Solus Christus “through Christ alone”

Today’s Class is about either:

Solo Christo “by Christ alone” or

Solus Christus “through Christ alone”

Table #1 – Read 1 Timothy 2:5-6

What does this passage tell us about God? About Man? And about Christ’s role?

Can you think of an Old Testament example of a mediator between God & the Jews? One who proclaimed God’s Word down to mankind & defended (or adjudicated) Israel’s case before God.

Sola Mediator – the 1 to be in the Middle

What does Christ do as a Mediator between God & Man?

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Table # 2 – Read Hebrews 10:11-18

What is this passage telling us about the level of completeness of salvation found in Christ?

Calvin saw the promise of a completed salvation for sinners as motivation for charity, obedience & good works (even social justice), do you agree or do you see it as a cause for spiritual laziness?

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Table # 3 – Read Colossians 1: 11-14

How are we “qualified” for salvation according to the passage?

The wording of the passage invokes deliverance like the Jews delivered out of the land of Egypt in that analogy who is our Moses? What domain does he lead us out of & what domain does he lead us into?

Does vs 14 describe redemption as something God will do in the future or something God has done already in the past? 

Solus Christus – Christ alone

            The RCC taught that we are saved by the merits of Christ & the saints, & that we approach God through Christ & the saints & Mary, who were said all to pray & intercede for us. The Reformation responded, “No, we are saved by the merits of Christ Alone, and we come to God through Christ Alone.” 

            The fundamental difference between Catholics & Reformers concerns the death of Christ.  Catholics believed, following Anselm, Christ’s death did not win a complete salvation for people because Christ died for sin (an abstract concept) not sinners (actual individuals).

            Catholics taught Christ’s death equated to an amount of merit called “grace.”  Imagine Christ, Mary & the Saints earning a bank vault sized volume of grace called the treasury of merit.  This grace being a spiritual power that, when applied to people, gave them forgiveness of various sins & purified their souls.

            What this meant was Catholicism believed Salvation for people were possible not complete; something more than simply Christ’s work on the cross was needed.  Implications for Catholics is Salvation is never complete – it’s a lifelong process which depends on works / behavior.

            In contrast Reformers view of Christ’s death came from Scripture not Anselm.  Evangelicals believe Christ’s death won a complete salvation.  The completeness is based off a person Jesus, not an imagined vault of merits.  Christ’s death did not created an impersonal repository of grace but a personal & compete savior.

            The reason why salvation is found in a person is because Jesus died for people (sinners) not for concepts (sins): “by your blood you ransomed people for God (says Rev 5:9).  This personal aspect of atonement is found in the term substitution.  Jesus was a real substitute for real people in his real death.  As our substitute Jesus was punished in our place, paying the whole penalty for our sin.

            According to Scripture, to deny that Christ’s death won complete salvation is to deny the gospel itself: because “if justification were through the law (found in works or obedience), then Christ died for no purpose.” (says Gal 2:21)

            Christ alone means Christ is the only mediator between God & Man & salvation comes through no other avenue.  So Protestants rejecting Sacerdotalism belief that mediation of priests is required for penance & restoration after sinning.  

            While the RCC held that “there is a purgatory & that the sons there detained are helped by indulgences & intercessions of the faithful” & that “Saints are to be venerated & invoked;” & “that their relics are to be venerated.” The Reformers taught Salvation was won by Christ’s work alone.

            As Calvin said, “Christ stepped in, took the punishment upon himself & bore the judgment due to sinners.  With his own blood he expiated the sins which made them enemies of God & thereby satisfied him…we look to Christ alone for divine favor & fatherly love!”  

            Because God is holy & all humans are sinful & sinners, neither religious ritual nor good works mediate between us & God. Christ is the sole fount by which a person can be saved, and his sacrificial death alone can atone for sin.

            Dietrich Bonheffer quote – arguably one of the greatest theologian, pastor, prophet, preacher, martyr of Modern times: “Above all, grace is costly, because it was costly to God, because it costs God the life of God’s Son – ‘you were bought with a price’ – and because nothing can be cheap to us which is costly to God.  Above all, it is grace because the life of God’s Son was not too costly for God to give in order to make us live.  God did, indeed, give him up for us.  Costly grace is the incarnation of God.”

Conclusion:

            Do you see how focusing Salvation down to a single point in time (the cross) & a single person (Christ) rather than making Salvation small makes it more amazing!! Precisely because “he paid it all, all to him I owe” instead of Salvation taking millions of priests & saints & hundreds of Cardinals & dozens of Popes & 1000s of years to struggle & merit salvation.