Protestant reformation

Protestantism from the time of Martin Luther (ca. 1500) through the nineteenth century was centered around the five solas, Latin terms that illustrated Protestants' key convictions about the gospel:

• sola scriptura - Our faith is based on the Bible alone.
• soli Deo gloria - Our faith brings glory to God alone.
• sola fide - That saving grace comes through faith alone.
• sola gratia - Salvation comes by grace alone.
• solus Christus - We rest in the righteousness of Christ alone, our sins covered only by Christ's substitutionary atonement.

All Are Priests

The concept that all who believe in Christ are priests occurred to Luther after he became convinced that Scripture was the only authority for a Christian. As he studied the Bible, especially Paul's Epistle to the Romans, he discovered that in and through Jesus Christ a believer possessed the righteousness of God, and therefore, immediate access to God without the mediation of an arrogant priesthood. Thus, the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is a sequel to the doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone.

No Christian needs a pontiff, meaning a bridge builder, because Jesus Christ alone is the way to the Father.

The difference between sacerdotalism and Reformation theology is seen when we ask the question "What must I do to be saved?" The Roman Catholic church would answer, "Look to the priesthood and the church." But the Bible says: "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31).