The Solas of the

Reformation

The Core Doctrines of

Protestantism

By
Nathan Brummel

1
2
 Contents
Preface…………………………………………………..……5

Chapter 1
Sola Scriptura: The Formal Principle…………………….…7

Chapter 2
Sola Fide: The Material Principle……………………….…17

Chapter 3
Sola Gratia: Grace So Amazing…………………………...29

Chapter 4
Solus Christus: Jesus, a Complete Savior………………….43

Chapter 5
Soli Deo Gloria: Glorifying God Alone in All Things…….51

3
4
 Preface
The Protestant Reformation was used by God to reform His
church. Protestants have affirmed that the doctrine and life of the
church has to be constantly reformed in light of the truth of Scripture.
The core doctrines of the Reformation are what all Protestants
confess.
The core doctrines of Protestantism need to be defended
today as well as developed in relationship to contemporary challenges
to the faith.
The first core doctrine is the truth that God‘s Word is the
final authority in doctrine and life. Many Protestants today claim that
the Bible is riddled with errors and is only infallible with respect to
some vague ―redemptive message.‖ The second core doctrine of
Protestantism is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Today
ecumenical theologians are challenging the value of the
Reformation‘s understanding of justification. The Reformation was a
recovery of the truth that salvation is a free gift of God.
The spread of religious pluralism needs that we need to
affirm afresh that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. This truth
was expressed at the time of the Reformation with the motto solus
Christus.
Scripture Alone (sola Scriptura) means that the inerrant
Scriptures are the sole source of truth that can bind the conscience.
Christ Alone (solus Christus) means that salvation is fully
accomplished by Jesus Christ and Him alone. Grace Alone (sola
Gratia) means that we are rescued from spiritual death by the grace of
God alone and not by any human merit. Faith Alone (sola Fide)
means that we are justified by faith alone, apart from works. To God
Alone be Glory (Soli Deo Gloria) was the final motto of the
Reformers: God is a sovereign Savior who alone deserves glory.

5
6
 1

Sola Scriptura:
The Formal Principle

“But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast
been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that
from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to
make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all
good works.”
II Timothy 3:14-17

At the time of the Reformation, the authority of the Scriptures

became a real issue. Luther did not realize how dangerous it was to
question the authority of the pope. He, assuming that the Scriptures
were the final authority, had nailed his 95 theses against indulgences
on the church door. At the Leipzig debate in late 1519, Luther was
cornered into admitting that the key issue between him and those who
supported indulgences was one of authority. The question was ―Did
the pope have a right to issue indulgences?‖ Luther‘s debating
opponent was John Eck, a professor at the University of Ingolstadt.
Luther admitted that the Bible was the only infallible source of truth
and that popes and councils could err. He stated what became the

7
―formal‖ principle of the Reformation—that all doctrine and life must
be normed by the Scriptures. Sometimes Luther would wonder
whether he was right in taking a stand against the teachings of the
Catholic Church. Perhaps something you believe is widely
challenged. Here was Luther‘s comfort—and here is your comfort. If
what we believe is taught in the Scriptures, then we are safe. If we
confess what the Scriptures confess, we believe the truth—and can
believe in what we do with a good conscience.

The Only Rule of Faith

The Holy Scriptures are the only rule of faith. For men to
know the gospel of Christ and the will of God, it is necessary for God
to reveal Himself. What we learn from the creation is something
about the power and wisdom of God. Unless God reveals Himself
authoritatively—by His Holy Spirit, we are left to our own resources
to ferret out what is truth. Then we would need to depend on the
reasoning of philosophers, or creators of false religions—who engage
in a dark exchange. Maybe we should be dependent on the scientists
who cannot explain ultimate meaning and purpose.
The Scriptures are our final authority in all matters of
doctrine and life. What great usefulness they have! Because they are
the Word of God—they are profitable for developing doctrine and
teaching how to live. We may not adopt, at random, any belief or
practice brought before us. We must distinguish between the word of
men and the Word of God. The Apostle Paul writes that, from the
time he was a child, Timothy had followed this rule of faith. His
grandmother and mother had read and explained the Scriptures from
his earliest years. The Apostle Paul states that all Scripture ―is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly
furnished unto all good works‖ (II Timothy 3:16b, 17).
Paul sketches the tremendous usefulness of this only rule of
faith. This only rule is beneficial, productive, and sufficient. Here is
found all that man needs to be taught and to learn to make him wise
for salvation; here and nowhere else! It is the rule by which every
religious lie, falsehood, or fiction is refuted. It has authority for
doctrine and practice. Scripture is the indispensable instrument for the
teacher. It is useful for teaching true doctrine and for reproof—for
warnings about errors in doctrine. It is useful for correction. Not only
must the sinner be warned to leave the wrong path, but also he can be

8
directed to the right path through the Scriptures. Scripture straightens
us out. It is useful for instruction in righteousness. The Scriptures are
normative for training. They not only reveal the doctrine of
redemption in Christ, but also God‘s holy will—His moral will for
His people.
Since the Scriptures are the only rule of how to live, the man
of God, who hears and obeys Scripture, will be perfect. In this
context, ―perfect‖ means blameless—one who has nothing defective.
A person, who is capable and proficient in whatever they are called to
be or do, is ―complete‖.
Jesus taught that the traditions of the elders must be rejected
because they contradict or undercut the Word of God. The Apostle
Paul warns against the sources of authority among pagans. ―Beware
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the
tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ‖ (Colossians 2:8). Such is the authority of the truth found in
the Scriptures, that Paul rejects even the testimony of an angel. ―But
though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed‖
(Galatians 1:8). If any man teaches other than what Paul teaches as
the rule of faith in his epistles, he is accursed. (Gal. 1:9) The gospel
taught by Paul does not have a human origin. ―But I certify you,
brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man.
For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ‖ (Gal. 1:11,12).
The Apocrypha is not a rule of faith. The Belgic Confession
rightly states that the Apocrypha cannot ―confirm any point of faith‖
―much less detract from the authority of the other sacred books.‖ The
believer immediately perceives that the Scriptures are the Word of
God. The Bible is self-authenticated. The Holy Spirit works the
genuineness of Scripture. (Article 4 of Belgic Confession)
Luther said: ―The Bible is alive, it speaks to me it has feet, it
runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.‖ The sixty-six books of
the Bible, by their teaching, immediately attest to the heart of all
Spirit-indwell people as being the living oracles of God. Therefore,
believers are filled with a deep reverence whenever they hear the
voice of God addressing them from Holy Writ.
Is the Bible enough for us to know what God wants us to
believe or do? The Scriptures are sufficient to make Timothy ―wise
unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus‖ (II Timothy
3:15). God could have revealed more but He revealed what was

9
sufficient. We will learn much more in Paradise. The Scriptures are
sufficient in the sense that they are comprehensive. Scripture is
sufficient to meet all spiritual needs of God‘s people. The Psalmist
testifies: ―The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple‖ (Psalm
119:7). Since it is sufficient it is evil to add to it. ―For I testify unto
every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any
man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book‖ (Rev. 22:18). If people, who claim to be
prophets today, really received special revelations from God, they
would carry the same divine authority as the Bible. Such prophets
therefore, have a view that considers Scripture as either incomplete or
inadequate. ―The Belgic Confession states that the Bible reveals what
―is necessary for us to know in this life, to His glory and our
salvation‖ (Art. 2). The Belgic Confession adds: ―whatsoever man
ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein‖ (Article
7).
The Scriptures are perspicuous. The Bible is so clear that
little children can understand it. God meant for His children to be able
to read Genesis 1 and learn about how He created the world. He had
the apostles record the New Testament Scripture in Koine Greek, the
common Greek of ordinary people. Scripture is so clear that Tyndale
wanted to translate it into idiomatic English so that the plowboy could
read and understand it. The reason why the Bible should be translated
into the common language is because Scripture is the simple, clear
Word of God. In a mere eleven weeks, in Wartburg Castle, Luther
translated the New Testament into colloquial German! The Roman
Catholic leaders had not wanted the Bible in German. One bishop was
afraid that women might read it! Luther wanted the translation to be
simple that children and maids could understand it.
Some things in Scripture are difficult to understand, but even
uneducated believers and children readily understand all that is
necessary for salvation and a godly life. Our problem, as Christians, is
not that we don't understand most of what we read, but we don't
celebrate as we ought or obey like we should.
Under Luther‘s leadership, ―Sola Scriptura‖ became a
rallying cry of the Reformation. Let us illustrate Luther‘s
commitment to the Scriptures as the sole rule of faith by looking at
his writing on the issue of monastic vows. The Roman Catholic
Church placed Christian tradition, papal rulings, and decisions of
Councils on par with the Bible as a source of doctrine. At the Diet of

10
Worms, Luther made his famous statement: ―Here I stand, I can do no
other, so help me God‖. The reason why he would not recant the
teaching in his books, as the Emperor demanded, was because his
conscience was captive to the authority of the Bible. Luther said: ―A
simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or
cardinal without it.‖ The books of the theologians are fallible. Before
his death, Dr. Luther wrote more than 60,000 pages, yet he hoped that
―all my books would disappear and the Holy Scriptures alone be
read.‖
At the Diet of Worms, Luther was by imperial edict named ―a
convicted heretic‖ and the citizens of the Empire were commanded
not to harbor him. But Elector Frederick, Luther‘s prince, kidnapped
Luther and hid him at Wartburg castle. Luther let his hair and beard
grow and dressed like a knight. He was called ―Knight George.‖
In Wartburg Castle, Luther was forced to face the issue of the
vows of the monks and priests. Back in Wittenberg, monks were
leaving the monasteries and wedding bells were starting to ring.
Should Luther keep the vows that he had made when he became a
monk to be celibate? What advice should he give to monks and
priests who were wondering if they needed to keep the vows they
made? Luther wrote an important work entitled: ―The Judgment of
Martin Luther on Monastic Vows.‖ Roman Catholic Church teachings
said that a man who wanted to be a monk or priest must take a vow of
celibacy, poverty, and obedience. Let us see how the issue of
authority affected how Martin Luther dealt with the matter of vows.

Inventions of Men versus the Teaching of Scripture

Luther responded that such vows run counter to the Word of

God! The first thing that Luther says when he gets to his subject is
this: ―There is no doubt that the monastic vow is in itself a most
dangerous thing because it is without the authority and example of
Scripture.‖ ―It is purely a most pernicious invention of men no
different from all the other inventions of men.‖ Luther uses the clarity
of Scripture as an argument against monastic vows: ―The Scriptures
clearly compel us to condemn whatever is only a matter of rules,
statutes, orders, schools of thought, and, in addition, whatever falls
short of, or is contrary to, or goes beyond Christ, even if these things
had been handed over by angels from heaven or confirmed by mighty
miracles.‖ Since the Bible teaches office-bearers could marry and that
marrying is a matter of free choice, then a church that forbids it

11
disobeys the gospel. We read of the Apostle Paul asserting his right to
marry and we read that Peter had a wife. When the Bible gives the
qualifications for office-bearers, it never requires a vow of celibacy or
poverty. It was the Gnostics who created this belief in an exclusive
group of Christians. Luther believed that these vows, with no
foundation in the Word, were to be rejected.
Jerome, an early church father, agreed with the Roman
Catholic Church, in this matter of monastic vows. He implied that a
person who does not marry his virgin has extra merits in the sight of
God. Luther accused Jerome of making ―divisions among the people
of God‖ by implying one who remains single is holier than one who
marries. Luther argued that Christians were not bound by sinful vows
that stood in the way of godly living.
Second, Luther taught that such required vows were contrary
to the commandments of God. Vows of obedience to an abbot were
evil because they denied the authority of parents over their children.
In taking one‘s vows, a monk was called to transfer his obedience
from parents to a superior. Such a vow allows one to reject the
authority of the father in the sphere of the family.
The Scriptures also teach that human traditions may not stand
in the way of a son providing for his needy parents—like claiming
―Corbin‖—that he had given gifts to the temple instead. The result of
taking monastic vows means that a son no longer needs to take care of
a father who comes to poverty. Luther also neglected his parents in
his early years of being a monk, but later he saw his error and
apologized to his father.
Third, Luther argued that required monastic vows were
against evangelical freedom. ―Evangelical freedom is a freedom of
conscience which liberates the conscience from works.‖ The Pope
destroyed the freedom of Christians and did not teach about freedom.
Luther quoted Jesus: ―But in vain they do worship me, teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men‖ (Matthew 15:9). He defends
the freedom of the conscience of the Christian: ―The conscience
belongs to Christ and Christ to the conscience, and no one intrudes
into the secret bedchamber of this spouse and his bride…and so, if
you vow to take up the religious life, and if you live with men of like
mind, with a clear conscience that in monasticism you seek nothing to
your advantage in your relationship with God [but because it is the
best life for you], then in that case you are neither wrong to take
vows, nor wrong to live in this way.‖ Yet, the Roman Catholic
Church demanded a vow of monks and office-bearers not to marry.

12
Luther said: ―Since it can no longer be denied that they are simply
doctrines of men what else is there to do then, but to demonstrate here
that the vows of the religious as well as the whole idea of
monasticism are against the freedom of the gospel, and are forbidden
by divine commands?‖ Luther writes: ―You have no right at all either
to take away that freedom [commanded by God] or to set up sin
where God has not willed sin to be.‖ It is one thing for a believer
willingly to choose to be single ―but quite a different thing altogether
for the same thing to be taught, demanded and made compulsory,‖
said Luther. ―The former is of God; the latter, of man.‖ Human
traditions, ecclesiastical decisions and church fathers say that priests
and monks must not marry, but this is of man. The Scriptures are the
rule of faith.
Fourth, Luther argued that such required monastic vows were
empty because the church retained the right to release people from
certain vows. This only serves to emphasize the emptiness of the
vows. For example, a person vows to be poor for life—and then he
becomes a rich bishop. Or a person vows to be obedient to his
superiors, in the Augustinian order—and then he is freed from that
later. It is better never make vows than to make them and ignore them
when they become inconvenient. Luther spoke loudly against required
monastic vows because they are contrary to the only rule of faith.

Why the Bible is the Final Authority

The Holy Scriptures are authoritative and the only rule of

faith because they are the inspired Word of God. Scripture is inspired:
It ―is given by inspiration of God.‖ Literally, Paul writes that the
Scriptures are ―God-breathed.‖ When you speak, your word is ―you-
breathed‖—your breath pours forth speech. Scriptures are God-
breathed meaning they are God‘s words. When Paul writes that all
Scripture is God-breathed, he teaches plenary inspiration. The word
―plenary‖ comes from a word that means ―full‖. The Bible is, from
Genesis to Revelation, God-breathed.
This points us to the role of the Holy Spirit in the creation of
the Scriptures. The Scriptures owe their origin and contents to the
divine breath, the Spirit of God. The human writers were powerfully
guided and directed by the Holy Spirit. Peter writes in II Peter 1:21:
―For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.‖ The
prophets and apostles were borne along by the Holy Spirit. As the

13
wind blows and bears a sailboat on his course, so the Bible writers
were borne along by the Holy Spirit.
John Calvin wrote: ―The Law and the Prophets are not a
doctrine delivered according to the will and pleasure of men, but
dictated by the Holy Spirit.‖ Peter also wrote: ―Knowing this first,
that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation‖ (II
Peter 1:20). The word translated ―interpretation‖ refers to something
that is released, sent out, or sent forth. In this verse, the Greek noun is
a genitive of source, indicating origin. In other words, no message of
Scripture was originated and sent forth by men‘s own will.
The Holy Spirit did not suppress the personality of the human
writers; but equipped and prepared each writer. The idea is not that
men were inspired in the sense that we talk about a person with
musical genius like Mozart. Rather, God so directed the Apostle
Paul—and exercised His providence in his life and so filled him with
the Holy Spirit that certain letters he wrote were inspired Scripture.
The Holy Spirit, the Primary Author, suggested to the mind of the
human writer the very language and words that would be the most
appropriate vehicle for revealing God‘s truth. God made the mind and
heart of man, and His Spirit knows how to guide them. He filled the
minds of the prophets and apostles with light and guided them in
word and thought.
―All‖ Scripture is inspired, not just part of it. Some, wrongly,
try to translate this: ―Every God-breathed Scripture is also useful.‖
This leaves open the possibility that there is other Scripture that is not
inspired and therefore not useful. This idea opens up the possibility
that some Scripture is not inspired by God. The problem with this
rendering is that the Bible would then be worthless as a reliable guide
to divine truth. We could not figure out what was inspired and what
was not. John Calvin rightly said: ―We must not pick and cull the
Scriptures to please our own fancy, but must receive the whole
without exception.‖
The Bible is verbally inspired. The very words in the Greek
and Hebrew were inspired. The thought cannot be separated from the
words, which are its vehicles. Luther believed that the Scriptures were
verbally inspired. For this reason Luther, as a biblical expositor, cared
about the minutiae details of grammar in the Scriptures. In fact his
Reformation discovery of justification by faith alone grew out of his
careful analysis of the grammar and meaning of a Greek word for
―righteousness‖ in Romans 1:17. His statements show his belief in
verbal inspiration and inerrancy:

14
 "We must regard every tittle and letter of the Bible as more
important than the whole world and tremble before it as
before God himself."

"The Holy Scripture is God‘s Word, written, and so to say,

‗in-lettered."

"The Bible is ―God‘s Word written, presented in letters, as

Christ is the eternal Word presented in human nature."

Since the Scriptures are inspired, they are inerrant. The

doctrine of verbal inspiration leads directly into the doctrine of
inerrancy. If the Scriptures are all verbally inspired—they will be true
and right on whatever issue they address. Luther wrote: ―The
Scriptures have never erred.‖ Only the Scriptures are the infallible
rule of faith. The Scriptures alone are inerrant.
Jesus taught inerrancy when He said the Scriptures could not
be broken. During a debate on blasphemy with the Jews, Jesus quoted
from the Old Testament and gave them a reason to wrestle with
words. In John 10:34-35, he said: ―Is it not written in your law, I said,
Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God
came, and the scripture cannot be broken.‖ He was referring to Psalm
82:6 and pointing out that the Scriptures do not err. The idea of the
Psalmist was that the judges were like gods because they exercised
the authority of God in the civil realm. But the key issue is that Jesus
believed that the Old Testament Scriptures could not be broken.
Nothing could be alleged against them. They were the Word of God.
The Belgic Confession, in line with Jesus, states that ―nothing can be
alleged‖ against the Scriptures and that Christians must believe
―without any doubt, all things contained in them‖ (Article 4).
The Scriptures are therefore, absolutely incomparable. No
other book, library, or anything else in the world, is able to make a
lost sinner wise for salvation. This awesome view of the Scriptures
places Holy Scripture on an entirely different plain than any human
writings or ecclesiastical decisions.

Read the Scriptures

Children of the Reformation must submit to the teachings of

Scripture. Before we submit to it we need to read it and hear it

15
preached. If you believe that the Bible is God‘s very Word—study it,
meditate upon it, and obey it. What does it gain you if you believe
that the Bible is God‘s Word and yet do not listen to God speak in His
Word? In the West where there is a multiplicity of Bibles—there is a
growing ignorance of the doctrines and stories in Scripture. We must
read the Bible with reverence. Calvin said: ―We owe to the Scripture
the same reverence which we owe to God; because it has proceeded
from him alone, and has nothing belonging to man mixed with it.‖
The Scriptures must be studied in our homes and taught to
our children.
Church members, filled with the Spirit, must meditate upon
the Scriptures in Bible studies.
The Bible is a trustworthy source of encouragement. It is
God‘s authoritative means of encouraging and sustaining us. When
Luther learned that his father had died, he took the Psalms with him
into a room where he cried so hard he was not himself the next day.
The Scriptures were his strength and nourishment.
Search the Scriptures—for this rule of faith will teach you
that Christ alone is Savior. Paul wrote that the Scriptures are able to
make you ―wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus‖
(vs. 15b). The faith of Christ is the sum of the Scriptures. Paul points
out how the Old Testament Scriptures predicted the coming of
Christ—everything in the Scriptures culminated in Christ. The New
Testament is the revelation of the incarnation, ministry, death,
resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures teach that
the sinner is justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ.
Cherish the Christ Crucified revealed in the Scriptures and do not add
human commandments as requirements that must be satisfied to be
saved.
Whenever human commandments are brought forward, you
must ward them off with this shield; ―Scripture is profitable.‖ If we
believe that the Scriptures are the only rule of faith, we must develop
our doctrines from the Scriptures. When we have a disagreement with
another Christian we must go back to the Bible. We need to hold to
principles that are firmly grounded in the Rule of Faith. Every
doctrine that we hold must come straight out of the Bible or be
logically deduced from other teachings. This is the way for the church
to live in the peace, joy, and what Luther called ―evangelical
freedom.‖

16
 2
Sola Fide:
The Material Principle
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by
the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that
we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of
the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Galatians 2:16

Justification by Faith Alone

One of the battle cries of the Reformation was ―Sola Fide‖.

This has been called the ―material principle‖ of the Reformation.
It was Martin Luther‘s rediscovery of the Scriptural doctrine
of justification by faith that opened the eyes of the Reformers to the
heart of the gospel of grace.
God uses His Word to protect and reform the church. One
Scripture that God used powerfully to reform a church fallen into
great heresy was Romans 1:17, which reads: ―For therein is the
righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The
just shall live by faith.‖ The Medieval Church taught that faith plus
works justified the sinner; and that this justification is an ongoing
matter. God used Romans 1:17 to shake the very foundations of an
apostate church; and to shake the whole continent of Europe
religiously, socially, and politically. God brought about a great
Reformation in the 16th century when He opened the eyes of Martin
Luther to understand the meaning of this text. God used Luther‘s
teaching, of the truths in Romans 1:17, to bring about reform in the
church—a return to the teaching of the apostles.
This verse is a revelation of the heart of the gospel. Merle
D‘Aubigne wrote: ―This powerful text had a mysterious influence on
the life of Luther. It was a creative sentence both for the reformer and

17
for the Reformation. It was in these words God then said, ―Let there
be light! And there was light.‖ Romans 1:17 deals with the nature of
the gospel. It deals with the revelation of the righteousness of God.
Things do not get any bigger or more important than this. If you think
that you have more important or bigger issues in your life, you are
deluded.
Since we are speaking about high and holy matters, exactness
in language and terminology is necessary.

Righteousness Credited

The gospel reveals that God has credited His righteousness to

us—believers. Luther, at first, hated this verse because he thought that
the revelation of God‘s righteousness was more bad news. He thought
that this referred to God‘s condemning righteousness. The
righteousness of God does not mean righteousness as an attribute of
God‘s being. It is true that God is righteous. Everything that God does
is righteous. He always acts in line with perfect justice. Righteousness
means conformity to God‘s law and God‘s demands. If Christ was
merely a revelation of the holiness and justice of God and no more,
He would be the most terrifying and alarming news that we could
ever discover.
It is no wonder that Martin Luther, as a Roman Catholic
monk and lecturer in theology, hated this verse when he
misinterpreted the righteousness of God to be His holiness and
justice. God demands righteousness from us. But we do not have it to
give. So we are guilty, condemned and perishing. Seeing the
righteousness of God as God‘s standard of judgment drove Luther to
despair.
At least Luther was honest with himself about his sinfulness.
Many men die thinking that they can bring their own righteousness to
God. Most people do not even think they need to strive, like Luther,
to accomplish various spiritual feats in order to be righteous before
God. They suppose that the way they are living right now is simply
enough to get them into Heaven. Luther felt the need to perform more
and more good works to become justified. He slept in the cold and ate
little until his body looked like a skeleton. He made pilgrimages and
felt the need to make penance for his sins.
The doctrine of justification in the Roman Catholic Church
gave Luther torment and fear. He was convinced that he had failed to
meet God‘s holy standard. By bitter experience, he knew that he

18
could not be justified by works because he knew the sinfulness of his
heart; and the purity of God.
When Luther was giving lectures on the Epistle to the
Romans, he came to Romans 1:17 and spent much time meditating on
the meaning of these words. He was on a quest for inner peace—for
peace with God! He writes: ―I laboured diligently and anxiously as to
how to understand Paul‘s word in Romans 1:17, where he says: 'the
righteousness of God is revealed' in the gospel. I sought long and
knocked anxiously, for the expression: 'the righteousness of God'
blocked the way." He thought this was a description of the character
of God, and added: ―I saw it and I wished always that God had not
made the gospel known, because this fuller revelation of the
righteousness of God seemed to make me utterly hopeless and
helpless, and I did not know what to do with myself; the
'righteousness of God' blocked the way."
The first positive thing we can say is that the gospel of Jesus
is as much concerned about righteousness as the law was. The gospel
of Jesus Christ is as insistent upon man‘s righteousness, in the
presence of God, as the law ever was. The gospel does not do away
with the law. It is not because God‘s righteousness was easily
satisfied—no, it took the death of Christ. God required an infinitely
hurtful consequence for His Son—Christ had to pay for all of our
sins. He suffered Hell-like punishments in our place before God‘s
justice was, strictly speaking, satisfied.
Our ultimate problem, as sinners, is the righteous wrath of
God. God‘s wrath separates the sinner from Him and casts him into
Hell. The gospel is mainly the good news that God Himself has
rescued us from the wrath of God.
It is true that God demands a righteousness that we do not
have. But that is not the gospel. The gospel is that God gives to elect
sinners the righteousness that He demands. The gospel is that God has
intervened and supplied us with a righteousness that is not our own.
As Luther wrestled with Romans 1:17, he came to understand
that Paul was writing about a righteousness that God gives to
believers. ―Thus I raged with a fierce and troubled conscience.
Nevertheless, I beat importunately upon Paul at [Romans 1:17], most
ardently desiring to know what St. Paul wanted. At last, by the mercy
of God, meditating day and night, I gave heed to the context of the
words, namely, ‗In it the righteousness of God is revealed, as it is
written: He who through faith is righteous shall live.‘ There I began to

19
understand [that] the righteousness of God is…righteousness with
which [the] merciful God justifies us by faith.‖
God credits His righteousness to man. The quote from the
Old Testament shows that Paul does not have in mind mainly that
God is Himself righteous, but that He imputes or credits His
righteousness to man so that man can be just.
What we cannot provide on our own, God imputes to us so
that we are forgiven and acquitted before Him. We get a right
standing with God even though we have no righteousness of our own.
We get acquitting in God‘s courtroom even though we are, in
ourselves, guilty. God has pronounced us righteous with His own
righteousness. The gospel reveals that Jesus purchased a declaration
of our right standing before God. It is now possible for sinful sons of
Adam to stand sinless before God!
The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. It is a
righteousness that is imputed to believers. The gospel reveals that
God justifies us so that we are able to stand in His presence. The
righteousness of God is what enables you to stand before God, now
and in the Day of Judgment. The central purpose of the incarnation
was that God might enable us to stand with righteousness in the
presence of God. This is the righteousness of God.
The righteousness of Christ is called the righteousness of God
to emphasize the quality of this righteousness. It is a perfect, divine
righteousness. It is a ―God-righteousness‖. So, this righteousness
stands in contrast to any man-righteousness on the part of a sinner. It
is a righteousness that the Son of God earned and merited for us. The
Lord Jesus satisfied the law of God on our behalf, perfectly and in
every sense. The gospel announces that God sent Jesus to be sin for
us. It is a righteousness from outside of ourselves. Luther said: ―For
God does not want to save us by our own but by an extraneous
righteousness, one that does not originate in ourselves but comes to us
from beyond ourselves, which does not arise on earth but comes from
heaven.‖ God puts to our account the righteousness of Christ. God
cancels all our debts because Christ paid them. Positively, He puts all
the perfection and righteousness of Christ to my account.
As we grasp these doctrines, we come to see what good news
the gospel is. As the hymn says: ―Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress.‖
Luther came to understand that the righteousness of God is
not God‘s retributive justice but the righteousness freely imputed to
the sinner by God‘s sovereign grace, on the basis of Christ‘s

20
substitutionary atonement. The Bible became a book of light and joy
to him. Luther, at once, ran through the Scriptures with ecstasy,
seeing everywhere how this righteousness opened salvation to him.

Revealed through Faith Alone

God gives the righteousness of Christ to us freely, for

nothing, without money and without price. He justifies us in spite of
the fact that we have done no works to earn it.
The Apostle Paul tells us that this righteousness becomes ours
―from faith to faith‖. The contrast is between faith—a gift of God,
and works by which a man merits. Faith stands in contradiction to
everything that is meritorious in man. When you trust in Christ you
receive an undeserved justification. The best news in the world to
people who know they are sinners and God is holy is that Christ was
sacrificed for His people and that sinners are reckoned righteous
through faith. You can notice the importance of faith in verses 16 and
17 where, within the space of two verses, the Apostle mentions the
idea of faith four times. Obviously, this is a vitally important concept.
Faith involves spiritual sight. Faith is true belief about who
Christ is. Faith is trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Paul does not
mean that faith is some kind of a ‗lighter demand‘ that God now
makes of us—lighter than the law, that is. Faith is simply the
instrument by which we receive the righteousness of God.
Our faith does not constitute our righteousness. Our faith
does not justify us. It is the righteousness of Christ that is the grounds
of our justification—and the source is the Sovereign mercy of God in
giving us the free gift of grace. It is nothing but the blood and merit of
Christ that justifies us. It is through faith in Christ that the
righteousness of Christ comes to us. Paul speaks of the
instrumentality of faith. The righteousness of God is revealed—
efficiently made known unto justification—only through faith.
Trusting, believing faith in Christ is the channel by which
justification becomes ours.
It is possible for sinful sons of Adam to be free from the
frustration of trying to earn righteousness and Heaven.
Why does Paul speak of ―faith to faith‖? (OUT OF FAITH
AND INTO FAITH) He means that it is faith from beginning to end.
The combination is rhetorical. It is intended to emphasize that faith
and ―nothing but faith‖ can put us into right relationship with God.

21
From start to finish, this righteousness is by faith alone. That faith is
God‘s gift. It is all a matter of sovereign grace, not of works.
Martin Luther tells us that it was the quotation from
Habakkuk that gave him liberty: ―As it is written, The just shall live
by faith.‖ That was the actual phrase that opened his eyes. Luther had
been trying to work a righteousness according to the law. But now, he
grasped that Christians were righteous by faith. The point in
Habakkuk is that faith is the key to one’s relationship to God. Those
who are righteous by faith shall live—they shall go on living through
all eternity.
So Luther saw the righteousness of God is not referring to the
attribute of God—it is the righteousness that God credits to believers.
What a transformation occurred! From a miserable, legalistic, bead-
counting monk who fasted to merit salvation, he became a herald of
the gospel of free grace. We are justified by faith through the mercy
of God alone.
Being justified by faith, we want to live grateful lives. Luther
said that the Christian was, at the same time, just and sinner. This
simultaneous condition refers to how the sinner is counted just
because of the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, while he
remains, in himself, a sinner. His legal state is innocent. His actual
condition is sinner and saint. Before his discovery, Luther thought
that he had to be perfectly holy before he could be righteous. Luther
did not mean that the sinner, who is still a sinner, is an unchanged
person. The Holy Spirit, who gives the gift of faith, also sanctifies the
believer. Christians inevitably strive for and achieve a level of
practical righteousness.
When the Bible demands you to do something, do not think:
―I must do this to take away my guilt and to get forgiveness and right
standing with God.‖ Rather think: ―I will obey God because He has
removed my guilt and given me the gift of the righteousness of God.‖

Forensic Justification

Paul makes it ever so clear, in Galatians 2:16, that the

believer is justified by faith alone: ―Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even
we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the
faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of
the law shall no flesh be justified.‖ In fact, he teaches that
justification has to do with one's legal status. Justification is a forensic

22
act—the legal act by which the Judge declares the inmate innocent.
Protestants say that the Bible teaches that justification is a forensic or
legal act—in distinction from sanctification. Sanctification is the truth
that the Spirit makes justified believers actually holy. Justification is
given as a legal pronouncement, and not as a reference to people
actually becoming more holy.
The word ―forensic‖ is not as well known in Christian circles,
as it should be. It is not a term that is foreign to ordinary language,
but is often used in the newspaper or on T.V. in reference to criminal
investigations and trials. Forensic evidence is evidence that will be
presented at a trial. When the term ―forensic‖ is used with respect to
the doctrine of justification, it has to do with a legal or judicial matter
involving some type of declaration. The doctrine of justification
involves a legal matter of the highest magnitude. It involves a matter
of judgment before the supreme tribunal of God. The most basic issue
we face is how we hope to survive a judgment before the court of an
absolutely holy and absolutely just God. God is a just Judge.
Perhaps the most important fact revealed in Holy Scripture is
the one which men most presumptuously ignore, the fact that God is
just; ―justice and truth are the habitation of His throne.‖ It is not
possible for us to understand the grace of God or the cross apart from
the justice of God. Because the Lord our God is just, He must deal
with men upon the grounds of strict justice. The justice of God is the
rectitude and righteousness of His character that compels Him to deal
with all of His creatures in strict accordance with their desserts.
Because God is just, the only way He can save a guilty sinner is if He
can make the sinner guiltless and sinless in the eyes of His own law
and justice. This act of God‘s matchless grace, by which He declares
men to be guiltless, is what the Apostle Paul calls ―justification.‖
Every believer, in Jesus Christ, is truly justified and perfectly
righteous in the sight of God.

Simultaneously Just and a Sinner

Now we have laid the groundwork for appreciating an

important Latin phrase, coined by Martin Luther: ―Simul Justus Et
Peccator‖. This Latin phrase means: ―At the same time just and
sinner‖. Luther‘s famous statement gets to the heart of the issue
regarding forensic justification. This simultaneous condition refers to
how the sinner is counted just forensically, by virtue of the imputation
of the righteousness of Christ, while he remains in himself a sinner.

23
Before his Reformational discovery, Luther thought he had to be
actually holy before he could be righteous. We too, can think that
God considers us guilty because we still are such sinners. Luther did
not mean that the sinner, who is still a sinner, is an unchanged person.
He does believe that such a justified man is being sanctified. But
while man continues to sin—he is reckoned perfectly righteous by
God. This is Scriptural: ―But to him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness‖
(Romans 4:5).
In this context, Luther made a statement that Scott Hahn, a
Roman Catholic defender, has jumped all over. Luther had a very
graphic way of expressing truths. He said that he could commit
adultery several times a day and still be justified by faith alone. But
Luther has a powerful way of expressing his convictions, which,
when taken literally, are not only horribly anti-Christian, but also
anti-Martin Luther. He wrote two dissertations against
Antinomianism. This statement, cited by Hahn, was just an
inexcusable but unforgettable way of Luther‘s trying to say that his
works, or his morality, were not the foundation of justification by
faith alone.‖ Another Catholic writer says correctly: ―Luther never
meant that a habitual adulterer, murderer, liar, could be justified by
faith alone. Otherwise, he would not have opposed Karlstadt,
Agricola, and other easy-believers of his time.‖ Even Thomas
Aquinas teaches the justificatio impii, that is, the justification of the
impious!
To emphasize that this righteousness was not an actual
righteousness that we possess, but the imputed righteousness of
Christ, Luther called it an ―alien righteousness‖. It is ―iustitia extra
nos‖—a righteousness from outside of ourselves.
Roman Catholics claim that justification by faith alone is a
―legal fiction‖. In doing this, Rome declares the Biblical Gospel a
legal fiction. We contend that there is nothing fictional about
imputation! God imputed our sins to Christ. Christ‘s righteousness is
imputed to us. We need a righteousness that is greater than whatever
righteousness inheres in us. For this reason, Luther insisted that the
righteousness, by which we are justified, is a righteousness that is
"extra nos"—―outside of‖ or ―apart from‖ us that is imputed to us. It
is a justitia alienum, an alien righteousness, a righteousness given by
another in our behalf. Our righteousness remains as filthy rags. We
must be adorned and cloaked by Christ‘s righteousness—that alone
can cover the nakedness of our sin.

24
Faith the Sole Instrument

The motto of the Reformation—sola fide—means that the

elect sinner is justified by faith alone. Faith is the sole instrument of
justification.
In Galatians 2, the Apostle Paul takes issue with Peter and
Barnabas who gave in to Judaizing radicals. Under peer pressure from
Pharisaical Christians who came from James, Peter and Barnabas
started observing Jewish dietary laws again. They would not eat with
Gentiles. Paul discusses how Judaizers wanted Titus to be
circumcised. Paul makes very clear, in verse 16, that ―a man is not
justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.‖
Let‘s look at each part in this phrase ―sola fide‖ ―by faith
alone‖. First, let‘s look at the little word ―by‖. ―By‖ means that faith
is the means or instrument by which we are justified. We are not
justified on account of our faith. The Bible never says that. What it
says is that we are justified by faith. Faith is the instrument or means
of justification. The word ―instrument‖ unfortunately sounds very
mechanical. However, this means is itself the saving work of the Holy
Spirit through the Word by which a sinner is brought into a living,
personal relationship with God. Dr. Joel Beeke rightly points out that
a ―condition generally denotes a meritorious quality for the sake of
which a benefit is conferred.‖ He says: ―Though faith is the means
through which God works salvation, faith is not and cannot be a
human condition‖. If faith were the conditional (i.e. meritorious)
ground of justification, salvation by human merit would be
introduced. It would subvert the gospel by reducing it to simply one
more version of justification by works (Gal. 4:21-5:12).
The great question of the ages is: how is this justification
accomplished? ―How can a man be justified with God? Or how can
he be clean that is born of a woman?‖ Job 25:4. Find the answer to
that question and you will have learned the gospel. If you have not
found the answer to that question, you do not yet know the gospel.
The answer is that we are justified by faith alone.
What is faith? What is the meaning of this word ―faith‖ in the
phrase ―by faith alone‖? Faith is, first of all, trust in Christ. The
Heidelberg Catechism teaches that faith is knowledge and an assured
confidence. John Gerstner has made an acrostic out of the word:
―FAITH‖ stands for ―Forsaking all I Trust Him.‖ He has another

25
acrostic for the Greek word for faith: PISTIS—―Polluted I surrender
to Jesus Savior‖.
What does it mean that we are justified by faith alone? What
does the word ―alone‖ in the phrase ―by faith alone‖ teach? The word
―alone‖ means that we are justified only by faith—and not by any
other means. Paul writes: ―Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith without the deeds of the law‖(Romans 3:28). The
Reformed Faith can be illustrated by Faith (LEADS TO)
justification + works. The Catholic error is: Faith + Works
Justification. A caricature of Protestants is the following:
FaithJustification – Works. But we are not justified by a faith that
is alone. Most Roman Catholic theologians incorrectly identify
Reformation doctrine with Antinomianism. Antinomianism is the
heresy that justified Christians do not need to obey the Ten
Commandments.
If we Protestants taught that a sinner could be saved without
becoming godly, we would be teaching an absolute, damning lie.
Jesus saves His people not only from the guilt of sin, but also from
the dominating power of sin. Our Savior is called ―Jesus‖ for He
saves His people from their sins, not in them. We can never say too
often: ―Justification is by faith alone, but NOT by the faith that is
alone.‖ Justification is by a working faith. Justification with God is
apart from the merit of works. That does not mean that justification is
apart from the existence of works. Christianity teaches justification
apart from the merit of works.
Easy-believism teaches justification apart from the existence
of works. Easy-believism is a view where a person claims to
acknowledge Jesus as Savior but will not acknowledge Him as Lord.
It is the position that Dietrich Bonhoeffer critiqued as propounding
―cheap grace.‖
We are justified on the basis of Christ‘s works alone. We
believe in justification by works—in one sense. Justification is
ultimately by works—the works of Jesus Christ. His active and
passive righteousness is the basis for our justification. Justification is
by works—the works of Jesus Christ!
How important is this doctrine of sola fide? Why make a big
deal about it? Martin Luther called it the article that determines
whether the church is standing or falling. What did Luther mean by
that? He meant that the true church would confess justification by
faith alone. The church that denies or compromises this truth—is the
false church. This issue is very serious. The Roman Catholic position

26
is wicked. It is the doctrine of the Pharisees. The Apostle Paul calls
the heresy of the Judaizers, in supposing that justification is by faith
and works, ―another gospel‖. ―If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed‖ (Galatians
1:9). Paul here curses those who teach justification by faith and
works. He says that Christians who buy into these doctrines are
bewitched. Paul teaches that if you try to be justified by being
circumcised—―Christ shall profit you nothing‖! ―Ye are fallen from
grace‖!
Believing sola fide is so important because it involves
believing the gospel. This issue deals with the heart of the gospel. The
gospel is that we are saved by grace—that we are justified by faith
alone. To deny this is to blaspheme the cross of Jesus. Paul concludes
by saying: ―But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ.‖ John Richard Neuhaus—a leading Roman
Catholic and the editor of First Things magazine claims that
confessional Protestants are nit-picking over the compromising
document Evangelicals and Catholics Together. We agree with R.C.
Sproul when he responded that the truth of forensic justification is not
a nit. It is the heart of the gospel.

A Pathway into Paradise

When Luther discovered the meaning of Romans 1:17, it was

the happiest day of his life. He testified: ―Here I felt that I was
altogether born again and had entered paradise itself through open
gates.‖ What a happy day it was when Luther discovered that God's
righteousness refers to God‘s verdict that the believer is righteous
because of the cross of Jesus. Luther‘s joy is yours, as you trust in the
same Christ. By a judicial verdict, God has found believers innocent.
Have you learned the sum of God‘s Gospel from this text?
We Christians have a righteousness not our own—and one impossible
for us to have ever attained. All of our own righteousnesses are not
righteousnesses at all, but only filthy rags.
The peace that transcends all understanding now filled
Luther‘s mind and heart. His quest for inner peace was ended. He did
not have to do anything to be justified. He felt like a prisoner who is
declared innocent and righteous by the Judge of heaven and earth.
Does the fact that you have known for many years that God
has acquitted you, leave you without a response of joy? Consider your
dying moments—and how suddenly the doctrine of your justification,

27
by grace alone, through faith alone, will rise up like a mighty
mountain of comfort!
I pray that you would find, in this verse, a pathway into
paradise.
Another time Luther said: ―As I had formerly hated the
expression ―the righteousness of God‖ I now began to regard it as my
dearest and most comforting word; so that this expression of Paul‘s
became to me in very truth a Gate to Paradise.‖ Is there anything
more important than being reconciled to our God?
Every day we need to feed on the wonderful gospel truth that
God gives us the righteousness we need. You live by an alien
righteousness. You are righteous not because of your performance,
but because of Christ‘s. You need to trust in Christ as Savior and as
the One whose righteousness alone with avail you before God.
Since we are reconciled to God, we can dwell in loving
relationship with God. John Calvin wrote: ―In order to be loved by
God, we must first become righteous, since he regards
unrighteousness with hatred.‖ By faith, we know that God‘s
countenance smiles towards us. The more we understand the gospel,
the more we behold God‘s favor more clearly.
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote: ―And we cannot deal with
this without reminding ourselves that it was when he came to
understand this that Martin Luther truly became a Christian. It was
the understanding of this phrase that really produced the Protestant
Reformation. So there is a sense in which we can say that if we as
Protestants do not truly understand the 17th verse of the 1st chapter of
this Epistle, we are unworthy of the name of Protestant—indeed, it is
even doubtful whether we are Christian at all. There is no more vital
verse in the whole of Scripture than this 17th verse.‖
Have you appropriated this great text? Do you trust in Christ
alone for righteousness? Are you assured that you can survive a
judgment in the court of an absolutely holy and just God? Then
celebrate the revelation of the righteousness of God from faith to
faith.

28
 3

Sola Gratia: Grace So

Amazing
Isaiah 35:4-6

"Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold,
your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he
will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man
leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness
shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."

A Favorite Hymn

The song ―Amazing Grace!‖ is one of the best-loved and

most widely known hymns sung by Christians world-wide. Probably,
more Christians have memorized the stanzas of this hymn than any
other. The music and the words combine to express the wonder of
amazing grace. How precious and profound and exuberant are the
famous lines of the opening stanza:

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.

29
 What power stanza six has to revive the Christian‘s hope and
put the brevity of life in perspective and the awesome glory of an
eternity spent in praise:

When we‘ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,
We‘ve no less days to sing God‘s praise
Than when we‘ve first begun.

This hymn is indeed a precious song, attractive and

meaningful because of the truths it confesses.
The third ―sola‖ of the Reformation was sola gratia, which
means ―by grace alone.‖ This motto reflected the fact that the
Reformers had a deep understanding that salvation was not because of
human merit but because of divine grace. The salvation of elect
sinners is undeserved. Grace is amazing because it is unexpected that
God would sacrifice His only begotten Son to save enemies! Grace is
unexpected because it is undeserved.
There is rich theology in the six stanzas of ―Amazing Grace‖.
We want to draw the nectar out of this delectable flower. The
Psalmist said that God‘s word was sweeter to him than honey from
the honeycomb. Certainly the truths in this hymn are sweeter than
honey to the believer. This is a song that leads us to savor God in all
His grace.
What is striking about this hymn is its brutal honesty about
our fallenness and natural depravity. Other hymns might emphasize
just the positive, but this is precisely the diamond of Divine grace.
This grace, in contrast to the blackness of our former blindness and
lostness, gives impact to this song.
What exactly are we singing when we take this famous hymn
upon our lips? Unfortunately, even unconverted men and women
singers add this hymn to their repertoire. This is hypocrisy. If you
have not experienced the grim reality of spiritual blindness and
lostness and have not experienced the wonder of Divine grace, this is
not a song that should come from your lips.
We live in a day when evangelicals are singing many songs
that do not contain either good or rich theology. What is the biblical
truth that John Newton expressed through his own experience in this
hymn?

30
The Author

The author of this hymn, the former slave ship captain, John
Newton understood by long experience the depravity of fallen man
because he had tasted his own depravity and sinfulness for many long
years. A rebel against God, he left England for Africa where he was
involved in the brutal slave trade.
John Newton was born in London on July 24, 1725. He was
the son of a commander of a merchant ship that sailed the
Mediterranean. He learned about the Bible from his mother but she
died when he was still a child. Later, he turned his back on the faith of
his mother. In 1744, Newton was pressed into service on a British
man-of-war ship. Finding the conditions on board intolerable, he fled
the ship, but he was recaptured, brutally flogged and demoted from
midshipman to common seaman.
He asked to be exchanged into service on an African slave
ship. This took him to Africa where he became the servant of a slave
trader, who, with his wife, brutally abused him. In 1748, he escaped
and became a captain of his own slave-ship.
Before his conversion in 1748, John Newton lived an
adventure-filled life along the African coast. He wrote about his
experiences in his autobiography entitled An Authentic Narrative.
During a violent storm, he wrote in his journal that all seemed lost
and that the ship would certainly sink. As he wrote, he cried out:
―Lord, have mercy upon us!‖ Alone in his cabin, he reflected on what
he had prayed and began to believe that God had used the storm to
turn his attention to Him. Later he referred to this as the moment of
his ―Great Deliverance‖.
Slowly, God began to work in Newton‘s life. He learned
Latin while still plying the slave trade; but being transformed by the
gospel, he became one of the early influential evangelicals in England
who opposed slavery. He worked with men like William Wilberforce
to outlaw slavery in the British domains.
When sickness made sailing impossible, he began to study
Hebrew and Greek and became friends with George Whitefield, a
famous Calvinist preacher. In middle age, Newton was ordained a
minister in the Church of England and accepted the curacy of Olney
in Buckinghamshire.
God‘s sovereign grace took hold of John Newton and this
wicked sailor was transformed into a preacher of the Holy Gospel of
Jesus Christ.

31
 As a minister in the Church of England in the 1700s, John
Newton, penned this song in 1779. He was devoted to the doctrines of
grace believed, confessed, and taught by John Calvin, the great
Protestant reformer in Geneva, Switzerland.
Newton and Calvin stood in a long line of preachers who,
going back to the great bishop of Hippo, St. Augustine, believed in
the sovereignty of God in salvation.
At the turn of the 5th century, Augustine of Hippo took issue
with a British monk named Pelagius, who denied the reality of
original sin. He did not think that man was born sinful and argued the
reason why children sin is that they learn from the example of their
parents. Augustine responded by pointing the church to Scripture,
which teaches that babies are born in sin. King David wrote in Psalm
51:5: ―Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother
conceive me.‖ Augustine developed the idea of original sin and
pollution. In this fallen world, men are born in sin. That is why we
need to become new creatures through the new birth.
The great Reformation of the 16th century began in 1517
when Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk in Wittenberg, Germany
nailed 95 thesis on the door of the Castle Church. His 95 theses were
directed against the evil of indulgences. Roman Catholic leaders were
claiming that if you paid money for a piece of paper that granted you
forgiveness for all of your sins, when you died you would not need to
burn for millions of years in Purgatory, but could go straight to
Heaven.
Martin Luther saw that the idea that one could buy salvation
for money was entirely contrary to the message of grace in the Bible.
In his book entitled The Bondage of the Will, he developed what
Scripture says about our lostness. Since our wills are in bondage to
the Devil, we cannot by ourselves choose for the good. By ourselves,
we would never believe in Jesus Christ. Martin Luther read
Augustine‘s ancient writings and came to see that Augustine thought
quite differently about how one was saved than his contemporary
Roman Catholics.
John Calvin picked up where Martin Luther left off and
clearly developed in his famous Institutes of the Christian Religion
what Scripture teaches about salvation.
Christians, in the Dutch Reformed churches long ago,
expressed the doctrines of grace in the acronym: ―TULIP‖.
T—Total Depravity
U—Unconditional Election

32
 L—Limited Atonement
I—Irresistible Grace
P—Perseverance of the Saints

Through his own profound experience, John Newton

discovered what holy ministers and theologians like Augustine,
Luther, and Calvin had taught, was the teaching of Scripture. In line
with his own experience, John Newton preached TULIP and these
truths are fleshed out in Christian experience in ―Amazing Grace!‖
Since the early 17th century, there have been confessing
Christians who denied the doctrines of Calvinism. They are called
Arminians, after the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius. Arminius
denied Total Depravity, affirming that fallen man still retained a free
will and could do the good work of choosing Christ. He claimed that
election to salvation was conditional on God foreseeing faith in a
man. He claimed that Jesus died for the sins of every man who ever
lived. He believed that, while the Spirit was trying to work in the
hearts of all men who heard the gospel, His grace was resistible.
Arminianism leaves open the door that a true Christian might, by his
free will, choose to fall away from Christ and perish.

I Once Was Blind

John Newton admitted: ―I Once was Blind‖. Are you aware

of the fact that you once were blind? The natural state of every fallen
man is that he is blind as a bat!
Matthew 20:30 tells us that there were two blind beggars:
―And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side.‖ Together, the
blind leading the blind, these two men wandered the Jericho road. The
name of the second man is unknown. Apparently, Bartimaeus was the
more prominent of the two. In the first century, blind Bartimaeus, the
son of Timaeus, had no hope to live a productive life. No one would
give him a job. There was no Braille system, so he couldn't get an
education. As a result, this poor man was reduced to beggary. He was
dependent upon the mercy of travelers for food and clothing. He was
absolutely helpless. His condition was wretched.
The Good Shepherd, Jesus was also walking along the Jericho road,
teaching and looking for two of His lost sheep. One of them was
Bartimaeus. Blind Bartimaeus had a tremendous desire to be healed
by Jesus. As soon as he discovers who is passing by, he cries out to
Jesus for mercy. He confesses that Jesus is the son of David. He

33
believes that Jesus can heal his blindness and by this fact, he reveals
his faith in Jesus. He believes that this Jewish Man in His early 30‘s is
none other than the long-awaited Messiah. He must have known the
ancient Messianic prophecy, in Isaiah 35:4-6:

"Say to them that are of fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:

behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a
recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the
blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall waters
break out, and streams in the desert."

Bartimaeus cries out repeatedly, ―Jesus, thou son of David,

have mercy on me.‖ This blind man‘s desire for sight is such (and his
faith in Jesus is such) that he cries to Jesus for mercy. His desire to
experience the mercy of Jesus is so great that he is willing to be a fool
for Christ. He starts yelling and crying out at the top of his voice.
Since he cannot identify Jesus by sight he needs to rely on Jesus
hearing him.
He is willing to go against public opinion and risk the wrath
of the multitude to be heard by Jesus. Mark 10:48 tells us: ―And many
rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried out the more
a great deal.‖ He makes a scene. The people in the crowd try to quiet
him because he is embarrassing to respectable company. They believe
that this great prophet Jesus has more important things to do than be
bothered by dirty, unclean, smelly blind beggars. Jesus‘ interest must
lie with the respectable crowd of synagogue goers.
It is the glory of Jesus Christ that He is not a respecter of
persons. Jesus stops and asks for Bartimaeus to be brought to Him.
The bystanders cheer up Bartimaeus when they can tell him that Jesus
has asked for him. Mark 10:49 reads: ―Be of good comfort, rise; he
calleth thee.‖
Since Jesus is not a respecter of persons, He saves the lowly
as well as the mighty. In fact, the Apostle Paul wrote that most of the
time Jesus saves the poor and humble. Since Jesus is not a respecter
of persons, in His eyes the attitudes of men do not count. Society
looked down on blind Bartimaeus, but Jesus loved him. Society looks
down on inmates in the jails and penitentiaries, but Jesus loves His
elect inmates.

34
 Jesus asks Bartimaeus: ―What wilt thou that I should do unto
thee?‖ (Mark 10:51) His response is: ―Lord, that I might receive my
sight.‖ (Mark 10:51) To the crowd this is an amazingly impossible
request. Since ancient times, what prophet had ever given a blind man
sight? Not one.
Jesus‘ response was compassionate: ―And Jesus being moved
with compassion‖ (Matthew 20:34). What a blessed Savior, who is so
compassionate towards His own in their blindness and misery!
Jesus says to him: ―Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee
whole‖(Mark 10:52). Notice the importance of faith. Faith is seeing.
This man might be blind, but already he sees in the way that is most
important of all. His eyes have been opened. The Father has drawn
him to Christ. It is far better to be physically blind and be able to see
who Jesus is, than to have 20/20 vision and have the honor of being a
fighter pilot and crash and burn with spiritual blindness.
Jesus reaches over and touches Bartimaeus‘ eyes. His
powerful Divine touch, mixed with His omnipotent words, opens
Bartimaeus‘ eyes. Glorious moment!
These could have been his words:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found!

The truths of TULIP are all revealed in this wonderful Bible

story.
These hymn words can be ours too!
There is evidence in my life that I once was blind. I still do
not have 20/20 vision of spiritual things. This is because I still have
an old man, who is unable to discern any spiritual things. He is legally
blind and can see no traces of light. Because of my old man, my
vision is limited, even though I am a Christian.
My old man functions like blinders on a horse. Blinders were
placed on horses so that they would not shy on bridges or from other
carriages. I have blind spots in theology. I have blind spots about my
weaknesses. I have blind spots about the pervading influence of sin in
my life. I have secret faults about which I am clueless. I am blind to
how often I dishonor God by simply ignoring Him. I am blind to the
spiritual needs of others. I am blind about how badly others need to
be loved by me. I do not see clearly enough for it to impact me, as

35
strongly as it should, that unbelievers around me are on the broad path
that leads to Hell!
I have limited vision of who God is. I know that God is love,
but I hardly comprehend the love of Christ shown to me on the cross.
I have hardly a notion about the love that is going to overflow and
swamp and delight me in Heaven, a Paradise of love. I know that God
is a consuming fire, but from how easily I sin, it is evident that I do
not have the fear of God that I should. I cry out ―Abba, Father‖ at
times, yet I hardly see and experience the reality that the Mighty
Creator is my Abba.
Even with the spectacles of the Holy Spirit, by whom I can
understand and interpret and apply Scripture, my understanding of
Scripture is so limited. I do see, but only through a glass darkly! I live
in hope of the day of my complete healing when I will see as I am
seen. I will see Jesus Christ face to face in all the clarity of His power,
glory and love. But until that day I still grope.

Our Natural Blindness—Total Depravity

My present limited blindness is evidence of a natural

blindness that was more serious than words can express. I was
conceived and born blind—in sin.
John Newton degraded his body by sins of the flesh. He
committed fornication. He degraded other men who also had the
image of God, by treating African slaves like beasts. He was a racist.
He jammed brutalized captives into the hulls of slave ships. He was
foul-mouthed and vocal in his antagonism to the Christian faith.
Jesus means for us to understand that the blindness of
Bartimaeus is a picture of our natural blindness. Jesus‘ miracles
taught truths about the kingdom of heaven.
John Newton uses a parallel phrase to teach the same reality:
―I once was lost‖. This is a terrible lostness. I was totally unable to
find my way back to my Creator against whom I rebelled. I was as
lost and helpless as the sheep in the Parable of the Lost Sheep. The
only way that the sheep can be recovered is by the Shepherd. The
Shepherd goes out to seek and to find the lost sheep. That is what
Jesus Christ needed to do with me. I was helplessly and hopelessly
lost. I was exposed to the great enemy of sheep, the lion. The Devil,
like a roaring lion, was seeking to devour me, and apart from my
mighty Shepherd, the greater David, I would have perished.

36
 Calvinists call this reality of our blindness and lostness ―Total
Depravity.‖ The idea is not that humans are totally depraved in the
sense that they degenerate into irrational, crazy demons—although
there are some men like Hitler and Stalin who stun the mind by their
irrational, demonic wickedness. But the idea is that we are dead in
sin. We are always and only able to sin. The Bible says that whatever
is not done out of faith is sin. We are unable to raise ourselves from
our spiritual grave. Like Lazarus in his tomb, we wait for the call of
the Son of God to raise us from the dead.
The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1: "And you hath he
quickened; who were dead in trespasses and sins." That is the
dreadful reality of our natural condition. We were spiritually dead.
Arminians teach that fallen man has a free will in the sense
that he still has the power to choose to believe in Christ and become a
Christian. According to the Arminians, fallen man is not totally dead,
he is just sick. Jesus teaches differently in John 6:44: "No man can
come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I
will raise him up at the last day."
Being drawn to Jesus is believing in Him. Jesus makes clear
that no fallen man can come to Jesus in faith, unless the Father drags
him. The word ―draw‖ is the same one that is used in the Gospel
accounts for fishermen ―dragging‖ in their nets. It is only Sovereign
grace that makes it possible for any naturally dead sinner to believe in
Jesus.
Imagine, for a moment, that you jumped off the roof of my
house. You would fall some twenty feet and its possible that you
could twist your ankle or break a leg; but you probably would not die.
Now, imagine that you jumped off of the top of the Sear‘s Tower—
you would be graveyard dead! Would it not be folly for me to come
up to you and tell you that you had the power to do something? It is
the same folly to believe that dead sinners can, by themselves, choose
Christ. No, we are dead in trespasses and sin. The reason why anyone
believes in Jesus is because of the mighty grace of God. Faith is a
gift.
It is the grim reality of my natural depravity that makes my
heart want to sing about the wonder of grace! Grace is the glittering
diamond against the black velvet backdrop of my natural blindness.
Apart from grace I would be trapped in my sin and guilt. Because of
my sinfulness I certainly do not deserve to be saved. I deserve
everlasting separation from God in the Lake of Fire.
I once was blind, but now I see!

37
 How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Do you see? I see Jesus Christ as my one and only and

greatest hope. I see him hanging, suffering, and dying on the cross
for my blindness and blind sins. I see the empty grave on Easter
morning. I see the gaping mouths and popped out eyes of the disciples
on Easter night as the Crucified One suddenly appears in their midst. I
see Jesus with hands uplifted ascending into the clouds. I see that the
great load of my sins has been atoned for because of the cross.

Limited Atonement

The reason why I see is not found in myself. The basis for my
seeing is found in the atonement of Jesus. Jesus was my substitute.
He paid the penalty for my sins. I believe because I am one of the
sheep for whom Jesus died. In John 10:11, Jesus teaches that He came
to die for His sheep: "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd
giveth his life for the sheep."
Jesus goes on to clarify who these sheep are. Jesus did not die
for all men head for head. He tells the Pharisees why they do not
believe in Him in John 10:26-27: "But ye believe not, because ye are
not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I
know them, and they follow me."
On His cross, Jesus died for the sins of His sheep. That is
why we call the atonement a Definite or Limited Atonement. Christ
paid for the sins of a definite number of people. He died for His elect
sheep. This was prophesied in Matthew 1:21: ―Thou shalt call his
name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.‖ Jesus came
to save His elect people from their sins. To claim, like the Arminians,
that Jesus died on the cross for all men, is to undermine the very
reality of the atonement. If Jesus paid for the sins of all men, there
can be no possible reason why any man would ever go to Hell. But
the reason why there is a Hell, and the reason why many will enter
Hell by the broad road, is because Christ did not die for them. They
were not His sheep.

Unconditional Election

Why are some God‘s sheep and not others? The answer is
found in sovereign election. God chose me in Jesus Christ from

38
before the foundation of the world. That is the doctrine of
unconditional election. God did not choose me because of anything
good in myself. That is why election is unconditional. God did not
choose some people conditional on seeing good deeds or actions on
their part. My election was unconditional. When I was yet a sinner,
Christ died for me. God did not choose me because I was holy. He
chose me in order to make me holy.
The Apostle Paul tells the Ephesian Christians that the
reason they are Christians is because God eternally chose them to be
His children: "According as he hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame
before him. In love having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will" (Ephesians 1:4,5).

You might think that it would be unjust for God to elect some
and reprobate others. Arminians claim that the reason why someone is
a Christian is because they choose to believe in Jesus by their own
free will. They claim that it would be unfair for God to elect Jacob
and reprobate his twin brother Esau.
Yet, the Apostle Paul writes that God loved Jacob and hated
Esau (Romans 9:13). Mere men have no right to set themselves up in
judgment against the Sovereign God. We may not question why God
has chosen some and not others. If you are a Christian, be humbled by
the doctrine of election. You did not deserve to be saved any more
than the multitude of men who are already perishing in Hell. The
doctrine of election is a humbling doctrine. It is a doctrine that gives
God all of the glory in salvation.
The Apostle Paul takes issue with anyone who takes issue
with God: ―Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?‖
(Romans 9:20) Responding to the perennial objection that it would be
unjust for God to elect some and reprobate others, the Apostle Paul
writes to the Romans, in chapter 9:14-16: "What shall we say then? Is
there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, I
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him
that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."
The Apostle Paul explicitly says that becoming saved is not
the result of any exertion or willing by man. It is the result of God
exercising His right to show mercy to whom He will show mercy.

39
 God is the Potter, says the Apostle Paul, and we are the clay.
He is Sovereign and in His awesome sovereignty has elected some
people to be vessels unto honor, and others to be vessels of wrath
prepared for destruction. (Romans 9:20-23)

Irresistible Grace

My spiritual sight is a miracle of grace! The grace of the Holy

Spirit is irresistible. Could Bartimaeus have resisted the power of the
Holy Spirit when He gave him physical sight? When the Holy Spirit
blows like a mighty wind in the heart of a man to give him the new
birth, can any man resist Him? In John 3:8, Jesus spoke of the
Sovereignty of the Holy Spirit in the new birth: "The wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell
whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of
the Spirit."
Jesus is explaining how anyone is born again. It is not
because a person, by a supposed free will, chooses to believe in
Christ. It is because the Mighty and Invisible Holy Spirit blows into
their lives and recreates them. He then convicts the elect sinner of his
sins and gives him spiritual sight so he can look to the cross of
Calvary for forgiveness.
John Newton places an accent on the powerful grace of the
Holy Spirit in stanza 2:

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Newton pictures grace as a power. Grace is a power that

enabled his heart to fear a holy God. Grace was a power that took
away his fears. By placing the accent on grace as the means by which
he came to fear God and the way by which he experienced the
assurance of salvation, He is honoring God the Holy Spirit. In other
words, God the Holy Spirit did these things by His Almighty power.
The Bible teaches that the reason why someone becomes a
Christian is because the Holy Spirit opens his or her heart. About
Lydia of Thyatira, we are told in Acts 16:14: ―Whose heart the Lord
opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.‖

40
 Romans 8:30 tells us that whom God has chosen in eternity,
He efficaciously calls to faith in Jesus: "Moreover whom he did
predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also
justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
When the Holy Spirit began to work in Newton‘s life, He
transformed the desires of the new convert. Newton now delighted in
holiness. He wanted to trust in Christ and did.
Jesus Christ, by His Spirit, must take the initiative in
salvation for me to be saved. Is that not the point of the miracle of the
healing of Bartimaeus? Did Bartimaeus contribute to his healing? No,
the emphasis is all on Jesus Christ who is the Healer. Likewise Christ,
working through His Spirit, is the reason why I first laid eyes upon
Him in love.

My Response to Amazing Grace

Amazing grace makes my heart to sing!

I want to praise and adore the one who saved me. In Luke
18:43, we are told that Bartimaeus ―followed him, glorifying God.‖
That is what I want to do, and I want to do it for eternity. There is
nothing that delights me like the thought that:
When this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil
A life of joy and peace.

When we‘ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,
We‘ve no less days to sing God‘s praise
Than when we‘ve first begun.

How sweet it is to meditate on the grace of God. His

unmerited gift has changed my life. Life for me is now worth the
living. I will not waste my life living for self. Instead, my life has
meaning—I can serve my Master.
Mark 10:52 tells us that Bartimaeus ―followed him in the
way‖. That is discipleship. Bartimaeus follows Jesus on the Jericho
road.
Does amazing grace inspire your heart to sing?

41
The Perseverance of the Saints

I do not know what the future holds. But I do know this:

Thro‘ many dangers, toils, and snares,

I have already come;
‗Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

John Newton places an emphasis on grace. Grace is like a

power that has enabled me to come safely this far, and not backslide
from the faith. Grace is the power to bring me to my Heavenly home.
This is the sovereign grace of God.
Because of Christ‘s undying, unshakable love for His sheep,
nothing will ever separate us from Him. Jesus says in John 10:28-29:
"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave
them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father‘s hand."
This is the doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints. God
will preserve His saints. Nothing can separate them from His love.
Christ has purchased His elect sheep by His blood, and no devilish
lion can rip them out of his hands.
What a comforting doctrine it is to know that ―Grace will lead
me home.‖
How precious it is to know that God will always care for me.
Listen to these triumphant words of Newton:

The Lord has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

I can face the future. If God is my shield, how can assaults of

the devil, the sinful world, or my old flesh succeed? I am safe in the
arms of the everlasting God!
The doctrines of Total Depravity, Unconditional Election,
Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and the Perseverance of the
Saints, were the truths John Newton believed. In ―Amazing Grace!‖
he celebrates the wonder of the grace of God. Have you also been
wonderstruck by grace so amazing?

42
 4

Solus Christus: Jesus, A

Complete Savior

" I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."

Isaiah 43:11

Christ among other gods

A fourth motto of the Reformation was Solus Christus, which

is Latin for ―Christ alone.‖ This motto celebrated the truth that
Christ‘s sacrifice and merits were sufficient to save His people. The
believer can never add anything himself to bring about his salvation.
The Reformers believed that the works-salvation doctrine of the
Medieval Church denied the sufficiency of Jesus‘ merits. They also
believed that the church had held too optimistic of a view about fallen
human nature. The Reformers preached that Christ was a complete
Savior who had accomplished everything necessary for the
redemption of His people.
We live in a culture where exclusive claims about the way of
salvation are not popular. The American media considers such claims
to be examples of religious intolerance. The popular view is that
different people and different religions have different claims about
salvation and they are all ways back to God. Some think that the way
to salvation is by New Age meditation. Others think that it is by doing
good works. Others rely on the saints or the Virgin Mary.
There is a cultural stampede towards inclusivism. This was
noticeable in the ecumenical worship services held after the terrorist

43
attacks of September 11, 2001. Inclusivism is the idea that the various
world religions are all ways back to God. But the very name of the
Savior, ―Jesus‖, points to Jesus of Nazareth as the only and the
complete and the exclusive Savior of sinners. Jesus alone is Savior.
This is the rich implication of the motto Solus Christus for our day.
No salvation exists in the false prophets of pagan religions. Salvation
is found only in the name of Jesus Christ.
Since the error of inclusivism poses a danger to missionary
motivation, we will examine what the Bible teaches about the
exclusivity of salvation in Jesus Christ.
The majority of mankind considers Christ lightly. He is
treated merely as a Jewish Rabbi who was a great prophet. The
Hindus happily add Jesus to their pantheon. Little do they consider
how blasphemous it is to compare the Son of God incarnate with
idols.
Christ may not be dealt with so lightly. The Bible teaches that
the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity is the Creator,
the Sustainer, and the goal of the creation. Paul writes about Jesus, in
Colossians 1:16-17: "For by him were all things created, that are in
heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were
created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him
all things consist."
Jesus is pre-eminent over the creation as creation‘s God. He
is the Creator of everything in heaven and in earth. Christ made this
vast universe. Therefore, Jesus Christ is supreme in the cosmos.
Jesus Christ is supreme as the Sustainer of the universe. Apart
from Christ‘s will and power, the creation would disintegrate. The
writer of Hebrews 1:3 says it like this: ―And upholding all things by
the word of his power.‖ Paul states in Colossians 1:17: ―by him all
things consist.‖ He upholds the universe. The so-called ―laws of
nature‖ have no independent existence; they are expressions of Jesus‘
will. Scientists have not figured out how atoms hold together, but we
know that Christ does it all. This means that humans, on planet earth,
may not treat Jesus of Nazareth lightly! He is no mere prophet in
Judaism irrelevant for contemporary daily life. He is the God to
whom all must answer.
Jesus is supreme in the creation because the world was
created for His glory. He is the goal of creation. We could translate
what Paul says about Christ, in Colossians 1:16, like this: ―All things
were created by him and toward him.‖

44
 This Jesus Christ, upon whom every single man is dependent
for life and breath, is also the only Savior of elect sinners.
In the Old Testament, God taught that He alone was the
gracious Redeemer. ―I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is
no savior‖ (Isaiah 43:11). Jehovah alone brings Israel through the
Jordan into the Promised Land. They could not have crossed the
flood-swollen waters except by Divine power. No human means
could have led them across the Jordan and to victory over Jericho and
other weighty enemies.
This teaching that ―salvation cannot be found in anyone else‖
is evident in the ―I am‖ statements of Jesus, as recorded in the Gospel
of John. Jesus states that He is the bread of life, the light of the world,
the gate, the way and the truth and the life, and the true vine. In Acts
4:12, Peter proclaimed: ―Neither is there salvation in any other: for
there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved.‖
The Heidelberg Catechism teaches that salvation is found in
Christ alone. The last part of answer 29 states: ―We ought not to seek,
neither can find salvation in any other.‖ Question and Answer 30
reads: "Do such then believe in Jesus the only Savior, who seek their
salvation and welfare of saints, of themselves, or anywhere else?
They do not; for though they boast of Him in words, yet in deeds they
deny Jesus the only deliverer and Savior; for one of these two things
must be true, either that Jesus is not a complete Savior, or that they
who by a true faith receive this Savior must find all things in Him
necessary to their salvation."
The Catechism uses strong language. The person who claims
that Jesus is Savior and yet seeks salvation in one‘s own good works
denies the cross. He denies the sufficiency of Jesus‘ atonement and
merits to save His people.
The Catechism mentions three competitors with finding
salvation in Christ. ―Do such then believe in Jesus the only Savior,
who seek their salvation and welfare of saints, of themselves, or
anywhere else?‖ At the time of the sixteenth century Reformation,
praying to saints played a major place in the religious practices of the
Roman Catholic Church. Many Protestants had prayed to saints and
venerated their relics and images before they embraced the
evangelical doctrines of the Reformation. The Roman Catholic
Church continues to sanction prayers to saints and recommends that
the ―faithful‖ honor their relics and images. Saints are considered

45
specialists in certain areas: ―Anne grants riches, Sebastian wards off
pestilence, Valentine heals epilepsy and George protects knights.‖
The Reformer, Philip Melanchthon said: ―The fact of the
matter, is that in popular estimation the blessed Virgin has completely
replaced Christ…Men have invoked her, trusted in her mercy, and
sought through her to appease Christ, as though he were not a
proprietor but only a terrible judge and avenger.‖
Melanchthon argued: ―Our whole knowledge of Christ
disappears if we seek out other mediators besides Christ and put our
trust in them.‖
The Catechism with holy logic says: Either Jesus is a
complete and perfect Savior or He is not. If He is not, we are in great
trouble—for the Catechism has taught the profound nature of fallen
man‘s sin and misery.
John Calvin said: "We see that our whole salvation and all its
parts are comprehended in Christ [Acts 4:12]. We should therefore
take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If
we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is
―of him‖ [I Cor. 1:30]. If we see any other gifts of the Spirit, they will
be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion;
if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth….If
we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his
condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross [Gal. 3:13]."
Reluctance to accept salvation by grace alone is one of the
most surprising characteristics of helpless sinners. The only effective
cure for our deadly misery has been proclaimed worldwide. Yet,
human ingenuity and pride repeatedly attempts to invent alternative
self-help remedies. History records a long series of attempts to look
for salvation in other places but Calvary.
Recognizing the demonic inventiveness of sinful human
ingenuity, the authors of the Catechism added the phrase ―or
anywhere else.‖ Today, there is the New Age Movement. All false
messiahs are immediately recognizable by the fact that they do not
save from sin. The Scriptures do not point us to the saints for help.
They point us to Jesus Christ. It is true that, in Hebrews 11, the saints
are held up as examples of faith. But the object of our faith is Jesus
Christ: ―Let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith‖ (Hebrews
12:1b-2a).
Today, people say—you have your faith and I have my faith.
John Piper has pointed out how the events of September 11

46
unleashed, in the Christian community, a tidal wave not only of
compassion, but also of cowardice. Prominent Roman Catholics and
Rabbis got together and issued a proclamation on evangelism—
calling for the end of Jewish missions.
Christian clergy claimed to speak in the name of tolerance
when they decry ―Solus Christus‖. Muslims cry for tolerance—yet
today, many Islamic countries are viciously intolerant of Christians—
executing and killing them. We, as Christians, believe in tolerance in
the sense of never using naked force against unbelievers—we do not
believe in killing for Christ, as radical Moslems do for Allah.
John Piper is right to teach that all religious tolerance will end
because Christ will come. Christ alone is supreme and absolute in
power and justice; He alone is the final end of tolerance. John Piper
says: ―Since the wrath of Jesus will consign to everlasting punishment
all who do not obey the gospel, therefore we must give place to wrath,
and love our enemies. Since Christ alone, crucified-for-sinners, has
the final right to kill his religious enemies, therefore Christianity will
spread not by killing for Christ, but by dying with Christ—that others
might live.‖
How important it is to trust in Christ alone for salvation!

Jesus is a Particular Savior

To His people, Jesus is Savior. The angels said that He would

save His people from their sins. He is called ―Jesus‖ because He has
people who need salvation. The name ―Jesus‖ speaks of saving! He
didn‘t come to reward good men for good works. He is Jehovah
Savior because He came to save sinners!
There is a ring of sovereignty in these words ―His people.‖
Jesus is King. His people belong to Him. They are Emmanuel‘s
people. They are the elect whom the Father eternally gave to the
Christ in the decree of election. They are the chosen ones who, out of
His sovereign good pleasure, the Potter predestinated unto life and
glory. They do not include the reprobate. They are Jesus‘ sheep. He
has them numbered and knows them by name.
Jesus saves His elect. Those who teach Arminianism disgrace
Christ by implying that he is merely a potential Savior. In saying He
has died for everyone, they claim men, with their free wills, can save
themselves by believing in Christ.

47
 Jesus is the real and concrete Savior. When He died on
the cross, Jesus took the sins of His people upon Himself—and
He actually saved them. Not one of them will go to Hell.

Salvation is Found in no other Name than Jesus

After Jesus‘ resurrection and ascension, Peter performed a

miracle of healing in the name of the risen Christ. The Jewish
Sanhedrin asked him: ―By what power, or by what name, have ye
done this?‖ The question might imply a suspicion of some occult or
forbidden means, but Peter makes clear that he did not do it by his
own power or by any occult name.
Peter mentions the explosive and controversial name—Jesus.
―Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God
raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before
you whole‖ (Acts 4:10). He throws down the gauntlet of the gospel
with uncompromising clarity. This marvelous act of healing was done
in the name and power of Jesus of Nazareth.
Christ‘s disciples responded to their persecutors by
confessing Jesus with daring and aggressiveness. Peter was
unflinchingly personal: ―Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye
crucified‖(Acts 4:10). Peter hurled the act of murdering Jesus at them
like a flaming spear. The charge seemed outrageous that the leading
court of the Jews would crucify the Messiah!
Peter confessed that there was healing power in the name of
Jesus of Nazareth; and Christ is alive and powerful. That this miracle
was done in the name of Christ means that Christ did it.
Jesus Christ is the only source of healing for sick sinners. In
using Peter to heal the lame man in the temple, the ascended Lord
Jesus made a point about all sinful humans. Naturally, we are
spiritually lame.
In your sin, you are as helpless in the sight of God as that
lame man. Not only is Jesus the source of physical healing, but He is
also the source of spiritual healing. Deliverance from the devastating
consequences of sin is only possible through Jesus Christ.
In an Old Testament passage, sickness and sin are equated:
―And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell
therein shall be forgiven their iniquity‖ (Isaiah 33:24) True salvation
comes from Jesus alone

48
 Peter made a stupendous claim about Jesus: ―Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men, whereby we must be saved‖ (Acts 4:12). It is
either Christ or judgment! Christ or Hell! What amazing
aggressiveness! Peter brooks no compromise. Christ is the One
Mediator between God and men. (I Tim. 2:5) In this One Name, by
which the lame man had been enabled to jump to his feet, is where the
salvation of spiritual Israel is inextricably bound up.
Oh, how the world hates such statements! If you want to be
ridiculed or hated, testify to the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ. Say
that Jesus is the only Savior, and that only by believing in Him, can
one escape Hell.
Why did Peter insist upon this? Doesn‘t it sound so narrow
and exclusive? Yes, it is exclusive. The exclusivism of Christianity
goes against the grain of our religiously pluralistic society. We preach
an exclusive Christ in an inclusive age. How dare we insist that ours
is the only one?
We dare because the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the
Sole Savior of sinners. Jesus Christ also generously died for a great
number of human beings—the spiritual seed of Abraham which
number as many as the stars in the sky and the sand by the seashore.
Christ fully accomplished the redemption of all His sheep by His
perfect life and bitter sufferings.
Therefore, we do not need to do good works to save
ourselves. First, we cannot save ourselves by doing our own
imperfect works because they are tainted by sin. They will not stand
up in court before a perfectly righteous Judge. Second, the only way
that we could pay for our own sin would be by suffering forever in
Hell.
If sinners like us should be saved—it is only because of what
Christ has done. Therefore, we joyfully confess that Christ Alone is
Savior and that Christ Alone can save me.

49
50
 5

Soli Deo Gloria:

Glorifying God Alone in
All Things
“If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man
minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in
all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
I Peter 4:11

The last of the mottos of the Reformation was ―Soli Deo

Gloria‖, which is Latin for: ―To God Alone be the Glory.‖ This was
such a theme, in the theology of John Calvin, that he was called
―Theologian of the Glory of God.‖ The Reformers were dazzled by
the glory of God revealed in the gospel of grace. Centuries of soot—
false teaching and scholastic theology—had deformed the church‘s
understanding of God and His grace. The Holy Spirit enlightened the
minds of Luther and Calvin—and the soot was washed away. They
were amazed by the glorious grace of the God revealed in Scripture.
This motto also reveals the chief end of man—to glorify God
when He meditates on the God of creation and God of redemption. It
was especially the Reformer‘s understanding of God‘s work in
salvation that led them to give glory to God alone for their salvation.
It is utter hypocrisy to be proud about being a Protestant if your daily
life is not characterized by a living out of this motto: ―To God alone

51
be the Glory.‖ This motto comes from the Bible and is a theme that
runs throughout. In the Old Testament, God delivers Israel from
Egypt and from her enemies for His great glory. In the New
Testament, we find the Apostle Paul repeatedly exhorting Christians
not to glory in self but to glorify God. Paul writes: "He that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord" (I Cor. 1:31). He also says:
"Therefore let no man glory in men" (I Cor. 3:21). Another time Paul
writes: "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do
all to the glory of God" (I Corinthians 10:31).
In the German translation of a Bible text that dealt with
justification, Martin Luther added the word ―alone‖ after the word
―faith‖; so that it read: ―justified by faith alone.‖ He defended the
addition of the word ―alone‖ by saying that this was indeed the sense
of the Apostle Paul. The King James Version does not have the word
―alone‖ in the phrase ―that God in all things may be glorified‖ (I Peter
4:11b) but the sense is certainly—that God alone is to be glorified in
all things.
In I Peter 4:11, the Apostle Peter does not begin by glorifying
God himself, but he tells us that the motive in our speaking and
serving needs to be the glory of God. First, he is saying that all
Christians should glorify God because the glory belongs to Him. In
the text, the word ―glory‖ is used twice, ―glorified‖ twice, and
―glorify‖ is used once. This word always comes from the Greek word
from which we get ―doxology‖. Literally, the Greek word translated
―glory‖ can mean, ―praise.‖ To glorify God is to honor, praise, and
magnify Him. When we worship God, we glorify Him. You glorify
God when you exalt Him: ―Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship
at his footstool; for he is holy‖ (Psalm 99:5). But when we speak
about God being glorious we mean that from God His exalted
greatness and awful holiness shines forth.
God is glorious. His glory is the display of the splendor of
His inherent purity and greatness. God‘s glory conceals, from us, the
glorious essence of God that no man can see and live. God‘s Being
radiates glory and light. Because of our smallness, we cannot
comprehend the Being of God—much less enter His light. Moses saw
the afterglow of the glory of God. Moses saw, as it were, the back of
God. Moses saw only an outward manifestation of God—His
backside. We will never see God's total essence—although God
shows something of Himself and His glory to us. Sometimes the word
―glory‖ is used to talk about Heaven because the Lamb is the light of
Heaven and the shining forth of God‘s attributes fills Heaven. The

52
righteous will reflect the glory of God forever; they will shine like
stars!
It is very important for us to understand that we do not make
God glorious. God‘s glory is unchangeable. We cannot increase His
glory since it is and always will be infinite. Yet, the recognition of
God‘s glory is to be increased. That is the calling of our lives. More
and more we are to grow in our acknowledgment of the glory of God.
God saved us for worship! God‘s purpose in election and redemption
was the glorification of His name. He wanted His name to be
acknowledged as wonderful and weighty. The Apostle Paul writes
that God predestinated us ―That we should be to the praise of his
glory‖ (Eph. 1:12).
Jesus Christ possesses a glory that will one day be revealed:
―that, when his glory shall be revealed‖ (I Peter 4:13). Jesus‘ glory is
the splendor of His Deity. The Apostle John testifies to the fact that
the disciples saw flashes of the divine glory of the Word. ―And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth‖ (John 1:14). When Jesus reappears with all the angels of God,
all the glory of the Deity will shine forth in His human nature.
Saints have experienced the glory of God. Habakkuk tells us:
―God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah.
His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise‖
(Habakkuk 3:3). The prophet‘s response was: ―When I heard, my
belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into
my bones, and I trembled in myself‖ (Habakkuk 3:16).
For Isaiah, confronting the Lord of glory was a profoundly
threatening event. ―Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man
of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips:
for mine eyes have seen the king, the LORD of hosts‖ (Isa. 6:5).
Isaiah saw a scene too profound for words. He was given a vision of
the holiness and glory of God. He saw seraphim—a type of angel
extolling the holiness of God. These holy seraphim cover their faces
with one pair of their wings. Such is the glory of God that the
seraphim cry: ―Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole
earth is full of his glory.‖
God is glorious as Creator, and is glorious in His holiness and
sovereignty. Our minds reel when we think of God as Creator. Our
imaginations cannot grasp the number of stars and their great size. If
we cannot conceive the unfathomable depths of outer space—how
much more are we left mentally numb and dizzy when we consider

53
the God who calls the stars all by name! God shows something of His
wisdom through visible, created things.
God is glorious in His holiness. The Psalmist states: ―Let
them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy‖ (Psalm 99:3).
God is light and there is no moral impurity in Him. Who can
comprehend the glory of the thrice-holy God?
God is glorious in His supremacy. ―The LORD reigneth; let
the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubim; let the earth be
moved‖ (Psalm 99:1). God is exalted in His kingly majesty. He
wields absolute power over the universe—for good. God is to be
feared: ―Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?‖
(Revelation 15:4) God is glorious in the splendor of His much
perfection. We live in a universe where His righteousness will cause
justice to triumph. He is the God who is love. He is unchanging and
timeless. He is merciful and compassionate.
We must more and more acknowledge this God, who is
glorious, and give Him more glory. Glorifying God means that we
praise Him and acknowledge His dominion.
Peter, expressing his feelings, is moved to glorify God with a
doxology: ―to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen‖ (I Peter 4:11b). In the next chapter, he repeats: ―To him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen‖ (I Peter 5:11). Peter
tells us when and how often we should recognize the glory of God.
God is to be glorified in all things and in every respect. The Bible is
very precise. One theologian makes the point that God is to be
glorified in the eating of Doritos. Now that might seem trite, but the
point is that we have motives in doing everything that we do. The
Bible is clear that there is no part of life that is non-religious. When
we do something, as basic as sitting down to eat or to drink, we are to
honor and thank God. Glorifying God in ―all things‖ means that we
do so in every word and every deed. Remember, we will be judged
for every little word we speak—because God expects that every little
word to be for His glory.
God is to be constantly glorified. When Peter writes, ―that
God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ,‖ the verb
―glorified‖ is in the present. We could translate it like this: ―in order
that God might be constantly glorified.‖
Whatever power we have to serve, Christ alone bestows it on
us. He is the Branch—apart from whom we can do nothing. (John
15:1-5) It is only by Christ‘s power and Spirit that we are able to
glorify God.

54
 Three of the Solas of the Reformation show why God alone
deserves glory. These three Solas have to do with sovereign and free
grace. They are—Christ Alone, Grace Alone, and Faith Alone. Christ
Alone celebrates that salvation is fully accomplished by Jesus Christ
and Him Alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement are
sufficient for our justification and reconciliation with God. All things
were created by the Son of God and for the glory of the Son of God.
The Son of God accomplished our redemption for the glory of the
Holy Trinity. If any good works that we do earn salvation—then
Christ is not Sole Savior.
Grace Alone rescues us from spiritual death. Salvation is a
free gift and undeserved. Grace is grace because it is mercy shown by
a Sovereign Potter—showing mercy on whom He chooses to show
mercy.
Faith Alone celebrates that we are justified by faith alone.
Our justification does not rest on any merit found in our good works.
Our righteousness is imputed to us from the sinless, righteous
Mediator, through the instrument of faith. Faith in Christ is a gift of
God. It is by this gift alone that God pronounces us innocent.
Therefore, salvation is all of God; and He deserves all the glory.
We glorify God by speaking the truth of God as recorded in
the inerrant Scriptures. Peter writes: ―If any man speak, let him speak
as the oracles of God‖ (I Peter 4:11a). As evident in the context, Peter
is not primarily addressing preachers. He is addressing ordinary
Christians telling them to be sober, watchful and hospitable. The
word ―minister,‖ that is used later in I Peter 4:11, does not refer to
preachers—but to serving. Next, Peter does not write ―If any preacher
speak‖—but ―If any man speak.‖ Peter clearly applies this truth to all
Christians. He wants His ―beloved‖ (vs. 12) to speak for the glory of
God. In order to speak for the glory of God, we need to ―speak as the
oracles of God‖ (I Peter 4:11a). This does not refer to a new
revelation like the Greeks expected from Apollo, rather the word
―oracles‖ simply means ―utterances.‖
The Reformers reflect what Peter wrote when they spoke
about Sola Scriptura. God-breathed, inerrant Scripture is the sole
source of truth that can bind the conscience. The Bible is the final
authority on the truth about God, man, and salvation.
No human tradition or church council can bind a Christian‘s
conscience. It is only the truth about Jesus Christ that is revealed in
Scripture that glorifies God. Lies about Christ, men and salvation rob
God of His glory. Therefore, when we speak on God‘s behalf, we

55
must speak the truth and uphold the Scriptures—utterances of God.
That is why every Christian needs to hear Bible based sermons, and
read and study Scripture for himself. He needs to be able to apply
God‘s word to his situation in life and that of others and give God the
glory.
We are to exercise our spiritual gifts for the glory of God.
Peter wrote: ―As every man hath received the gift, even so minister
the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of
God‖ (I Peter 4:10). Speaking God‘s word, and serving others are the
gifts Peter mentions in verse 9.
Glorifying God means that we praise Him and acknowledge
His dominion. Daily, we tend to exercise gifts for self-glory. We use
gifts and talents and money to benefit ourselves. God gives us gifts so
that His glory would shine forth in personal relationships and in our
work. He intends that He would be honored as the Giver of every
perfect gift. God glorifies Himself by giving gifts that build up the
church in knowledge, love, and faith. The intent is that the gifts would
help point people to the glorious God of all grace.
We are to glorify God in all things—even and especially in
suffering. Christian suffering is a dominant theme in Peter's first
epistle. He is preparing Christians to endure suffering for Christ‘s
sake. He sets before them the example of Christ ―Who also suffered
for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps‖ (I Peter
2:21). The example of Christ is one of suffering unjustly—he ―did no
sin, neither was guile found in his mouth‖ (I Peter 2:22). Even more,
He tells us about how the personally innocent and perfect Jesus
suffered crucifixion. ―Who his own self bare our sins in his own body
on the tree‖ (I Peter 2:24a). To those early Christians, Peter writes:
―For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall
take it patiently? But if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, yet take it
patiently, this is acceptable with God‖ (I Peter 2:20). They were not
to consider it strange or odd when they were persecuted. Nero was
coming to power.
We too, should expect persecution and to us Peter writes:
―Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let
him glorify God on this behalf‖ (vs. 16). One is to glorify God that he
is allowed to suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ! One might feel shame
when he experiences the social disgrace and embarrassment of being
hauled into court, but we, as Christians, could hold our heads high.
While persecutors mock Jesus and us, we are to glorify His name: ―on

56
their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified‖ (I Peter
4:14).

The Blessings of Living for the Glory of God

As we glorify God alone even in times of persecution, we

will be given a deep assurance of our salvation. First, we will have
our union with Christ impressed upon us: ―But rejoice, inasmuch as
ye are partakers of Christ‘s sufferings‖ (I Peter 4:13). The church
shares in Jesus‘ suffering. Not that the church shares in paying for her
sins or adds to the work of Christ; but God has ordained that the body
of Christ should suffer a certain amount before the end comes. When
we are persecuted for the name of Jesus, we should sense how we are
identified with and united to Christ. The Bible relates suffering now
for Christ with being glorified, in the future, with Him. So, suffering
is evidence of union with Christ. Those who suffer now because of
their union with Christ will one day be glorified with Christ.
Second, as we glorify God in all things, He gives us the
wonderful assurance that the Spirit of glory indwells us. Peter calls
the Holy Spirit the ―spirit of glory and of God‖. Our desire to glorify
God is evidence of the indwelling Spirit who enables and inspires us
to glorify God. The Holy Spirit is glorious Himself—being Almighty
God. What a privilege and honor it is to be the temple of the Holy
Spirit! The Holy Spirit is an earnest—a down payment that we belong
to Christ.
As we live solely for the glory of God we can know that we
will soon happily share in Christ‘s glory. Peter writes: ―That, when
his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy‖
(I Peter 4:13b). The Apostle Paul teaches that we, Christians, will be
glorified! ―And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also
glorified together‖ (Romans 8:17). Being glorified means that we will
be made perfectly holy. God will give to us the ―crown of glory‖. We
will live in the dwelling place of God—a city that shimmers with the
glory of God. The Son of God leads us through suffering to blessed
participation of heavenly glory.
The Apostle Peter writes, at the beginning of the next chapter,
that he is personally ―also a partaker of the glory that shall be
revealed‖ (I Peter 5:1). Peter tells us that glory includes: ―An
inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you‖ (I Peter 1:4). Instead of hanging our head,

57
we will lift up a radiant face to Jesus Christ. When we contemplate
the glory we shall inherit with Christ, we are unable to refrain from
exulting, jubilating, and shouting with delight. Unbounded joy awaits
the faithful. The revelation of the glory of Christ will fill us with
delight and joy for all eternity—for in His presence there is fullness
of joy.
Charles Wesley‘s well-known hymn captures the euphoria we
experience when we think of Jesus‘ return in glory.
Rejoice, the Lord is King
Your Lord and King adore;
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

58