The 5 Solas?

Dr Leighton Flowers, Director of Evangelism and Apologetics for Texas Baptists, answers a listener-submitted question about the 5 Solas.

[jacobnewton]

Thank you for getting me out of Calvinism

[johannine]

Just discovered you via Mike Winger and WOW, you're a wonderful resource from our Lord on high!

[grahck]

I was exposed to the Five Solas before I was exposed to Calvinism. Even now, after having rejected Calvinism, I still affirm the Five Solas. When asked if I am Reformed, I will say "Yes" with the understanding that I am affirming the Five Solas, which is the foundation upon which the Reformation began. Historically, the Reformation began as an attempt to "reform" the Catholic Church, which had grown stagnate and corrupt, as well as having adopted many unbiblical traditions and practices. The Five Solas summarize how Reformed thinking and interpretation of Scripture is different from Catholic thinking and interpretation of Scripture.

[stitchmom]

I’ve been saying for over a year now that I wish there was a 6th Sola-The Holy Spirit is missing. By the Power of the Holy Spirit alone or the regeneration or something like that. I heard my pastor say that every work of God is trinitarian but in the solas, the Holy Spirit appears to be absent. Thank you for this channel and your obedience.

[chrishadwin]

Thanks Leighton. I am glad someone asked that question. Good explanation. Thank you for continuing to point out the inconsistencies of this man-made doctrine.

[trebmaster]

I don't like "sola"s that aren't stated verbatim in the Bible and I don't like having "omni"s that aren't stated verbatim in the Bible. These are mental shortcuts that people make rather than leaning upon the scriptures themselves to speak what they actually say.
If you make "sola"s or "omni"s a cornerstone idea for your faith, then you are extremely susceptible to create false doctrines from it.

[richardthenryvideos]

Great apt video! HOWEVER...

Also I see "all the major platforms" that's great. But not to be a fear mongering fool but I would jump on the others like Rumblr, Gab and things like that. YT is going to purge all content it doesn't like. We have a mark on our backs

[johndisalvo]

ANOTHER EXCELLENT VIDEO on the ultimate falling apart of a man made doctrine!! Calvinism again self destructs!!!

[HeavenGuy]

Can you just hear these wedding vows, sola you, and the 4 other solas. Why use alone when it isn't alone?

[andrewdurfee]

O the irony !...;) My simple mind finds these simple things quite funny . God uses a" Dr. Flowers" to call OUT "The T.U.L.I.P." 🤣🤣🤣 (Praise the Lord 🙌 /keep it up)

[EmperrHrde]

They're not "sola" if there are *five* of them.

[TheologicalTheory]

I'm not a Calvinist, but I am familiar with Calvinist preaching to some extent. I don't really agree with your point regarding Calvinists being able to add things like "Baptism Only" or "Works Only" to the Solas. The Solas seem like they are mainly tied to issues surrounding salvation: We are saved by Grace Alone through Faith Alone in Christ Alone for the Glory of God Alone. Sola Scriptura would then be tied to that string through Romans 10:17 which explains that faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the Word of God. Since baptism and works are not accepted as salvific in the Calvinist confessions (as well as in most other protestant confessions), these would not be seen as welcome additions to the 5 Solas by Calvinists (or others). I can more easily see your point about Calvinists only needing 4 Solas instead of 5. Thanks for giving us stuff to think about!

[KISStheSON...]

Galatians 2:16
“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

OH, so what I hear you saying is that I cannot be justified by my works, only by the faith of Christ...OKAY, I get it now, I will believe in Jesus Christ so that I will be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law...why didn't you just tell me that in the first place? 😊

[jeremh]

dr flowers can u help me prove sola scriptura to a friend? basically i know sola scriptura is right, but im having trouble using the scriptures to prove it. whenever i say that they are self fulfilling, they say prove it using scripture, and i have trouble. i cant find a way to prove why the gospel of thomas, etc and other books arent recognized as canon without going to the authority of a church counsel etc. or just saying that they are obviously not congruent with the other scriptures, but when i talk about the other scriptures i am referring to the 66 books of the canon, but in order to get to those 66 books i have to had relied on the authority of a counsel to put those together. and then i show that books were quoted from, but jude quotes enoch supposedly, so i cant !just say when they are quoted they necessarily are canon, and then where do i find the doctrine of canonization in scripture argh

[jimsontanyanyiwa]

If God does not predestine the elect how does he predict things (prophecy) is it possible for Judas to have chosen not to betray Jesus? How is it a sure thing that God's prediction will always be true? Why does God say he hardened pharaoh's heart? Is it possible for pharaoh to have resisted his will? Why are you using rationality as a way to disprove Calvinism instead of using verses in the bible?

[freegracetruthembrace]

Theological Determinism reduces to Sola Decretum .

Nothing resides outside this all encompassing mechanism . It is as inexorable and inevitable, as it is irresistible and purely fatalistic .

The only 'reasonable' and consistent application would look a whole lot like many Hindu Gurus, who quiescently repose without a word, utterly consigned to what 'Is' .

[HosannaInExcelsis]

I think that this is a weak point in Dr Flowers theology because it takes you to some unreasonable or outlandish conclusions:

For example, we know that according to Protestant theology, it was Luther who came up with this idea of extra nos justification, which means that at the moment of justification we have only a change in status but not an internal transformation. The Christian consensus was that there was an ontological transformation at the moment of justification, or an enablement so that the Christian was now able to fulfill the New Law (Rom 13:10, Gal 5:14).

If then the error is due to our free will then the question is: where all these Christians before Luther (many of them martyrs) misusing their free will so that they got the gospel wrong?

And how so was Luther the first one to use his free will correctly so that he got the gospel right?

This ends up in a form of Ecclesial Deism in which Jesus Christ abandons his Church and waits until someone uses his free will correctly in order to get the "gospel" right.

This position makes provisionalism looks quite unfeasible.

[glassworks]

Let's say Faith precedes regeneration. But the Bible teaches we are (spiritually) dead on our trespasses and sins. What can a dead man do? Does he 'will' to become alive by faith until he attains spiritual life (regeneration) which results in eternal life (salvation)? The man is DEAD, and I dare say he's not capable of having faith. We may tell people to have faith and seek the Kingdom of God. But no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born of the Spirit (Born again/regenerated). But you argue that faith, coming from a dead man, results regeneration or salvific grace. As you said "through (the tunnel of) faith", you will come out to the other end of the tunnel and meet God's saving grace. But like we who contributed nothing to our physical birth, also did not contribute anything in our spiritual birth. It is all God.

As we read in Ezekiel 36:25-31

25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.

29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.

30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.

31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.

Notice how God says "I" all-over these passages? Also notice in v.27 "and CAUSE YOU TO WALK in MY statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Does that sound like God's suggesting? No. He will certainly bring it to pass. He will cleanse His people, remove their filthiness, give them new heart, new desires, in short He regenerates them until it results to (perhaps with faith) obedience of His decrees.

I'd say regeneration precedes faith. And that's because God works in us before we could even utter "I believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior".

[TempleofChristMinistries]

There is no such thing as the 5 Solas, because a Sola means alone, it doesn't mean it is accompanied by something else, the only power for a Sola to be a Sola concerning the Christ, it has to have the power to save, Faith alone, Grace alone, to the glory of god alone, scripture alone, none of these alone have the power to save, only Christ alone has the power to save,

There is no such thing as the 5 Solas,

in Christ alone we have scripture, we have Grace, we have the glory of god, and we have faith, it is through Christ Alone these things exist, apart from the Christ none of these things exist, you cannot have Grace alone Faith alone, to glory of god alone, and scripture alone, none of these powers can save you,

when Saul was on the road to Damascus he had no faith in the Christ, he was persecuting the Christians, he thought he was in faith, he thought he was in the grace of God, he thought he understood scripture, he thought he was doing what he was doing to the glory of god, these 4 things did not save him, the only one that had the power to save was the Christ alone, when by his decision and mercy he came to saul and saved him, , and through this salvation by Christ Alone, Paul came to understand scripture, Grace, Faith, and the glory of god,

there is no such thing as the five Solas, there is only one and that is the Christ, because without the Christ there is nothing.

[yvonnegonzales]

Biblical Solas against Calvinist Solas