Word Alone, Grace Alone, Christ Alone & Faith Alone

One of the attractions of going to a restaurant is choosing from a variety of menu options. Car dealerships entice you with multiple makes and models, and then to enhance the experience each car comes with a plethora of op-tional features. We like to have a variety of possibilities from which to choose. This same mindset has a way of shaping some people’s approach to religion.

As Martin Luther began his career as a monk and immersed himself in the story of Scripture, he came to understand that God works quite differently: He isn’t interested in giving us options. This understanding indelibly shaped Luther’s life and the theology that flowed out of his pen.

While he was alive, Luther was often perceived as being uncompromis-ing, hard headed, and not open to others’ opinions. But Luther found that Scripture didn’t give him room to compromise. The Gospel was at stake, and forgiveness of sin is not an opinion; it is Christ’s unequivocal declaration.

Luther’s use of the Latin word sola reflects this reality. The word sola means alone. It removes options and choices. There is no wiggle room, no gray area, and no room for doubt. And no religious smorgasbord when it comes to matters of faith.

Over the next four weeks, we will unpack four different words Luther at-tached to the word sola: Word, grace, Christ, and faith. To learn more about what Luther meant and why he provided no options in matters of faith, watch the weekly bulletin and view the Reformation 500 video series at www.luther-houseofstudy.org.