What is this Soli Deo Gloria of the Reformation?

It’s one of the five solas of the Reformation. They are: sola scriptura, sola fide, sola gratia, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The Latin means: scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, Christ alone, and to the glory of God alone. Last time, we talked about Solus Christus. To wrap this up, Soli Deo Gloria is the topic. Soli Deo Gloria puts a tidy bow on the five solas.

Rome was the opposition force for the reformers. But, Soli Deo Gloria teaches against my own understanding just as much as the Pope. We, modern Christians, tend to make popes of ourselves. We want to be the sole interpreter of the scriptures. Moreover, we want to exclude or ignore the parts we don’t like. We like to excuse our laziness toward or neighbors. Somehow, they don’t deserve our works to serve them, because Faith and Grace don’t drive us to love and serve our neighbor. We want to define Jesus by our own ideas apart from His word. We seek Him within ourselves, rather than in His house and through His Word.

All of this puts us afoul of the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” [SC 1:1] God is glorified in His Word and His work for us. When, we stand in His way, or obfuscate His clear teachings, we make little popes of ourselves. Actually, we make gods of ourselves.

And, we don’t stop there. We will setup idols all around the house. We’ll place the church’s status within the community ahead of God’s Word and gifts to us. We’ll worship the activities outside of God’s house among ourselves as a greater good that the gifts He gives us on Sunday mornings. We’ll worship our openness rather than the foolishness of the Gospel that separates us from the world.

Johann Sebastian Bach, lived and work in the 18th century, 200 years after the reformation. But, his signature shows the lasting influence on Lutheran musicians like Bach. He signed ever work with “SDG” as well as his own name. The abbreviation stands for Soli Deo Gloria, redirecting the attention from himself to the Lord attested to in his sacred music.

Though he wrote massive works too, the bulk of his repertoire consists of smaller works for church musicians to use on Sunday mornings. These pieces added beauty and fulness to the worship life of the church. Bach’s intention was not his own fame or glory. In his own lifetime, his fame was limited. And, without a revival of his music in the 19th century, we may know far less of him. His work remains, teaching the Word of God and our Lutheran understanding of it. Bach’s focus on the worship life of the church serves as a guide to Christian musicians and all Christian servants to this very day.

+ SDG +

Rev. Jason M. Kaspar
Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church & Preschool
La Grange, TX

©2021 Jason Kaspar. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com.