The messages included below center on and around the 5 Solas that emerged from the Reformers’ theological convictions about the essentials of Christianity. They were delivered to the congregation of Founders Baptist Church at a yearly conference set aside for the teaching, training, equipping, and encouraging our members in their faith. Please consider listening. We hope that you will find them helpful and encouraging.

The Five Solas of Church History - Part 1:    • Bryan Ferrell - Biblical Fidelity- Il...  
The Five Solas of Church History - Part 2:    • Bryan Ferrell - Biblical Practice- Th...  
The Five Solas of Church History - Part 3:    • Bryan Ferrell - Biblical Gospel- The ...  
The Five Solas of Church History - Part 4:    • Bryan Ferrell - Romans 1.1-7 Pauls in...  



On October 31, while many prepare to celebrate Halloween, Christians have something else that they celebrate and remember, called Reformation Day. On October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Cathedral in Germany. This day is often referred to as the spark that started the fire. For, out of the actions Martin Luther took that day in 1517 came an entire Protestant Reformation against Roman Catholic traditions, teaching, and authority. But what role has the Reformation played in church history since then? How has the Reformation helped Christians today in understanding their Bibles and knowing the Lord’s will? These questions and more are answered in this episode of the Straight Truth Podcast. Join Dr. Richard Caldwell and Dr. Josh Philpot as they dive into the significance of the Protestant Reformation.

Dr. Caldwell tells us that the most significant ongoing influence of the Reformation is represented in the principles and the truths, the doctrines, that were rediscovered. The Reformation didn’t invent anything, so it isn't the beginning of anything in that sense. It was the rediscovery of gospel truth that had been buried under Roman Catholic tradition and teaching for nearly a thousand years. The greatest contributions of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and others were to drive people back to the source, to the Word of God. The main messages of those men and that time are commonly referred to as the 5 Solas, five Latin phrases that represent the core positions. They are Sola Scriptura, Sola Christus, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, and Sola Deo Gloria. Each sola represents biblical Christianity that the Reformers emphasized regarding the salvation and justification of sinners. It's believing that salvation is by grace alone, by faith alone, in Christ alone, through Scripture alone, all to the glory of God alone. As these men went back to the Word of God, they stood in pulpits proclaiming the Word and these truths. The altar was not the center for them, but the pulpit and the Word of God were. But it wasn’t just a revival of preaching, but a revival of biblical preaching. They would begin in a book of the Bible and determine to preach through it chapter by chapter, verse by verse, which today is called expository preaching, delivering truth in a consecutive format. God worked in such a way that there was this large movement in Germany and throughout Europe as these truths were rediscovered and proclaimed. It’s like the whole landscape was set on fire. It was an awakening tied to the declaration, the proclamation of God’s Word. And God is still doing that today in saving people and then galvanizing them in truth that’s found in the Scriptures.

Having God’s Word faithfully proclaimed to people was crucial to these Reformers. Additionally, they believed it was of the utmost importance to get the Scriptures into the hands of the laypeople. Martin Luther translated the Scriptures into the German language for his people. He had more confidence in a layperson who had the Word of God in his hands and mouth than a pope or councils that were making their decisions based upon tradition. Dr. Caldwell says, and we have that same confidence. If the Bible is the authority, then the people of God need the Bible. They need to be equipped and know that the Scriptures are sufficient to live the Christian life. People don’t need homilies in Latin that they don’t understand; they need the Bible. They need the Scriptures in their own language and their own hands so that they can read it and live it.

We look back at these Reformers as sort of heroes of the faith, and there is certainly a place for that as we think about and consider Hebrews 11. These men, like those of Hebrews 11, had their own foibles, and they erred in some of their efforts to bring reforms to the church. But as Dr. Caldwell reminds us, we all have our weaknesses and err in many ways. As we begin our journey in the Christian life, we are acquainted with our sinfulness, that our need is for Christ, and that the answer to God is found with Him alone. Yet, as we grow in our Christian life, if we are not careful, we begin to put confidence in our abilities, our knowledge, or whatever.