Sola Gratia - 500th Anniversary of the Reformation - The Solas

“Sola Gratia”

Text: Ephesians 2:4-9

-Sola Gratia or By Grace Alone was in response to the doctrine of salvation that permeated the Catholic church-

• The Catholic Church taught that we are saved through a combination of God's grace, the merits that we accumulate through penance and good works, and the superfluity of merits that the saints before us accumulated; the reformers responded, “sola gratia”

• Christians are saved by the grace of God alone!

John 1:12-17 (KJV)

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

• The last words of scripture speak of His Grace! -

Revelation 22:21 (KJV)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Salvation, from beginning to end, is the sovereign gift of God to the unworthy and undeserving.

Romans 5:6 (KJV)

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

I want to answer Four questions about Grace:

1.) What is Grace?

Mercy is not receiving due punishment, a pardon if you will.

Grace goes infinitely farther than mercy could ever dream!

My favorite analogy is this.....

• Imagine you have a son. Someone brutally murders that son. The mountain you'd have to climb to forgive is capped by mercy but mercy is actually the base the requirement. Grace not only pardon but forgives. Grace then adopts and gives the inheritance to the one who murdered the son! We murdered God's son and he gives us eternity with him!

Where mercy is a single drop of rain, grace is the ocean!

2.) Who Gives/Works Grace?

• GOD -

• It is by nothing we've done, said, or believed! -

Grace is God's gift and God's alone!

We don't deserve it!

We can't earn it!

We can't win it!

Chapter 2 vs. 5-6

Romans 5:15 (KJV)

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Ephesians 1:4-7 (KJV)

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

3.) Why Is Grace Given?

Because He's a good, good God!

Why did God make the dead alive?

It's ALL about Him! This story isn't about you, it's all about Christ!

You're just an extra in this story!

Vs 4 – We've received Grace because of His mercy and Love

John says that God is Love!

God's great love and mercy are the catalyst, the foundation of His great grace!

2 Corinthians 8:9 (KJV)

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

4.) What's The Purpose of Grace?

For the Glory of God ALONE!

Vs 7 – To put his Mercy and grace on display for all eternity -

Vs 10 – How, we are His workmanship!

Acts 20:32 (KJV)

And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

1 Peter 5:10 (KJV)

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Romans 9:22-23 (KJV)

What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

In Closing:

We are saved by Grace alone!

Given By God alone!

Through Faith Alone, Given by Christ alone!

ALL for the Glory of GOD Alone!