Five solae

Five Latin phrases summarizing Protestant principles: Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and glory to God alone.

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Sola scriptura: The principle that Scripture is the church’s sole infallible authority for Christian doctrine. It identifies the source of authority named by the first sola.
Protestant Reformation: A sixteenth-century movement that challenged Roman Catholic authority and reshaped Western Christianity. The solae summarize convictions associated with this movement.
Prima scriptura: The view that Scripture has primacy while tradition and other sources also hold religious authority. It differs from sola scriptura by granting tradition a continuing authoritative role.
Westminster Confession of Faith: A Reformed confession adopted by the Westminster Assembly in 1647. It articulates Scripture’s authority and doctrines of grace in a major confessional form.
Sola fide: The principle that justification is received through faith, not earned by works. It states how people receive the salvation described by the solae.
Martin Luther: A German theologian whose criticism of indulgences helped initiate the Protestant Reformation. His teaching on Scripture and justification helped shape several solae.
Merit: In Christian theology, worthiness understood as earning or deserving a reward from God. The solae reject human merit as the basis of salvation.
Book of Concord: The 1580 collection of confessional documents that defines historic Lutheran doctrine. Its documents express Lutheran positions on Scripture, faith, and justification.
Sola gratia: The principle that salvation is a gift of God’s grace, not a human achievement. It names salvation’s source as divine grace rather than human merit.
John Calvin: A French theologian and reformer whose writings shaped Reformed Protestant theology. His theology gave strong expression to grace, Christ, and God’s glory.