctrine of justification by faith, w abandon the only way to salvation" [source].

"Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone; no one and nothing else can save" [source].

For the Glory of God Alone:

"God has done everything for our salvation - the glory is His alone. God's glory is also the great aim of the Christian life. Having been freely forgiven and brought to know God in His Word, the believer is motivated to worship and live for Him. Our high calling is to do all for the glory of God, even if that includes suffering. And we rejoice 'in the hope of the glory of God' to come" [The Christian Institute].

The Priesthood of all Believers

"The Reformation made a huge difference to everyday life. By teaching that every believer is a priest before God it swept away the medieval idea that the clergy were spiritually superior. ... whereas only priests, monks and nuns had 'callings' in the medieval world, the Reformers taught that all the roles of 'ordinary life' are callings from God to be done to His glory. We serve God best not by joining a monastery but as farmers, shopkeepers, teachers, or housewives. The Reformation also brought a fresh appreciation of marriage and family life as good and godly callings. Just as Reformation ideas changed the theological and ecclesiastical world, they also transformed the social and political landscape" [The Christian Institute].

"All believers are priests before God through our great high priest Jesus Christ ... The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox concept of the priesthood was seen as having no warrant in Scripture, viewed as a perversion and mis-application of the Old Testament Aaronic or Levitical priesthood which was clearly fulfilled in Christ and done away with by the New Testament" [source].

The Five Solas "emphasised that all believers are a 'holy priesthood', and as believers, we all have direct access to God through Christ, therefore there is no necessity for an earthly mediator [i.e priests or popes]" [source].

"Unfortunately, this priesthood of all believers had few practical implications in the structure of the church. The responsibility for leading the church was never put into the hands of the lay person and the great divide continued. The seminary system, usually attended by only those who intended to pursue a career in 'the ministry', further emphasised the division. Many Protestant denominations have ordained clergy... ordination being the ceremony of consecration to the ministry. In other words, the pastor replaced the priest... and it was business as usual" [source].

The Counter-Reformation

The Counter-reformation "was primarily concerned with refuting and silencing Protestant disagreements" [source].

"...on the most critical issues, the Council of Trent, like the rest of the Counter-Reformation, was mostly a doubling-down on entrenched Catholic theology ... the primary effect was to stabilize and reinforce Catholic errors" [source].

Is the Reformation Relevant Today?

"Just as it was difficult to sense the earliest movements of the Church's reformation, it is also difficult to mark its closing. Perhaps a good argument could be made that it has not ended. For, whenever a Christian discovers that his or her life might not be as radical or pure as Christ intended, the trumpet of reform should be sounded - even if it is played only for that believer. But, if it is for the church, then to those who have ears let them hear" [source].

"Many wonder if the Reformation continues to be relevant. While we do not believe that the church began in 1517 or that there was no true gospel faith or church in the millennium and a half prior, we do believe that the gospel truth rediscovered in the Reformation must continue to be central to the church's confession and life. We also affirm the need for the church to be continually to be reformed according to the Word of God" [source].

"The just shall live by faith" (Habakkuk 2:4b, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11)

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us,
by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7)

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ;
Who gave Himself a ransom for all" (1 Timothy 2:5-6a)

"...by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us ...
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many ...
we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 9:12b,28a, 10:10b)

"Just as it was difficult to sense the earliest movements of the Church's reformation, it is also difficult to mark its closing.
Perhaps a good argument could be made that it has not ended.
For, whenever a Christian discovers that his or her life might not be as radical or pure as Christ intended,
the trumpet of reform should be sounded - even if it is played only for that believer.
But, if it is for the church, then to those who have ears let them hear" [source].

Thus saith the LORD,
Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way,
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls
(Jeremiah 6:16)