Grace Alone---Salvation as a Gift of God: What the Reformers Taught...and Why It Still Matters

The Five Solas

by Carl R. Trueman, Matthew Barrett (Editor)

Historians and theologians alike have long recognized that at the heart of the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation were the five solas: sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola gratia, sola fide, and soli Deo gloria. These five solas do not merely summarize what the Reformation was all about but have served to distinguish Protestantism ever since. They set Protestants apart in a unique way as those who place ultimate and final authority in the Scriptures, acknowledge the work of Christ alone as sufficient for redemption, recognize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, and seek to not only give God all of the glory but to do all things vocationally for his glory.


 2017 will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. And yet, even in the twenty-first century we need the Reformation more than ever. As James Montgomery Boice said not long ago, while the Puritans sought to carry on the Reformation, today “we barely have one to carry on, and many have even forgotten what that great spiritual revolution was all about.” Therefore, we “need to go back and start again at the very beginning. We need another Reformation.”[1] In short, it is crucial not only to remember what the solas of the Reformation were all about, but also to apply these solas in a fresh way in light of many contemporary challenges.




[1]James Montgomery Boice, “Preface,” in Here We Stand: A Call from Confessing Evangelicals (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996), 12.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Religion, Christianity, History, Church History, Faith

261 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2017

About the author

Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is the Paul Woolley Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary and pastor of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Ambler, Pennsylvania. He was editor of Themelios for nine years, has authored or edited more than a dozen books, and has contributed to multiple publications including the Dictionary of Historical Theology and The Cambridge Companion to Reformation Theology.

Reviews

[Wood Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book. Showing how Grace Alone was a part of the early church. Then showing why it's still important today.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything Carl Trueman writes is fantastic, a modern day treasure. This book is no different. Trueman covers the biblical, historical, and ecclesiastical arguments and defenses for the protestant understanding of grace. Great read.

[Cameron McCartney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was greatly edified by this thoughtful book on the doctrine of the gracious gift of salvation, being described as both the offer of salvation itself, and its practical effects worked in us. Through tracing church history from the patristics through to the Reformers, Trueman helpfully points out historical climates on each of the debates surrounding the concept of God’s grace. Writing with clarity, Trueman explains the depths of doctrines such as original sin and predestination with care and precision, and helpfully explains how each of the different theologians of the day understood such concepts.

Some highlights from me from this section included Augustine’s work on original sin, Aquinas’ explanation of the doctrine of grace from an Aristotelian perspective, Luther’s important though at times inconsistent thoughts on reprobation and Calvin’s interesting response to the Remonstrants “Five Points”.

Trueman also addresses grace from a practical perspective, answering the question, how does grace work in us? Trueman describes this in the context of the church, through taking the means of grace, as a described in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, as the preaching of the Word, the sacraments and prayer. Trueman takes each of these practices apart, showing how the Trinitarian God works through each of them to bring gracious salvation to his people.

For me, Trueman’s thoughts on the necessity of seeing baptism as an act of God, Calvin’s thoughts on the Spirit’s action in the Lord’s Supper, and the gracious response to God’s eternal decree being prayers of faith were most helpful and refreshing.

This is probably one of my top reads from 2025, and would recommend and encourage it to anyone interested in the historical understanding of the doctrine of grace, or would like a renewed understanding of the means of grace, which I believe are increasingly underappreciated in modern Reformed circles.

[Cale Fauver · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few disagreements — but man, what a good book. Encouraging on all fronts. No surprise from Trueman.

[Hobart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
After struggling through three books in this series, I will admit to some trepidation about this one -- thankfully, Carl Trueman is an author I have a bit of experience with, so I figured it'd be worth the effort. Thankfully, there wasn't that much effort, and the book was absolutely worth the time.

Trueman organizes this book differently than the others -- in Part 1, he considers Sola Gratia in Scripture and Church History. Trueman surveys the idea of grace alone through both Testaments (it's easier than some would lead you to think to find it in the Old Testament), looking at individual texts as well as themes throughout the books. I would have liked this to be a bit longer -- but I really can't complain about it. Following that, Trueman focuses on the teachings the Church throughout history about Grace -- starting with the early church, focusing on Augustine and his Confessions as emblematic of the first centuries of the church. Then he continues to focus on Augustine, but shifts the focus to the controversies sparked by the Confessions with Pelagius and his followers as the prism through which the (Western) Church discusses and teaches Grace since those days. In the next chapter, Trueman focuses on Medieval theology about grace using Aquinas as the example. Following that we get chapters on Luther and Calvin (and those who'd be allied to Calvin's branch of the Reformation), shaking off the accumulated tradition and misunderstandings to get back to the core of Scriptural and Augustininan teaching (with help from Aquinas). Would I have appreciated another chapter or two about post-Reformational history? Sure. But they weren't necessary to fulfill Trueman's aims, and we get a taste of what they'd offer in Part 2.

Part 2 is title "Sola Gratia in the Church." Grace is communicated to Christians via The Church, Preaching, Sacraments and Prayer and so Trueman a. defends that idea and then proceeds to discuss how God goes that in chapters devoted to each of those. For those of the Reformed tradition, there is nothing ground-breaking or controversial here, although Protestants from other traditions might find some of the ideas challenging. These are solid chapters of the kind of teaching I expected from this series, and I appreciated them.

In the book's Conclusion, Trueman attempts to address the questions: "What would a 'grace alone' church look like today? What would characterize its life as a church? How might we recognize such a church when we see it?" The answers to these questions are a mix of doctrinal and practical ideas that he lists in ten points showing the interconnections between them. This conclusion (in building on what came before) is worth at least half the price of the book -- just fantastic stuff.

I still have one to go in the series, so I may have to modify this, but this one is by far the best of the bunch -- accessible, pastoral and thorough without sacrificing depth. Trueman doesn't seem to get distracted by pet details, nor to just beat the same obvious deceased equines on this topic. If you're going to read just one of the five, let this be it. Alternatively, if the some of the others have left you wanting, give this one a shot, I think you'll appreciate it.

[CJ Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid work, especially strong on the historical theological debates and the means of grace.

I would have liked more on the historical practices, drawing a sharper contrast between different views on how grace is appropriated in the life of the church. Could have also used a section on personal applications, too, especially negative ones: assurance was discussed, but there were no entries on "boasting" or "pride" in the extensive index.

Also, considerable effort was spent arguing against the idea of pre-fall grace, but then the main problem seemed to be the potential for confusion over terms, even though many early Reformed theologians didn't see this as a problem at all. Sure, there is one glory of creational grace and another glory of saving grace, as grace differs from grace in glory, but mentioning and trying to solve such a minor potential problem at such length wasn't necessary.

Overall, though, quite a helpful restatement of the doctrine of sola gratia.

[Blake Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very edifying volume! An honest and fair minded approach on historical matters, and great applications of this greatly misunderstood doctrine of grace alone. I know of many regrettably confused evangelicals attending Christian institutions, that would have a great deal of nonsense exorcised from their minds from reading such a book. Dr. Trueman continues to be of great service in building up Christ's Church.

[Emily Stem · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with the strategy of this book. To me it centered only on the effects of grace and even that not pertaining to SAVING grace. It spoke more to day to day sustains grace. We could make the case that they are the same but I was looking for a resource that hyper focused on grace unto salvation anna justification alone. I don't feel like I really unearthed anything that I didn't already know before.

[Neil Kruger · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and accessible treatment of grace, its role in the Protestant Reformation, its importance for theological confession, and its significance for the life of the church through preaching, the sacraments, and prayer.

[Robert Cale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Will deepen anyone’s understanding of “by grace alone” and help them understand God’s Grace in a bigger way.

[Sylvia Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very moving in some places and very dry in other places. Good read over all.

[Stephen Witter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good overview of the grace of God in all of its aspects. I've always thought of God's grace as just unmerited favor, but Truman shows it extends to almost every aspect of our Christian existence. The explanation in chapter 2 of Augustine's "give what you command and command what you will" in his "Confessions" is excellent and worth the price of the book alone.

[Annika Nordquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trueman never misses, and he has such tremendous skill for bringing together Lutheran Catholic and Calvinist theologians.

[Abigail Weimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic, theologically sound book. This is the first Reformed book of many I hope to read. The author does an amazing job at explaining reformed doctrine, and really expounds on God’s Grace in ways I would have never even considered. It encourages thought provoking questions and discussion as well.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It should be no surprise, at this point in 2017, that this year is the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The year that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Chapel, the act that sparked the Reformation. During the Reformation there was a resurgence in theological understanding summarized in the teachings of the Five Solas. These Five Solas are by scripture Alone, by faith alone, by grace alone, by Christ alone, to the Glory of God Alone.

These pillars of the Reformation are still alive today comma yet they need to be re-established as the centrality of what Christians believe. To that end Zondervan has produced new series of books called, The Five Solas Series. Each book in the series examines one of the Five Solas. The one under review today is that of, Grace Alone: Salvation as a Gift of God: What the Reformers Taught... And Why it Still Matters, by Carl R Truman.

Truman is a noted scholar at Westminster Theological Seminary and is very well-versed in this topic. Grace Alone, is divided into two parts. The first part studies by grace alone in the context of scripture and history while the second part Studies by grace alone in the context of the church. Each of these chapters is jam-packed full of exemplary exegesis and application to the modern reader. This book is unique in the sense that it bridges the gap between scholastic and popular level study.

Furthermore this book may be the best treatments on the topic of how salvation is by grace alone ever to be produced in short form. Therefore I highly recommend it to every Christian who desires to grow in their faith, be it Pastor, Bible student, Sunday school, or Congregant who was looking to grow in their faith as they study the importance of how God's love demonstrated by his grace in the work of Jesus Christ is the only way for salvation from our sin.

This book was provided to me free of charge from Zondervan in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

Grace Alone: Salvation as a Gift of God: What the Reformers Taught... And Why it Still Matters,

© 2072 Carl R. Truman

Publisher: Zondervan

Page Count: 272 Pages

ISBN: 978-0310515760

[James Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was chosen due to my being asked by my pastor to co-facilitate an adult class at our church. I was given access to study materials including videos that encapsulated each chapter of the book. Each week, the class was introduced to the focus area of the chapter, watched the video that was presented, and then spent a brief time in a wrap-up of the lesson. As a part of the preparation, I read the book chapter for the week and worked through the material. The opportunity to spend additional time with the content of each chapter was an excellent way for me to interact more deeply with the material.

The first portion of the book spoke about "grace alone" both within the scriptures, as well as "grace alone" amongst some key figures of church history. I found this section to be extremely interesting due to my limited knowledge of church history as a whole and these men in particular. I really enjoyed learning about the positions of men like Augustine, Luther, and Calvin in the grace area. I actually found my interest in church history to grow to the extent that I now possess an additional book that I hope to begin soon that will allow me to further explore additional historical matters.

The second part of the book entered into the more practical areas of church life. This included the connection of grace to the church, the Word, the sacraments, and prayer. It included additional connections with church history along with the importance of matters in these areas for the church today. I believe that this section can be very helpful in redefining how we think about these matters and how they connect to God's gift of grace.

Finally, I appreciated how the last chapter concluded with ten points that might be used to describe a solid church that takes grace seriously. These points are presented as "A Grace-Alone Church Takes ______ Seriously". These statements are helpful to consider as we honestly assess whether our individual, local churches are serious about following closely after the truths of the triune God.

** I prefer a 4.5-star rating for this book!!

[Matt Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent study on the concept of grace.

Trueman give an overview of how grace is presented in the Bible and how we are to understand grace from God. In doing so, one of the main points that he makes is that grace is not simply some force or power or energy that God simply dissipates, but rather God's grace is seen most through His Son.

Then, Trueman discusses the doctrine of grace in the Church throughout history. Starting with Augustine, moving through to Aquinas, and finishing with the Reformers, the similarities and differences between the great theologians of the Church are highlighted. Key to this is Trueman's ability to establish context for the theology, as we have to consider Augustine's debate with the Pelagians as necessary context for his view of grace. Furthermore, what is also heartening is that Aquinas is presented as an 'unexpected ally' to Protestant theology on grace. In doing so, Trueman shows how Aquinas is entirely consistent with the Augustinian (and later Reformed) concepts of grace, fundamentally, but where we have to depart from his thought due to his sacerdotalism.

The final section looks at grace in the practice of a local church. This is an extremely important point that Trueman does well to include. He looks at the preaching of the Word, baptism, the Lord's Supper, and prayer and their links to grace in the church. The straight talking manner in which he address issues of sin is also very helpful. The section on prayer specifically is fantastic, with the discussion on public and private prayer, and the distinctions thereof, being insightful and practically challenging.

The only real negative I have about this work, is that Trueman presents an odd view of the difference between single and double predestination. He makes no distinction as to the different types of double predestination, and seems to view the term 'double predestination' as synonymous with 'equal ultimacy', which is fallacious and does not take into account the Biblical definition of double predestination.

[Justin Feland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grace Alone was a fantastic book. It provides an excellent balance between exegetical and historical theology (with an emphasis on historical theology, due to the series subject matter). Trueman has an easy to read style that provides a helpful depth accessible to the lay person but stimulating to the pastor and scholar.

As a Presbyterian, there were some places where I (a Baptist) disagreed with the application of grace to baptism. Nonetheless, Trueman did focus on the essential elements that unify all Reformed perspectives: baptism is a means of communicating grace of some kind to the church.

Besides that, some highlights of the book were very helpful. Grace is not an abstract or sentimental reality in God. It is not coextensive with God’s propensity or willingness to forgive sin. Rather, it is concrete and expressed finally and fully in the person of Christ as God’s answer to sin.

Moreover, we cannot understand grace if we do not first understand sin. Without sin, Grace is not necessary in the sense that we mean it.

Furthermore, if grace really is to be that by which we are saved alone, then grace must be paired with predestination, election, monergistic regeneration, etc. This was posited by the Reformers as one unit in response to the semi-Pelagianism of the Roman Catholic Church. If salvation was really gracious through and through, then the whole of it must stem from God’s grace and from nothing in mankind, which implies the necessity of unconditional election, etc. This helpfully shows how, in some senses, Arminianism is a recapitulation of the same errors espoused by Rome and rejected by the Reformers, placing part of salvation with God and partly with man.

This was a helpful book. I highly recommend it to all readers.

[Curby Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is part of a 5-volume series on the Solas of the Reformation.

Trueman is one of the most thoughtful and careful Christian thinkers of our day and I haven't read anything by him that is not excellent.

The thesis of this book is that the doctrine of salvation by grace alone, a free gift unmerited by human effort or works, is rooted in the Bible as well as Christian history. He walks the reader through the Biblical teaching, the doctrines of the early Church and through the Reformation and how this doctrine still shapes the Church today.

He focuses on Augustine and Aquinas and points out that in one sense the Reformation was the triumph of Augustine's view of Grace over his view of the Church. He also points out that Aquinas (for all his numerous exegetical and theological flaws) did hold to election by grace and that the Reformers drew on both men to support Sola Gratia.

Trueman is a Presbyterian but Lutherans and Baptists (I am a Reformed Baptist) will find this work to be extremely valuable.

He concludes the book with 10 features that distinguish a Sola Gratia church.

Highly recommended!

[Brian Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trueman gives us a solid entry in Zondervan’s Five Solas Series. Since Trueman is a historian and a pastor, it’s no surprise that he spends most of his time on the doctrine of grace throughout history as well as the implications of grace for the church. I wish he had spent more time on exegeting various passages in the Bible, but that’s not his strong suit. For me, the most interesting part of the book was his discussion of Augustine’s Confessions, which I have already read. Trueman helped me understand Augustine’s famous account of stealing pears, an event so mildly sinful, yet one echoes the original sin (eating forbidden fruit) and depicting the senseless nature of sin.

Trueman also spends time with the views of Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, and John Calvin before examining various means of grace, such as the church, Scripture, the sacraments/ordinances of the Lord’s Supper and baptism, and prayer.

A minor gripe with the publisher: I wish Zondervan had printed these books in casebound/hardback versions with better quality paper.

(Finished November 7, 2017.)

[Ben K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am two books into the “five solas” series and I am loving it! In this installment, Carl Trueman presents a glorious picture of grace. It is not a mere sentiment that overlooks sin, but is God’s costly saving activity in rescuing us from death. As the reformers taught, it is not based in any merit of our own, but comes entirely from God.

The first half of this book was difficult at times, not because of the writing, but the subject matter. An exploration of grace quickly turns to heady topics like free will and predestination. It was worth the effort and I learned a lot.

Part two was more practical, exploring the means of grace in the Christian life: church, the Word, sacraments, and prayer. I found this section helpful and thought provoking. For each of these, Trueman emphasized that there are not things we do, primarily. They are means of God’s Grace given to us. For example, the Lord’s supper is not merely a memorial, but something God uses to apply his grace to our lives through the Spirit. I will be chewing on this book’s practical implications for some time.

[Mike E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grace is far more than a mere attitude or sentiment in God. (17)


As Benjamin Warfield later claimed, the Reformation was the triumph of Augustine's view of grace over his view of the church. (18, "Studies in Tertullian and Augustine" by B.B. Warfield)

First, it most typically means the unmerited favor of God. (24)

In short, if the world did not exist and had never fallen, God could not be said to be gracious. (25)

It is therefore costly and not to be treated in a light fashion as if it were something cheap. (29)

Grace is not God giving wholesome advice or a helping hand. It is God raising someone from the dead, first Christ and then those who are in Christ. (41)

Once fallen, Adam's will (and those of his descendants) remain free in the ordinary sense that he was able to choose how to act. But this freedom is now limited, oriented away from God and toward self, toward seeing the satisfying of oneself and one's needs as the purpose of life. Adam acts freely in that he is not subject to external coercion, but now he always acts sinfully. His will always tends toward love of self rather than love of God and is enslaved to sin. Like a fish flopping on the beach, every action he chooses only leads to his inevitable death. (78)

[Artis Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. To truly believe we are saved by Grace alone one must also take Sin seriously.
2. You cannot talk about Grace without talking about Christ.
3. “The church is not our human response to Grace but it itself is an act of Gods grace.”
4. “It is because God acted and acts that we are Christians.”
5. “Salvation is all of God, and that point is vital.”
6. “Grace should hold us in its grip in such a way that our whole being is affected.”
This doctrine is well tackled in this book. Carl Trueman does an excellent job of explaining the doctrine of grace alone and the arguments against it and the different views. Here’s the Big takeaway though: Our salvation is an act of Gods grace alone. We have no merit in it. Our chains are broken because he broke them. He dealt with sin. God has to act first. (Predestination😉) but ultimately grace and Christ go hand in hand. God initiated. Highly recommend to anyone. Easy to follow for the layperson.

[Sean Rhoades · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Trueman defines grace as the common “unmerited favor” which I don’t think is entirely accurate. I prefer the definition demerited favor but given his discussion of grace as it operates in the garden with Adam he more or less affirms that view.

The chapter on Aquinas, while important to show the continuity of the medieval view of grace with Luther, will be a tough read for many and can be skipped without sacrificing too much.

Part II of the book draws things together and discusses grace as it operates in the church as the church, the means of grace, and prayer.

The book sings in presenting very readable summaries of the Reformed view of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper while juxtaposing them with Lutheran, Baptist, and Zwinglian views.

This is one book in a series of the 5 solas and I look forward to reading the other volumes.

[Hunter Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carl Trueman does a great job in this book of telling the story of grace. Our current understanding of grace is the result of centuries of the church wrestling with how to properly understand it. After reading this book, I not only understand with the Bible teaches about grace better, but I have a much more historically rich understanding of grace as well. I only gave this book 4 stars because I thought it could’ve been shorter. It drug on at times, and sometimes I got lost in some of the historical details at times. Even so, I found this book to be extremely helpful. I was not expecting discussion on the means of grace at the end of the book, which made this book uniquely historical, pastoral, and practical.

[Jarred Edgecombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carl Trueman, as many know, is a popular church historian. This book is of the same quality as his other works. His articulation of the key issues concerning grace is balanced between covering the material so lightly that one is left needing more information, and covering it so deeply that only academics will be interested.

His application of Grace Alone to the modern church is especially helpful.

The one weakness of the book is the chapter 1. His covering of the doctrine of grace in scripture is wanting. His articulation of the Biblical teaching of the doctrine is slightly muddled; and could be more clear.

Overall I would recommend the book for all interested pastors.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of the series to date (one more left). Trueman doesn't just sit upon the Reformation focus upon the grace of God in salvation, but also gives due emphasis to the importance of grace in the everyday lives of His people and the church. The balance of history, theology, and application make this volume the one in the series I am most likely to hand to someone else. Trueman's pastoral attitude, concern with the catholicity of the church in history, and willingness to confront caricatures of the faith once delivered to the saints run throughout the book. May you enjoy it as much as I have.

[Bailey Cowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid! Really helpful outlining of reformed theology, helped clarify some things for me and give parameters to why I believe what I believe. I appreciate how grace based it is (as the name implies) while holding firmly to theological truth in a way that feels invitational not just informational. The first half is very history heavy but helpful, the second half was very pastoral and thoughtful about doctrine as it relates to the lived experience in the church.
always helpful to read books that remind me why I believe in reformed theology!

[Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first 2/3 of this book was an excellent historical and theological overview of the doctrine of Grace. I highly recommend it. However, I felt that section two (the last part of the book) was out of place, out of sync, and tacked on as if to fulfill a page requirement. Still, the first section of the book earn it five stars and a definite recommendation for those interested in the history of the doctrine of grace.

[Philip Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

"God's response to my sin is not simply to forget it or act as if it never happened. No, his response is Christ. God's favour to me is Christ. God's love for me is Christ."

Really good. Trueman unpacks historical theology around grace, moving from Scripture to Augustine, Aquinas, Luther and then Calvin. He then unpacks the reformed view of the means of grace, all of which were good refreshers, especially the chapter around preaching. Get it in ya.