The Five Solas: By Grace Alone

This is probably one of the most misunderstood topics. Please do not write me off at this point. Please finish reading it. It is ok if you disagree with me. Write a comment, and let's talk about it.

Before we get started, allow me to share two examples that will help us understand grace a little bit better.

It is generally taught that faith has three different levels. First, data faith consists of people believing that Jesus is a historical person. Some people may believe that he was a prophet, or simply a nice man. Second, James 2:19 states that even the demons believe in God and they tremble. Third, there is reliance faith. This is where we rely on God to save us. The reason that I am talking about this verse is because when we realize that there are different levels of faith or belief, then we have to consider different levels or types of grace. 

Another example is that there are different kinds of revelation: general revelation and special revelation. Psalm 19: 1 says, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above1 proclaims his handiwork." All of mankind experiences God's general revelation every time they walk outside. Special revelation is how God determines to reveal Himself to people through His word, preaching, dreams, etc. For example: This is how someone can sit in church for 20 years before coming to salvation. John 1:5 says, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Just because people go to church or walk throughout the great outdoors does not mean that they will have their eyes opened to their need for the Savior. 

We finally get to the topic of this blog: grace. After briefly talking about different types of faith and revelation; it opens the door to take a closer look at different types of grace.

The Catholic Church says that they believe in grace, but it is grace plus works. GotQuestions.com defines grace as “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” Martin Luther saw the Catholic Church's unbiblical definition of grace, and made the teaching of Biblical grace one of his soap box arguments. Inside the Word of Faith movement, our faith is emphasize without the conversation of God's grace. Why is this? People enjoy talking about God's love, grace, and mercy, but they hate talking about God's wrath, judgement, and eternal punishment. We can't understand love without hate. We can't understand mercy without ruthlessness. We can't understand grace without wrath. Just because someone claims to be a Christian doesn't mean that they believe in the same Good News. We must keep in mind that there are denominations, individual churches, and cults that incorporate works into grace. This is unbiblical. Read Galatians to see how the false teachers came into that church.

Here are two thoughts to keep in mind as we move forward. First, we must understand that the bottom line is that we deserve hell. God told Adam and Eve that if they ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil they would surely die (Genesis 2:17). Second, it is never a good idea to build a doctrine off of one verse, so please allow me to walk you through a few more verses. Take note that this is not an exhaustive list.

Ephesians 2:1 - We are dead in our trespasses

Romans 3:10-11 None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.

John 3:20 (Jesus talking to Nicodemus) "For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."

Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies

According to God's Word, we are unrighteous, wicked, dead enemies of the Creator of the universe. With this being said, we have laid the ground work to develop a natural segway into grace.

Let's start with universal grace. Every time a person breaths, their heart beats, their eyes blink, and their stomach digests food; they experience God's universal grace. Just like general revelation, universal grace is enjoyed by the sinner and the saved alike. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, said "For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:45) Sunshine and rain don't occur for just believers! This is universal grace.

Let's move to amazing grace. Ephesians 2: 5 and 8 "For by grace we have been saved..." We all have the opportunity to experience universal grace. However, because we are unrighteous, wicked, dead enemies of the Creator, it is absolutely impossible for a spiritually dead corpse to do anything, much less to make intelligible decisions. Sinclair Ferguson said, "Grace eliminates boasting; it suffocates boasting; it silences any and all negotiations about our contribution before they can even begin. By definition we cannot 'qualify' for grace in any way, by any means, or through any action." This is the epitome of amazing grace. Due to Adam (Romans 5:12), every human being deserves hell, but God has chosen to show amazing grace.

When Martin Luther said this to the Catholic Church, you can imagine their faces turning red with anger. According to the Catholic Church, salvation took grace plus works, good deeds, having good character, and having so much great potential, and this became their formula for salvation. A dead man's works, in no way, shape, or form can get us to heaven. Works are not a means of salvation. Joining God and helping fulfill the Great Commission should not feel like an obligation, rather it should be an overflow of our love for Him. God's grace is the only sufficient thing needed for salvation.