“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.” by John Newton.
Grace. We cannot earn it.
What is Sola Gratia?
Sola gratia is one of the five solas. In essence, it means grace alone. Salvation, the gift of God, is given to us through grace alone. Grace is the basis of our salvation. Grace is God’s unmerited favor.
There are two types of grace. Special grace where God offers unmerited favor through the work of Jesus Christ. Then there is common grace, where God shows unmerited but non-salvific favor toward the people in general.
Our focus now is salvific grace—the unmerited favor to those you who have faith in Christ.
“Grace is at the heart of the gospel. It is the doctrine that touches the very heart of human existence because it not only reveals to us the very heart of God but draws us back into that precious communion with him that was so tragically lost at the fall” (Trueman, 2017)
Our relationship with God was broken at the fall (Genesis 3). The condition of our hearts is wicked. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9 NLT. Humanity could not restore its relationship with God. God initiated the only way to restore the relationship. Through the sacrifice of His Son, we could be united with Him.
A bit of history…..
During the 16th-century Protestant Reformation, the doctrine of Sola Gratia was championed by reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin. At that time, the prevailing religious practices fostered a system of works-based righteousness. One had to earn their way to God. The idea of salvation by grace alone ignited a transformative movement, redirecting the focus back to the biblical understanding of salvation.
What does it mean for us today?
God’s grace saves us and keeps us living in grace to do His good works. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT
References
Grace Alone Salvation As A Gift Of God What the Reformers Taught……and Why It Still Matters (2017) by Carl R. Trueman (The 5 Solas Series)
Amen