Theological Battle Cries

[ITS]

State three theological battle cries of the Reformation. Do you feel that the Protestantism of today has held true to these principles? Why or why not? Give examples.

[skleung]

State three theological battle cries of the Reformation. Do you feel that the Protestantism of today has held true to these principles? Why or why not? Give examples.

Three of the battle cries of the Reformation were Faith Alone or "sola fide?? by which we are justified in our relationship to God, Grace Alone or "sola gratia" ? that is the operation by which we are brought to faith and are saved, and Scripture Alone or "sola Scriptura" ? being the revelation of God, the word of God, that is reliable, true, and ultimately authoritative. Protestantism of today has held true to these principles to varying degrees and stands to greatly improve its grasp. Of faith, Protestantism would do well to consider Book III of Calvin?s Institutes of the Christian Religion and recognize what Calvin wrote about the content, form, fruit, and nature of faith. As to grace, widely held semi-Pelagianism means the principle needs to be recovered. The distinction between imputation versus infusion also needs to be understood. Concerning Scripture, most Protestants hold to this in theory but not in practice. Many additional sources, such as ?Christian psychology,? opinion polls, surveys, and best sellers are regarded as authoritative for faith and living. Moreover, comprehension and commitment to the inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy of the Bible and what that implies is lacking.

[beefjobber]

I also agree with skleung's comments regarding the Reformation battle cries of "sola fide" (faith alone), "sola gratia" (grace alone), and "sola Scriptura" (Scripture alone). Protestantism in general has strayed from these theological landmarks since the time of the reformers, in some cases so far away that orthodox doctrine seems to be either completely lost or forgotten.

Protestants must return to justification by faith ALONE and grace ALONE; that is, faith as a gracious gift of God through his son Christ, applied by the Holy Spirit. Nothing in man warrants his redemption, it is all of grace, all of faith, which comes from God, not man. Good works naturally proceed from saving faith, but they also are brought about by the Holy Spirit working in the lives of Christians. Many Protestants are confused about salvation, about justification, about the role faith, grace, and good works play in these areas.

Also, Protestants must return to the authority of Scripture ALONE, as the highest, purest, and most reliable Word of God revealed to man. The conglomerate of confessions and other statements of faith and doctrine avaliable today are wonderful sources IF they properly proceed from God's Word and sit under this same Word. The Bible is God's Word revealed to man, and is the only Word, the one source of truth given by God himself to inform man on his relations to fellow man and to God.

[beefjobber]

Three battle cries from the Reformation include: solus Christus, God's sovereign grace, and the glory of God. All of these cries are interrelated; indeed they cannon be separated. Solus Christus, Christ alone, proclaims Christ as the only way to the Father, as the narrow way that leads to salvation, as the one and only mediator between God and man. Christ was fully God and fully man; he is one person in the Trinity, the triune God who has existed from eternity. Unfortunately few pulpits proclaim the majesty of Christ today, instead preaching has become another form of entertainment, another "how to do this" or "how to become that" seminar. Without a return to Christ, the Gospel does not exist.

God's grace and his glory are supreme; Calvin seemed to understand this and make it his goal to proclaim God's majesty in all things. Nothing in man warrants God's blessing and fellowship, it is all of God's grace that he condescends and lovingly saves some men. This grace is exemplified in the work of Christ; this grace points upward to God's glory, in, through, and to whom all things exist. God's glory is manifest in all things, in the regenerate and in the reprobate, in the heavens and on the earth, etc. Man exists to give God glory, indeed; all things exist to exalt the majesty of God. Protestantism has also forgotten about God's glory, instead trading it in for the same "how to" seminars and other forms of entertainment.

[abmoody]

State three theological battle cries of the Reformation. Do you feel that the Protestantism of today has held true to these principles? Why or why not? Give examples.

Three of the battle cries of the Reformation are Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, and Sola Scriptura. In regards to the faithfulness of Protestantism regarding these battle cries is varied. There are signs that many corners of Protestantism are in the process of abandoning the basic tenents of the Reformation altogether. Movements such as Evangelicals and Catholics Together want to disregard the differences between Catholics and Protestants and focus on the similarities to form ecumenical unity. It is astonishing how one could look at the council of Trent's sixth session wherein is defined the Catholic position on justification and then unite together with Rome in fellowship wtihout explicitly denying Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura, and Sola Gratia. What makes this reality even sadder is that the Catholics are not ignorant of their doctrinal stance. It is the Protestants who are abandoning their confessional heritage for that of Rome :!:

[abmoody]

Three battle cries from the Reformation include: solus Christus, God's sovereign grace, and the glory of God. All of these cries are interrelated; indeed they cannon be separated. Solus Christus, Christ alone, proclaims Christ as the only way to the Father, as the narrow way that leads to salvation, as the one and only mediator between God and man. Christ was fully God and fully man; he is one person in the Trinity, the triune God who has existed from eternity. Unfortunately few pulpits proclaim the majesty of Christ today, instead preaching has become another form of entertainment, another "how to do this" or "how to become that" seminar. Without a return to Christ, the Gospel does not exist.

God's grace and his glory are supreme; Calvin seemed to understand this and make it his goal to proclaim God's majesty in all things. Nothing in man warrants God's blessing and fellowship, it is all of God's grace that he condescends and lovingly saves some men. This grace is exemplified in the work of Christ; this grace points upward to God's glory, in, through, and to whom all things exist. God's glory is manifest in all things, in the regenerate and in the reprobate, in the heavens and on the earth, etc. Man exists to give God glory, indeed; all things exist to exalt the majesty of God. Protestantism has also forgotten about God's glory, instead trading it in for the same "how to" seminars and other forms of entertainment.

Beefjobber in addition to having a unique username :lol: has also posted some insightful comments. It is true that the Reformation presents an entire system of interrelated thought which ultimately cannot be simplified to 5 basic battle cries. They are helpful summaries for remembering the big issues, however we must remember that they fit into an entire way of approaching the questions of ultimate authority and the way in which God saves men. There is an alarming trend toward shallow self-help teaching in many evangelical churches. One might even expect to see a banner a month before Reformation Day announcing the upcoming "40 days of purpose" seminary that will focus on the "Purpose driven Protestant Reformation." :shock: At first this seems humerous, until you see it being lived out in the flesh. Anti-intellectualism is ultimately anti-Gospel. The Church must constantly be going back to Scripture as God's Word in the semper reformanda spirit. Scritpure is our authority, it is God's Word.

[zebart]

Everyone has forgotten the coolest of the Reformation battlecries: Thomas M?ntzer's upbeat catchphrase: ""Do not let the blood cool on your swords!" Unfortunately, I do live up to this battlecry a lot more frequently than I'd like to. :oops:

Seriously, though I think Sola Deo Gloria is the one that everyone flubs up all the time. It's an awesome motto by which to live one's whole life. Sin really is, in effect, our doing things for our glory (or pleasure) rather than the glory of God. The Reformers (especially Luther, with the theologia cruxis) wanted to get rid of that self-glorification and humble ourselves so as to glorify HIM!