SOLA
FIDE GRATIA Scriptura
Martin Luther inadvertently set off the Reformation and influenced the entire Western world when he nailed the Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. The Reformation’s effects were soon seen in many areas: academics, the media, interactions between church and state, and the beginnings of many Christian denominations such as Lutherans. Because of this, it can be difficult to summarize what truly drove the Reformation to its far-reaching effects. Martin Luther says it best in a sermon from 1522, “I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing….the Word did everything.” It was God’s working through his Word, as rediscovered by Martin Luther, that propelled the Reformation to its global influence. As we celebrate what God did through Martin Luther and the Reformation, we do well to revisit on the three sola statements that came out of the Reformation: sola fide, sola gratia, and sola scriptura. In so doing, we rightly focus on God’s Word and join with Martin Luther and countless others to thank God for what he did through the Reformation.