Sola Caridad - An LDS Answer to the Reformation

SOLA CARIDAD

The LDS Answer to the Reformation

Over the past couple of weeks, I have read all about the 500-year anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation, when Martin Luther hung his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church in Germany and launched the Protestant movement against Vatican orthodoxy. The conversations on the Reformation have been humming far and wide over the past few weeks, leading up to October 31, the exact anniversary date of Luther’s protest. Everyone has written their reflections on how the Reformation has evolved over the past 500 years and how the Christendom has changed in the process. Some reflections included praise for the Reformation, while others were critical. However, everyone has an opinion on whether the Reformation accomplished what it intended or whether it complicated Christianity’s mission in the long run. Did the Reformation actually reform the Catholic Church? The answers vary, but in the end, the early fathers of the Reformation gave the Church three distinctive keystones around which Christianity should revolve. These keystones are called the Three Solas (Alone). Sola indicates that a theological position is exclusive. I will explain more as we proceed.

The Reformation gave way for individuals to read the Bible for the first time in their own vernacular, and it also allowed people like Luther to learn to read Scripture in its original languages of Hebrew and Greek. Luther was awakened to the fact that translations of the original language of Scripture into his own vernacular provided a new interpretation and understanding of God’s Word. This new understanding differed from that of the Roman Catholic Church. These fundamental differences elicited Luther’s crisis of faith, manifested in his 95 Theses.

Luther began to understand and reinterpret Scripture, which clashed with what the Roman Catholic Church was teaching and practicing at the time. Luther’s writings would be broken down into three distinctive doctrinal understandings that became known as the Three Solas, i.e., his way of reforming Christianity by trying to align the Church with Scripture as Luther understood it. Luther never devalued the Church as an institution; he merely sought to reform the Church. The Three Solas are Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), and Sola Gratia (Grace Alone). In the late 20th century, two more were added: Solus Christus (Christ Alone) and Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone), but this essay will focus on the original three. Eventually, these concepts would be incorporated into modern-day Protestantism. Today, they are still discussed and expressed in various ways throughout all Protestant faiths, but I have added a very important new Sola, which should be prized over all others -- the only Sola that will remain when all others have passed away. But first, let me provide a brief explanation of the Reformation’s three original Solas.

One must first understand that these Solas were not stated as such originally by early reformers. Theologians years later would reflect on the writings of Luther, John Calvin, and other early reformers, deriving Sola themes from their writings. Thus, later theologians coined the Sola names to encapsulate these pioneering reformers’ ideas. These first three themes, again, were Faith Alone (Sola Fide), Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura), and Grace Alone (Sola Gratia).

Faith Alone (Sola Fide) simply means justifying someone on the basis of faith alone, and it has caused much confusion in today’s society. When Luther proposed the idea of justification by faith alone, he did not do away with the evidence of faith. Luther understood that we come to God initially by faith and faith alone, but then faith is expressed in acts of love. Works then become evidence of our faith. Today, reformers tend to do away with any works as a “work faith,” in contrast to Faith Alone. I am criticized often for believing in the commandments of God as being a work faith, but in reality, my commitment to the commandments is the result of my faith. Faith Alone today is not reflective of Luther’s true intentions, and today’s Protestant Church neglects the evidence of faith.

Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura) is defined as the guiding force for all Church doctrines and traditions. Any Church doctrine, practice, or tradition must find its roots within Scripture Alone. If any such doctrine, practice, or tradition cannot be justified within the Scripture, it should not be considered authoritative. Thus, Scripture Alone, the Word of God, becomes our source for all doctrine, practices, and traditions. The problem today is that traditions and creeds often take precedence over the Word of God. Additionally, the problem among the reformers and Catholics is which books are considered canonical or authoritative. Today, much of our theology is found outside the acceptable Bible canon. In my theological studies, I found myself using numerous non-canonical resources to substantiate many of my theological positions, but the Bible should be our highest source of revelation from God. Other theologians today also find themselves using non-canonical resources to substantiate doctrinal stances, practices, and traditions. Thus, Sola Scriptura has failed to elicit significant reforms.

Grace Alone (Sola Gratia) simply asserts that a person can do nothing to merit grace, that grace that leads to salvation is beyond anything humans can do, so it is often called unmerited grace. Grace is God’s offering of forgiveness toward mankind, and it is important to note the direction in which grace works. Grace comes from God; thus, there is nothing mankind can do to merit grace. Additionally, grace is for everyone, regardless of any condition in which they find themselves. We often call grace a gift from God. I tend to agree that grace is a gift from God. The problem is why? When we begin to contemplate why, we can view grace differently and understand how it works. If grace is offered by God merely for the atonement of sins, merely as a way to avoid the consequences of sin, then grace becomes a limited factor in that sinner’s life. One should not forget that he or she is the one who should be seeking forgiveness from God. The reason we seek forgiveness is to restore our relationship with God. Thus, we do not accept God’s grace merely to avoid the consequences of our sinful behavior, but rather, we accept God’s grace to enter into a relationship with God, which is continual and in constant need of forgiveness, i.e., God’s grace. The problem is that today, we continue to see God’s grace as a way of avoiding the consequences of a sinful lifestyle, thereby limiting God’s grace to a certain point in time. However, if we seek God’s grace as a way of restoring one’s relationship with God, then it becomes continual. There is a big difference within the two approaches toward God’s grace.

Along with brief overviews of the original three Solas, I also explained why all three have been compromised in today’s Church culture. I would like to introduce a new Sola into the conversation, one that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) has introduced into the conversation through our prophet, Joseph Smith. As the earlier reformers were concerned with debunking the Roman Catholic Church by creating parameters in which the modern Church should operate, this was not the case with the LDS Church. The three original Solas became a method of checks and balances for Luther and the early reformers. They felt these checks and balances could be used to force the Catholic Church to yield its authority to Scripture and focus less on tradition.

The introduction of a new Sola, which I will call Sola Caridad (Charity/Love Alone), is a new way to structure the Church. While the early reformers tried to employ faith, grace, and Scripture as the keystones for regulating the Church, the LDS Church sought charity or acts of love. It is important to note that where one begins to build his or her faith is very important. If we begin with love, everything the Church seeks to accomplish is based on that foundation. The keystone of love becomes the lens in which we view all doctrines and practices, and how one reads Scripture. This subtle shift in perspectives provides a different understanding and purpose. We read within Scripture: Where there is faith, hope, and charity, one should desire charity. All else will fade away, but charity remains. In the cases of faith, grace, and scripture, these, too, will fade away. Once God restores His Kingdom, we will no longer need faith because God will be visible to us. Thus, we need not have faith in the unseen because it will be made known to us. We will no longer need grace because grace already would have accomplished its work of salvation. We no longer will need Scripture because we will be able to hear and speak with God, and God’s Word will be spoken to us directly. However, the LDS Church has chosen to seek Sola Caridad, Charity Alone, which is the only Sola that will remain for eternity, here on earth, in Heaven, and in the restored Kingdom of God.

How is Sola Caridad understood? The word for charity in Scripture is often translated as love, making them interchangeable in most cases. Thus I use the word charity synonymously with love in the context of Sola Caridad. One’s faith is only recognizable through his or her charity toward others. Thus, charity becomes the fruit whereby one recognizes one’s faith. The spiritual understanding of bearing fruit happens continually. Unlike an earthly fruit tree that only bears fruit in season, charity for the Christian believer bears fruit continually and eternally. It is never out of season. Christian love and concern for thy neighbor then are expressed through acts of kindness, or charity. One is reminded in Mosiah 2:17 that when one is in the service of mankind, one is in the service of God. Charity is what separates the true followers of Jesus from the rest. In the parable of the Last Judgment, found in Matthew 25, we find that charity is the defining factor that separates the followers of Jesus from others. When all of one’s theology is boiled down, charity should be what remains. This also provides a reminder of the greatest commandments: Love your Lord God and love your neighbor. Thus, it is charity that ultimately will remain for eternity, and those found to have charity will commune with God and Jesus in the restored Kingdom of God.

I have provided only a brief understanding of why charity will remain and why it is the highest of all commandments. As Mormons, we have chosen to make service work or acts of kindness a central teaching of the Church and of the individual believer. It has become our counter answer to the Reformation, by choosing to embrace Sola Caridad as our keystone. All other doctrines, practices, and traditions of the Church are expressed through the lens of Sola Caridad. This is a pivotal aspect that separates us from other Protestants. As I reflected on the 500-year anniversary of the Reformation, I noticed that it has failed to achieve the reforms it was seeking, mainly because its focus was on reforming the theology and traditions of the Church. The Reformation should have focused on the purpose of the individual. People are the Church; individuals make up the Church. Once the purpose of the individual is understood, by loving God and loving your neighbor, i.e., charity, then the individuals can begin to build the Church within the context of Sola Caridad. The Reformation instead chose to focus on reforming the institution rather than the individual. Sure enough, throughout history, true institutional reforms always start at the bottom with the individual. The Prophet Joseph Smith made Sola Caridad a central theme of the Restored Church because it should be the central keystone in the life of the individual. Thus, the individual keystone, Sola Caridad, becomes the keystone from which the true Church of God will find its purpose. The restoration of God’s Church, through His prophets, laid the foundation for charity among individuals, creating the bedrock from which the Church would spring up. Thus, reformation, or restoration, begins with the individual from the bottom, then works its way up through the institution, allowing for true reform, or in our case, restoration, to blossom. So, where the Reformation failed to make the necessary reforms, the prophet Joseph Smith laid a new foundation. The Reformation of the Church failed, and since the Reformation failed to reform the institution, what was needed was a restoration of the Church, a new beginning in which the purpose of the individual, Sola Caridad, could become the keystone of the Church. It begins with the individual and works its way throughout the Church. Thus, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints introduced a new Sola, Sola Caridad, the only Sola that will remain after all others have faded away -- the keystone of the individual and the true Church.

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