By: Zach Collins For the next few weeks, we are going to explore the five “solas” that are commonly associated with the reformation movement. Today, let us explore “sola fide”, or faith only.  There was once a Scotsman who was tasked with rowing others across a river. He held in his hands two oars. On one oar was carved the word “faith.” On the other oar was carved the word “works.” One day, one of his passengers asked him about the words carved on his oars. Curiously, he did not respond and, instead, chose to pull the oar marked “works” out of the water and started rowing with only one oar. The boat proceeded to turn in circles and refrained from making progress across the river. He then pulled the oar marked “faith” out of the water and the boat began to row in circles in the opposite direction. However, when he pulled both oars into the water, he and his passenger were able to reach the other bank safely.  Before his passenger got off the boat, the Scotsman said, “A Christian must row his life using both oars, faith and works. Only then can he reach the shores of Heaven.”  In the margin of his Bible, next to Romans 1:17, Martin Luther drew a line from the phrase, “the just shall live by faith” and wrote the word “sola”, a Latin word meaning “alone” or “only.” He asserted that man was saved by faith alonewithout any response to God on the …