Many of the songs we sing in our churches and hear on the radio or in a music app focus on salvation. How we have strayed from God and sought our own desires, and in spite of our depravity God has provided a means of restoration to Himself. Likewise, throughout scripture we see that man’s desperate need for rescue, and that Christ is the only means of redemption. God’s plan of salvation is foundational to the Christian faith, yet the biblical plan of salvation has been denied, altered by many within the church throughout its history.
During the 14th Century and well into the 16th Century, many church leaders began to notice corruption and greed seeping into the church. One of the unhealthier trends, was to burden the doctrine of salvation with needless traditions, schemes of personal gain, and means of placing salvation in our own hands. So, these brave men stood up to the abhorrent practices and worked to ground the Church once again in the truth of Scripture. This movement was known as the Protestant Reformation 1.
Since salvation was a central issue of the reformation, a common mantra of the Protestant Reformation emerged, The Five Solas. In Latin they are, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, Sola Scriptura, and Soli Deo Gloria. In English they translate to, Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, Scripture Alone, and to the glory of God alone 2. Over the next five posts we will dive into songs that express these five beautiful foundations of salvation.
“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.” The opening line to John Newton’s beautiful Hymn, Amazing Grace, summarizes the concept to which this first post will focus, grace. But what is grace? Grace is God’s unmerited and underserving favor or benevolence towards us, not to be confused with mercy which is compassionately withholding a punishment that is deserved. The church at large during the reformation was teaching that it was by God’s grace plus merit that one is granted access to heaven. But it is not of any merit, righteousness, nor moral standing we possess that God grants us salvation, but by Him choosing to make us wretches clean. Paul affirms this idea in his letter to the Romans, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift,” (Romans 3:23-24a ESV, emphasis added). In the section just prior, Paul quotes a passage from the Psalm’s that reads, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-11 ESV). The blind will never see, the lost will remain adrift if not for His grace alone.
“Twas grace that taught my heart to fear / And grace my fears relieved / How precious did that grace appear / The hour I first believed.” So, it is not only the gift itself that God graciously grace, but it is the very fact that we recognize that we need saving that is a gift as well. I will not copy the whole passage, but in Ephesians 2:1-10, Paul beautifully lays out that God did not leave us in rebellion as we deserved, but in his loving grace provided a substitute, Christ Jesus, to bear His wrath for our sin.
Another song that communicates the condition of the unbeliever who comes to faith in Jesus Christ is Call it Grace, by Unspoken. “It’s the light that pierces through you / To the darkest hidden place / It knows your deepest secrets / But it never looks away / It’s the gentle hand that pulls you / From the judgement of the crowd / When you stand before them guilty / And you got no way out /Some may call it foolish and impossible / But for every heart it rescues, it’s a miracle / It’s nothing less than scandalous / This love that took our place / Just call it what it is, call it grace”. We, though guilty and deserving of all judgement and condemnation, can stand righteous by the sacrifice provided by God. And not only was God the provider of the sacrifice (John 3:16), but the sacrifice itself was God (John 1:1-5): God the Son. Christ gave himself as the only worthy sacrifice for the sins of man. It goes against sensible logic that the creator of the universe, all powerful, all knowing, all wise, would throw down his life to save a people in active rebellion.
When we come to the end of this world there will be many people who will plead their case by point to all the “good” things that they have done and how they are a great person deserving of entrance into heaven. The bad news is there is nothing about us nor will we ever be good enough to cover the debt we owe to an eternal God. The great news is doesn’t matter how bad a person we have been either. God graciously gives the opportunity to all! We need but repent and place our faith in Christ as Lord of our lives and our only salvation from our sins and this immense gift will be granted to us.
Reflect on these things. For the believer, take courage and rest in the fact that on your worst or your best day it is not who you are that saves you but the grace of God. For those who do not believe, know that God who is all knowing, knows your deepest secrets and has seen your darkest days, yet He extends his gift to all who will receive it. Next time, we unpack the next part of the five solas; salvation comes through faith alone. Till then, keep listening for the WORD in music. #CultivatingFaithOrg
Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash
- Hall, E. (2022, March 10). What was the protestant reformation? Christianity.com. Retrieved July 23, 2022, from https://www.christianity.com/church/church-life/what-was-the-protestant-reformation.html
- By, A. E., & Barrett, M. (n.d.). The Five solas. The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved July 23, 2022, from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-five-solas/