Solus Christus

Intro

The “Five Solas” of the Reformation were written by Martin Luther as a direct refute to many of the Catholic Doctrines of the day, while also establishing a baseline doctrine for the Reformation of the 17th century. Today, we will unpack one of the Five Solas, Solus Christus. Christ alone.

A brief one sentence definition of the doctrine will do for now.

“Jesus Christ is the only savior of sinners and his atoning sacrifice is sufficient to save them.”

There are three elements of this definition. It is Christ alone who is the savior of sinners, it is Christ alone who is the sufficient sacrifice, and it is Christ alone that anyone has any hope of salvation. All of this to say, salvation does not depend on anything that you can do, any qualification that you have, or any pedigree. Christ alone is the way, the truth, and the life. None may come to the Father, except through Him.

I want to share a lengthier quote, that I hope you will find powerful in understanding why such an elementary topic is this important. We find ourselves in a world full of competing worldviews, but if we lack the understanding of Christ as the only hope of salvation, we lose Christ.

“The uniqueness of Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian worldview. If we lose Solus Christus—Christ alone as Savior and Lord—we are left with a Christianity that is no longer Christian. Whether it’s through the encroachment of secularism, pluralism, or religious syncretism, the pressure to compromise the centrality of Christ is relentless. But the New Testament does not allow for a Christ-plus system. He is not one option among many; He is the exclusive means of reconciliation with God, the sole foundation of truth, and the final revelation of God Himself.”

-John Stott

The worldviews that challenge Christianity the most are those who would call themselves “Christian,” but add other things that you must do to be saved. No matter where we land on all of the theological issues, we must be unified in the core foundational doctrines, like that it is in Christ alone that we are saved.

As we work through the following passage, I want to keep this front of mind. We come to a set of chapters, 9-11, where Paul is very meticulously walking the Jewish readers through this survey of the OT to make a clear case that salvation is through Christ alone.

And remember, the main focus of Paul’s writing of Romans is on the unity of the church to both Jew and gentile. Paul is not seeking to confuse here, but simply to help his Jewish brothers who reject Christ, as he once did, that salvation can be found by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ, the Messiah alone.

Over the next several weeks, we will almost certainly read some things that challenge your theological views, and other things that affirm it. Don’t let anything that I say be what throws you off, because I can be wrong, but scripture is not. If I say something that you don’t agree with, that’s okay, come talk to me about it and we can have a conversation. But if scripture says something that challenges your theology, thats okay too. That just means you don’t fully understand all that God is, and you’re in the right place. Let that drive you back to Scripture to study more, and let’s allow scripture to interpret scripture.

I was reading a book for one of my classes and came across this quote:

“When I was a seminary student, I had a card on my desk on which I had written these words: It is your duty to believe and to teach what the Bible teaches, not what you would like it to teach”

-R.C. Sproul

That goes for all of us. It is our duty as Christians to believe and teach what the Bible teaches, and we must be unmoving. Scripture is the final authority of how we live out this Christian life.

With that said, let’s read our passage for today.

I. The Jewish Messiah

vv. 1-5

Paul opens with this lamentation. Let’s remember who Paul is for a minute, and his testimony. Paul, or Saul of Tarsus, was a Bengamite, a Roman citizen, and a Pharisee. He, as all good Pharisees of the time did, violently persecuted Christians.

Before his conversion, he was highly regarded and a zealous defender of his faith. He would have, at the very least, approved of the imprisonment, torture, and murder of Christians, if not one of those carrying out these violent judgements on those considered heretics by the Jews.

It’s not until his blinding encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, that he becomes a Christian, where Ananias leads him to the city where he is baptized and regains his sight.

Paul is writing this letter to the Romans, both the gentiles, and fellow Jews, possibly even those now in Rome, who had once known him. The way Paul begins shows that utter anguish and sorrow in his soul that he has for his brothers who reject christ as the Messiah.

Paul goes as far as to say that he could wish himself anathema, accursed, condemned, cut off from Christ for the sake of his brothers, his kinsmen, those Jews who reject Jesus. This comes from the same Paul who, all throughout his letters, speaks of how nothing in this world can compare to the eternity that we have with God, through Jesus. Paul’s heart for the unbeliever here is so burdened, that, if there were any possible thing he could do for his brothers to be saved, he would do it.

This is also coming from Paul, who was arguably the first, and most important missionary in all of Christian history. He didn’t just feel this great sorrow for the unbeliever, but he went to great lengths to see that the gospel was spread to all nations.

Praise the Lord for the different burdens that we all carry. The burden that the Lord has placed on your heart should drive you to action. Not just in your free time, but we should all be diligently at work for the sake of the Gospel. If your heart goes out to the orphans in this world, lead out, take initiative, and get to work. If your heart is burdened for the widows, serve now, don’t wait. If you can’t sleep at night knowing that there are men, women, and children in this country who are hungry and homeless, get to work organizing and partnering with brothers and sisters who share your conviction. We could go on like this, missions, healthcare, childcare, fostering, counseling, teaching, preaching, men’s discipleship, women’s discipleship, marriage ministry, sports ministry. Love your neighbor as yourself. Let the burden that the Lord has put on your heart drive you to action as Paul is driven to action. We live in a broken and fallen world that needs Jesus.

Sidebar, do you know who’s job it use to be to care for all of these people who need care? The church. Now, very clearly, all of the work that our government, and governments around the world do to help their people is a good thing. But when the church steps up to care for those people, they don’t just get their temporal needs met, they get to see the hands and feet of a God who created them, who loves them, and who wants them to come to Him. When the church steps up, those people get Jesus. Don’t take your lamp, the light of the gospel, and cover it, but put it on a lamp stand in the middle of the room, that it might be seen. Your Holy Spirit isn’t making you a “good person,” He is conforming you to the image of Jesus Christ. The one who lived and died for the people that He loved. The one who gave His life for you. This isn’t about doing the things that the world would call charity, this is about being the hands and feet of Jesus, and sharing the light of the Gospel with the nations. Believer, this was the mission of Christ, to redeem His people. Your mission is to share the good news of the King of Heaven and Earth, your King, that He came and died that we might regain access to the God who created us.

v.4 Back to the passage, the Israelites were adopted in Egypt as God’s promise was carried from Abraham, to Issac, to Jacob. To them, the Glory of God was given to them in the Ark of the Covenant. The Promise was carried through the covenants made with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. To the people of Israel after came the Law of God, which came to the people through Moses and the prophets, teaching them how to worship almighty God. They alone held the Promise of God when He says, I will be your God, and you will be my people.

To the Israelites came the Patriarchs, most of whom, King David, through whom Jesus came, and is named King. Jesus came from this blessed and chosen people. Jesus himself, was a Jew, teaching in synagogue as a young boy. Jesus, in fulfillment of all of the prophecy, came through Israel, a national Jew. Paul says, it was to the Jew first that Jesus came, then to the Greek. Without a doubt, there is high honor given to the Jewish spiritual lineage that we all come through.

What Paul is lamenting here is that Jesus came through these chosen people, yet there are still many who reject Him. This is also fulfillment of the prophecy.

We see this in the prophecy of Isaiah of the Suffering Servant.

Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

Jesus is the stone that the builders rejected. Paul is making it really clear here, and we can all hold differing views of what Paul is saying here as long as we all agree on one thing. There is only one way back to God, and that is through His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. None may come to the Father, except through Him. It is in Christ alone that anyone ever has, is now, or ever will be saved.

Paul’s not speaking of some mere helper; in verse 5 he calls Christ ‘God over all, blessed forever.’ The Messiah is God Himself come down.

II. The Children of the Promise 

vv. 6-9

God’s story of redemption that comes through the Jew is offered to the Jew first, then to the Greek, but it is through Christ that we, the Gentiles, are now grafted into this one family of God—this one Bride of Christ.

Even in the Old Testament, it was only Israel who was chosen as a nation, but not every Israelite walked in covenant faithfulness. Some rebelled and were cut off. Some forsook their birthright and abandoned the God who had called them. But even in that rebellion, God remained faithful. He preserved a remnant. He maintained His people so that His promise would not fail, and that the Messiah might come through them.

So Paul’s words here can sound confusing. He’s dealing with two Israels:

Those who are descendants by the flesh,

And those who are children of the promise—that is to say, children of God.

And the distinction matters.

Birthright, nationality, or religious heritage never saved anyone. Not then, not now. God alone saves. Still today, it is God alone who saves—through His Son, Jesus.

In verse 7, Paul draws us back to Genesis, referencing Abraham’s children. Remember the story: Abraham and Sarah, tired of waiting on God’s promise, took matters into their own hands. Sarah gave Abraham her servant Hagar, and she bore him a son—Ishmael. By all human logic, Ishmael should have been the heir. He was the firstborn. The birthright was his.

But God had made a promise, and God does not fulfill His promises through human shortcuts. He fulfills them in His timing, in His way, so that we would know it is He alone who saves. So God chose to work through Isaac, the child of promise, not of human effort.

And even though Abraham had many other sons (Genesis 25 tells us he married again after Sarah and had six more), it was only Isaac who carried the covenant. Only Isaac through whom God would bless the nations.

The point is unmistakable: God’s promise was never about only bloodline—it was always about divine calling.

And we see this pattern again and again in Scripture.

God passes over the older brother and blesses the younger. He chooses Jacob over Esau, Joseph over his ten older brothers, Moses over Aaron, David over all his stronger, taller brothers. Why?

So that when His will is accomplished, we make no mistake—it was not by human strength, wisdom, or merit.

It was God alone, working out His will through the unlikely, the overlooked, and the unworthy.

This is consistent with the entire sweep of Scripture. God is not impressed with our strength. He is not waiting for us to qualify. He delights in making His power known through weakness, so that when salvation comes, He gets all the glory.

And what better example of that than the gospel itself?

Jesus—the one through whom all things were made—was born into poverty, raised in obscurity, and crucified in weakness. And through that very weakness, God brought about the greatest display of power the world has ever known: the resurrection of the dead, the redemption of His people, the victory over sin and death.

So here’s the takeaway:

If you’re trusting in your Christian background, your good works, your theological tribe, or even your emotions—hear Paul clearly. None of those things make you a child of the promise.

Only faith in the promised One—Jesus Christ—makes you a child of God.

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” – 2 Corinthians 1:20

Where have you added a “plus” to Christ?

Is it Christ plus your résumé?

Christ plus your family name?

Christ plus comfort, savings, ministry success, moral record?

Search your heart. Identify the addition. Then lay it down.

Because the gospel is not Christ + anything—

it is Christ alone. Where do you need to trust Him, and Him alone, today?

Our trust is Solus Christus, In Christ alone

III. God’s Sovereign Mercy

vv. 10-13

In verse 10, Paul introduces a new example to further drive home his point—not just two sons from different mothers, like Ishmael and Isaac, but twins. Jacob and Esau, born of the same father and mother, at the same time. This example removes any possible advantage of lineage, status, or external difference. In every conceivable way, these two were equals—yet God chooses one over the other.

Esau is born first. In the ancient Near East, that mattered. Firstborn sons were given the birthright and the blessing. They inherited the family name, the estate, and the leadership. Esau, even if by minutes, was entitled to all of that. But that’s not how God’s plan unfolds.

Paul quotes from Malachi 1:2–3 to make his point:

“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

Now, let’s deal with that word—“hated.” In Scripture, “love” and “hate” are often used in covenantal terms rather than emotional ones. This isn’t about God being emotionally hostile toward Esau, but about God choosing Jacob for covenant blessing while passing over Esau. It’s the same language Jesus uses when He says:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother… he cannot be my disciple.” – Luke 14:26

Clearly, Jesus isn’t commanding hatred but rather priority—a decisive choosing of one over the other.

So in Malachi, God is confronting Israel’s doubt about His love for them. They say, “How have you loved us?” And God answers by pointing to their very existence: “I chose Jacob—your father—not Esau. That’s how you know I love you. You were not entitled to this relationship; it was my sovereign grace that gave it to you.”

And that’s exactly what Paul is getting at in Romans 9:11:

“…though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls…”

That’s the heart of the matter.

Jacob wasn’t chosen because he was good—he was a deceiver.

Esau wasn’t rejected because he was worse—he simply wasn’t the one God called for this purpose.

God’s election is not based on foreseen merit, character, or action. It is based entirely on His own sovereign will.

Why? So that no one may boast.

So that salvation rests not on man’s effort, but on God’s mercy.

This truth humbles the proud and comforts the broken.

What Do We Do With This?

You may say, “That doesn’t seem fair.” And Paul will get to that very objection in the next section. But for now, remember this: If fairness is what we want, none of us would be saved.

We don’t want fairness—we want mercy.

I see this play out over and over in our home. We have 2 boys, who, when they’ve been wronged cry out for justice, but when they’re in the wrong, they want mercy.

And this is where Solus Christus becomes so precious:

Christ is the chosen One. The Elect One. The Beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased.

And in Him, we too are chosen—not because of who we are, but because of who He is.

“He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” – Ephesians 1:5

So if you’re in Christ, it’s not because you figured it out. It’s not because you made the right choice or lived the right kind of life. It’s because the Father set His love on you before the foundation of the world, and that love was poured out in Christ.

And if you’re not yet in Christ, the invitation is open:

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” – Romans 10:13

Yes, God is sovereign in salvation. And yes, you are called to repent and believe. And those two truths are not enemies—they are partners in the dance of grace. Your call is to respond. And if you come to Jesus, you will not be cast out (John 6:37).

The doctrine of election is not meant to confuse the mind or crush the spirit—it’s meant to comfort the soul.

It tells us that salvation does not rest on our strength, our background, or our record—but on the mercy of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

“Not because of works but because of him who calls.”

Conclusion

We’ve walked through a deep and beautiful passage of Scripture today. One that speaks honestly about sorrow, about rejection, and about the mystery of God’s mercy. And we’ve seen one truth shine through every line:

Salvation is not about lineage, not about merit, not about effort—salvation is in Christ alone.

It is Christ alone who is the Jewish Messiah, fulfilling every promise and prophecy.

It is Christ alone who brings the children of the promise—Jew and Gentile—into one family.

It is Christ alone who embodies the sovereign mercy of God, poured out on undeserving sinners like me and you.

This is the doctrine of Solus Christus:

“Jesus Christ is the only savior of sinners, and His atoning sacrifice is sufficient to save them.”

There is no other Savior.

There is no other gospel.

There is no other hope.

And if you find yourself today outside of Christ, or unsure of where you stand—then hear the good news clearly:

You don’t have to work your way to God.

You don’t need a better resume.

You need Jesus.

He has already lived the life you could not live.

He died the death you deserve.

And He rose again to bring you into His family—not by your doing, but by His grace alone.

So come. Lay down your striving. Lay down your self-justification. Lay down your shame.

And come to the Savior who says:

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” – John 6:37

Believer, rest in Him.

Seeker, run to Him.

Church, proclaim Him—because He is the only name under heaven by which we must be saved.

We trust in Solus Christus. In Christ alone.

Benediction

Before we go, I want to introduce something new to our gathering—a benediction.

The word benediction simply means “good word” or “blessing.” It’s a practice rooted in Scripture, where God’s people are sent out not with a burden, but with a blessing—a reminder that we don’t go in our own strength, but in the power and presence of Christ.

So in a moment, I’ll ask you to stand and hold out your hands as if you’re receiving a gift. Because that’s what grace is—a gift freely given through Christ alone.

This benediction doesn’t end the service. It sends us out on mission. You’ve been reminded of who Christ is—your Savior, your sufficiency, your hope. Now, go walk in His strength, for His glory.

The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace—

and may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.