Introduction:

The Apostle "Paul, THE Apostle to the Gentiles" (Rom 11:13) received multiple "revelations" (2Cor 12:7) by the grace of God directly from the resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus (cf., Gal 1:10-12). These "revelations" included the full meaning and ALL-SUFFICIENCY of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, and also then of Christ's resurrected "Spirit of life" (cf. Rom 8:9-10) coming to eternally indwell each of His believers as His living "temple" (1Cor 3:16), which is called "the church, which is His body" (Eph 1:22b-23a). The "body of Christ" is His present incarnation on the earth.

The resurrected Lord Jesus Himself, from heaven, called Saul of Tarsus, whose name was to be later changed to Paul. Jesus stopped him, converted, and save him. Jesus gave Paul the unique gospel and ministry for this age called "the Gospel of the Grace of God" (Acts 20:24), which stands in counter-distinction with "the Law" given to Israel. The period of the pure grace gospel extends to this very day in which we live (cf., Eph 3:1-5). This age will end with what we call the "Rapture" or what the Bible calls being "caught up... to meet Him in the air" (cf., 1Thes 4:13-17, Rom 11:25), when every member of "the body of Christ" is taken by Christ Himself to dwell with Him "eternal in the heavens" (2Cor 5:1b).

Paul was the first to ever receive the "revelation of the Mystery" which is of God's eternally planned, but previously "KEPT SECRET," grace gospel. This was given to all men to make them members of the "body of Christ." Paul's "gospel of the grace of God"  (Act 20:24) embodied the

"the MYSTERY of CHRIST according to the REVELATION (unveiling) of THE 'MYSTERY' (Gk. musterion, God's secret plan), which was (had been) KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN" (Romans 16:25)

Paul's purpose then for believers is "to MAKE ALL MEN SEE what is the FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY, which from the beginning of the world HATH BEEN HID (concealed) IN GOD, who created all things by Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 3:9). This is the all-sufficient mission of the members of "the body of Christ" since Paul says "we are ambassadors of Christ" (2Cor 5:20). The "Fellowship (union) of The Mystery" (see Eph 3:9, above) had "BEEN HID" but it is Now REVEALED to be..."CHRIST IN YOU"!

"Whereof I (Paul) am made a minister, according to 'the dispensation of God' which is given to me (Paul) for you, to fulfil (Gk. pleroo, complete or finish) the word of God; 26 Even The Mystery Which Hath Been Hid From Ages And From Generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of This Mystery Among the GENTILES; which Is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory:" (Col 1:25-27)

The "Spirit of Christ" now indwells every believer's human spirit to be "one spirit" with them (1Cor 6:17), and to be their "hope (expectation) of (eternal) glory" (Col 1:27b).

We today live in the unique age of "the dispensation (Gk., oikonomia, household administration) of the grace of God," (Eph 3:2), the age of God's pure "grace," under which men may be "SAVED BY GRACE (alone) THROUGH FAITH (alone)… as THE GIFT OF GOD… NOT OF WORKS" (Eph 2:8-9). We cannot earn or enhance our salvation by our good works or piety; nor can we earn favor from God after salvation.

The "Five Solas" of the Reformers of the 16th century helped to re-establish the mostly lost foundation of Paul's pure "gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24) unto eternal salvation. The all-sufficient "grace of God" is set in contrast to any good works or performance requirements that many Christian church systems erroneously set forth in order for one to be saved, be kept saved, or to please the Lord.

Paul received his unique "gospel message" directly from the ascended Lord (Gal 1:12). Yet Paul's grace gospel is most opposed by two factions within the Christian church-at-large today.

1.) There are the religious legalists who perpetuate Israel's "Law" in place of grace, ignoring Paul's  words. "...ye are NOT under the LAW, but under GRACE." (Romans 6:14b)

2.) Then there are the religious institutionalists who impose a mediatorial hierarchical clergy system that sets itself between the believers and God. They ignore Paul's words here. "For there is one God, and One Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5)

The two foregoing items serve to obstruct the Paul's pure grace gospel for salvation of the believer and the believer's direct relationship with God. This has been so since the time of Paul's early ministry when the vast majority of the religious people of Israel, including the Messianic Pentecostal believers opposed Paul's "gospel of the grace of God."

• Opposition From "The Legalist" From Early On:

From the beginning of Paul's ministry the truths of "the faith" were opposed by the Messianic Pentecostal Judaizers of the believing church at Jerusalem. The Jerusalem church was led by James, the brother of the Lord. Paul wrote of their conflict explaining that. "Certain (men) came from James" (the leader of the Jerusalem church, Gal 2:12) came to the fledgling Gentile grace church in Galatia trying to subvert Paul's message of "the gospel of the grace of God" that he preached "among the Gentiles" (Gal 2:2). These Judaizers clung to and maintained the manmade "traditions of the elders" of Israel and the ceremonial rites of the Old Testament Law that God gave Moses for the Nation of Israel ONLY! These Judaizers did not accept Paul's words he spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he said "the Law" is not for the Gentiles who "are not under the Law but under grace" (Rom 6:14). The Judaizers tried to undermine Paul's Gentile converts, to rob them of the liberty of Paul's pure grace message, requiring them to be under Israel's "Law" of works, requiring them to be "circumcised" (Act 15:1, 24) and many other "laws." In the course of this conflict, Paul "withstood Peter to the face" for his "dissimulation" (hypocrisy, Gal 2:11-14) at that time.

• The Usurpation of Christianity by the Hierarchical Mediatorial Church of Rome:

In 313AD the Roman Emperor Constantine decreed the Edict of Toleration, making Christianity lawful throughout the Roman Empire. He then proceeded to usurp the underground Christian church, to make it a branch of the Roman Empire. The "Five Solas" of the Protestant Reformers of the 1500's were then in stark contradistinction to the doctrines of the corrupt Roman mediatorial hierarchical clergy system that had come to power with the force of the Roman Empire. We will cover this in more detail later.

• Today's Corruption of the Word of God:

Even today Paul's "gospel of the grace of God" is opposed and Paul's words are marginalized by most of the religious institutions of the Christian church at large – both Roman and Protestant Hierarchical Churches and the Neo-Evangelical Church. Constantine's Roman church continues much the same today. And today's Protestantism still has its legalist and its hierarchist sects; while the so-called evangelicals have mostly become neo-evangelicals, straying to compromise and embrace the ways and techniques that of the world, thinking it must embrace the methods of Madison Avenue. Thus, most of Christianity has largely forsaken Paul's pure grace gospel message. This has led to the mostly irrelevant and impotent Christian "church" that we see today. Even while some attract numbers of people, most of them have little knowledge of "the grace of God" and the fruit of Christ Himself as "the grace of God" indwelling the believers be THE Christian in them, desiring to live through them as He wills.

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this Mystery Among The Gentiles; Which Is Christ In You, The Hope Of Glory: Colossians 1:27 (KJV)

Christianity, by the churches at large today hold to many myths, and unscriptural and undispensational traditions, rites, liturgies and erroneous teachings that do not apply to the members of the "body of Christ." Paul warned Timothy, his son in the faith, of the apostasy (falling away)  to come in the "latter times," such as we see today.

"As I (Paul) besought thee (Timothy) …that thou mightest charge some that they TEACH NO OTHER DOCTRINE, 4NEITHER GIVE HEED TO FABLES (myths) and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying (building up of the body) which is in faith: so do." (1 Timothy 1:3)

"THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly and expressly declares that IN LATTER TIMES SOME (apostates) WILL TURN AWAY FROM "THE FAITH,"

GIVING ATTENTION TO DELUDING AND SEDUCING SPIRITS AND DOCTRINES THAT DEMONS TEACH, 2 Through the hypocrisy and pretensions of liars whose consciences are seared (cauterized), 3 Who forbid people to marry and [teaching them] to abstain from [certain kinds of] foods…

7 (Paul to Timothy) REFUSE AND AVOID IRREVERENT LEGENDS (profane and impure and godless fictions, mere grandmothers' tales) and silly MYTHS, and express your disapproval of them" (1 Timothy 4:1-3, 7 (AMP)

In the course of our study of the 16th Century Reformer's "Five Solas" we will of necessity explore some history of religion's opposition to and/or hindrance of the clear proclamation of Paul's pure "gospel of the grace of God." It's only by Paul's God-ordained "gospel of the grace of God"  that men may be eternally saved by grace ALONE, through faith ALONE, in Christ ALONE ... without the trapping of institutionalized religion with it's laws, ceremonies, rites, liturgies, and hierarchical mediators.

Don't think the hindering religious institutions of men are only the large ones, they can be large or small. Many small groups have their own nearly cultic heresies that block the blessings of liberty for grace gospel for believers. Bible truth will set the simplest believer free from "the "Law" and the onerous demands of lifeless "*religion."

"*Religion" in the original Latin is "religio"; from "re (= again) ligio (= to tie or bind)," meaning to bring into bondage again. This is an apt description of "religion" in its negative sense. Sadly, many today go from the bondage of the world... become free in Christ for a time... but go back again into the bondage of false religion, never really enjoying God's pure love and grace.

The Lord desires that His believers enjoy a living relationship with Him, in freedom, rest, and peace.

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized (without water) into one body (of Christ), whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and Have Been All Made To Drink Into One Spirit." (1 Cor 12:13)