Sola Gratia: Salvation by Grace Alone

1. The Meaning of Sola Gratia – What Is Grace?

Scriptural Basis: Ephesians 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Theological Emphasis: Grace (gratia) is God’s unmerited favor toward sinners. It is entirely His initiative, not something we earn or deserve.

Historical Reflection: The Reformers emphasized sola gratia in opposition to the medieval Catholic teaching that grace cooperates with human effort (via sacraments, indulgences, or penance).

Application: We must resist self-reliance and recognize that even our faith is a gift from God, leading us to humility and gratitude.

2. The Necessity of Grace – Why Do We Need It?

Scriptural Basis: Romans 3:23-24

Romans 3:23–24 NKJV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Theological Emphasis: Every person is spiritually dead in sin (Eph. 2:1). No amount of moral effort, good works, or religious observance can make us right before God.

Before I try to prove that point, listen to this poem from John Donne from the 15-1600’s.

“Adam sinned and I suffer,

I forfeited before I had any possession or could claim any interest.

I had a punishment before I had a being,

And God was displeased with me before I was I.

I was built up scarce fifty years ago in my mother’s womb

and I was cast down almost 6,000 years ago in Adam’s loins

I was born in the last age of the world, and died in the first

How and how justly do we cry out against a man who has sold a town or sold an army,

and Adam sold the world.”

Adam’s position as humanities representative.

What we learn in Genesis is that God created Adam and Eve to serve and obey Him by having children, taking dominion over the Earth, and maintaining the purity of Eden in obedience to His word. It was told Adam that he must not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or they would surely die. Well, as you and I know, he disobeyed, ate the fruit, and God pronounced a death sentence to them. And what we find is that it isn’t just Adam that now is a sinner, but we see it in Cain, and then the Sethites in Genesis 6, and so on all men fall.

In Romans 5:12, Paul picks up on this fall and explains that this isn’t because Adam was just a really bad example, but because Adam was our king and when Adam fell, the kingdom of man fell with him into sin. He writes,

Romans 5:12 NKJV

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

So, when we think of Cain’s sin, Lamech’s sin, the world’s sinfulness, the fall of Noah, David, Solomon, you and me. It’s not because of wicked world systems, or because our teachers are bad. It’s because at our very core, we are sinners. Yes, worldly influence might influence the depth of our demeanor towards sin, but at our core we are all slanted to sinfulness anyway.

Psalm 51:5 NKJV

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

David is not telling us that his mother conceived him in a sinful act of adultery or fornication, but is confessing that at our nature, we are sinful men. Now, how deep does this infestation of sin go?

The Extent of Sin’s Reach

The Emotions

Jeremiah 17:9 NKJV

9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Thomas Watson said this about the heart, “It is a lesser hell. In the heart are legions of lust, hardness, hypocrisy, sinful desires; it boils as the sea with passion and revenge. ‘Madness is in their heart while they live.’ Eccl. 9:3. The heart is the devil’s shop or workhouse, where all mischief is framed.”

And so, in line with what is presented by Watson, within our hearts are, as Calvin said are, “idol making factories” and what is being brought up here is that upon the very core of our being sits a lust for sinfulness. We love it, we crave it, it is the water we drink and the air that we long to breath. Fallen man are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners.

The Mind

“In 2 Corinthians 3:14, Paul says the mind is “hardened” (epōrōthē). In 1 Timothy 6:5, he calls the mind “depraved” (diephtharmenōn). In Ephesians 4:18, he says men are “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God.” In Romans 1:21, he says that thinking has become “futile” (emaraiōthēsan) and “foolish” (asunetos), because men “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). He warns against being taken “captive by philosophy” (Colossians 2:8). And he says in 1 Corinthians 1:21, “In the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:21)” (Piper, D.G. Con. 2010).

In the Old Testament we read in Proverbs 14:12

Proverbs 14:12 NKJV

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

So, what we learn here is that the reach of sin extends to our minds. The thoughts of fallen man are not on righteousness, not on God, not on His will and glory. Instead, our minds are bent toward sin and hardened toward God. We view things upside down, we think good is evil and evil is good.

Romans 8:7 NKJV

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

And because our mind is in enmity with God, so are our wills as these are inseparable things.

The Will

Ephesians 2:1–3 NKJV

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

In our depravity, we daily live out the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden as we decide for ourselves that the desire before us is worth elevating over the God above us and we, in turn, decide that we are gods ourselves. So, because our mind is darkened and our affections are fallen, we live in rebellion against God. Now, I want to make an important statement here because even though I’m using language like, “Rebel, hate, darkened, anger.” This doesn’t mean that every sinner is mentally aware of this hatred, meaning that if you approach most non-believers, it isn’t that they will respond by saying they hate God, but that they are indifferent towards Him. The problem is that with Jesus, there is no fence sitting, and that sin is cosmic rebellion against God but our mind’s are so darkened by sin that we thinking nothing of it.

The Soul

All of these things, the effect of sin on the mind, will and emotions stems from the condition of our soul. And in Ephesians 2, as we have just seen, we are dead in trespasses and sins. This word for dead doesn’t mean that we were sick, or on life support, or that we were in the ocean reaching for a float to help us get to safety. It is the word “nekros” which would refer to a dead human body. What is being taught here is that we are spiritually dead without the intervening grace of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NKJV

4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

The Body

Lastly, as we know, sin affects our body. In the Garden, God promised death both physical and spiritual to Adam if he sinned and as we all know, he did in fact fall. The result of that is sickness, pain and death upon the human body. Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What all this means for us is that mankind is totally tainted by sin. We cannot renew ourselves or understand the things of God or submit to Him because we are dead and we hate Him in our rebellion.

Martin Luther, during the time of the reformation where almost all the civilized world stood against him wrote, “I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great pope, Self.”

Now, understanding this doctrine more clearly, we are able to better understand the nature of the debate historically.

Historical Reflection: The Reformers rejected the idea that fallen man could contribute to his salvation. They upheld sola gratia against semi-Pelagianism, which taught that man cooperates with grace.

Application: Recognizing our helplessness apart from grace should lead us to depend fully on God and reject any notion of self-salvation.

3. The Source of Grace – Where Does It Come From?

Scriptural Basis: John 1:16-17

John 1:16–17 NKJV

16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Theological Emphasis: Grace is not an abstract concept but is embodied in Christ. His perfect life, atoning death, and resurrection are the means by which grace is given.

Historical Reflection: The medieval church often presented grace as something dispensed through the Church’s sacraments. The Reformers insisted that grace comes directly through Christ alone.

Application: We must trust in Christ alone as the source of our salvation rather than in religious rituals, personal morality, or church traditions.

4. The Power of Grace – What Does It Do?

Scriptural Basis: Titus 2:11-12

Titus 2:11–12 NKJV

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,

Theological Emphasis: Grace is not just about forgiveness; it transforms us. It justifies, sanctifies, and sustains us.

Historical Reflection: Some critics accused the Reformers of promoting "cheap grace" (salvation without transformation), but they emphasized that true grace produces holiness.

Application: If we have truly received grace, it should change the way we live—leading us to repentance, obedience, and love for God.

5. The Confidence of Grace – What Does It Mean for Us?

Scriptural Basis: Romans 8:38-39

Romans 8:38–39 NKJV

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Theological Emphasis: Because salvation is by grace alone, we can have full assurance that God’s saving work is secure. Our salvation does not rest on our performance but on His unchanging grace.

Historical Reflection: The Catholic system of merit-based grace left people uncertain about their salvation. The Reformers restored the biblical teaching that salvation is fully accomplished by Christ.

Application: We can rest in the finished work of Christ, living with joy and confidence rather than fear and doubt.

Conclusion

Sola Gratia is a reminder that our salvation is entirely God’s work from start to finish. It humbles us, transforms us, and gives us assurance. The more we grasp God’s grace, the more we will respond in faith, love, and obedience.