Literally the Latin phrase simply means “Christ alone.” It is often written solus Christus and I know enough Latin to know I don’t know why. The Reformation, of course, built its message around five solas. Sola fide and sola scriptura (faith alone and Scripture alone) were front and center in the battle with Rome. Sola gratia, grace alone was not far behind. Encompassing them all was, and is, soli Deo Gloria, to God alone the glory.
Solo Christo doesn’t typically get as much press as the others, but it is of equal importance as the others. The truth is that any person or institution that names the name of Christ will, of course, posit Jesus as vitally important to salvation, that without which we could not be saved. This doctrine, however, ups the ante, affirming not just the necessity of Jesus, but His sufficiency. From there it goes further still in affirming that anything we seek to add to the work of Christ for us causes the work of Christ for us to slip through our hands. Jesus + anything doesn’t get you Jesus and more, but not Jesus and less. For whatever we seek to add, whether it be our own cooperation with His grace, the application of the sacraments, the intercessory work of Mary, or some other thing, we cease to rest fully in His work for us.
It may be that the relative lack of interest in this sola is grounded in our inability to see the ongoing danger of our losing sight of this truth. We think we’ve got this down because we’re not overt syncretists. No one we know has Jesus in a pantheon of gods beside Moloch, the Buddha and Ironman. The temptation to forget, however, is rarely so direct. We fail to uphold this biblical doctrine often and easily. We see it whenever we find ourselves saying, “No Christian could ever…” It matters little what you fill in that blank- “Have an abortion.” “Vote for candidate x.” “Offend me.” Of course it’s wicked and vile to procure an abortion. But Christians do it. Of course it’s wrong to vote for dishonorable candidates. But Christians do it. It may or may not be wrong to offend me. But Christians do it. If we allow “Christians should not” to become “Christians cannot” we have walked away from solo Christo.
The Reformation mattered and matters not because it added something to the gospel, but because it faithfully, with God’s Word, removed the barnacles that had latched on to it. We are the heirs of the Reformers when our zeal and passion is not to be identified with the Reformers, but to have Jesus, and Jesus alone be identified with us. We bring nothing to the table of our salvation but our need. He alone meets our need. Beware even those good things that become deadly things when they are made to be necessary for our salvation.
PS- Like the image? This is available here https://gatheringwood.com. I have one and am grateful for it.