Sola Deo Gloria (To the glory of God alone)

To the glory of God alone (Sola Deo Gloria)

— God planned our salvation before the world was created and before we were born (Ephesians 1:3-14; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 8:29-30).

— God predestined, before time began, who would be saved and who would be left in their own rebellion and curruption (Eph 1:3-13; Romans 9).

— God accomplished our salvation in history in Christ Jesus before we could make any choice (Romans 5:8).

— God regenerated us by His Spirit before we believed in Christ (John 1:12-13; 1 John 5:1,2; John 3:3-5).

— Christ sent gospel messengers to tell us the truth and publish the gospel before we could believe in Him (Romans 10:13-15).

— God made us aware of our sins (John 16:8) and showed us the penalty of sins before we wanted to believe.

— We believe and repent because God granted us these gifts (Ephesians 2:8,9).

— We continue to believe and follow Jesus because the Holy Spirit keeps working in us (Ephesians 1:12,13).

— The good work that God started He will finish (Phil 1:6)

— Those whom God predestined, He will effectually call unto salvation, justify in time, and glorify in heaven (Romans 8:29-30).

— No one will pluck God’s children out of Christ’s hand and out of the Father’s hand (John 10:27-30).

— The determining reason why children of God will persevere is because God determines and causes them to persevere (John 6:35-40; Jeremiah 32:36-40; Ezekiel 36).

— All the glory therefore belongs to God for the believers’ regeneration, their justification, sanctification and glorification (1 Cor 1:30).

— Only God can give glorified, indestructible bodies, to those whom he wills to give them, as He is God.

— God has the prerogative to give salvation to whom he chooses, as he is God, and has the power to do so, Sola Deo Gloria (Romans 9:13-16).

— All the glory belongs to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for anyone’s salvation (Revelation 5:9-11; Revelation 7:9-11), not to the power of our self-determination to be saved (Romans 9:16).

— We boast in Christ and in God exclusively for our salvation, not partly because of us (1 Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 6:16).

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans‬ ‭11:33-36‬ ‭ESV‬‬)‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Sola fide (By faith alone)

By Faith alone (Sola Fide)

– No person gets saved without having conscious faith in Jesus Christ, except for those who are unable to believe, like infants who die, and mentally disabled people.

— Saving faith is essentially a gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-10).

— There is a distinction between false or temporary faith and true and saving faith (Matthew 13; Hebrews 6:4-10)

— Saving faith and Biblical repentance always go together, they are distinct graces, but should not be separated from each other in salvation.

— Saving faith includes, correct knowledge of the truths of the gospel, assent to the facts of the gospel, and trust in the Person and Work of Christ.

— Biblical repentance includes, conviction of sins (change of mind), contrition over sins (change of emotions), (not attrition), confession of sins and conversion (change of behavior). Shame and hatred for sins are included in the change of emotions.

— We are saved, strictly speaking, by trusting in Christ Jesus, receiving Christ for who He is: as Lord and Savior and Righteousness, or as King, Prophet and Priest.

— Every person who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit will repent and believe the gospel because God is the determining cause in granting faith and repentance and the exclusive cause in giving a new heart to desire Christ

— We are active in repenting of our sins and trusting in Christ, our emotions, minds and wills are involved.

— These emotions to desire Christ and hate sin, this will to be willing to choose Christ, rest in Christ, and turn from sin, and this mind to understand the facts of the gospel and agree to it, to be true, have been created by Christ (Ef 2:10).

— We are commanded to repent of our sins and turn to God and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15,16; John 14:1,2). Without our wills and affections and minds involved we are not saved. We have to commit to Christ to be saved.

— By faith, in Christ alone, people are justified of their sins, Christ’s righteousness are accounted (imputed, transferred) to the believer and their sins were put on (imputed, transferred) Jesus 2000 years ago (Romans 3:24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

— By faith alone, believers are adopted into God’s family (Galatians 3), receive forgiveness of sins, the gift (baptism) of the Holy Spirit and eternal life (John 1:12; John 3:16).

— Faith is the instrument by which we receive justification, forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit, not repentance.

Sola Gratia (By Grace alone)

— We are not saved by obeying the Ten Commandments or the Mosaic law.

–We are not saved by doing good works and works of mercy.

–We are not saved by the power of our relative or natural free will.

–We are not saved by praying to images or pictures of Jesus, Mary, nor by dreams and visions, giving money to the church, nor to the man of God, nor by any human invention.

–Mankind in his natural state is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-3).

–Mankind in his natural state hate God and righteousness and are unwilling to come to God. We have moral inability to want salvation (Romans 8:7; Jeremiah 17:9).

–Mankind has natural ability to choose how he wants to sin, therefore he stand guilty before God. We are not forced to sin.

–All humans stand guilty before God and deserve damnation in hell and God’s eternal wrath (Romans 3:11-20; Romans 3:23; Romans 1:18-31).

–We cannot pay the penalty of our own sins (Romans 6:23).

–We cannot buy or earn salvation by achieving merits.

–God took the initiative to send Jesus Christ to this world to accomplish salvation on our behalf.

–God takes the initiative in our salvation by sending gospel preachers to declare the way of salvation

–God takes the initiative in our salvation by making us aware of our sinful condition and our guilt before God.

–God regenerates us by the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-6) and by the word of God (1 Peter 1:23-25) not because we chose him. God regenerates monergistically, without our assistance.

–Without God drawing us to Himself (John 6:44) and convicting us of our sins (John 16:8) there is no way that we would seek salvation.

–God draws the elect, irresistibly, although not against their will

–God implants a new principle within, to want, and desire, the things of Christ

–Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost (Matthew 9:10-14).

–We repent of our sins, feel sorry for our sins, and believe in Christ unto salvation, because God grants us, by his grace, the gifts of faith and repentance (2 Timothy 2:26; Ephesians 2:8-10).