The Beauty of Divine Grace

by Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer

What sets the historic Christian faith apart from all other religions and worldviews? Nothing less than the good news of God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ. The Protestant Reformers boldly declared the marvelous message of the Salvation is by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. Together, these “alone” statements are called the five solas of the Reformation. In this book, Dr. Gabe Fluhrer explains how the five solas give us the heartbeat of the gospel and the road map for the Christian life. By knowing these core biblical truths, we can cultivate deeper delight in God’s grace and greater devotion to His glory.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Religion, Nonfiction

137 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 2022

Reviews

[Amy Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an orthodox, accessible, succinct, helpful exposition of the 5 Solas, an underutilized teaching tool in modern times. My husband has used these as a distinctive of our church plants here in prosperity-Gospel-burned-over tribal Africa, and we love them so much to help our people grasp the truths of the Gospel in a memorable way. I admire how the author wanted to go beyond the academic definitions and in his last chapter applies the 5 Solas to how we live as Christians, applying it to heart and hands not just head. Fantastic. Free hoopla borrow on audio.

[Joel Lomman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful little book on the five solas.

Some very helpful articulation of enjoying and behold in the glory of God.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, succinct and easily understandable book on the Five Solas. I've been wanting to learn more specifics about Reformed theology for a while, but most accounts are far too academic for a primer.

I listened to this via Hoopla, it's one of their bonus borrows for November, but will be getting a physical copy for rereading and highlighting.

[Jeff Palomino · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit that I read this in fits and starts over almost an entire calendar year. I don’t think it covered a lot of new ground but when I finished it, I looked back and saw several areas that were really helpful for me. The book goes through the five “solas” of the reformation: Scripture alone, Grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and the glory of God alone. The best parts deal with faith as being an instrument that lays hold of Jesus and not a work that someone does. It’s not by the strength of our faith that we saved or by our faith in faith or even by our faithfulness. Again, some good things here, but falls lower than recent books by Dane Orland, which I’d recommend more. 3.5 stars.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how to rate this. As a persuasive book, I don't think it's going to persuade anyone that doesn't already believe it. The author does an alright job of describing a set of beliefs within the 5 Solas, but when the author attempts to show why others are invalid, I'm not as sure, since there are alternative ways of considering many pieces of Scripture the author includes as evidence that contradict or amend (John 14:6, for example - "I am" is a name for God)

It feels a little weird to begin the book about Christian values beginning with someone selling a copy of the Declaration of Independence for $400K they bought for $2.

[Bobby Bonser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick concise read on the five Solas and how they apply to our lives and culture today. I thought the presentation of them could be a bit more clear, but overall the application and examples were helpful and God glorifying. The idea of God's pervasive glory was clear throughout.

[Anneka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll probably need to re-read this. It had a lot of good information.

[David Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

231206: 120 - 105 = 15 / 4 = 3.75

When we reject the glory of God (weightiness) then life becomes "weightless" trivial, meaningless.
As Fluhrer stated: "One does not need to be a psychologist to recognize that a news feed that can go from the misery of war one second to a friend's latest hairstyle the next will numb us to anything and everything that matters." Sadly, like the Pink Floyd hit, western culture has become "comfortably numb".

“According to the Apostle [Paul], a high view of what the Bible is and does always results in a love of the Word preached.” _Gabriel N. E. Fluhrer, The Beauty of Divine Grace #Preaching

“If we are to see a revival of biblical Christianity in our day, it will come only as the Word of God is believed unwaveringly and preached passionately.” _Gabriel N. E. Fluhrer, The Beauty of Divine Grace

• 231114: Fluhrer points out how Christianity has always been a teaching religion (2 Timothy 3:16). In contrast, Roman society did not consider you a person unless you were wealthy. And thus, only the wealthy received instruction.

[Crystal Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful description of the five Solas and living for our God and Savior.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty short, a two-sitting read. Not bad, very technical. Not really casual reading, a bit heavy on the citations, but the actual content is solid.

[Lisa Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a while. I found it very helpful and informative.

[Frances Lary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more I read, the more I found myself enjoying this book. The author ties everything together beautifully at the end:

“The five solas direct us to Him, our soul's delight, our only hope, our highest joy, our greatest good, our Maker, our Friend, our everything. That's the beauty of divine grace.”

The author takes both a biblical and real-world approach to explaining the five solas and what they mean for us because of Christ, always pointing everything back to Him. There were parts written so clearly and thoughtfully that I found myself reading them as if I were hearing these truths for the first time. The book prompted me to pause, reflect, and examine my own heart, to ask what area in my life I may have missed a heart for God, and whether I am loving Him more deeply as I remember who He is and commit to being a serious student of His Word each day.

I underlined a lot of good quotes and dog-eared a few pages, but I will leave those discoveries for you to find as you read it for yourself rather than making this review really long with quotations.

Lastly, one of my favorite films is Dead Poets Society, so I loved the author’s use of the phrase carpe diem, reimagined as carpe diem teneat Deum, a reminder to seize the day by holding fast to God or taking hold of Him. I found that line beautiful, and it is one I will be writing everywhere as a daily reminder to cling to the Father who comes to us “clothed in the gospel”, as John Calvin once said 🤍

[Matt Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beauty of Divine Grace is a brief reminder of the tenants at the faith. For Fluhrer, the best way to focus on this is through the five solos of the reformation. Much like TULIP, it is not the entire faith, but is a great summary and a foundation for us to fall back upon. He places a hefty concentration on the fact that it is alone. Obviously. But if we are going to combat the moralistic therapeutic deism that is in this world, we need to realize why Christianity is different. It is different because it is Christ alone with nothing added that saves. The exclusivity of Christ is something the modern world fears. And rightfully so.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book to finish out 2023! This helped me understand more about the Reformation, the origins of the Protestant faith, and how evangelicals view God and his Word differently than the Catholic religion. To Him alone be the honor and glory!

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf

[Sophie Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Asher Burns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshing little devotionally-oriented book on the five solas, with some good insights.

[PJ Wenzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot packed into a small volume. Encouraging and engaging. Recommended for people curious about Christianity and long time believers alike.