In my last article in this series I talked about the significance of Scripture as a foundational theological principle of the Anglican faith. Out of Scripture, then, comes three other core principles – or doctrines – that form the basis of Anglican identity. We can summarise these in one simple statement:

Our salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

Solia gratia: grace alone

Grace is what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions. When we read the Bible, we see a gospel of transforming grace. Verses like John 3:16 come to mind, that God loved us so much that he sent his only Son, Jesus, who endured the cross so that through him we are made right with God. This image is the opposite of the medieval image of Jesus as the judge heralding the fear of eternal torment, commanding good behaviour to earn God’s favour. God, in Jesus Christ, has saved the world. He gives his love as a free gift that humans receive despite their unworthiness and inability to earn it through their own efforts.

Sola fide: faith alone

If God’s abounding love is the good news, then this love calls us to respond. It calls us to accept this gift of eternal love. Our response is by faith alone. We are saved by grace, and we accept this grace by faith in Jesus Christ. The word for this is “justification” – we have a right relationship with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ and what he has done or us on the cross. When we place our faith in Jesus, we now share in Christ’s righteousness. God looks at us and sees the righteousness of Jesus, because by faith we are adopted into God’s family.
So, grace and faith are like two sides of a coin. They go together. But there is a third dimension that emerges as God’s love transforms us and makes us fully human as he intended: a living faith that leads to godly living.

“God's grace is not a reward for our faithfulness,” said Timothy Keller, “it is the source of our faithfulness.”

The godly life we now seek to lead and the good works we strive to do are done as a response of gratitude to God, not to earn God’s favour. Therefore, the third reformation principle is a life that seeks to give glory to God alone.

Soli Deo gloria: to the glory of God alone

Scripture points to the glory of God, to which we cannot add or diminish. We see this in Creation, in the lives of God’s people, and most fully in Jesus Christ.

The good news of salvation, by grace alone and through faith alone, sets us free to love like God loves.

We begin to reflect God’s love in the world. What an honour it is to reveal God’s glory through our own service as his transformative agents in the world. What a privilege we have to be God’s instruments playing our parts in revealing his glory to the world.

From the authoritative revelation of Scripture come these three principles: salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus alone, to the glory of God alone. These are wholly adopted by the global Anglican Church in the Creeds we espouse, in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion – carefully summarised statements of theology outlining the core beliefs of the Church of England – and in the Five Marks of Mission for the worldwide Anglican Communion. 

These core beliefs reflect the profound beauty of Christianity, portraying a loving and merciful God who offers redemption and eternal life to humanity. They highlight the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the means of salvation and invite individuals to respond in faith.

Our dependency on Jesus redirects the focus from human accomplishments to the magnificence and worthiness of God, and it’s only fitting to give him glory.

Living our lives to the glory of God also includes our worship – the place where belief and practice come together. It is to our understanding of Anglican worship that we will turn to in the next article.