REFORMATION 500. Sola Gratia

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1 REFORMATION 500 Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. NOTE FOR LEADERS This document is intended to be used as a discussion guide, rather than a curriculum. As small group leaders, please feel free to lead through the topic as most appropriate for your group. HOUSEKEEPING Things going at the moment: Compassion Christmas Appeal O This year EBC will be running a Christmas appeal on behalf of Compassion. We will be raising money to contribute to the projects our church supports in Thailand. Christmas Eve Service O This year Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday, and there will be no Sunday morning service on this day. Instead we will be running a Christ Carols and family fun day. O Details to come.

2 CELEBRATING 500 TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE REFORMATION WHAT IS THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION The Protestant Reformation was a major 16th century European movement aimed initially at reforming the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Its religious aspects were supplemented by ambitious political rulers who wanted to extend their power and control at the expense of the Church. The Reformation ended the unity imposed by medieval Christianity and, in the eyes of many historians, signalled the beginning of the modern era. A weakening of the old order was already under way in Northern Europe, as evidenced by the emergence of thriving new cities and a determined middle class. In 1517, in one of the signal events of western history, Martin Luther, a German Augustinian monk, posted 95 theses on a church door in the university town of Wittenberg. That act was common academic practice of the day and served as an invitation to debate. Luther's propositions challenged some portions of Roman Catholic doctrine and a number of specific practices. The movement quickly gained adherents in the German states, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Scotland and portions of France. Support came from sincere religious reformers, while others manipulated the movement to gain control of valuable church property. As the hope of reforming the Roman church faded, the "protestants" were forced to separate from Roman Catholicism resulting in Lutheran churches in Germany, Scandinavia and some eastern European countries, the Reformed churches in Switzerland and the Netherlands, Presbyterian churches in Scotland, and the Anglican church in England, and other diverse elements all of which have evolved into the Protestant denominations of today. THE FIVE SOLAS The Five Solas are five Latin phrases (or slogans) that emerged from the Protestant Reformation intended to summarize the Reformers' basic theological principles in contrast to certain teachings of the Roman Catholic Church of the day. "Sola" is Latin meaning "alone" or "only" and the corresponding phrases are: Sola Fide, by faith alone. Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone. Solus Christus, through Christ alone., by grace alone. Soli Deo Gloria, glory to God alone. In an age of corruption and false teaching, the Protestant Reformers returned to the Scriptures. There they found the way of salvation. Instead of indulgences, the Mass, relics, and other superstitions, they rediscovered the ancient way of salvation: the gospel. The five solas were their attempt to summarize biblical teaching on salvation. That God makes us alive and is completely for us: By God s grace alone, on the basis of Christ alone, received through faith alone, to the glory of God alone, with Scripture alone as the only, final, decisive, authority on truth.

3 #3 SOLA GRATIA REFLECT This is a time to generate some discussion by reflecting on the ideas in this week s message. Some ideas include: Ask the group to debrief for those who have missed the sermons on Sunday What stood out? Do you have any questions? Were there any special moments of clarity where God spoke to you clearly? DISCUSSION Let s continue with some focused discussion around the big ideas of this week s topic. Firstly, what do you understand of the term? Had you heard it before? Secondly, what makes (grace alone) distinct from Sola Fide (faith alone) that we talked about last week? (LEADERS NOTE: They really are the two sides of the same coin, and so are tightly bound up together that it is difficult to separate them. They can however be understood as saying the same thing from different vantage points. Faith alone focuses in on US: what is it that we do to gain God s forgiveness and be justified? Nothing but faith alone. Grace alone on the other hand focuses in on God: what is it that motivates God to forgive and justify us? It is nothing in us, but his own grace alone. Another way to say it is they are answering two different questions: faith alone answers the question How are we saved?, while grace alone answers the question why is it we can be saved? DIG INTO THE WORD Let s dig a little deeper. Use the biblical text to discover what God reveals to us in his Word. Last week we saw that faith puts the focus on us and asks what do I have to do to be saved?, and the answer is, have faith. This week the camera zooms out from us and focuses on God and asks what motivates God to save? And the answer is Grace alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. God is a righteous judge, but our hope for escaping His judgment doesn t rest in our ability to change his mind through our works. Rather it rests in the fact that God is gracious, and therefore he has compassion and mercy for the undeserving.

4 Romans 5:7-8 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The story doesn t go that God was coming down to judge and punish, but we did enough to convince him to change his mind. It goes that we rebelled against him and made ourselves his enemies, and for reasons that have nothing to do with our deserving, and everything to do with his nature and character, he sent his Son to die for us, out of love for people who are still sinners. And even more powerfully, because of His graciousness, He determined to do this even before we had rebelled, before we were created: Ephesians 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. Despite knowing we would rebel, God out of the goodness of His character chose to create us anyway, providing a way for us to be forgiven. What motivates God to save people? Grace Alone. There is another way to say it. God, motivates God to save people. It is what he is like. It s who he is. It s not about us, it s about him. It doesn t depend on us, on our works. There is no cause to boast. It depends on him. God motivates God to show grace to people who don t deserve it, and don t do anything to receive it other than have faith in him. Because of Grace, God invites His enemies to become His children. Because of Grace, the God who has a Father s love for His enemies, offers so much more to those who have become His children. APPLY Help your group identify how the truths from the Scriptures apply directly to their lives. Get group members to talk about the real life implications of the study. 1. DISCUSS: How are we to apply these things? Are there any immediate implications? 2. DISCUSS: How powerful is the realisation that God has done everything for each individual to be spared judgement for their sin? How liberating is the truth that we bring no effort to our own redemption? What are the implications of having no personal role in the cause of your salvation? What should this mean for your understanding of God, and your understanding of how he views you?

5 3. DISCUSS: We know that salvation comes through faith in Jesus alone. We know that God predestined to complete his salvation plan, despite knowing the personal cost. But for some reason we still tend to doubt about what God thinks of us. He may have saved us, but that doesn t mean he has to like us. In what ways do we forget how much God loves us and what he has done for us? (Consider: seeking my value in my effort for him; seeing God s punishment in our circumstance; questioning God s presence or goodness in difficult situations; allowing our sin to convince us of God s absence; failing to walk in the joy of the Lord). 4. APPLY: What hope or anticipation does the truth that God not only has spared you from punishment, but that he has invited you into his family? What changes might this require for you personally? PRAY 5. APPLY: How would you explain to someone the concepts of being saved by grace, through faith? What would you be emphasising? What misunderstandings would you be wanting to address? What questions would these explanations raise? THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: Read Hebrews 13:3 and continue to spend some time specifically this week in prayer for the persecuted church. HELPFUL NOTES NOTES ON KEY TEXTS Eph. 2:1 10 Salvation by Grace through Faith. This section, like 1:3 14 and 1:15 23, is a single sentence in the original Greek. The overarching theme is that God lavishes his grace on Christians through his saving initiative. Eph. 2:8 By grace refers to God s favour upon those who have transgressed his law and sinned against him. But grace may also be understood as a power in these verses. God s grace not only offers salvation but also secures it. Saved refers to deliverance from God s wrath at the final judgment (Rom. 5:9); by grace you have been saved is repeated from Eph. 2:5 for emphasis. The verb form for have been saved (Gk. sesōsmenoi, perfect tense) communicates that the Christian s salvation is fully secured. through faith. Faith is a confident trust and reliance upon Christ Jesus and is the only means by which one can obtain salvation. this. The Greek pronoun is neuter, while grace and faith are feminine. Accordingly, this points to the whole process of salvation by grace through faith as being the gift of God and not something that we can accomplish ourselves. This use of the neuter pronoun to take in the whole of a complex idea is quite common in Greek (e.g., 6:1); its use here makes it clear that faith, no less than grace, is a gift of God. Salvation, therefore, in every respect, is not your own doing.

6 Eph. 2:9 10 Salvation is not by works. If it were, then those who are saved would get the glory. created for good works. Salvation is not based on works, but the good works Christians do are the result and consequence of God s new creation work. Rom. 5:1 11 Assurance of Hope. Those who are justified by faith have an unshakable hope, knowing they will be saved from God s wrath on the day of judgment by virtue of Christ s substitutionary death on their behalf. Rom. 5:7 8 On rare occasions, even a human being will die for a righteous (morally upright) person or for a good person (one who has done much good). God s love, however, belongs in an entirely different category from human love, for Christ did not die for righteous people or those who have done good for others but for sinners, that is, for ungodly, unrighteous people living in wilful rebellion against God. It is not just Christ s love that was shown in his death but also God the Father s love. While God s righteousness and justice led to his plan of salvation through the death of Christ (see 3:25 26), it was his love that motivated this plan. Eph. 1:3 14 Spiritual Blessings in Christ. In the original Greek, this section is one long, elegant sentence. Paul shows that the triune God initiated and accomplished cosmic reconciliation and redemption for the praise of his glory. Eph. 1:3 Blessed be. The blessing that opens Paul s prayer is similar to those that began first-century Jewish prayers that were commonly recited throughout the day (cf. 2 Cor. 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:3). in Christ. Paul s praise emphasizes the mediation of Christ for all God s blessings by repeating that these good things are ours in Christ (Eph. 1:3, 9), in the Beloved (v. 6), or in him (vv. 4, 7, 11, 13). Spiritual(Gk. pneumatikos) here communicates that the saving gifts of God are conveyed by the Holy Spirit (Gk. Pneuma), whose personal presence throughout this age is the guarantee of future heavenly blessings (see spiritual songs in 5:19; Col. 3:16). Hence, these blessings are in heavenly places, since that is the Christian s future abode in imperishable glory when he is resurrected in a spiritual body through the last Adam, the life-giving spirit (1 Cor. 15:40, 44 50). Eph. 1:4 He chose us in him means that the Father chose Christians in the Son (Christ), and this took place in eternity past, before the foundation of the world. This indicates that for all eternity the Father has had the role of leading and directing among the persons of the Trinity, even though Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal in deity and attributes. God s initiative in redeeming the believer from sin and death was not an arbitrary or whimsical decision but something God had planned all along in Christ. Since God chose his people in his love, they can take no credit for their salvation. God was determined to have them as his own (see note on 2:8). holy. God chose them with the goal that they be holy and blameless before him. This goal is not optional for Christians it is the purpose of election. Holiness here expresses moral purity, while blamelessness expresses freedom from the guilt of trespasses and sins in which the Christian formerly walked (1:7; 2:1, 5). In love, at the end of 1:4, properly belongs to v. 5, describing predestination, though the ESV footnote indicates that in love can also be taken with the preceding phrase ( that we should be holy and blameless before him in love ). Versification was introduced into Bibles in the sixteenth century A.D.for convenience and is not part of the original inspired text.

7 Eph. 1:5 predestined. Previously ordained or appointed to some position. God s election of Christians (v. 4) entails his predestining them to something in this case to adoption to himself as sons (see also v. 11; Rom. 8:29 30). Hence, election and predestination in this context refer to God s decision to save someone. All Christians, male and female, are sons in the sense of being heirs who will inherit blessings from their Father in heaven. Paul qualifies and stresses God s plan and initiation of redemption with the phrase according to the purpose of his will here and elsewhere in the passage (Eph. 1:9, 11). God cannot be constrained by any outside force, and his inexorable will for believers is to pour out his grace and goodness on them in Christ Jesus. Eph. 1:6 God s ultimate purpose is not redemption as such but the praise of his glorious name through redemption. This theme is repeated at key junctures in the argument (see vv. 12, 14). REFERENCE: Developed with the help of the following: ESV Study Bible, Crossway.