Sola fide

Theology Midterm 1 The basic theological principles of Luther’s Protestant Reformation can be summarized through the three alones: Sola Scriputura, Sola Fide, and Sola Gratia. Learning to know God is a very important aspect of the Christian faith and can be accomplished through Sola Scriptura, or by way of scripture alone. As the Word of God, the Bible acts as a medium that connects its reader directly to Him. For the individual, scripture teaches us everything that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. For the church, scripture acts as an authority, governing all traditions, creeds or councils to mirror scripture directly. However, when these traditions, creeds, and…

1. The first wall used by the clergy to protect themselves from fair council is their assertion that the temporal state has no authority over them. Luther believes this to be a lie, where in fact it is the exact opposite, the temporal state has authority over the spiritual. He supports this by claiming all Christians are spiritually equal, destroying the hierarchy within the Catholic church. He also uses scripture, specifically Romans 13:1-4 which states, “Submit yourselves to every ordinance of…

1.How do the statements of Jesus in texts such as Matthew 5:17-20, 6:14-15, and 7:1-2 align with the Christian doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ? There are multiple ways the texts from the sermon on the mount align with Christian doctrine and salvation through Christ. Jesus’ messages from the sermon on the mount model the need of grace to be saved. According to Jesus in one of the passages listed above, “unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the…

Although some may consider their beliefs of religious “works” to be the same, in actuality, they are not. John H. Leith wrote about Calvin and his beliefs on “works” saying that Calvin had nothing against works but rather somethings against the false understandings about them. He believed that if one has repented and has a clean heart then the works are good (Leith 103). This differs from Tyndale’s belief of “sola fide” or justification by faith alone, because Tyndale discounts the act of…

For my final topic, I decided to utilize the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ. This doctrine is central to our Christian faith and shapes how we view our salvation in Christ. It is key that we have a good understanding of it because it can have an impact on how we view ourselves and how we view God. What is justification and how are we justified? Pastor R.C. Sproul speaks of this in a sermon on Martin Luther. He points out that our English word for justification comes from the Latin…

It light of recent news, I feel it my duty to address the heinous accusations which have been put forth by Simon Fish in his broad-sheet, A Supplication for the Beggars. Fish charges the church with numerous offenses, many of which hold no substance, nor proof, and reflects heretical ideals similar to those expressed by Martin Luther himself. The discontent that Fish has created within the commonwealth is unacceptable, but there is small sliver of truth in Fish’s statements, not in his…

George Whitefield, an Englishman born to a humble inn keeping family, grew up to be a widely known and loved Calvinist priest. Having first been an unmotivated student, the Word of God captivated him and ignited a fire in his bones; a fire that could only be fed and tamed by proclaiming salvation by faith alone all across England and the New World. Yet, every proclaimer of the faith has faced opposition whether it be in the form of renunciation or becoming a martyr. It is a known fact that since…

James Joyce’s “Eveline”: Wrong Decisions People are faced with many decisions throughout their lives. These decisions could be important, or they could be very minor. Eveline was faced with an important decision. She had to choose between staying with family in her house and take the consequences of doing so, or she could start a new life with her charming new lover. Eveline made the decision to stay home with her family. Eveline made a terrible decision, to stay with her family and will…

“It is necessary, if you want to master her, to beat and strike her” (Machiavelli, The Prince). In this quote, Machiavelli is referring to fortuna, or luck, as a lady and the individual as the potential master. In order to achieve this status of mastery, becoming a virtuoso, one must deal roughly with luck. In essence, this means that one must be bold and strong in one’s decisions in order to succeed over fortuna. This ability is referred to as one’s virtù. Virtù is one’s intelligence and…

It is the philosophy that salvation comes by divine grace only, not as something earned by the sinner. Salvation is an unearned gift from God for Jesus’ sake. This doctrine affirms divine monergism in salvation. God acts alone to save the sinner, the responsibility for salvation does not concern the sinner to any degree. The fourth Solas is Solus Christus, which means “Christ alone.” Solas Christus excludes the priestly class as essential for sacraments. It is the philosophy that Christ is…