Sola Gratia
Here is the sermon for mid-week Advent services, now cancelled, on 12/13/2017. SOLA: Sola Gratia Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As you already know, Sola is our theme for this year’s mid-week Advent services. Sola, as our bulletin explains, means only or alone. We have learned that the only way to know about God and the things of the Christian faith is Sola Scriptura, by Scripture alone. And Sola Fide, by faith alone is how a person is saved. Today, we will affirm that all this is Sola Gratia, or by grace alone. What exactly is grace. We could let Webster define grace for us, but we are not talking about “the simple elegance of refined movement.” Instead, let us define grace as God defines it through Paul’s pen, as such, it is simply a gift. What is a gift? Are your wages a gift? No, you earn them by the sweat and toil of your body and mind. If you are retired, are your social security benefits, your pension, ...