Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation

These five sermons on the Five Solas of the Reformation were preached recently at Unity Presbyterian Church in Piedmont, SC.

​Reformation Truth # 1: Scripture Alone - 2 Timothy 3:15-17 
​Reformation Truth # 2: Christ Alone - 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Reformation Truth # 3: Faith Alone - Romans 1:15-18
Reformation Truth # 4: Grace Alone - Ephesians 2:1-10
​Reformation Truth # 5: Soli Deo Gloria - Romans 11:33-12:2

Is Christ's Righteousness Yours?

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The Sad State of Theology in the American Church

Stephen Nichols, of Ligonier Ministries, has wrtitten an insightful piece on the suspicion of authority in the American church.  Nichols writes: 

The State of Theology study for 2016, undertaken by Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research, looked at 47 statements of religious belief. Among those statements are four that directly examine beliefs regarding church. Take a moment to give yourself this brief church survey. Do you agree or disagree with these following four statements?

Worshipping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church.

Churches that do not preach from the Bible should not be considered a Christian church.

There is little value in studying or reciting historical creeds and confessions.

My local church has the authority to withhold the Lord’s Supper from me and exclude me from the fellowship of the church.

On the first one, regarding worshiping alone, 58% agree, 12% are unsure, and 30% agree. On the second one, regarding the identity of a Christian church, the agree column racked up less than a simple majority at 46%, 17% were not sure, and 37% disagreed. On the third statement regarding the historical church, a strong 57% disagree, 16% are not sure, and only 27% agree.

Now let’s consider the results regarding the fourth statement on the authority of the local church to withhold communion. The responses to this statement are one of the most visually striking of all responses to the 47 statements of the survey. Many of the responses revealed polarized results, with only slight majorities and large numbers on either the disagree or agree side. A few of the questions elicited a visceral response of either disagreement or agreement. This question garnered the most responses in the unsure column of all the 47 statements. The middle of the spectrum, with not sure being lodged between agreeing and disagreeing, was a big bubble of a response regarding this statement. 61% are not sure. Another 26% disagree, while only 13% agree.

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