The Protestant Reformation

In the early 16th century, the Roman Catholic Church was still the predominant face of Christianity – and they had erred in what they represented, seen in their practice of indulgences among other such beliefs. And that’s the idea that man could change his state by doing something himself to merit or warrant the change he desires. The idea represented that God had yielded Himself to providing what man desired, contingent upon man doing something first to be eligible to receive it.

The Protestant Reformation argued that this was simply a variant of the Old Testament Law of Works – where man was to render himself eligible by working at what’s good and keeping a set of commandments in order to receive the blessings of God. The Protestants upheld the law of faith and not of works (Rom 3:27) – where the man who trusts in Christ to do what he himself cannot do, receives the blessings of God.

Total Depravity / Inability of the Flesh

To drive home the point, the Protestants didn’t just stop at saying we do not receive blessings based on good works done by us ourselves – but also that we are anyway unable to do so in the first place. Both the calvinists and the arminians wholly believe in this doctrine of total depravity or total inability of the flesh to do any good or seek after God by ourselves (Rom 3:10-12). We are all born in sin and continue rebelling against God continually – where then is the possibility of such a creature to do any good to be eligible to receive salvation unless this state of total inability changes?

And this leads to the Solas (solae) of the Protestant Reformation. Man is utterly unable to do anything to initiate his own salvation owing to his persistent evil – and such a one is saved only by him putting his faith in Christ alone to overcome his inability and sin. And this offer of salvation is first provided only by God inclining to do so of His own will and not by anything we have done – hence by Grace alone. These truths are contained within Scriptures alone and there is no need for any other mediator – the Holy Spirit Himself will lead us into all these truths in the Bible. Therein all Glory is to God and God alone.

Objectors of this hear the Protestants attributing all cause and glory to God alone in the salvation of an utterly disobedient wretch – and point to the corollary… if God is, as the Protestants claim, solely and completely the cause behind initiating the salvation of man, then by the same standard wouldn’t God be the sole cause behind a man not being saved?

How you are inclined to answer this question should place you in either of the calvinist or arminian camps.