Sola Gratia

Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)

“The word of grace and forgiveness of sin teaches us that we are justified and saved solely through Christ, without our merit; this is the principal article from which all our doctrine flowed.” (Luther as quoted here.)

Or put another way, we believe

“that poor sinful people are justified before God, that is absolved—pronounced free of all sins and of the judgment of the damnation that they deserved and accepted as children and heirs of eternal life—without the least bit of our own ‘merit or worthiness’ apart from all preceding, present, or subsequent works. We are justified on the basis of sheer grace, because of the sole merit, the entire obedience, and the bitter suffering, death, and the resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us as righteousness” (Formula of Concord SD, III, 9).

What is Justification?

Building on the Formula’s statement above, when one is justified, it means that one is “absolved.”

What specifically does this absolution include? The answer provided above includes two facets:

• We are pronounced free
  • of all sins
  • of the judgment of the damnation that we deserve
• We are accepted
  • as children [of God]
  • as heirs of eternal life [and co-heirs with Christ]

Declared Righteous by God

So we must understand that justification (a forensic term meaning declared/pronounced innocent in a court of law) sets the sinner free from the guilt of his or her sins, and thus as well from the penalty that is due such sins.

Indulgences Contrary to the Gospel

Some claim that indulgences (granted by the Pope or those designated by the Pope) free the sinner solely from the temporal penalty of their sins committed after baptism in this world rather than having to face such a temporal penalty in Purgatory. The teaching on indulgences goes something like this. Baptism frees the sinner from both the guilt and the eternal penalty of sins. In the Power of the Keys, the priest absolves the sinner from the guilt of sins committed since baptism, but while this includes the remission from the eternal punishment due to mortal sin, God’s justice still demands a temporal punishment, and “this requirement must be fulfilled in the present life or in the world to come, i.e., in Purgatory.”

But, if that is true that a temporal penalty must be imposed on a sinner to fulfill Divine justice, then how can it be true that a sinner can receive absolution or remission of sins from God in the Power of the Keys granted by Christ to the apostles (and thus to the church of every generation) and be freed from his or her guilt in that sacrament of confession and absolution apart from such an indulgence and still face a Divine penalty (whether temporal or not) for his or her sins for lack of acquiring a papal indulgence?

One Glaring Error of the Roman Catholic Doctrine on Indulgences:

The absurdity of this teaching on papal indulgences should be obvious to all. It would mean that one who is absolved from guilt through Christ’s sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion, and/or the Power of the Keys (Jesus’ gift of the Gospel won on the cross for sinners) and thus is forgiven by God in the free gift of grace in the Gospel but who does not acquire such an indulgence from the Pope must still face a Divine penalty for their sins.

It behooves us therefore to consider: Would this not create an impossible situation, whereby God forgives sinners for the sake of Christ, taking away their guilt and declaring them righteous because of Christ, who suffered for their sins, but then turns around and punishes those same forgiven sinners as if they were still guilty and not truly baptized into Christ’s death and thus now alive to God in Christ? Such a guiltless penalty (albeit of shorter duration than eternity) is a contradiction of terms that calls into question the apostolic teaching on justification by grace through faith, and as such, is a betrayal of the free grace of God in the Gospel of our Lord Christ Jesus.

How can one declared righteous by faith in Jesus Christ face Divine displeasure resulting in punishment in Purgatory, when “there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1)? Paul goes on in the next verse to confirm our freedom from the law that condemns to death: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”

Accepted as God’s Children

Since we are “in Christ” through our baptism into His death (Romans 6:3), our justification is one with God’s declaration of the righteousness of His Son, Jesus, at His baptism in the Jordan River:

“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”

As God is holy, it is no small thing to be well-pleasing in His sight. This unique declaration of God the Father about His Son is something impossible for sinners ever to hear from Him, and this is so because of our sins. Christ was without sin, but we are full of sin. And anyone who denies this and refuses to confess their sinfulness does not walk in the light of God’s truth (1 John 1:9-10). That is the true teaching of the Law of God, which condemns us poor sinners, but thankfully, there is more.

While the Law does rightly condemn us as sinners—sinners who can never be received by God in His holiness—yet our great and faithful High Priest, Jesus, is received and is well-pleasing to God. Therefore, those who are baptized into Christ’s death are given the same status as Jesus, who was raised to life, never to die again.

To be accepted by God as dearly beloved children, therefore, is the greatest thing that could happen to a sinner. Those who are in Christ are a new creation. This new reality is given to all who are in Christ, for Christ has won for us an eternal truce between God and sinners, inasmuch as “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them…” (2 Corinthians 5:14-21), and so by His death we are granted peace with God, an eternal peace between God and sinners now reconciled through Christ.

Romans 5:1-2 (Greek and English)

{1}Δικαιωθέντες οὖν ἐκ πίστεως, εἰρήνην ἔχομεν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ, {2}δι᾽ οὗ καὶ τὴν προσαγωγὴν ἐσχήκαμεν τῇ πίστει εἰς τὴν χάριν ταύτην ἐν ᾗ ἑστήκαμεν, καὶ καυχώμεθα ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ.

{1}Having therefore been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, {2}through whom we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and exult in hope of the glory of God.

What Christ has done for us on the cross is beyond words to describe. The righteous One became sin for us, so that we could be given His righteousness. And so, having died with Christ on the cross through baptism, we now share in His resurrection. We are thus clothed in Christ’s righteousness, and so our true life is now “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1-4), even though we, as sinners, dwell in this world at this time.

Paul tells the Galatians clearly that “you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” We are given this sonship (by adoption) with God “through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:26-27).

Our sonship with God, we must understand, is a Divine gift, just like our human life is a gift from God.

John 1:10-13 (Greek and English)

{10}Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ ὁ κόσμος αὐτὸν οὐκ ἔγνω. {11}Εἰς τὰ ἴδια ἦλθεν, καὶ οἱ ἴδιοι αὐτὸν οὐ παρέλαβον. {12}Ὅσοι δὲ ἔλαβον αὐτόν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα θεοῦ γενέσθαι, τοῖς πιστεύουσιν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ· {13}οἳ οὐκ ἐξ αἱμάτων, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος σαρκός, οὐδὲ ἐκ θελήματος ἀνδρός, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ θεοῦ ἐγεννήθησαν.

{10}He [the Logos] was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and [yet] the world did not know Him. {11}He came to His own [people], and His own did not receive Him. {12}But as many as received Him, He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name, who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but [are born] of God.

Who Gets Justified?

Justification is the gift of God, given to those who receive it as a gift from God on the merits solely of Jesus Christ and by virtue of His death for sinners.

A Full Redemption

Christ has won for all sinners redemption by His self-giving sacrifice on the cross for a world of sinners. He is thus the Sole-mediator between a righteous and holy God and all of sinful humanity. As our faithful Mediator, we need no other savior. We need no other saint or holy man or woman to intercede for us. Any talk of another mediator (male of female) in heaven or on earth is without warrant from the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ as faithfully taught by the Apostles.

1 Timothy 2:5-6 (Greek and English)

{5}Εἷς γὰρ θεός, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς, {16}ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων, τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις,…

{5}For [there is] one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself [as] a ransom for all, in the manner of a witness to their respective times,…

Receiving vs. Not Receiving

Although Christ died for the sins of the whole world, only those who receive this gift (through baptism into Christ’s death) will die in the Lord and thus will share in Christ’s resurrection and glorification. All others will die in their sins and perish eternally.

John 3:17-18 (Greek and English)

{17}Οὐ γὰρ ἀπέστειλεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἵνα κρίνῃ τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα σωθῇ ὁ κόσμος δι᾿ αὐτοῦ. {18}Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν οὐ κρίνεται· ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύων ἤδη κέκριται, ὅτι μὴ πεπίστευκεν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ.

{17}For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. {18}The one who believes in Him will not be condemned, but the one who does not believe [in Him] is already condemned, for he has not believed in the Name of the Only-begotten Son of God.

Receiving vs. Earning

Paul beautifully sets the record straight on this gift of righteousness that comes χωρὶς νόμου (without/apart from the law) in Romans 3:

Romans 3:21-28 (Greek and English)

{21}Νυνὶ δὲ χωρὶς νόμου δικαιοσύνη θεοῦ πεφανέρωται, μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τῶν προφητῶν· {22}δικαιοσύνη δὲ θεοῦ διὰ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ εἰς πάντας καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς πιστεύοντας· οὐ γάρ ἐστιν διαστολή· {23}πάντες γαρ ἥμαρτον καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ θεοῦ, {24}δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· {25}ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον, διὰ τῆς πίστεως, ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι, εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ, διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων, {26}ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ· πρὸς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ. {27}Ποῦ οὖν ἡ καύχησις; Ἐξεκλείσθη. (ἐκκλείω = shut out, exclude). Διὰ ποίου νόμου; Τῶν ἔργων; Οὐχί, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμου πίστεως. {28}Λογιζόμεθα οὖν πίστει δικαιοῦσθαι ἄνθρωπον, χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου.

{21}But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God is revealed, being witnessed to by the Law and the Prophets, {22}but the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all who believe; for there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, {24}having been justified freely by His grace through the redemption which [is] in Christ Jesus, {25}whom God put forward as a propitiation, through faith, in His blood, for proof of His righteousness at the present time, in order that He might be just and the justifier of the one who [has] faith in Jesus. {27}Where then is boasting? It is shut out. Through which principle (law)? That of works? No, but through the principle (law) of faith. {28}Therefore, we reckon a man to be justified by faith, apart from the works of the Law.

What is Grace?

To understand sola gratia one must first understand gratia (grace). Grace means “gift,” so to talk of the rich grace of God toward sinners, in the apostolic way, is to shut out and banish forever any talk of our works, our merits, our good deeds, and our worthiness when it comes to the grace of God that brings us salvation.

Titus 3:4-7 (Greek and English)

{4}Ὅτε δὲ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ, {5}οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων τῶν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ ὧν ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτοῦ ἔλεον ἔσωμεν ἡμᾶς, διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώστεως πνεύματος ἁγίου, {6}οὗ ἐξέχεεν [ἐκχέω = pour out, lavish, squander] ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς πλουσίως, διὰ Ἰησοῦ χριστοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν, {7}ἵνα δικαιωθέντες τῇ ἐκείνου χάριτι, κληρονόμοι γενώμεθα κατ᾽ ἐλπίδα ζωῆς αἰωνίου.

{4}But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, not by works which we have done in righteousness, but He saved us of His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, by whom it was lavishly poured out upon us, through Jesus Christ our Savior, {7}in order that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs of the hope of eternal life.

Understood this way, the “sola” in “sola gratia” is redundant, but sadly, it must be added these days in order to underscore the reality of the core meaning of grace.

Jesus’ Merit Alone

How does this come to the sinner? The apostolic teaching is crystal clear in what it excludes from consideration:

“Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:9 - see below)

It is on the basis of Christ’s own meritorious obedience and His substitionary death on the cross for sinners that we sinners are granted this gift of His righteousness before God. Nothing we do can save us. We are sinners who have broken the Commandments and are and will always be deserving of eternal condemnation. This applies to all human beings, for:

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 - see above)

Receiving Is Faith

Paul teaches us very clearly that we are justified freely by God’s grace alone (sola gratia).

And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? (1 Cor. 4:7b NKJV)

God conveys this justification to sinners by grace (a word “χάρις” that also means “gift” or when used as an adverb, “freely”).

Just How Free Is Grace?

To understand the scope of this gift (sola gratia), we must understand the apostolic teaching about our predicament as law-breakers before God and the helpless state in which God finds us when He comes to our rescue.

What Can the Dead Do?

Since our state before God is that of a dead man spiritually speaking, there is nothing one can do to be saved? God must intervene in order for any to be saved.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (Greek and English)

{1}Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις, {2}ἐν αἷς ποτὲ περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας· {3}ἐν οἷς καὶ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἀνεστράφημέν ποτε ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν, ποιοῦντες τὰ θελήματα τῆς σαρκὸς καὶ τῶν διανοιῶν, καὶ ἦμεν τέκνα φύσει ὀργῆς, ὡς καὶ οἱ λοιποί· {4}ὁ δὲ θεός, πλούσιος ὢν ἐν ἐλέει, διὰ τὴν πολλὴν ἀγάπην αὐτοῦ ἣν ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, {5}καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν συνεζωοποίησεν τῷ χριστῷ — χάριτί ἐστε σεσωσμένοι—{6}καὶ συνήγειρεν, καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· {7}ἵνα ἐνδείξηται ἐν τοῖς αἰῶσιν τοῖς ἐπερχομένοις τὸν ὑπερβάλλοντα πλοῦτον τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ ἐν χρηστότητι ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· {8}τῇ γὰρ χάριτί ἐστε σεσῳσμένοι διὰ τῆς πίστεως, καὶ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν· θεοῦ τὸ δῶρον· {9}οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων, ἵνα μή τις καυχήσηται. {10}Αὐτοῦ γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς, οἷς προητοίμασεν ὁ θεός, ἵνα ἐν αὐτοῖς περιπατήσωμεν.

{1}And you, when you were dead in trespasses and sins, {2}in which at that time you walked according to the lifespan of this world, according to the prince of the authority of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, {3}among whom we all also conducted our lives at that time in the lusts of our flesh, putting into practice the desires of the flesh and mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the others; {4}but God being rich in mercy, because of His abundant love with which He loved us, {5}even while we were dead in trespasses made us alive with Christ—by grace you are saved—{6}and raised [us] with [Him], and seated [us] with [Him] in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, so that He might prove in the ages to come the overwhelming richness of His grace in [His] kindness for us in Christ Jesus, {8}for by grace are you saved through faith, and that [is] not from yourselves but [is] the gift from God, {9}not from works, lest anyone should boast. {10}For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God beforehand prepared that we might walk in them.

Grace from Start to Finish

Paul soundly rebukes the Galatians who dabble with the notion that they can somehow add to the work of the Holy Spirit who gave them life in the Gospel gifts.

Galatians 3:1-3 (Greek and English)

{1}Ὦ ἀνόητοι Γαλάται, τίς ὑμᾶς ἐβάσκανεν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ μὴ πείθεσθαι, οἷς κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς Ἰησοῦς χριστὸς προεγράφη ἐν ὑμῖν ἐσταυρωμένος; {2}Τοῦτο μόνον θέλω μαθεῖν αφ᾽ ὑμῶν, ἐξ ἔργων νόμου τὸ πνεῦμα ἐλάβετε, ἢ ἐξ ἀκοῆς πίστεως; {3}Οὕτως ἀνόητοί ἐστε; Ἐναρξάμενοι πνεῦματι, νῦν σαρκὶ ἐπιτελεῖστε;

{1}O foolish Galatians, who bewitched you to disobey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed in your midst as crucified? {2}This alone I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? {3} Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, do you now bring it to completion by the flesh?

Lest we fall into the same trap of the devil, we must guard against any doctrine of man or demon that would wriggle its way into our thoughts or dreams about our being saved or keeping ourselves saved by our own works or worthiness. Paul issues a double anathema to anyone (apostle, saint, or angel) who dares contradict the gospel in this way.

Galatians 1:6-8 (Greek and English)

{6}Θαυμάζω ὅτι οὕτως ταχέως μετατίθεσθε ἀπὸ τοῦ καλέσαντος ὑμᾶς ἐν χάριτι χριστοῦ εἰς ἕτερον εὐαγγέλιον· {7}ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλο, εἰ μή τινές εἰσιν οἱ ταράσσοντες ὑμᾶς καὶ θέλοντες μεταστρέψαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ χριστοῦ. {8}Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐὰν ἡμεῖς ἢ ἄγγελος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ εὐαγγελίζηται ὑμῖν παρ᾿ ὃ εὐηγγελισάμεθα ὑμῖν, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω. {9}Ὡς προειρήκαμεν, καὶ ἄρτι πάλιν λέγω, εἴ τις ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρ᾿ ὃ παρελάβετε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω.

{6}I marvel that so quickly you are moved away from the One who called you by the grace of Christ to another gospel, {7}which is not [really] another [gospel], but some would trouble you, even desiring to alter the gospel of Christ. {8}But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel besides that which we preached to you, let him be accursed. {9}As we said previously, so now I speak again, if anyone preaches to you a gospel besides what you received, let him be accursed.

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