We’re beginning a new sermon series for the month of October, as we finally lead up to the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. It’s a series called SOLA! Sola is the Latin word for “alone” or “only.” It’s where we get the word “solo,” where ONLY one person is singing or performing or highlighted, alone. When we talk about sola in light of the Reformation, there were three originally: sola gratia, sola fide, and sola Scriptura; grace alone, faith alone, and Scripture alone. We’ll unpack those three in the next few weeks. On top of those three, two more are often added: soli Deo Gloria |To God alone be the glory; and, solus Christus | Christ alone, which we’ll be discussing today.
Each of these 5 solas serve as a sort of summary of the theology of the Reformation. And what you find, oddly enough, is that, while “sola” means “alone,” these 5 solas are never really alone. They are so intricately interconnected and woven together— so, in each of these sermons, you’ll find hints of all 5. Because all glory belongs to God alone, for saving us by grace alone, through faith alone, as He reveals and works through Scripture alone—all of it pointing to our salvation in Christ alone.
Salvation is in Christ alone, we know this, we believe this. But that doesn’t stop us from pointing to ourselves, or thinking highly of ourselves, or trying to impress God with what a good saint I am. And if you’re not careful, when you approach certain passages of Scripture, especially passages of Law, you lose focus on Christ alone and what He has done in fulfilling all things, and you begin to focus on yourself alone. Next thing you know, we’re living in our own self-righteousness, in what I call DIY theology: Do It Yourself. It was a Do it Yourself theology that the Jewish leadership in Jesus' day were focused on. And it was a Do it Yourself theology that the Church of Luther's day was so bent on, too, leading up to the Reformation. DIY theology is nothing new.
And why not a DIY theology? That’s how we are with everything else. We live in a DIY culture. From self-help books for “dummies,” to magazines, TV shows—if you have a problem, you can find a way to fix it yourself. Type it into your computer; tell your phone, and in minutes you can view a few videos or step-by-step how-to pages with pictures of how to fix it, remodel it, or whatever. I’m sure I’m not the only one here who’s had a project around the house and thought, “I bet I can do that myself!” I watch a few videos, and suddenly I’m a professional…only to then make matters worse and shamefully call a real professional, with more experience than 15 minutes of YouTube videos to fix my mistakes. Anyone out there who’d admit they’ve done that?
Now, sometimes it turns out great—but not always. It’s rarely as perfect as that Pintrest post. And not nearly as simple as "This Old House" made it seem. But, nevertheless, we try and try to DIY, because our pride is at stake. We’re convinced that, with all those average people on their websites and TV shows and YouTube videos—surely we can do that, maybe even better. And if not that, our pride is at stake because we don’t want to admit to someone we can’t change our oil, or sew a button, or fix a leaky faucet, or braid your daughter’s hair, or whatever simple crafty or remodeling project you have in mind. If not that, our pride is at stake because we want to proudly show our parents and friends what we’ve done--so much so that we feel the need to show the world, and post it on Instagram or Facebook. #craftymom #dadthebuilder #hgtvhacks #illdoitmyselfandsavefiftybucksthankyouverymuch (all one word).
Suffice it to say, we live in a DIY culture. But that’s mostly because it’s part of our human nature. DIY is in our DNA. So, why not have a DIY theology, too? Only now in our pride we boast before God, as if we could impress Him. Look how good I am. Look what I have done for you. Look at all I have accomplished. SEven our readings today seem to point that way, too. Paul’s saying some great things in Philippians 2. Then he throws out this line in verse 12: “…work out your own salvation…” Work out your own salvation?! That sounds like DIY theology to me. Right before this, in chapter 1, Paul says, “…let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel…” Sounds like DIY theology to me. How can anyone be worthy of the Gospel? Isn't that what the Gospel is for, making us worthy? In our reading from Ezekiel today, verse 31 reads, “Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!” Sounds like more DIY theology to me.
But you know, there are no DIY theology self-help books, no DIY theology TV channels or shows or videos—nothing, at least, that can guarantee your salvation is secure, and you will stand righteous before God. When we attempt such DIY theology projects, it’s just never quite like the picture. The closest thing I found to a DIY theology clip was of a strange incident that made the news. It happened last week, and …well, let’s just play the video. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obBynTrWJqI)
It’s a silly video, I know. And you might be thinking—maybe Pastor Meyer has lost it. But the reason that little crab made the news in some circles was because of what an outrageous feat he accomplished. I mean, have you ever seen such a thing, outside of a cartoon? He saved himself and the other crabs, too.
Folks, as we consider our own sinful selves, we find we’re not too different from that crab. We imagine we could get ourselves out of the hot water we find ourselves in due to sin. We imagine we could, by our own efforts, avoid frying in the fires of hell. We even imagine that by our good works we can be responsible to save others, too. But what the video didn’t show was what probably happened next. Here's what I imagine probably happened next: The chef put down the camera, grabbed that little crab, put it back into the frying pan, maybe put a lid on it this time, turned the heat back on, and continued cooking. The reality is never quite as good as the picture with these DIY projects. And so, no matter how great we think we are, it’s still never enough. We just end up right back in the frying pan. There is no “[being] worthy of the Gospel” on our own. There is no “[making yourself] a new heart and a new spirit” on our own. There is no “[working] out your own salvation,” at least, not in the way our sinful human nature takes it.
But if we pay attention to Paul, he’s not talking about saving yourself. He’s not proclaiming a DIY theology. He’s pointing to Jesus! Paul’s pointing to Christ alone. At the very center, the heart of this passage, is Jesus! Paul inserts this beautiful poetry; what’s been called “a hymn to Christ.” He’s pointing to Jesus who “was in the form of God, [but] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
This Jesus saw us in that boiling pot, if you will, in our struggle to survive. Saw us, in our original sin, grasping, like our first parents to that forbidden fruit, to be like God. Jesus, the One, through whom all things were made, emptied Himself of all pride and glory to save us. Jesus, “Who for us men, and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” C.S. Lewis put it this way: “The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man, but before that a baby, and before that a fetus inside a woman’s body." He says, "If you want to get the hang of it,” get this, “If you want to get the hang of it, think of how you’d like to become a slug or a crab.” And this God, this “Eternal Being” as C.S. Lewis called Him, humbled Himself further, for you. “Being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Christ alone suffered and died in our, so that we would be righteous before God. Righteous, not because of your good works, but because of His.
He humbled Himself all for the purpose of dying for you. But also for the purpose of rising for you. And ascending into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, for you. To come again, for you. Because it didn’t end with the humiliation for this Jesus. To finish the job that we could not do ourselves required His resurrection and ascension. In and through the love of God in Christ alone, by His death and resurrection, that’s where our salvation is found! “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
It is in light of this good news that the Reformers could proclaim, solus Christus: Christ Alone! It is in light of this good news that the church goes out in mission, making disciples of all nations—so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue confess! And it is in light of this good news that Paul guides us in our sanctified Christian lives. He is giving us Law—what we call the third use of the Law, the Guide. Paul is giving us Law, but it is entirely in the context of how we live in response to the Gospel. He’s not telling us how to be saved. He’s telling us, “Now that you ARE saved, this is how you are called to live in Christ alone!”
We might think of it like this: In your baptism, you have been given a new spirit and a new heart. Now, by faith and the Spirit’s enabling, you can turn from your transgressions, and leave them at the cross. In this new life, you can let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel. In fact, that phrase, “let your manner of life be worthy of the Gospel” isn’t about proving you deserve God’s love and forgiveness. A literal translation would read, “citizen yourself worthily of the Gospel,” where “citizen” is used as a verb, instead of a noun. And, to work out your own salvation we might understand as “to exercise your faith in Jesus,” showing everyone you belong to Christ.
Paul is turning our attention away from our identity as citizens of worldly kingdoms. He’s even turning our attention away from our identity in our own actions and good works. Instead, he calls us to find our identity in Christ alone. And, to let the world see that our identity is in Christ alone. To boast, not in ourselves, but in Christ alone. Because on the last day, when we stand before the throne of God, for all who are in Christ, you won’t be judged according to your failures, your vain attempts to do it yourself. We’re going to be judged according to the works of Christ alone, because our identity is in the resurrected and risen Lord Jesus, and no one else. Until that day, we go out as redeemed, forgiven, saved children of God amid a twisted generation, pointing to Christ alone.
There’s a story from the late 19th-early 20th centuries which serves as a good example of our Christian life, pointing to Christ alone, once we've finally come down from our pedestal we've placed ourselves on. A missionary to Indians was dismissed from the church for some misdemeanor of some sort. Some indiscretion. Some public sin. The man was so ashamed, and so disappointed in himself knowing what he did and the consequences he faced. He’d never get to preach again. He left the area, and went off to some far off land—no Christians were there—and he settled down as a stranger, making his living as a potter. The church never heard from him again, and the man died there. Years later, the church decided to send missionaries to that area. These missionaries began telling stories of Jesus, but they were amazed when the villagers responded, saying, “We know the man you’re talking about! He lived just outside of town for years.” The missionaries told them, “No. You don’t understand. We’re talking about Jesus Christ.” The villagers said, “Well, he never told us his name. But the man you’ve described was our potter without a doubt.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ—no matter your sin, no matter your indiscretions—God in Christ has won salvation for you. And now he calls us to live in His identity in this world, not for ourselves bot to point others to Jesus. We will fail, but He will continually pour out grace upon grace, and send us back out to do it again. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now…exercise your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”
We go with the mind of Christ, led by the Spirit, humbling ourselves for one another and for our neighbor. We go as lights shining in the darkness. We go as humble crabs, set free from a hellish end. We go out pointing to Christ alone—through our words, yes; but through our actions, also. We go out in faith, in love, in humility, pointing to Christ alone. "So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Come soon, Lord Jesus. Amen.
