I have found myself reflecting the last couple of weeks on the five solas of the reformation. The reason is because I attended a funeral and the church had some large banners hanging up front that declared in a flowing cursive script, “saved by grace ALONE through faith ALONE in Christ ALONE according to Scripture ALONE for the glory of God ALONE.”
I was reading these and reflecting on them when my friend, who had just lost his mother, got up to start the service by reading a liturgy inviting others into his grief. The liturgy juxtaposed with the banners around him brought to my mind the great hope we have in such a profound salvation offered to us for free! It is a glorious salvation. It is narrow as defined by the “alones” in the formula. Some would call them the “solas”.
And yet as my friend read a liturgy about his reticence to invite others into his grief with Him, my mind began to wonder if the banners were not missing a word. Is it possible that we live our lives too isolated.
In our modern world of self-checkout lines, privacy fencing, and AirPods that quietly blare out to the world “don’t talk to me!” . . . In this context, what is the church to be? What are we meant to be to each other?
I wanted to add a final word to the banners: “together”! Every person must have their own faith in Christ. But the moment we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to Scripture alone for the glory of God alone . . . We are brought into an eternal TOGETHER! A ‘together’ that watches out for each other . . . Encourages one another, bear one another’s burdens, rebukes one another, and worships with one another!
I don’t think I will ever see the formula again without reading it this way,
saved by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in Christ alone,
according to Scripture alone,
for the glory of God alone,
together.
How vital is our together? Try fulfilling the instructions of the New Testament authors alone . . . And see how far you get. Let’s consider one simple instruction from the author of Hebrews as an example . . . he says ‘Do not forsake the gathering together’! I’ll stand by and watch you try to get that one done . . . alone. We are saved for unity together!
