The Heart of the Gospel

The 'Five Solas' are the distilled essence of biblical Christianity. They are not dusty slogans of a bygone era, but blazing torches of divine truth that pierce through every age's darkness. Each "Sola" declares a truth upon which the Christian stands—or falls. 

1. Scripture Alone
God's Word stands as our supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and practice (II Timothy 3:16–17). It is not tradition, emotion, or experience that determines truth--but the written Word of God. To deny Sola Scriptura is to dethrone God's Word as our final authority, and enthrone sinful human opinion. The believer who clings to Scripture alone, drinks from the purest fountain of divine truth, unpolluted by the fallible dictates of sinful men. 
2. Grace Alone
Salvation flows entirely from the unmerited favor of God (Ephesians 2:8–9). Grace is not God's response to our human effort—it is His sovereign initiative toward the undeserving, the ill-deserving, and the Hell-deserving. The lost sinner contributes nothing to his salvation, but the sin that made it necessary. This humbles our pride, and magnifies God's mercy. Salvation by grace alone, reminds us that we are trophies of divine compassion, and not architects of our own salvation. 
3. Faith Alone
Faith is the empty hand that receives the perfect righteousness of Jesus (Romans 3:28). To add our works to faith, is to nullify the cross of Jesus. Works do not save us; yet they always follow salvation. Saving faith will always bear gospel fruit—but that fruit is never the root of salvation. We are justified once for all, by trusting only in the Lord Jesus, and His sin-atoning death.
4. Christ Alone
Jesus is the exclusive Mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:5). No priest, no saint, no sacrament can bridge the chasm which sin created. The sin-atoning death of Jesus is sufficient for salvation—nothing can be added without blasphemy. Every shadow in the Old Testament finds its fulfillment in Him. To cling to Jesus alone, is to stand upon the Rock of Ages. To trust in anything else, is to sink in the sand of human religion, and then into the pit of Hell. 
5. To the Glory of God Alone
From creation to redemption, all things exist for God's glory (Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36). The Christian life is not man-centered, but God-centered. Grace saves, faith believes, and Christ redeems—all so that God might be glorified. To the true believer; every act of obedience, every breath of life, every beat of the heart, is an opportunity to glorify the Lord who reigns forever.
-preacher Norm Welles

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