The "Five Solas" of the Reformers of the 16th century helped to re-establish the mostly lost foundation of Paul's pure "gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24) unto eternal salvation. The all-sufficient "grace of God" is set in contrast to any good works or performance requirements that many Christian church systems erroneously set forth in order for one to be saved, or be kept saved, or to please the Lord. Paul makes it clear that we're forever saved on the basis of Christ's cross alone, not on the basis of our performance.

"For By Grace Are Ye Saved Through Faith; And That Not Of Yourselves: It Is The Gift Of God: 9 Not Of Works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Paul received the "gospel of the grace of God" (Act 20:24) directly from the resurrected, ascended, Lord (cf., Gal 1:12). Paul's grace gospel is most opposed by two factions within the Christian church-at-large today.

1.) There are the religious legalists who perpetuate Israel's "Law" and manmade laws in place of God's grace, ignoring Paul's  words. "...ye are NOT under the LAW, but under GRACE." (Romans 6:14b)

2.) Then there are the religious institutionalists who impose a mediatorial hierarchical clergy/laity system that sets itself between the believers and God. They ignore Paul's words here. "For there is one God, and One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5)

The two foregoing items have always served to obstruct or rule out the preaching of Paul's "gospel of the grace of God" for salvation of the believer and for the believer's direct personal relationship with Christ within them. This has been so since the time of Paul's early ministry when the religious leaders of Israel (the Pharisees and Saducees). Also, Jesus' Messianic Pentecostal believers who were with Jesus of Nazareth in His ministry, opposed Paul's "gospel of the grace of God," demanding that Paul's Gentile grace converts "keep the Law," thus denying salvation by grace through faith in Christ - alone (cf., Eph 2:8-9).

1. Opposition From "The Legalist" who opposed the Five Solas listed here:

1.   Sola Scriptura - "by the Bible ALONE" is our basis for TRUTH.

2.   Sola Fide - "by Faith ALONE" is the sole basis of our receiving salvation.

3.   Sola Gratia - "by Grace ALONE," the "FREE GIFT" is the basis of our salvation.

4.   Solus Christus - "through Christ ALONE," as Savior, can we obtain salvation.

5.   Soli Deo gloria - "ALL Glory to God ALONE," for He Alone has done ALL.

From the beginning of Paul's ministry the truths of "the faith" were opposed by both the institutional religious hierarchy of Israel (the Pharisees and Sanhedrin) and also the believing Messianic Pentecostal Church at Jerusalem. The Jerusalem church was led by James, the brother of the Lord. Paul wrote of their conflict explaining that "Certain (men) came from James" (Gal 2:12) came to the fledgling Gentile grace church in Galatia trying to subvert Paul's message of "the gospel of the grace of God" that he preached "among the Gentiles" (Gal 2:2). Much like Catholicism today, these Judaizers clung to and maintained the man made "traditions of the elders" of Israel and the ceremonial rites of the Old Testament Law that God gave Moses for the Nation of Israel ONLY! These Judaizers did not accept Paul's words he spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he said "the Law is not of faith" (Gal 3:12a) and not for the Gentiles who "are not under the Law but under grace" (Rom 6:14). The Judaizers tried to undermine Paul's Gentile converts, to rob them of the liberty of Paul's pure grace message, requiring them to be under Israel's "Law" of works and traditions, requiring them to be "circumcised" (Act 15:1, 24) for salvation. In the course of this conflict, Paul "withstood Peter to the face" for his "dissimulation" (hypocrisy)" (Gal 2:11-14) at that time.

2. The Usurpation of Christianity by the Hierarchical Mediatorial Church System of Rome:

In 313AD the Roman Emperor Constantine decreed the 'Edict of Toleration,' making Christianity lawful throughout the Empire. He then usurped the underground Christian church that met in homes, to make it a branch of the Roman Empire. He added the grandeur and pomp, spectacle, ceremony, and pageantry of the Roman Empire. The "Five Solas" of the Protestant Reformers of the 1500's were then in stark contradistinction to the doctrines of Rome's mediatorial hierarchical clergy/laity system that had come to power by force of the Roman Empire. We will cover this in more detail later.

Paul's pure "gospel of the grace of God," which the Reformers well understood, is still opposed today. Paul's words are largely marginalized by most of the religious institutions of the Christian church-at-large – both Roman and Protestant hierarchical Churches. Constantine's Roman church continues much the same today. And today's Protestantism still has its legalist and its hierarchist sects. Many of the so-called evangelicals have strayed to become neo-evangelicals, forsaking the pure word and the power of the Spirit, choosing rather to compromise and embrace the ways and techniques of the world, using emotion, spectacle, and entertainment. Most of Christianity today has largely forsaken Paul's pure grace gospel message and therefore lacks the power that occurs only when Christ and the pure word are preached (cf., 2Tim 4:2,  Col 1:28). This has led to the weak and mostly irrelevant and impotent Christian "church" that we see today. Even while some churches attract numbers of people, most of the believers have little knowledge of Christ as the "grace of God" dwelling within them. Christ is the Christian within, desiring to live through the believer.

In contrast to the manipulative church, Paul says "...the Gospel of Christ IS the Power (Gk. dunamis) of God unto salvation..." (Rom 1:16). Christ must then become revealed to each us, individually,

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this MYSTERY among the GENTILES; Which Is CHRIST IN YOU, The Hope Of Glory: (Colossians 1:27)

Most churches still largely hold to many myths, unscriptural and undispensational teachings, rites, liturgies, etc., which do not apply to the members of the "body of Christ." Paul warned Timothy, his son in the faith, of the coming apostasy (falling away) in the "latter times," such as we see today.

"As I (Paul) besought thee (Timothy) …that thou mightest charge some that they TEACH NO OTHER DOCTRINE (than Paul's), 4NEITHER GIVE HEED TO FABLES (myths) and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying (building up of the body) which is in faith: so do." (1 Timothy 1:3)

"THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that IN LATTER TIMES SOME WILL TURN AWAY FROM "THE FAITH," Giving Attention To Deluding And Seducing Spirits And Doctrines That Demons Teach, 2 Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized), 3 Who forbid people to marry and [teaching them] to abstain from [certain kinds of] foods… 7 Refuse And Avoid Irreverent Legends (godless fictions, mere grandmothers' tales) and silly MYTHS, and express your disapproval of them" (1Tim 4:1-3, 7 (AMP)

In the course of our study of the 16th Century Reformer's "Five Solas" we will of necessity explore some history of religion's opposition to and/or hindrance of the clear proclamation of Paul's pure "gospel of the grace of God" that he received directly from the Lord Jesus Christ for us today. It's only by Paul's God-ordained "gospel of the grace of God" that men may be eternally Saved By grace ALONE, through faith ALONE, in Christ ALONE ... without the trapping of institutionalized religion with it's laws, ceremonies, rites, liturgies, and hierarchical mediators. Saved believers should know they are saved and that they are God's child because it's known inwardly by the witness of His Spirit within them (cf., Rom 8:16).

Don't think the hindering religious institutions of men that I speaking of here are only the large ones. They can also be small groups, even home groups, having their own near cultic heresies and heavy handed leaders, all of which can block the blessings of the liberty that springs from the grace gospel for believers. Bible truth sets the simplest believer free from "the Law" and the onerous demands of lifeless "religion." "Religion" according to the original Latin is "religio," from "re" means "again" and ligio means "to bind," meaning to bring into bondage again. This is an apt description of "religion" in its negative sense. Sadly, many today go from the bondage of the world... becoming free in Christ for a time... but go back again, into the bondage of false religion. Hence they never really enjoy the pure love and grace of God that is only enjoyed under this a new relationship of "the gospel of the grace of God" that is built upon pure grace.

The Lord desires that His believers enjoy a living, loving, relationship with Him in Freedom, Rest, and Peace. He is "the head" and we are "His body" on earth today. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized (without water) into one body (of Christ), whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and Have Been All Made To Drink Into One Spirit." (1Cor 12:13) We drink of "the Spirit of life in Christ" by our living in union with Him in our Spirit as we learn to lean upon and trust Him for all our living. In this new way of living, we grow in the real knowledge of Christ as our all-sufficient life and Lord who is as close as our breath.