Solus Christus
The Reformation rediscovered that “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). And therefore, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Christ alone saves. Without Christ there is no salvation (John 14:6). Faith apart from Christ is worthless (1 Corinthians 15:17). Rightly understood, Christ is at the center of the Reformation—the indelible core of each sola. He is the Incarnate Word of sola Scriptura, the object of sola fide, the provision of sola gratia, and the delight of soli Deo gloria.
The key concept the Reformation restored to the preaching of the gospel is Christ—as our substitute (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). There would be no justification by faith alone without Christ and His substitutionary sacrifice (Romans 3:24-26). The gospel is good news fundamentally because God has done in Christ what man cannot do for himself (Romans 8:1-4). The only substitute for sinners is Christ alone.
How relevant is solus Christus? John Calvin answers:
We see that our whole salvation and all its parts are comprehended in Christ [Acts 4:12]. We should therefore take care not to derive the least portion of it from anywhere else. If we seek salvation, we are taught by the very name of Jesus that it is “of him” [1 Cor. 1:30]. If we seek any other gifts of the Spirit, they will be found in his anointing. If we seek strength, it lies in his dominion; if purity, in his conception; if gentleness, it appears in his birth. For by his birth he was made like us in all respects [Heb. 2:17] that he might learn to feel our pain [cf. Heb. 5:2]. If we seek redemption, it lies in his passion; if acquittal, in his condemnation; if remission of the curse, in his cross [Gal. 3:13]; if satisfaction, in his sacrifice; if purification, in his blood; if reconciliation, in his descent into hell; if mortification of the flesh, in his tomb; if newness of life, in his resurrection; if immortality, in the same; if inheritance of the Heavenly Kingdom, in his entrance into heaven; if protection, if security, if abundant supply of all blessings, in his Kingdom; if untroubled expectation of judgment, in the power given to him to judge (Institutes, II, xvi, 19).
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(See also: Solus Christus)
