So, in the month of October, some churches take this time to focus on the Reformation and what Martin Luther started over 500 years ago. We decided to take each Sunday morning service to focus on the five solas. If you aren't familiar with them, they are:
1. Sola fide - Faith Alone
2. Sola Gracia - Grace Alone
3. Sola Escirtura - Scripture Alone
4. Sola Gloria - Glory Alone
5. Solo Cristo - Christ Alone.
We live in Mexico. Many of these teachings confront the very deep beliefs that people have here. For example, scripture alone puts the bible into a place with authority over the church. In much of Mexico, the church has the same authority as the bible. This makes it difficult for "good" Catholics to question what the church teaches. I remember years ago, seeing the local catholic priest bless the beginning of the ten days of carnival in Autlan. He declared a blessing on the ten days. I don't know what he said, but I can tell you that carnival is not a blessed event. On the contrary, 10 days of full-on sin and evil. People who have experienced it have said that you could do any sin you wanted to do. How could a priest, as God's representative, give a blessing on an event of such evil intentions? According to the catholic church, he has the authority to act on God's behalf. This is just one example, mind you, that undermines the authority that the bible has. That is why teaching scripture alone is so important. It puts God's word, the bible, in its rightful place of authority. That is why Paul writes these words in Galatians 1:6-9
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
How do we know what is a different gospel? We test it with what the scriptures teach. How can we test something if we don't know what the scriptures teach? We have to constantly learn the word of God. May we be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."
1. Sola fide - Faith Alone
2. Sola Gracia - Grace Alone
3. Sola Escirtura - Scripture Alone
4. Sola Gloria - Glory Alone
5. Solo Cristo - Christ Alone.
We live in Mexico. Many of these teachings confront the very deep beliefs that people have here. For example, scripture alone puts the bible into a place with authority over the church. In much of Mexico, the church has the same authority as the bible. This makes it difficult for "good" Catholics to question what the church teaches. I remember years ago, seeing the local catholic priest bless the beginning of the ten days of carnival in Autlan. He declared a blessing on the ten days. I don't know what he said, but I can tell you that carnival is not a blessed event. On the contrary, 10 days of full-on sin and evil. People who have experienced it have said that you could do any sin you wanted to do. How could a priest, as God's representative, give a blessing on an event of such evil intentions? According to the catholic church, he has the authority to act on God's behalf. This is just one example, mind you, that undermines the authority that the bible has. That is why teaching scripture alone is so important. It puts God's word, the bible, in its rightful place of authority. That is why Paul writes these words in Galatians 1:6-9
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
How do we know what is a different gospel? We test it with what the scriptures teach. How can we test something if we don't know what the scriptures teach? We have to constantly learn the word of God. May we be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."
