Nate Pickowicz is pastor of Harvest Bible Church in Gilmonton, NH. He’s also the author of “Why We’re Protestant,†a book about the Five Solas of the Reformation. Nate returns to follow up on the episode we did together in October, 2017 on the Five Solas, and continue the series that began in 2010.
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Outline of the Discussion
- As Nate went through the Solas to teach his church (which the book came out of), he connected each of the doctrines to a person in Church history. For Solus Christus, he refered back to Ulrich Zwingli, a pioneer of the Swiss Reformation.
- Zwingli was pretty Radical, but is said to have embodied “Solus Christus.” He broke from the normal liturgical form of preaching to simply preach the Bible (what we now know as expository preaching.) As he did, his congregation began to realize that everything they knew was unbiblical.
- Zwingli kept going back to salvation being by Grace, through Faith, in Christ alone.
- Erasmus's Greek New Testament had a major influence over the Reformers.
- The Reformers never formally hashed out Five Doctrines known as the Solas; they were developed over time.
- Solus Christus is a rejection of any idea that salvation is by any other means than through Christ. Nothing else can be added to salvation through Christ, or put in place of salvation through Christ.
- Roman Catholicism teaches a sort of “team approach” to salvation. Salvation begins through Christ, but then is also through Mary. If not through Mary, one can go through the Saints and the Pope. They have a concept of a “treasury of merit,” whereby “extra” merits earned by someone can be deposited into this “treasury,” from which the Vatican can dispense as they wish. They don't deny the sacrifice of Christ outright, they deny that it went far enough.
- False systems result in power structures that are not sustainable under Biblical Christianity.
- There is always a temptation, be it through moralism, legalism, etc. to try to add to the work of Christ.
- Merit-based systems will always be manipulated to continue in sin and to hold power over others.
- Solus Christus necessarily leads to the doctrine of Monergism.
- Salvation is not fair, but we don't want ‘fair.'
- Application: You cannot exalt Christ high enough!
Scriptures Referenced
- Matthew 23
- John 10
- John 14:6
- Ephesians 1:5, 7
- Ezekiel 36
Additional Resources
- Why We're Protestant – Nate Pickowicz
- Theology of the Reformers – Timothy George
- Christianity's Dangerous Idea – Alister McGrath
