The Protestant Reformation is remembered for its emphasis on the solae, concise affirmations of biblical truth that came to define Protestant identity. Commonly listed as five today—sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria—only three were central rallying cries in the sixteenth century. Sola scriptura, sola fide, and sola gratia formed the backbone of the early Reformation, while the others were developed more explicitly later. [1] Nevertheless, all five are clearly rooted in the New Testament and were embraced by Baptists and their forerunners hundreds of years before Luther’s theses ever touched the door in Whittenburg.
The solae summarize the essence of Biblical Christianity. Sola scriptura proclaims the supreme authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Sola fide insists on justification by faith alone (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16). Sola gratia affirms salvation as God’s unmerited gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). To these, later writers added solus Christus — Christ as the sole mediator (1 Timothy 2:5) — and soli Deo gloria, the recognition that all of salvation and life exists for God’s glory (Romans 11:36). While the Reformation gave articulation to three of these principles, all five were preached by Paul, lived out in the early churches, and echoed in later dissenting nonconformist communities.
Thus, while the Reformers coined memorable Latin slogans, the solae themselves were simply a nod to Scriptural truth. Unfortunately, because the terms were shaped and popularized by the Reformers, many Protestants view the Reformation as a recovery rather than a recognition of what had already been upheld by those who maintained biblical Baptist distinctives all along. Additionally, Baptists believe that Protestants had not gone far enough in casting off the vestiges of Rome.
Though the state-church structures of the Middle Ages obscured these truths, Baptist historians have long argued that communities of believers preserved them in various forms. John T. Christian traced continuity from the apostolic era through groups such as the Paulicians, Novatians, Donatists, Waldensians, and Lollards, who insisted on Scripture’s authority and faith’s primacy. [2] Thomas Armitage likewise noted that these dissenters rejected ecclesiastical traditions that undermined grace and elevated priestly mediation. [3] The Waldensians, for example, championed the translation of Scripture into the vernacular and rejected indulgences, embodying sola scriptura and sola gratia. [4] The Lollards emphasized justification by faith and opposed the sacramental system. Baptists today hold to these same convictions, adding distinctive emphasis such as believer’s baptism and congregational autonomy, which flow naturally from sola scriptura and solus Christus. Thus, long before Luther, Baptists and their spiritual ancestors bore witness to the same principles.
It must be noted, Baptists went further than the Reformers by applying the solae consistently. Sola scriptura meant not only rejecting indulgences but also rejecting infant baptism. As B. H. Carroll observed, Baptists did not need to reform from Rome but sought simply to continue the faith once delivered to the saints. [5]
- Timothy George, Theology of the Reformers (Nashville: B&H, 2013), Pgs. 84–86. ^
- John T. Christian, A History of the Baptists, vol. 1 (Nashville: Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1922), Pgs. 39–45. ^
- Thomas Armitage, A History of the Baptists (New York: Bryan, Taylor & Co., 1887), Pgs. 135–142. ^
- Leonard Verduin, The Reformers and Their Stepchildren (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964), Pgs. 65–70. ^
- B. H. Carroll, Ecclesia: The Church (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1913), Pg. 23. ^
