This is the question that Jesus asks us. Many people do a lot of work in an attempt to get to Jesus. Whether this work is an attempt to catch His attention or an attempt to complete their faith and earn approval, many use a roundabout path to try to get to Jesus. But Jesus says, “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11.28). This verse is not about getting a break from work, it is about trusting Him for our salvation – we cannot earn it!
Likewise, when we sin, many go to a person (such as a priest) to seek forgiveness through confession. The thought process is that if we talk to the right person (again, a pastor or priest), then they can pray for my forgiveness. A few weeks ago, I showed that Scripture dispels this myth because the Bible says we are all priests (1 Peter 2.9-10). Human mediators are not who or what is important, Jesus is (1 Timothy 2.5).
And that is the point of the second sola (or solus in this instance) – solus Christus, in Christ alone. It is in Christ that Christians have our identity (read Ephesians 1 and notice how often the preposition “in” is used). It is through Christ that we will be with the Father for eternity (John 14.6). It is with Christ that we have died, but now live (Galatians 2.20). And I could continue. However, I want to paint a contrast to show why the “alone” is necessary. Sola fide may have been the catalyst for The Reformation, but Solus Christus was the very core of it. That was true when The Reformation began in in the 16th Century and it must remain true today.
BODY
As I prepare to discuss this second sola, I first remind us of what The Reformation was. First, although the term The Reformation is most common, the idea was considered a protest of sorts, so it is also known as The Protestant Reformation (Protest-ant) Reformation. But to understand this idea, we need to know what reformation means.
Reformation (Re – Form – Ation)
- RE – from a Latin word; has an element of “again” or “again and again”; a backward motion (like retrace or revert); return
- FORM – to construct or frame; to arrange or organize
- ATION – an act of process
As the second of the five solas we are reviewing in this series, solus Christus was certainly the most important part of The Reformation. For instance, it is faith alone in Christ alone that saves us. And as we saw last week, the word “alone” is critical. Again, the “protest” was against the Roman Catholic Church. The Church certainly believed that Christ’s work on the cross was necessary for salvation, but Christ’s work alone was not. This is the essence of the second sola. Let me briefly explain.
The Power of One
Let me begin with the word monergism. Monergism simply means to work alone. In theological terms, it means that God works alone on behalf of our salvation. Consider a verse such as Hebrews 12.2 which calls Jesus “the Author and Perfecter of our faith.” What does that mean? Jesus (God) laid the foundation for you to have faith and is perfecting your faith. In a sense, you need do nothing. However, in a very real sense, one must respond to that faith and then partners with God in becoming perfect. We play the secondary role, but we do have a role to play.
But, and here is the importance of this term, nothing you or I have done, will do, or can do adds one ounce of anything to our salvation. God worked alone to affect our salvation in Christ. Catholic belief was, and is, that we must contribute to our salvation. This understanding is very agreeable, but it is not biblical. That is, it makes a lot of sense that I should do something towards my salvation given how much Jesus did for it. But the Bible does not teach that. Rather, the Bible teaches that it is the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus (the blood of Jesus), and the resurrection of Jesus that brings salvation to all who believe.
Let us review two specific areas how the idea of in Christ alone goes beyond the Catholic understanding of in Christ.
One Mediator
If most Christians, and people for that matter, know one thing about Catholics, it is probably the idea of confession. Certainly, the veneration of Mary, the celebration of the Eucharist, the idea of a pope, the place called the Vatican, and other aspects of Catholicism are known by some, but little if any of those details are known by those outside the Catholic tradition. But the idea of confession is a little better understood, in part because it has been depicted (even if inaccurately) on television and in movies.
But 1 Timothy 2.5 specifically states that only person mediates between God and man – and that person is Jesus. Catholics will rightfully claim that the verses surrounding this verse describe praying for others. Indeed. However, 1 Timothy 2.3-4 transitions to why we should pray for others – because Christ died for all, and therefore stands as the way to God (c.f. John 14.6). That is, Christ stands as the mediator between us and God. We do not need a priest (or a pastor) to do that for us. This idea goes back to my opening scenario – Jesus wants us to come to Him ourselves, not use some back channel to seek forgiveness.
In fairness, the Catholic Church deems that Christ instituted the idea of penance (confession) with the apostles. However, the first written declaration came in 1215 AD (4th Lateran Council) requiring that all who are faithful should confess once per year. It should not be considered ironic that the idea of indulgences began around this same time. Let me read the definition of an indulgence directly from the website – catholic.com.
“An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain defined conditions through the Church’s help when, as a minister of redemption, she dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions won by Christ and the saints.”
(https://www.catholic.com/tract/myths-about-indulgences)
What does this mean? Essentially, that the Church can help to reduce the punishment of sins (sins already forgiven by God), because of the work of Jesus and the saints whose good works more than make up for the average sinner. Thus, if you pay money, then you can either free someone else from purgatory earlier, or pay in advance for yourself.
The idea, and abuse, of indulgences was a primary aspect for Luther in the writing of his 95 theses. Luther and others began to see the need to return to the idea that salvation is from Christ alone, not through man (the pope), and not through the Church. Jesus is our mediator – there is no other.
One Name
Let me quickly review a key verse for the idea of Solus Christus, in Christ alone. In Acts 4, Peter and John are standing before the Jewish authorities. Why are they there? Because they healed a lame beggar. As the people gathered around the man, the authorities took notice and became frustrated that Peter and John would preach about this Jesus whom had been killed. Peter and John were arrested and then the next day had a chance to share the truth with the full council including the high priest! I encourage you to take a moment to read Acts 4.5-12.
Salvation comes from no other name. All Christians should affirm this, and certainly Catholics do. However, most of humanity does not. Many seek salvation in (or through) Mohammed, Buddha, and many other religious figures. But even Christians tend to slip here. Earlier this summer, I shared how the church at Corinth was focused on following Paul, Peter, or Apollos, not Jesus. Many are led aside in our day as well. Churches become defined by their pastors or leaders. Granted, a pastor is called to lead the church, but this church is not about me, nor is it about you. It is about Jesus – that name that provided salvation, the name that secured salvation, and the name that will one day complete our salvation when we see Him face to face.
CONCLUSION
When I began preparing for this message, I had difficulty zeroing in on my approach. One idea I had was to spend most of the time reading various verses which relate to the supremacy of Christ and what He has done. We heard from Colossians 1 earlier. Philippians 2 has, perhaps, the fullest representation of Christ in one uninterrupted passage. And, certainly, many other verses or passages exist. We must understand that every verse of the Bible points to Jesus in some way. Jesus says so in John 5.39-40. “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them is eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” It is important to note that when Jesus mentions the Scriptures here, he is only talking about the Old Testament, because Jesus was still living what would later be written down as part of the New Testament.
But, I do want to share one more verse with you. 1 Corinthians 2.2 says, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” In other words, Paul didn’t get caught up in story-telling, in current events, in making himself look good, etc. He had one message and that message was enough – “Jesus Christ died for you. What will you do about it?”
That is the message of the Bible. The Bible says that we are saved from sin by the blood of Jesus, not by the works of man, not by the words of man, and not by the church – only Jesus. People may argue, but tell me, what could you or I possibly do to help ourselves that the blood of Jesus couldn’t do? It is in remembrance of His gift that we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper in just a short while. It is in honor of what He has done that we must again make our JOURNEY letter:
JOURNEY: J – JESUS
NEXT STEP(S): Lord’s Supper
Our next step was to partake of the Lord’s Supper together. Before we did, I briefly shared the four viewpoints relating to understanding the place of Jesus’ in the observance. You may see this brief synopsis here.
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