Sermon Tone Analysis

Solus Christus

Rusty Dawson 02/06/2022

Primary Scripture 1 Timothy 2:5-6

Introduction

Good morning church, it is an honor to be able to stand before God’s people and proclaim His Word.

Most of you probably know me, some of you may not, and some of you may know of me but do not really know me and that is ok.

However, I want to share with you a little fact about me that you may or may not know.

I am an overachiever.

No matter what I am doing or what I am working on, I will work myself to death doing it.

Working tirelessly is not always a bad thing, but it is not always a good thing either because I can get so wrapped up in what I am doing that I neglect everything else around me.

But, why am I so willing to work myself to death?

The answer is that there is always something that I am striving towards.

That can be a promotion, pay raise, college degree, some sort of goal or just plain pridefulness.

If I’m honest with myself there are even times I am trying to garner favor with people or God.

Maybe you can relate.

When we set our sights on something high, like a goal, we must work our way up to it; in a sense we climb ladders.

In a way, I am constantly climbing a ladder, climbing hand over hand trying to reach the top of it.

We all do it, we set our sights on some goal and begin to climb the ladder, rung by rung, until we reach the top.

As I was studying for this sermon, I came across this analogy from Douglas Van Dorn in his book on The Five Solas.

He talks about these three ladders of the Roman Catholic church: moralism (just do good), speculation (observance of sacraments), and mysticism (the over spiritualization of the common things).

Unlike the ladders we climb to reach our goals, these ladders are used to reach heaven, which would be at the top of these ladders, with each rung being some type of work or “good deed.”

I bring this up because, let's face it, we are all climbing one of these ladders hoping that we will one day earn enough favor with God to secure our eternal destination.

Over the last few weeks, you have heard Pastor Ricky explaining the five solas of the reformation: Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide and today we look at Solus Christus.

The doctrine of solus Christus, or Christ alone, anchors our hope and salvation in Christ alone.

Turn with me for a minute to 1 Timothy 2:5-6. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God, and one Mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the witness for this proper time.”

Paul is saying that there is only one God and therefore one plan of salvation.

There is only one mediator between God and man, someone who is perfectly righteous and able to come before a holy God on our behalf.

This mediator, being Jesus Christ, gave himself as a ransom for all people; no one took His life from him, no one forced Him, but He gave of himself on behalf of his people, freely.

Because Jesus freely gave his life for his people, we don’t have to work our way up to God, we don’t have any ladders to climb; the work has already been done for us.

This is the heart of Solus Christus, this is what the reformers were fighting for.

This is what you will hear at Redeemer Borger, repeatedly.

Martin Luther

You have also heard us speak about Martin Luther over and over the last few weeks; the reason for that is because he is central to the reformation and helped to form the doctrines and principles we are teaching.

Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk sent to Rome to deliver a message; upon entering Rome, he saw just how corrupt the church had become.

One of the many things the church in Rome was doing at that time was selling what I call "tickets to heaven," they called them indulgences.

Rome’s View of Salvation

While it was the selling of these "tickets to heaven" that set Martin Luther off, the reformers were battling against many other issues as well.

One is Rome's view of salvation for the church.

You see, the church in Rome was teaching the doctrine of "Christ and."

Meaning that salvation came from Christ AND sacraments, Christ and good works, Christ and worship of the saints.

There are three fundamental sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church: Baptism, the Eucharist, or what we call communion, and penance.

According to Roman Catholicism, baptism is the first sacrament one receives.

Baptism granted the forgiveness of sins, it granted a new spiritual rebirth, it made you a member of the church, and they also believed that Jesus requires baptism to receive the offer of eternal life.

The Roman Catholic church even wanted babies and children baptized as early as possible; this way, they were freed of the original sin they are born with.

This is a quote according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, listen closely to the wording; "Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other sacraments.

Through baptism, we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, we are incorporated into the church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water and in the word."

Therefore, baptism was essential for salvation according to the Roman Catholic church; so essential that without it you were not saved.

Then there is the Eucharist, or communion, which is another sacrament required by the Roman Catholic Church.

The eucharist is commonly known as communion, mass, the Lord’s supper, and divine liturgy.

The difference between our practice of communion and that of the Roman Catholic church is that they believe that the bread and wine is transformed into the literal body and blood of Christ.

Meaning it somehow, beyond human comprehension, becomes the literal body and blood of Christ; essentially, Christ was making another sacrifice on your behalf each time you took it.

They also believe that you become one with Christ in partaking in this communion because you are literally taking in his body and blood.

A third sacrament is penance or confession to a priest.

According to this sacrament, if you confessed your sins to the priest and did whatever they asked you to do, you would be absolved, or forgiven, of those sins.

So, you can see how the Catholic church was teaching Christ AND sacraments; without sacraments you were not saved.

It is not that they didn't believe that Christ died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, but they did not see it as sufficient, it was not enough.

Essentially you needed to be forgiven repeatedly by performing works, and if you were good enough in this life, then you would not spend as long in purgatory and be able to enter heaven.

This is a works based salvation that teaches moralism, speculation, and mysticism.

The Reformers View of Salvation

Martin Luther was greatly convicted of these teachings and that selling indulgences was wrong and wanted to correct it, but he was met with significant opposition.

You see, what Martin Luther and the other reformers began to realize is that Christ alone grants salvation.

The only work needed to be forgiven and enter heaven was completed on the cross.

Each of these five Solas build on each other to give us a clear picture of salvation that is all to the glory of God alone.

None are Good Romans 3:9-18

Before we can get to what Christ has accomplished on the cross on our behalf, we need first to understand our NEED for what Christ accomplished on the cross.

Turn with me to the book of Romans in chapter 3, verses 9-18.

Pause and read Romans 3:9-18 “9 What then?

Are we better?

Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;10 as it is written,

“There is none righteous, not even one;

11 There is none who understands,

There is none who seeks for God;

12 All have turned aside, together they have become worthless;

There is none who does good,

There is not even one.”

13 “Their throat is an open tomb,

With their tongues they keep deceiving,”

“The poison of asps is under their lips”;

14 “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness”;

15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood,

16 Destruction and misery are in their paths,

17 And the path of peace they have not known.”

18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

In these verses Paul is making a universal charge, pulling from the Psalms and Isaiah, to make a point to the Roman believers.

The point that he is trying to make is that, contrary to popular belief, there are no good people; none seek for God, because all have turned aside and there is no fear of God before them.

Now, we must remember that God's standard of "good" and our standard of "good" are not the same.

In Mark chapter 10, you don’t have to turn there, but the rich young ruler comes to Jesus and calls him "good teacher," and Jesus's reply is, "why do you call me good?

No one is good except God alone."

Jesus made the same point, only with far less words.

If it is true that none are good, because “none are righteous” then we have a real problem with a real need.

By Grace Alone, Through Faith Alone, in the Works of Christ Alone

Ephesians 2:1-10

Now turn to Ephesians 2:1-10, and Paul takes it a step further, in typical Pauline fashion, and reminds the believers in Ephesus that they were “dead” in their sin.

Pause and read Ephesians 2:1-10 “And you were dead in your transgressions and sins,2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the Spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,3 among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.4

But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us,5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ⁠—by grace you have been saved⁠—6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;9 not of works, so that no one may boast.10

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

What can a dead man do?

The answer is nothing because he is dead.

Paul's point is not that we are physically dead, obviously, but that spiritually everyone outside of Christ is dead in sin and can do nothing to garner favor or salvation from God.