The Five Solas: These truths alone

by Jason Helopoulos

500 years ago the Reformation transformed Europe by the rediscovery of five key Bible truths. Summarized as the Five Solas, they set the church on a renewed path of faithfulness.

Many Christians today are once more ignorant of the Five Solas. This Good Book Guide helps us rediscover these essential Reformation teachings and connect them to our faith today.

80 pages, Paperback

Published January 3, 2017

About the author

Jason was born in the “Land of Lincoln,” central Illinois. He graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1999. Jason then attended Dallas Theological Seminary and completed a Masters of Theology degree (ThM) with a concentration in Historical Theology and Christian Education in 2003. He served on the staff of Park Cities Presbyterian Church as a pastoral intern for one year and then accepted a call as an Assistant Pastor at Meadowview Reformed Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Lexington, North Carolina. In the fall of 2007, Jason was called by Christ Church PCA in Grand Rapids, Michigan to plant a daughter church in Lansing, Michigan. He accepted the call and moved to the field (and snow) as church planter and pastored Providence PCA in East Lansing until 2012. In the summer of 2012, Jason accepted the call as Assistant Pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan and accepted the call to Senior Pastor in the spring of 2018.

Jason is married to his beautiful bride, Leah. They are blessed with two wonderful children, Gracen and Ethan.

He enjoys spending time with his family, history, reading, laughing, watching a good Chicago Bears’ game (as rare as they are), and feasting upon Chicago-style pizza.

Reviews

[Peter Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tomorrow, October 31st, is Reformation Day. We will be giving out copies of Jason Helopoulos’ book, These Truths Alone: Why the Reformation Solas Are Essential for Our Faith Today. This book was first released in 2017 – marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.

This book is part of “The Good Book Guide to” series.

The author states the importance of the Solas: “Each of the Solas proves to be essential to the gospel. We neglect them to our harm. When the church loses its understanding of these rallying cries of the Reformation, it loses the gospel” (5).

He then has six chapters – one on each of the Solas – Scripture alone, Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone, and Glory to God alone – and one on perseverance.

Each chapter is designed for self-study or group study. Each chapter begins with two scriptures – one from the Old Testament and one for the New that support the doctrine of the Sola in question.
The chapters include a dictionary of terms, general questions on the theme, questions on the Scripture texts, questions regarding the implications of the text, a section of addition areas to “explore more,” question on application, a section on how the reader responds to what has been learned, and, finally, a section of things to pray for.

The book includes a detailed leader’s guide for using this book as a group study.

I believe the Solas are necessary for the Gospel. This book does an excellent job of explaining them and their place in Scripture. If you are unfamiliar with the Solas, need a refresher or additional theological and practical guidance, this is a great place to go.

[This review appears on my blog, Amazon.com, and Goodreads.com].

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In October of this year (2017) we will be celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. 500 years ago Martin Luther nailed on the door of Wittenberg Church a document which was a powder-keg to initiate a reformation of the Church, in the hopes of bringing it back to worshiping God as He demonstrates to us in scripture. In Jason Helopoulos new study, The Five Solas: These truths alone: Why the Reformation Solas are essential for our faith today, published by The Good Book Company Publishers, Helopoulos explores the "Five Solas" of the Reformation and where we find them in scripture.

This study is a six week series which focuses, as the title suggests, on the five different yet interconnected solas of the Protestant Reformation and actively living them out. This study is a perfect fit for small groups regardless of their knowledge base or demographic makeup for this inductive study levels the playing field for all. Not only does The Five Solas: These truths alone, provide a considerable depth of teaching about these important truths but also provides a plethora of application for every participant. Furthermore for those who are looking for cost saving opportunities, each of the participant guides include a leader's guide in the back so that anyone is able to lead this study without needing to purchase a separate book. This is without a doubt one of the best small group study guides I have ever seen on the five solas of the Reformation as well as being one of the most accessible studies while being a stalwart adherent to Reformed Theology.

I wholeheartedly recommend this study to any and all who are looking for a small group resource on this timely topic as we approach one of the most important history impacting anniversaries this world has ever seen.

This book was provided to me free of charge from The Good Book Company Publishers in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

The Five Solas: These truths alone: Why the Reformation Solas are essential for our faith today
© 2017 by Jason Helopoulos
Publisher: The Good Book Company Publishing
Page Count: 80 Pages
ISBN-13: 9781784981501