It should come as no surprise to anyone that a religion that is named Christianity is based around Christ. It is in the name. But what does it mean to be a Christian? Why are we called Christians? After all, the name Christian is not something that came from within the church. We are told in Acts 11:26 that it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. This is around 10-15 years after the start of the New Testament Church. But the name has stuck since then. People from all over the world joyfully call themselves Christians. This is because it is a name that fits. We are followers of Christ. This brings us back to our first question. What does it mean to be a Christian? In short, it means to be someone who follows Christ. Becoming a Christian is a simple task, although not necessarily easy. To become a Christian, an individual must repent of their sin, literally turn away from it, and follow Christ. This is something that is clear throughout scripture. When Peter stands up at Pentecost and gives his famous sermon, recorded in Acts 2, the people respond and ask, "Brothers, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37b) Peter's response is straightforward and to the point. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. With all this, we find ourselves asking why did the Reformation made such a big deal about Solus Christus (Christ Alone)?
Christ Alone
It should come as no surprise to anyone in our culture that there are many ideologies fighting for centrality. The most popular ones, or at least the most vocal, are the ideologies of love over everything and individualism. We are repeatedly told that love is love and that you have all you need to be amazing. But culture is not the only place where differing ideologies are found. These ideas run headlong into the gospel, which states just the opposite: Jesus is the measure of love, not only in his death but in his life, and that apart from Christ, you are not only not exceptional, but you are, in fact, a sinner. Christ is the only answer, the only mediator, and the only savior. To come back to the Reformation, there were the ideas that the Pope and Mary, Jesus' mother, also served as mediators. In addition to these, it was also commonly believed that a person had to earn or repay their way to salvation by doing works of penance. Here is where the Reformers made their stand. Christ alone is the mediator. Christ alone purchased our salvation on the cross, and nothing we do can ever add to or repay that.
Important Elements
Rapped up in the idea of Christ Alone, there are several essential elements besides the ones we have already mentioned. For example, there is the humanity and divinity of Christ. He alone is able to be the mediatorial sacrifice because, as a man, he is a fitting representative, and as divine, he is able to satisfy the demands of justice. The most critical element for the Reformers was that of justification. Martin Luther is famously quoted as saying, "Justification is the article by which the church stands and falls." While this may or may not be something that Luther ever actually said, it is certainly something he believed. If we do not get justification, that is how we are saved and made right with the Lord, then we do not have a church. We are going to talk more about justification next week when we talk about Sola Fide (Faith Alone). For today, we simply need to understand that everything must come back to Christ. After all, he is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. There can be no other mediator. There can be no other savior. We find salvation in Christ alone.
Conclusion
Like with many other things, the Five Solas build on one another. The first, Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), lays the foundation for everything else that follows. It is where we go to test everything and verify the truth. The central truth of all of Scripture is Christ. From the beginning to the end, Christ is at the heart of it all. He is the promised seed that will come from Eve and Abraham. He is the Son of David that will sit on the throne forever. And he is the one who will one day return in glory. As the song says, "In Christ Alone, my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song." Culture cannot save us. The government cannot save us. We cannot even save ourselves. We need Christ and Christ alone.
Soli Deo Gloria
For further reading on Solus Christus, I recommend this article by Dr. D. Blair Smith.
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