The Protestant Churches
The Five Solas
A Doctrinal Summary and Comparative Analysis
Introduction
The Protestant Reformation, ignited in 1517, was not a rebellion against Christianity; it was a restoration of it. It was a protest against religious corruption and doctrinal darkness that had overtaken the medieval Roman Catholic Church. Salvation had become a business, forgiveness a transaction, grace a merit, and Scripture a locked book for only Roman Catholic priests to interpret.
At the heart of the Reformation was the recovery of the true gospel, summarized in Five Solas:
Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone is our highest authority.
Sola Fide – Faith Alone is the instrument of justification.
Sola Gratia – Grace Alone is the cause of salvation.
Solus Christus – Christ Alone is the mediator and Savior.
Soli Deo Gloria – To God Alone Be the Glory.
These solas were not denominational slogans, but a collective cry of Christistian churches against Roman Catholic Church seeking to return to biblical Christianity, and to reject every human addition, ceremony, or teaching that clouded the finished work of Christ. They were a direct rejection of doctrinal errors and corrupt practices in the medieval Roman Catholic Church, and today, they serve as a doctrinal lens through which various Christian movements can be evaluated.
Definitions
- Sola (Latin): “Alone” or “Only”
- Synergism: The belief that salvation is a cooperation between God and man
- Merit: Human effort seen as contributing to salvation
- Mediators: Intercessors between God and man (besides Christ)
- Magisterium: The teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church
- Tradition: Oral or ecclesiastical teaching passed down alongside Scripture
- Theosis: The Eastern Orthodox idea of becoming like God through spiritual growth
The Five Solas: What They Opposed
1. Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone
- Roman Catholic: Church traditions, Human traditions, papal authority, Roman Church alone to interpret Scripture, and mystical revelations placed above or alongside the Bible.
- Protestants Affirmed: The Bible is the only authority; infallible, Inerrant and sufficient for faith and practice.
2 Timothy 3:16–17; Matthew 15:9
2. Sola Fide – Faith Alone
- Roman Catholic: Salvation by faith plus works (e.g., sacraments, indulgences, penance).
- Protestatnts Affirmed: Justification (being declared righteous) is by faith alone, without human merit.
Romans 5:1; Galatians 2:16
3. Sola Gratia – Grace Alone
- Roman Catholic: The idea that grace must be earned or maintained by effort, that you can decide to when to be born again and also you can lose your salvation.
- Affirmed: Salvation is a free gift of God, given unconditionally, not based on our worthiness
Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 11:6
4. Solus Christus – Christ Alone
- Roman Catholic: Priests, dead saints, or Mary acting as mediators; the Mass as an ongoing sacrifice.
- Protestants Affirmed: Jesus is the only mediator and His atoning work is complete and sufficient to all and effective to the elect.
1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 10:10–14
5. Soli Deo Gloria – To God Alone Be the Glory
- Roman Catholic: The glorification of man, popes, dead saints, or church institutions.
- Protestants Affirmed: All salvation and worship must be directed to God alone, not shared with man
Isaiah 42:8; 1 Corinthians 10:31
Modern Pentecostalism vs. the Five Solas
Modern Pentecostalism, particularly in its Charismatic and Prosperity Gospel expressions, has reintroduced elements that contradict the Five Solas:
| Sola | What Pentecostalism Often Reintroduces |
|---|---|
| Sola Scriptura | Extra-biblical revelations (dreams, prophecies, tongues), emotional experiences as truth as new revelation from God |
| Sola Fide | Faith + performance (miracles, giving, rituals) |
| Sola Gratia | Conditional grace, loss of salvation, grace based on obedience and election. |
| Solus Christus | Human mediators through the reintroduction of apostles, and prophets into the church. Also miracle-focused faith, changing faith comes by seeing instead of faith by hearing. |
| Soli Deo Gloria | Celebrity pastors, musicians shares God’s glory. Man-centered worship, through what they call praise and worshippers, glorifying preachers and material prosperity |
Note: Some historic Pentecostals remain faithful to biblical doctrine. The concern is mainly with modern excesses.
Comparative Table: Major Movements vs. the Five Solas
| Movement | Sola Scriptura | Sola Fide | Sola Gratia | Solus Christus | Soli Deo Gloria |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roman Catholicism | ❌ Scripture + Tradition | ❌ Faith + Works | ❌ Grace + Merit | ❌ Christ + Mary + Saints | ❌ Glory shared with Church |
| Reformed Protestantism | ✅ Bible Alone | ✅ Faith Alone | ✅ Grace Alone | ✅ Christ Alone | ✅ God Alone |
| Seventh-day Adventism | ⚠️ Bible + Ellen White | ⚠️ Faith + Law | ⚠️ Conditional Grace | ✅ Christ Alone (with flaws) | ⚠️ Glory + human obedience |
| Pentecostalism | ❌ Bible + Revelation | ❌ Faith + Acts | ❌ Earned or lost grace | ❌ Christ + Prophets | ❌ Man-centered glory |
| Charismaticism | ❌ Scripture + Feelings | ❌ Faith + Prosperity | ❌ Grace + Giving | ❌ Christ + Leaders | ❌ Glory to personalities |
| New Apostolic Reformation | ❌ Bible + Apostolic word | ❌ Faith + Submission | ❌ Grace + Mandates | ❌ Christ + "Generals" | ❌ Glory in dominionism |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | ❌ Bible + Tradition | ❌ Faith + Sacraments | ❌ Grace + Theosis | ❌ Christ + Icons/Saints | ❌ Glory with Saints |
| Liberal Christianity | ❌ Bible not authoritative | ❌ Redefined faith | ❌ Universal grace | ❌ Christ not unique | ❌ Man-centered theology |
Summary: Who Affirms All Five Solas?
| Group | Affirms All Five Solas? |
|---|---|
| Reformed Protestants. | ✅ Yes |
| Lutherans (Historic) | ✅ Yes |
| Evangelical Baptists (some) | ⚠️ Mixed |
| Pentecostal & Charismatic | ❌ No |
| Roman Catholicism | ❌ No |
| Eastern Orthodoxy | ❌ No |
| Adventism | ❌ No |
| New Apostolic Churches | ❌ No |
| Liberal Christianity | ❌ No |
Final Reflection
Protestantation was a call back to the purity of the gospel, centered on Christ and God’s glory. Any tradition that adds to God’s Word, mixes human effort into salvation, or exalts man alongside God, is a departure from the heart of Reformation truth. It rejected man's authority, man's effort, and man's glory in salvation—and exalted God’s Word, God’s grace, and Christ's finished work as the only true gospel.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” – Ephesians 2:8
Other Movements That Reject the Five Solas of Protestantism.
1. New Apostolicism
This movement restores modern apostles and prophets who claim to speak authoritative revelations—often beyond or outside Scripture. Churches are urged to submit to these leaders as God's voice, effectively replacing the authority of Scripture. The focus shifts to dominion, miracles, and success, sidelining the gospel, Christ, and the cross. It denies the sufficiency of Scripture, undermines grace, and replaces Christ’s finished work with ongoing human mandates and spiritual performance. In doing so, it rejects Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, and Solus Christus, standing far from the gospel recovered in the Reformation.
2. Seventh-day Adventism
Though they teach salvation through Christ, they add obedience to the law—especially Sabbath-keeping and health regulations—as essential for salvation. This undermines Sola Fide and Sola Gratia, making salvation partly dependent on human effort. They treat the writings of Ellen G. White as inspired, placing them alongside or above Scripture, thereby denying Sola Scriptura as the Church’s final authority. Their doctrine of Investigative Judgment weakens the sufficiency of Solus Christus, and their emphasis on human obedience shifts focus from Soli Deo Gloria to man’s performance.
3. Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodoxy places church tradition and ecumenical councils on par with Scripture, thereby rejecting Sola Scriptura. It teaches salvation as a mystical journey of theosis (becoming godlike), involving significant human cooperation and sacramental participation, rather than justification by faith alone. The veneration of Mary, icons, and saints shifts attention from Christ’s exclusive role as Mediator. Though ancient and reverent in form, Eastern Orthodoxy ultimately denies Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, and Solus Christus, departing from the core gospel truths recovered during the Reformation.
4. Liberal Christianity
Liberal theology denies the authority of Scripture, often treating the Bible as symbolic or outdated. It redefines sin as social imperfection, minimizes the person and work of Christ, and elevates human reason, morality, and progress. Many liberal churches promote universalism or religious pluralism, teaching that all paths lead to God. In doing so, they reject all Five Solas—substituting gospel truth with modern humanism and cultural accommodation.
5. Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Christ, the Trinity, and the immortality of the soul. They teach that salvation comes through the Watchtower organization and faithful works—not by grace or Christ alone. They reject Sola Scriptura by replacing biblical authority with Watchtower publications. This is a false gospel that denies Scripture, grace, and Christ, in direct contradiction to the Five Solas.
6. Mormonism (LDS Church)
Mormons believe that God was once a man and that humans can become gods. Jesus is viewed as one of many spirit children—not the eternal Son of God. Salvation is based on obedience, rituals, and church membership. The Book of Mormon and other LDS writings are treated as superior to the Bible. This system rejects all Five Solas, replacing biblical Christianity with a man-made religion and a false gospel.
7. Harmonialism (Christian Science, New Thought)
These movements teach that sin, sickness, and death are illusions, and that healing and salvation come through positive thinking. God is reduced to an impersonal force or principle—not a personal, sovereign Creator. They deny the authority of Scripture, the reality of sin, the need for grace, and the saving work of Christ. This is not Christianity—it is spiritual deception dressed in religious terminology and is entirely opposed to all Five Solas.
8. Word of Faith Movement
Rooted in prosperity preaching, this movement teaches that faith and spoken words have power to create health, wealth, and success. Salvation and blessing are seen as activated by positive confession, not by grace through faith. It denies Sola Scriptura by elevating personal revelations, replaces Sola Fide and Sola Gratia with faith formulas and transactional giving, marginalizes Solus Christus by exalting “anointed” preachers, and undermines Soli Deo Gloria by making man’s success the goal. In essence, it turns the gospel into a self-help religion centered on earthly gain rather than eternal truth.
Kenneth Malenge
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