Controversy with the SOLAS
One of the Roman Catholic beliefs that became a central issue of Reformation was the Roman Catholic Church’s claim that church tradition, the teaching of the pope, and the decisions of their councils (these councils were gatherings of Roman Catholic leaders who decided on theological and church governance issues) held the same authority as the teachings of the Bible. The Roman Catholic Pope’s teachings were considered as “inerrant” (meaning perfect, free from error) and even to be as authoritative as
Scripture , itself. This is why the principle of Sola Scriptura, which meant that the Scripture in the Bible alone is the final authority, challenged the beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church.
2- SOLUS CHRISTUS
Another set of key Roman Catholic teachings were the “degrees” and “categories” of sin, the belief in purgatory and the intercession of Saints. Roman Catholics were taught that there were certain serious sins that sent all individuals straight to Hell. While, most other sins would send believers to purgatory.
Purgatory is an intermediary state between Hell and Heaven (not as bad as Hell, but, still not Heaven) where individuals would spend an allotted time to be purified and cleansed from their lesser sins before being accepted into Heaven.
Those detained in purgatory were helped by faithful believers, who would pray to the Saints and also do good works to help their loved ones leave Purgatory quicker. Furthermore, Roman Catholics were instructed to pray to Mary (the mother of Jesus) and to any of the Saints (these Saints were significant people in the Church who were declared “holy” because of their lives and accomplishments, as opposed to the general term of all believers as saints, today). Mary and the Saints would then intercede in Heaven on behalf of the believer so that God would perhaps listen.
Furthermore, the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope had the power to decide if individuals were forgiven or not for their sins. Apart from membership in the Roman Catholic Church, individuals would have no hope of having their sins forgiven or of going to heaven. It is because of this set of beliefs and practices that Solus Christus (meaning we are saved by Christ alone who is the only Mediator between God and man) was proclaimed.
3 & 4- SOLA GRATIA & SOLA FIDE
Furthermore, while the Roman Catholic Church would say that all are saved by the grace of God through the work of Christ, they also required certain “good works;” such as penance (actions of repentance prescribed by the priest such as repeating particular prayers, fasting, giving alms to the poor, or participating in the crusades) and indulgences (the purchase of special religious documentation from the
Roman Catholic Church to obtain more “spiritual merit” for deceased loved ones to leave purgatory and go to Heaven). These good works were required to have the grace of God, as well as, the “merit” of Christ and of the Saints applied to one’s life. It is in this context that the teaching of Sola Gratia (meaning Grace Alone) and Sola Fide (meaning Faith Alone) were developed declaring that we are saved purely by the grace of God alone and not because we deserve it, and that we are saved through faith alone in the work of Christ, not because of any good works, both of which challenged the Roman Catholic Church.
The Roman Catholic Church had a “theology of glory”- one that glorified individuals (Popes, priests, dead Saints) and the Catholicism as a whole. The ornate priestly garments with their public processions, the grand cathedrals, the political power and the wealth of the Roman Catholic Church were all strategically used to emphasize and display the glory of the Church. In addition, the Roman Catholic Church completely divided life into sacred versus secular- the sacred belonged to any activity exclusively related to the Church (mass, participating in the sacraments, celibacy and even monastic life) while the secular belonged to everyday life activity. It was to this set of beliefs and practices that the Protestant teaching of Soli Deo Gloria (we are saved for the glory of God alone) addressed.