Highly Exalted

This Sunday marks the 493rd anniversary of the courageous and visionary act that ignited a sweeping set of reforms across Christendom.  Up to that point, the church (what is now referred to as the Roman Catholic church) grew beyond its biblical sanction and became an institution that purported something other than the biblical Gospel.  For centuries, the Catholic church, or at least the gospel the church proclaimed, was an anathema.  The church sold indulgences, ignored Scripture, taught justification by works and was profoundly corrupt.  The church and the nation-state became bedfellows that wrought great damage to Christendom. 

What we celebrate this week is a recovery.  God has promised that He would always preserve for Himself His church (Matthew 16:18), and I believe we see God using the reformers to steer His church back to historic orthodox Christianity.  Out of the reformation came a recovery of five important doctrines that we now refer to as the “solas” of the reformation:  Sola fide (faith alone), Solo Christo (Christ alone), Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), Sola Gratia (grace alone) and Soli Deo Gloria (God’s glory alone).  These important doctrines about faith, grace, the Bible, Christ and His glory are critical for the understanding of the Gospel that seeks to reconcile man to God. 

So what does this matter to the New Testament Church today?  Well, from the apostolic church in the first century up to the time of the reformation, represents a continual degradation of the Gospel.  What caused this?  I believe it is a result of the church failing to guard the historic principles of Scripture and of justification by faith.  If no one stands up for the Gospel and its implications, then we see a church that is relativized by a secular culture.  The church failed to be the salt and light that Jesus called it to be.  Thus, the need for a biblical recovery.  Today, our culture and American society as a whole represent a worldview that is the antithesis of the Christian life.  As the church, we need to vigorously guard the Gospel that has been entrusted to us.  This message must be pure and not compromised.  The church must hold Scripture higher than the traditions that invade our church.  Albeit, some traditions are good and even biblical (i.e. ordinances) but we must evaluate what we do and set that against God’s Word as the judge on matters of church practice.  As a church seeking Christ’s vision, we must constantly put on the spirit of reformers.  We must guard what God says in His Word and hold it sufficient for all matters of faith and practice.  When we lose this or replace the Bible with “time-honored traditions,” we are denying Christ His rightful place in His church, and that can be damning. 

Soli Deo Gloria!