Hi, this is Josh Montez and welcome back to the Hymn We Proclaim podcast. In this special six-part series, we're revisiting the foundational gospel truths that turned the world upside down 500 years ago and still shape the Christian life today. We're talking about the five solas of the Reformation.
Sola scriptura, scripture alone, it's our vital authority.
Sola gratia, grace alone saves us, not merit.
Sola fide, faith alone, not works, justifies.
Solus Christus, Christ alone, is our only mediator. and sole deo gloria To God alone be the glory. But these aren't just historical slogans, they're fuel for the Christian life. Pastor John unpacks how each one connects directly to our daily battles with sin, our assurance in Christ, and our joy in the gospel. You'll come away not only understanding what these solas mean, but how they free you to live with confidence, conviction, and clarity.
Here's Rediscovering and Proclaiming the Five Solas, Part 4. The scripture that we just heard, this rich young ruler. This is our problem. We have this inclination to personal performance before God. Why is that?
Because in creation, before the fall, that's how God created us. He created us to obey his law. But what happened was what happened. We broke it. And it wasn't just Adam and Eve, it was us.
Romans chapter 5, we're all guilty. And and because of that, we can't come back to God, into the presence of God, into fellowship with God. based upon our law keeping our performance Yet, because the gospel is so foreign to our thinking, Having someone else perform for us and give that performance to us as a free gift by which we do nothing but receive it by faith. And only faith. Oh, that's just too good to be true.
Can't be true. True. It's just too good. And so our hearts had this natural inclination, this natural bit to go back to the garden pre-fall. perform for God, but we can't do it anymore, as you've heard this morning.
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ says. Love God perfectly and love your neighbor perfectly. Oops. And so what do we do? We pray, Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
Then we sing it. Just to make sure we get it. That's the response. And that brings us to this. This Reformation slogan, Sola Fide.
We have our conference coming up. We have about a third of the people so far that are coming. That's a good start, but we have About 225 more to go.
So here's my challenge to you. Each person here. Just marrying four people. I spoke to a church member this week. who has personally invited 99 people The person sent me the list.
Has checked them off and has 35 of 99 coming. No, I did the math. If everybody in our church did that, we would have 1,400 people at our conference. We can't do that. Of course, if we do do that, I'll just find another venue, and I'll be exceedingly happy about that.
But listen, just four people. four people. I've got seven people so far that I've invited. Right? Four.
Four people. I ask God, God, give me four people to bring to this conference. Why? Because people have to hear the gospel. That's why.
They have to hear it. And this morning you're going to hear why.
Solafide, faith alone. Bob Godfrey, who was the president of Westminster Seminary, California. Listen to what he says. He says the medieval vision of salvation. is we must acquire more and more grace To become more and more conformed to the image of Christ, so at last.
We might be good enough to be accepted by God. Good luck with that.
So it's a process. And you can have no ultimate certainty about his outcome until you die. In contrast, for Luther. it became clear. I stand before God in the judgment, not in my righteousness which I have acquired.
But in Christ's righteousness, which is outside of me. and is imputed to me. Long before the final day, long before my death and judgment, I can know that I have. Peace with God. Because the perfect righteousness of Christ is counted as mine.
And listen to this, and I receive it. By faith. Alone.
Solo Fide. The greatest issue of the Reformation was justification. Before God. Um and that's why In our church's confession of faith, Article only 11. And the 49 article says, we're accounted righteous before God solely, solely on account of the merit.
of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's something loose. Chris Deus. Christ alone. Listen.
Through faith. And not on account of our own good works. or what we deserve. Consequently, The teaching that we're justified by faith alone, sola fide. Isn't most wholesome.
and comforting Doctrine. Wholesome. And comforting doctrine. That's what our hearts need. comfort.
We need massive loads of comfort. And so listen carefully the justice The justice And Mercy of God. Are the only answer to our predicament created by our sin, both original and actions. Only Christ, Thomas Kramner says, can save us. That just sounds so simple, but that is the most difficult thing to believe and to grasp.
Only Christ can save us by shedding His most precious blood. He made a sacrifice and satisfaction, or as we might say, He amends to His Father. For our sins. To satisfy the wrath and indignation he had against us for them. And he says, those who turn to God in Christ are unwashed.
By this sacrifice from their sins in such a way that there remains no spot of sin. No spot. of sin that shall be imputed to their damnation. And all of this is not through our own good works. Because we earn it, because we deserve it.
You heard the rich young ruler, he went away.
Sorrowful. But it's by grace through faith alone in Christ. Thomas Crantner again says, This is the strong rock. and foundation of Christian religion. All the old and ancient authors of Christ's church do approve this doctrine.
This doctrine advances and sets forth the true glory of Christ. And it beats down the vainglory of man. Whoever denies this is not to be counted as a Christian. Nor has one who sets forth Christ's glory, but isn't it? Adversary to Christ in his gospel, an adversary to Christ in his gospel.
And he is one who advances the vainglory of man. What a statement. Nothing has changed since the 16th century. Faith. Has no merit before God because faith is not at work.
Faith is not a decision. Faith is not a prayer. You pray to ask Jesus to come into your heart, and asking Jesus to come into your heart is not even biblical. It's not found in the scriptures. He's not in your heart, as we confess.
Where is he? At the right hand of the Father physically. Nestorianism is Jesus in your heart, an ancient heresy. The Holy Spirit can be there, not Jesus. Faith hasn't merit before God because faith isn't in work.
Listen to what the Apostle Paul says. Romans chapter 4, verses 4 through 5. The one who works, his wage is counted. His wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is his due. You work, you get your paycheck.
You don't work, you don't get your paycheck. You get what is your due? It's a covenant of works. But to the one who does not work. But believes.
Do you see the contrast in there? One who does not work, but believes. Believes in him who justifies the ungodly. His faith is credited as righteousness. And so what is Solafide?
What have I said so far? I've said it is this.
Sol'afide, faith alone, means this, that salvation only. only is through The sole instrumental means of faith. Let me say it like this, what Paul just said. The instrument of salvation is not my good works. It is not my performance.
I'm not the rich young ruler. Good works are not instrumental in salvation at any point, beginning, middle, or end. What is faith? Faith is a gift given to us by the Holy Spirit. How do we get that gift?
It comes through the preaching of the gospel. Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ. Then the Holy Spirit takes these sacraments, which are invisible gospels, baptism, Lord's Supper. And he assures, confirms, strengthens that faith. Mysteriously, I don't know how, and I cannot explain to you how eating a tiny piece of bread and drinking a little tiny cup of juice can strengthen and assure my faith, but that is exactly what the Holy Spirit does through that.
I can't explain to you how Moses could stand at a sea, the Red Sea, and just stand there and God split the sea apart and they walked through dry ground. I can't explain that, but God did it. I cannot explain to you how you could have walls so thick at Jericho, you could put three chariots side by side and race around those walls and not fall off. And God says, March around those big, gigantic walls and blow a trumpet at the last time, the walls are going to come down. You see, the gospel doesn't make sense.
And where we think we see power, there's no power. And where we don't think there is power, there is the power of God. That is what Paul says in 1 Corinthians. He says, I've come to make the wise foolish. The gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who believe, he says, it is the power of God unto salvation.
And so, faith is a gift. What else is faith? It's a certain knowledge in which I receive Christ as revealed to me in all the scriptures. But it's also this deep-rooted assurance created in me by the Holy Spirit that through the gospel, not just to other people, but to me, I had the forgiveness of my sins. I have everlasting righteousness.
I have salvation. I have adoption. I have acceptance. I have redemption. I have all the blessings in Christ.
Meritly for the merits and grace of God. Christ. We cannot earn anything by our own efforts and good works. Nothing. Listen carefully.
Good works are good. are not instrumental in salvation. That's not just justification, that's sanctification, that's glorification, that is salvation, the whole thing. Paul says in Romans chapter 1, verses 16 and 17: faith alone is the instrument of salvation. For I am not ashamed of the gospel.
Why? Because it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes. To the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith. Who faith?
As it is written, the righteous shall live by faith. It's faith. That's Lafayette. That is our conference that we have coming with five of the greatest scholars in the world today who are experts in this stuff. It is the greatest opportunity our church has ever afforded.
People have to come and hear this. Because one might assume, at least within evangelical circles, that stating that faith alone Is the sole instrument of our salvation, would not be disputed or be controversial. But sadly, this is not the case. The most famous example of a person who. Who has Let's redefine sola fide.
And who is very very famous? is John Piper. And this is what he's written. Right with God by faith alone. Not attain heaven by faith alone.
He teaches that there are two stages of salvation. First. Our initial justification is by grace alone. Through faith alone, imputed righteousness of Christ alone. But second He says there's another stage.
The final stage of salvation. And to reach that stage He says. Faith is not Enough. He says that. I'm not making this up.
Look it up for yourself. It's in his works. This comes directly from his works. And so the claim is that Christians shouldn't believe that we attain heaven by more than faith. By our cooperation with grace.
But this view that he's teaching is exactly what Luther said is the medieval view of salvation. Because that says salvation is partly by faith and partly by works, which undermines solifide.
Now I Understand that there is a concern about what some people term Easy bun. Cheap grace. Anti-nominism, licentiousness. This concern has been highlighted recently to all of us due to the public moral failures of a very, very visible influential pastor in evangelicalism. Who wasn't a grace, cheap, grace preacher?
He wasn't lordship salvation variety. Listen, there shouldn't be concern over those who do not believe in pursuing personal holiness. There should be concern about believers who are told you don't have to confess your sins anymore because you're forgiven. I have spoken to my sister-in-law from Orlando who was going to a church. who started teaching that very thing.
Telling her and her husband, you don't have to confess your sins, you're forgiven. You don't have to confess your sins. Oh, by the way, everybody's going to go to heaven. Jesus has saved everybody. Ultimately, everybody's going to be saved.
Now that church has completely denied the faith. It's not even a Christian church at this point. Yes, they got out very quickly, and I told them, get out of there. There should be concern over holiness, obedience, keeping God's commandments. That's why we preach the gospel, so you will.
But Listen carefully, the correct response to anti-immunism, licentiousness. Is not to base our salvation upon our performance. That's not their response. It's not even if we say that our performance is a cooperation with grace. That's wrong, too.
To teach that there are two stages of salvation: initial salvation and final salvation. And that faith is not enough to reach that final stage, right in God by faith alone, not attain heaven by faith alone. That is to abolish justification sola fide, justification by faith alone. That is to abolish it. Why?
Because it changes the definition of what true saving faith is. by teaching that salvation is partly by works. which undermines some of the day. In contrast, The Apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter 2, verses 8 through 10, teaches us that salvation is by grace through faith that produces works. That our good works are not Instrumental But they are just Evidential Listen to what the apostle says.
By grace. You have been saved. That's the cause. You have been saved, and here's the instrument, through faith, through, that's instrumental. If you know grammar, that's instrumental cause, that's instrument, through faith.
The the instrument of faith. Four. By grace. You have been saved through faith. Not through your performance, not through good works.
And that is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not as a resultant works so that no one may boast. That's what Thomas Granner said: the vainglory of man. Verse 10, for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. Four good works.
Which God, listen, prepared beforehand. There is.
So that we shouldn't walk in them. It's grace. Listen, I've told you this before. When you read scripture, the theologies and the prepositions. For by grace, by grace, cause through faith, the instrument for good works, result.
Purpose. Again, our church's confession of faith, Article 12 of works. It says this: it says, Although good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow on after justification. Can never atone for our sins or face the strict justice of God's judgment. They're not instrumental at saying.
They are nevertheless pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, necessarily springing from a true and living faith. Thus, a living faith is as plainly known by its good works as a tree is known by its fruit. If you see an apple tree that never has apples, you say that apple tree is. Yeah. If you see an apple tree that has apples, you say that apple tree is.
Alive. But those Apples are the fruit. that have been created by life. The apples didn't create anything. They are the fruit, the evidence that that tree is connected to the root system where it is receiving the sap of grace to produce life and fruit.
And so to base one's salvation, partly on works, changes the object of one's faith from Christ to one's performance. Let me ask you a simple question. That was your performance. Not this past week, just this morning. I'm going to give you a confession right now.
When I woke up, mine was bad. I had a bat morning. And I confessed my sin all the way to church. When the object of your faith is not Christ, but your performance, partly your performance, even partly your performance. You're constantly asking these questions.
How am I doing? Am I faithful enough to meet the conditions of final salvation? You see, questions like this haunt our thoughts and undermine our assurance of faith and salvation because you can never be certain that you have done enough. That you have obeyed enough. That you have repented enough, that you have delighted and treasured Christ enough.
Can never be certain. Never. That's why question 62 in the Heidelberg Catechism says this: Listen carefully. Why can't. Howard Benton works.
be the whole or just part. of the righteousness. Before God. Here's the answer. Because the righteousness which can stand before the judgment seat of God must.
B perfect throughout. And wholly conformable to the law of God. Whereas even our best works in this life, our best performance, take your best day and your best performance that you can think of that you've ever had. And it's still imperfect and defiled with sin. And Dr.
Clark, Scott Clark, my mentors, one of my dear friends who I talk to daily. This is what he wrote about this, and he is coming to teach our church sola fide. He is an absolute brilliant Oxford scholar who specializes in this stuff. What a What a blessing, what a privilege to have that. Come to our church.
This is what he says about this two-stage Final stage, initial and final stage, salvation. making salvation by grace and works. Or, by grace and faithfulness, necessarily turns our eyes back upon our performance. The quality of our faith and the quality of our sanctification. That is a spiritual dead end.
Suspending our future salvation upon our present performance has never and can never be good news. Good news for sinners. Why? Because none of us meets the test. None of our good works are inherently perfect.
They are all in themselves corrupted with sin. Jerry Bridges says it very succinctly. He says, I'd much rather stake my hope of Christ's blessing on his infinite goodness than on my good works. Going back to our scripture reading today, you heard the rich ruler thought he could come to Jesus and say, Hey, Jesus. What good thing can I do to inherit eternal life?
What presumption? What proof? Pride. And Jerry Bridges says, but all of us have a natural drift towards a performance-based relationship with God. We all do.
Performance-based identity. Ashley Null, who's coming to speak to us about grace alone, will be talking about that very thing. He is the number one Thomas Cranberry English Reformation scholar in the world today, the top. You have PhDs and he teaches all the PhDs who then teach his stuff to their students. That's how smart this man is.
Not because he's some great smart person. He gets the gospel. I watched him weep. Giving people grace. And he's written a book called Performance-Based Identity and the Wittenberg Center for Reformation Studies, which we have helped start.
Wynton McCall together in this. They just had this weekend in Wittenberg at Martin Luther's Church. Had a whole conference on performance-based identity. Teaching the world about the Reformation truth of solgratia sola fide. All of us have this drift towards a performance-based relationship with God.
We know we're saved by grace through faith, not by works, but he says, but somehow we get the idea that we earn God's blessings by our works. Or in this case, Final salvation. We need to learn to remind ourselves every day that God's favor, His blessings and answers to prayer, or final salvation comes to us not on the basis of our works, but on the basis of the infinite merit of Jesus Christ through faith. And then Dr. Clark says, perhaps worst of all, any doctrine of a two-stage salvation reduces Jesus to a facilitator.
Not a Savior. Jesus facilitates us, He enables us to do our part. He says, as if there is a condition left unfulfilled. He says, This approach makes Christ but a half-Savior. It reduces him to a facilitator of salvation.
He's not actually accomplished and applied it. There's no hope in that. None. That's not good news. And lastly, this doctrine of two-stage salvation initially justified by grace, final salvation determined upon my cooperation with my works.
That turns the covenant of grace, the gospel, live. Therefore do this That turns this covenant of grace into a covenant. of works Do this. End with. Let me ask you a question.
Which covenant What relationship to God did you want to live under? which says Live. Live. Therefore, no, go do this. Versus do this.
Do it perfectly. Perfect clean. Thought, word, indeed, and emotion, perfectly, perfectly. Love me perfectly with your whole heart, soul, and mind, and strength. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Do this perfectly, and when you've done it, you can live. Who wants that?
So, Dr. Clark explains the notion that we must be sufficiently sanctified to be saved in the future turns a covenant of grace into a covenant of works. In other words, Piper's soteriology. We must still do our part to be up to be saved. The medievals talked about.
Taught the same thing. That is why we're having our conference because we live in medieval church. We are surrounded in a sea of medievalists telling people: do your part, cooperate by grace, but do your part. And that's not the gospel. It's not what the church has ever taught.
And so, as we reflect this morning upon the biblical teaching of Sola Fide recovered in the Reformation faith alone. This is what we can confess. Here's the good news. We can confess with confidence that we belong to Jesus now and forever. We belong to Jesus now and forever because, why, He has purchased us.
He has purchased us. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 20, Paul reminds the licentious Corinthians. For you have been bought. with a price. Body and soul, you are Christ.
property purchased possession forever. He owns you. There's nothing conditional about our salvation. Nothing. There's no uncertainty about his outcome.
Nothing. Romans chapter 5, verses 1 and 9, the Apostle Paul says, Our initial and our final salvation are certain. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace. Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That's now.
What about the future? Is there a second stage? No, there's one stage. Verse 9, much more than having now been justified by his blood, now, because we're justified now, we shall be saved. There's nothing uncertain about that.
Having now, now been justified. By his blood. That's his death on the cross. We shall be saved from the wrath of God through him. We shall be saved from the judgment of God.
We shall be saved from God. 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 9 and 10, the Apostle Paul says, For God has not destined us for wrath. There's no stage there. There's no uncertainty there. He has destined us for obtaining salvation.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ. Who died for us?
So that whether we're awake or asleep, we will live. We will live together with him. We will have together with him. There's no uncertainty there. Yeah.
Who's coming to teach us this on the feed? He says the scriptures know nothing of two stages in justification or salvation. Because there's only one stage. We shall be preserved because we have already been redeemed. The ground of my assurance is not a future salvation, but its past accomplishment.
and present promise. that the same God who has begun a good work in me will bring it to completion. Philippians 1 verse 6. And so, as Martin Luther said, Long before the final day, You can know. that you have Peace with God.
Because the perfect righteousness of Christ is counted as yours. And you have received this perfect righteousness. By faith. Oh um Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we are so.
Grateful. that are a whole Christian existence. It's only dependent upon and given by. and completed by your grace. through faith in the perfect merits of Christ alone.
We have nothing to boast of. We have every need of weakness. and sin to cry out for mercy. And we do that now, Lord. Have mercy.
upon us sinners. And for Christ's sake, forgive us. And by your Holy Spirit, take this sacrament that we're about to receive. and assure and comfort and strengthen our tiny faith, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
John Fawnville sends his thanks for listening today. And before we wrap up, can I tell you about an encouraging book you might want to get soon? It's called Hope and Holiness: How the Gospel Enables and Empowers Sexual Purity. You're not alone if you've tried to conquer sexual temptations and tried all the methods available. only to find yourself feeling defeated again.
This book may be just what you're looking for. With his shepherding heart, John shows that the gospel, not practical steps or more self-discipline, is God's provision for the power to live a life of sexual purity. and it's available to every Christian. What I like is the book is available in three convenient ways. paperback, audiobook, or Kindle.
The links are in our podcast descriptions, or just search for Hope and Holiness by John Fawnville on Amazon. to get a copy for you and it's a wonderful book to go through with a small group. Him We Proclaim is a ministry of Paramount Church in Jacksonville, Florida. You can find us at Paramountchurch.com. We'll talk again soon.
