This episode introduces the first of five solas of the Reformation, focusing on the historical background of Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone—as the final authority for the church. Pastor Matt Castro begins with an overview of the Protestant Reformation as a renewal movement, not merely a protest against the Catholic Church. He outlines four key Protestant principles:

Acknowledging the good in the pre-Reformation church,

Recognizing post-Reformation errors,

The necessity of continual reform,

Upholding faith alone and Scripture alone.

The lesson traces the church’s development from the apostolic era through the Middle Ages, highlighting how Scripture’s authority was gradually displaced by papal power and church tradition. Pastor Castro details pivotal moments such as the rise of the papacy, the Council of Nicaea, the Crusades, the Great Schism, and the invention of the printing press—all setting the stage for Martin Luther’s rediscovery of the gospel in Romans.