The Five Solas of the Reformation: Sola Gratia

I don’t deserve this.

In Lakatu village in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea.

A man by the name of Rex Krisai accepts Jesus as his personal Saviour and wants to be baptised and give His life to Him.

In August 2010, the Lakatu SDA Church organised an evangelistic meeting with volunteer missionary Tango.

However, war cries and gunshots forced them to cancel the event and the violence began to escalate with homes and properties were being destroyed leaving displaced families and forcing the SDA Church to close.

During this time of violence, someone was murdered in the church. It was the brother of Allan Kivita and the village and church was in morning at their loss.

The murderer escaped and got away running into the jungle for 9 years. His name was Rex Krisai and in 2019 he would give his life to Jesus through baptism.

Rex was convicted by an evangelistic meeting that was held in 2019 that before he was going to be baptised he made a plea to the Kivita family.

“Before I go into the water for baptism, I’d like to sincerely say sorry from my heart. Please forive me for the evil I did to you. Minister Tango, Kivita family and church family. I’m changed by the blood of Jesus, have accepted His sacrifice, and I’m ready to baptism.”

Allan Kivita, the brother of the deceased, publicly forgave Rex leading the village pursue reconciliation.

Allan said to Rex “On behalf of my family, I forgive you for all those evils you did, and wish you God’s blessings as you affirm your decision through the water of baptism.”

Not only was there joy in heaven, but there was great joy in the village for a family had lost a brother 9 years ago and now has regained a brother in Jesus.

As you take the time to contemplate this amazing story, do you think Rex deserved to be forgiven for murder? If you were in Allan’s shoes would you have forgiven Rex?

Now, I am not here to make judgement on Rex, and I don’t want you making judgement on Rex either or on Allan, the reason for making you answer the question beforehand was to help you realise this very simple word that we will be exploring together.

The word that I am talking about is ‘grace’, grace isn’t only a prayer that we make before we eat, grace is everything that we receive from God for our salvation.

But let’s go deep into this word grace and why the Reformers and Protestants felt the need to make Sola Gratia a foundational doctrine for Protestant Christians.

Sola Gratia by Grace Alone.

So ‘grace’ theologically speaking is described as unearned and undeserved favour of God towards humanity or as an individual.

It’s through grace that we receive salvation, forgiveness of sins and empowerment to live a righteous life.

You see, even though we have faith in God, faith in God isn’t an expectation of salvation, that is, by believing in God doesn’t mean that we will have salvation, and I know you might question me on this. But, remember what Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21–23 NLT

21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Does this reveal that believing in God grants you salvation? No, so faith in God isn’t an expectation of salvation. But it is the grace of God that salvation is given to those who have faith.

Does that make sense to you? God’s gift to His people is salvation (or leading to salvation) which we don’t deserve and didn’t earn. I mean, why should we be saved? What have we done to earn the right to be with Jesus in heaven?

So, Sola Gratia, grace alone, is a gift from God to help us as individual and as a church family to be saved. Saved from our sin, saved from the evil of the world and saved from the evil one.

But even in the Christian world, the doctrine of Sola Gratia is misunderstood and worth exploring how this doctrine came about.

Catholics, Protestants and Adventism.

With our dear Catholics, it all goes back to works, in order for you to receive salvation and grace, you will need to have good works and grace is a merit that you will receive.

It’s always about works, that will receive grace that will lead to salvation.

Although there is nothing wrong with works, It’s always good to do good works, but this does not result in salvation. It is through grace through faith that we receive the gift of salvation.

As Paul puts it simply:

Ephesians 2:8–9 NASB95

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Now, you noticed that I added Protestants and Adventism, because even some Protestants have it wrong as well.

To our Calvinist brothers, they believe in grace but they also believe that if God has saved you by His grace then you are saved for life.

Meaning, you don’t have to go about living a holy life because you’re already saved and that is God’s grace to you.

But for Adventists and many other Protestant denomination, we believe that Sola Gratia is a gift from God that cannot be earned through human effort or merit. We believe it is through God’s grace that individuals are saved.

We do acknowledge that good works are important, as we mentioned last week, good works are a by product of our faith and it is through faith that we receive the gift of salvation by God’s grace.

So, let’s make sense of all this so far.

The solas come alive!

Sola Scriptura reveals that:

Acts 4:12 NLT

12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Only in Sola Christus are we saved, yet Scripture reveals to us how we can be saved in Jesus:

John 3:16 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Then, Sola Fide can save us in Jesus, because according to:

John 1:14 NKJV

14 And the Word became 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.

In Jesus do we find that He is full of grace and truth. That Jesus is our Sola Gratia, the gift of God to humanity and the gift of salvation.

How will you respond?

Going back to the story of Rex and the Kivita family. What he did to them prior to his baptism was terrible. The family had ever right to throw the book at him and send him to jail.

This man is a murderer, but because he found Jesus and put his faith in Him. He found God’s gift, He found God’s grace and before He could give His life to Jesus.

He wanted to set things right with the family he wronged. He wanted to ask their forgiveness for his actions 9 years ago, and it was by their grace and through God’s grace, Rex found forgiveness and redemption because of his faith in Jesus.

Titus 2:11–14 NLT

11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

God’s grace, we don’t deserve it and we can’t earn it, yet it is available to us as a gift from God to help us in our salvation.

Hebrews 4:16 NLT

16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Friends, isn’t grace amazing? It’s like being gifted unlimited money for because we had faith. Not to encourage prosperity gospel.

But, God is willing to bless us with His grace, are we willing to be blessed by His grace?

God is willing to save us by all means necessary, are we willing to be saved by Him?

Why not give grace a go? Why not come boldly to His throne of grace and experience the grace the Lord has bestowed upon you