The first thing I want to do is get a supposed contradiction out of the way. "Sola" means "Alone," and yet, we have five of them? Five "alones"? How can they be alone if there are five of them? Here's how it works. According to Scripture Alone, we are justified by Grace Alone, through Faith alone, in Christ alone, for the Glory of God alone. They are each alone in doing what they do, but together there are five of them.
In a way, Soli Deo Gloria is the single doctrine that sits behind, flows through, and is affirmed by all of the other Solas and the Five Points of Calvinism. Some would say it is the heart of reformed theology. When God's word is the only authority, God gets all the glory. When salvation is by Grace through Faith and not of works (or anything else man does), then God gets all the glory. If saving power belongs to Christ alone, then God gets all the glory when an individual is saved. The five points of Calvinism also follow this theme (but we'll see that some other time).
The Reformers put forth Soli Deo Gloria as the reason why God does what He does. Why did He create the universe? Why did He create humans? Why did He send His Son? The answer is "for His glory." All things that exist (especially humans), exist for the purpose of bringing God glory, and all things that happen (yes, even bad things), happen for the purpose of bringing God glory.
Now, most Christians would agree with Soli Deo Gloria, to some extent. Non-Reformed Christians say it all the time. They don't have a problem with giving God glory. So I'm not going to go into all of the verses throughout the Bible that talk about giving God glory (I couldn't fit the book of Psalms in a single blog post, haha). Despite the agreement most Christians have with this doctrine, there are parts that they (sometimes unconsciously) disagree with. Specifically, in regards to salvation.
I'll give it to you straight: only the Reformed model of salvation ensures that God gets all the glory. All other models, some way or another, steal some of God's glory. This is why I am as passionate about Reformed Theology as I am. It's not because I like to argue, and this isn't just nit-picking or hairsplitting. This is God's Glory we're talking about. Our sole purpose here on earth. This is big. This is worth division.
So how do other models of salvation "steal" God's glory? The main reason is that they are conditional. God saves you based on something you do. Whether your good works (Catholicism), or your future faith (Conditional Election, from Arminianism), They teach that God looks at you and sees that you have done or will do something to earn, merit, or deserve salvation, even if it's faith. And then, based on this thing we do, He saves us. In that way, we get credit. We earned it. It was us. We had to add to Christ's work on the cross in order for us to be saved. God couldn't have done it without us. We get the glory for what God has done. I'm sorry, but I can't help but see that as theft.
The Reformed model is not like this at all (I want to say "the Biblical model" but I think that's laying it on a little thick). God doesn't save us based on anything we do or will do (Unconditional Election). Why does God save people? Not because He's obligated to, or because we deserve it, or because we asked Him to, etc.. God saves people for the sole purpose of His glory, and therefore, God should receive all the glory when somebody is saved.
This idea is affirmed throughout scripture.
Ephesians 1:3-12 says
"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory."Here we see over and over that God does what He does according to His will, according to the riches of His Grace, according to His good pleasure, according to His purpose, according to the counsel of His will. Not based on anything we do or will do. It should be clear then who it is that deserves all the glory:
God.
Soli Deo Gloria!
