Solus Christus, Part 1

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I've been very busy of late, having gone on a road trip to Montana and back for Christmas, and now absorbed with the challenges of the new year. Excuses aside, it's high time I finished our journey through the Five Solas.

Today we'll be taking a look at Solus Christus (AKA Solo Christo), which means "Christ Alone."

The Reformers denied any form of salvation or absolution of sins that was given or accomplished by any person other than Christ alone. At the time, the Catholics taught the Church could grant you absolution from your sins (via indulgences, for example), and that the Virgin Mary could intercede on our behalf, acting as a mediator between us and God, and other similar ideas. The reformers responded with the doctrine of Solus Christus, Christ Alone: salvation is accomplished through the work of Christ, not by the intercession of the Church, Saints, or the Virgin Mary, and certainly not by our own works.

Catholic ideas are not the only ones challenged by Solus Christus. Some people believe that you're automatically saved if your parents are saved. Some people believe that you can be saved by trusting in other gods. Some people believe that salvation is all up to yourself and your works. The Reformers denied all these beliefs, affirming that Salvation lies in the person and actions of Christ Alone: not in your parentage, not in other gods, not in your actions.

Clearly, this doctrine ruffles a lot of feathers. But we'll deal with ruffled feathers later. The important question to ask is this: is Solus Christus biblical? You already know I'm going to say 'yes,' but don't take my word for it. Look at the verses for yourselves!

John 14:6 says:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Acts 4:12 says:

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

1 Timothy 2:5-6 says:

"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all..."

1 John 5:12 says:

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

These are only 4 passages, but I shouldn't need more. They make things crystal clear. Nobody else can save you, nobody else can intercede between God and man, nobody else can absolve your sins, nobody but Jesus. And if you think about it, that just makes sense, since nobody else took on the sins of the world but Christ, and therefore, nobody can save but Christ alone.

Stay tuned for the next post, which will take on the arguments against the doctrine of Solus Christus.