Doctrines Of The Reformation—The Five Solas
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, October 8, 2025 (Donate)
During the time of the Reformation about 500 years ago, Christians
began getting back to the Bible as the supreme authority that it is. Many in
the church, particularly Rome and papal leadership, had deviated from what the
Bible says and began trying to sell salvation in the form of indulgences.
Rome had deviated in other ways, but indulgences was the last
straw. For those who loved God and His Word, they had no choice but to start
opposing these types of teachings and get back to God’s Word. Led by people
like John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, Philipp Melanchthon, and Thomas Cranmer but
most of all Martin Luther, the Reformation was a massive phenomenon.
The 95 Theses of Luther were nailed to the door at Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517 (All Hallows Eve, which was the day before All Saint's Day (and is often celebrated at Reformation Day). All Saints Day was a huge festival in those days (like Christmas and Easter today) and the door of the church was like the bulletin board! It reached thousands in one day and set in motion the Protestant reformation.
The Five Reformers: Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, Philipp Melanchthon, and Thomas Cranmer; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)
These men and those who followed after became known at “Protestants”
because they “protested” against the teaching of Rome. They studied the Bible
in immense detail clinging to its words as the authority that Scripture had
always been. They developed confessions
and creeds (i.e., extensive “Statements of Faith”) based on God’s Word but they
also summed it up succinctly in “The Five Solas”.
There were five popular doctrines that came out of the Reformation.
To be more precise, they were doctrines that were merely reaffirmed.
These doctrines have always been doctrines for the church, but because they
were transgressed by Rome, they were brought back to the forefront of the
Protestant Reformation.
These 5 doctrines (solas) can be summed up as: Scripture
alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. The
Latin terms for alone is “sola, soli, and solus” and is where we get our
English word sole or solitary which means alone. Let’s explain these
doctrines or Reformational solas in more detail.
Sola Scriptura – “Scripture Alone”
This doctrine means that the 66 books of the Bible alone is
the ultimate and sufficient authority for faith, practice and all matters to
which it speaks. During the Reformation, Martin Luther and others challenged Rome
which was claiming that Church tradition or papal decrees (certain statements from
the Pope) could stand on equal footing with Scripture.
In Latin, it is “Sola Scriptura” where Scripture
alone is what all doctrines must be tested against. The Word of God, which is
inspired, inerrant, complete, infallible, is also authoritative in all matters.
Obviously, this sola of the Reformation relates to the doctrine of
authority and is a reaffirmation of it.
While church councils and confessions may aid understanding,
they are always subject to the 66 books of Scripture. The reformers based this
conviction on passages such as 2 Timothy 3:16–17, emphasizing that Scripture
equips the believer “for every good work.” The goal was not to reject tradition
entirely but to return the Church to God’s written revelation as supreme.
Sola Fide – “Faith Alone”
“Sola Fide” teaches that justification—being declared
righteous before God for salvation—comes solely through faith (fide in Latin)
in Christ, not by human works or merit. You didn’t have to spend money to buy
it or do works to try to attain it. Christ already did the work!
The reformers viewed this as the heart of the gospel. Faith
is how believers have the righteousness of Christ transferred to them or more properly
“imputed to them” apart from any works of the law.
Luther famously called this the doctrine “on which the
Church stands or falls.” The Roman Catholic Church had taught that faith, combined
with works and the seven Catholic sacraments, brought justification and salvation.
In contrast, the reformers pointed to Romans 3:28 (NKJV)—“Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
True saving faith then, is living and active, producing good works as its fruit
because we love Christ and want to be obedient to Him.
We don’t do good works as any means of salvation or justification.
Those works do not contribute to salvation itself; they are the evidence of a
changed heart toward God.
Sola Gratia – “Grace Alone”
This doctrine (or sola) emphasizes that salvation is
entirely a result of God’s unearned favor, not something humanity can achieve
or deserve. Every aspect of redemption is initiated and sustained by God’s divine
grace. The reformers rejected any system implying that human effort and works
go along with grace to “earn” salvation.
Instead, they taught that faith and even repentance are gifts
from God (e.g., Ephesians 2:8–9, 2 Timothy 2:25). “Sola Gratia” should humble
a sinner as it glorifies God as the sole author of salvation.
Grace is not merely God helping the weak; it is God raising
the spiritually dead unto eternal life. This sola underscores that salvation
depends wholly on God’s mercy, not on man’s merit, and that all boasting is
excluded before Him.
Solus Christus – “Christ Alone”
“Solus Christus” affirms that Jesus Christ is the only
mediator between God and humanity. The Roman church, the pope, dead saints, and
Mary are not the mediators!
Christ’s life, death, and resurrection are completely
sufficient for salvation. The reformers opposed the idea that popes, Mary, priests,
saints, or rituals could stand between the believer and God. 1 Timothy 2:5
declares, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man
Christ Jesus.”
By His atoning sacrifice, Christ, the Son of God, fulfilled
all the requirements of the law and then bore the full penalty of sin—the
infinite wrath of God we deserved from the infinite Father! Christ’s infinite sacrifice
satisfied God’s infinite wrath and this is what makes salvation possible.
Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)
Therefore, salvation cannot come through any other name (Acts
4:12). Only the Christ of Scripture—the second person of the one Triune God who
took on flesh to die in our place! This sola shows the exclusivity and
sufficiency of Christ’s redemptive work: nothing can be added to or taken away
from what He accomplished.
Thus, salvation cannot be purchased with an indulgence—that is
a false salvation with no power to save on judgment day! In Jesus Christ alone
is forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life.
Soli Deo Gloria – “To the Glory of God Alone”
The final sola is about the ultimate purpose of creation
and redemption: the glory of God—not the glory of the Roman church. The
reformers insisted that no human, institution, saint, or Mary deserves any
share of divine glory.
Salvation, from beginning to end, exists to magnify God’s
character—His grace, justice, wisdom, and love. Every doctrine of the
Reformation leads to this point: God saves sinners not because of who they are,
but because of who He is. As Romans 11:36 (NKJV) proclaims, “For of Him and
through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever.
Amen.”
“Soli Deo Gloria” became both a theological summary
and a personal motto among believers, reminding them that all life—work,
worship, and witness—must be devoted to honoring God alone.
The Five
Solas; Image requested by Bodie Hodge (ChatGPT)
Conclusion
The Five Solas—Scripture Alone, Faith Alone, Grace
Alone, Christ Alone, and Glory to God Alone—form the theological “backbone”
of the Protestant Reformation. Reformers used these to collectively declare
that the authority is Scripture, that means that we are saved by faith alone,
through grace alone in Jesus Christ alone and this is done for the glory of God
alone.
Together reformers hoped to reclaimed the gospel from human
additions and restored it to its biblical foundation, affirming that salvation
is the work of God from start to finish.
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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head
of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a
personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has
spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
