Today there is a return to spirituality. All more people thinks about the intangible component of our life. In the article we will talk about who Protestants are. This is a separate direction of Christianity, or a sect, as some believe.
We will also touch on the issue of different trends in Protestantism. Information about the position of supporters of this movement in modern Russia. Read on and you will find out the answers to these and many other questions.
In the sixteenth century in Western Europe, a significant part of the believers separated from the Roman Catholic Church. This event in historiography is called “reformation”. Thus, Protestants are a part of Christians who disagree with Catholic principles of worship and some issues of theology.
The Middle Ages in Western Europe turned out to be a period when society became completely dependent not so much on secular rulers as on the church.
Almost no issue was resolved without the participation of a priest, be it a wedding or everyday problems.
Weaving more and more into social life, the Catholic holy fathers accumulated untold wealth. The flashy luxury and double standards practiced by the monks turned society away from them. Dissatisfaction grew due to the fact that many issues were prohibited or resolved with the forced intervention of priests.
It was in this situation that Martin Luther had the opportunity to be heard. This is a German theologian and priest. As a member of the Augustinian order, he constantly observed the corruption of the Catholic clergy. One day, he said, he had an epiphany about true path devout Christian.
The result was the Ninety-Five Theses, which Luther nailed to the church door in Wittenberg in 1517, and a campaign against the sale of indulgences.
The basis of Protestantism is the principle of “sola fide” (only through faith). It says that no one in the world can help a person to be saved except himself. Thus, the institution of priests, the sale of indulgences, and the desire for enrichment and power on the part of church ministers are rejected.
Difference from Catholics and Orthodox
Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants belong to one religion - Christianity. However, in the process of historical and social development Several splits occurred. The first was in 1054, when the Orthodox Church separated from the Roman Catholic Church. Later, in the sixteenth century, during the Reformation, a completely separate movement appeared - Protestantism.
Let's see how different the principles are in these churches. And also why former Protestants more often convert to Orthodoxy.
So, as two fairly ancient movements, Catholics and Orthodox believe that their church is true. Protestants have diverse views. Some movements even deny the need to belong to any religion.
Among Orthodox priests allowed to marry once, monks are prohibited from marrying. Among Catholics of the Latin tradition, everyone takes a vow of celibacy. Protestants are allowed to marry; they do not recognize celibacy at all.
Also, the latter have absolutely no institution of monasticism, unlike the first two directions.
In addition, Protestants do not touch upon the issue of “filioque,” which is the cornerstone of the dispute between Catholics and Orthodox. They also do not have purgatory, and the Virgin Mary is perceived as the standard of the perfect woman.
Of the seven generally accepted sacraments, Protestants recognize only baptism and communion. There is no confession and the worship of icons is not accepted.
Protestantism in Russia
Although the Russian Federation is an Orthodox country, other faiths are also common here. In particular, there are Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Buddhists, supporters of various spiritual movements and philosophical worldviews.
According to statistics, there are about three million Protestants in Russia who attend more than ten thousand parishes. Of these communities, less than half are officially registered with the Ministry of Justice.
Pentecostals are considered the largest movement in Russian Protestantism. They and their reformed offshoot (neo-Pentecostals) have over one and a half million followers.
However, over time, some convert to the traditional Russian faith. Friends and acquaintances tell Protestants about Orthodoxy, sometimes they read specialized literature. Judging by the reviews of those who “returned to the fold” of their native church, they feel relieved, having ceased to be mistaken.
To other currents common in the territory Russian Federation, include Seventh-day Adventists, Baptists, Minnonites, Lutherans, Evangelical Christians, Methodists and many others.
Next we will talk in more detail about the most widespread directions of Protestantism in Russia. We will also touch on some denominations that, by definition, are on the border between a sect and a Protestant church.
Calvinists
The most rational Protestants are Calvinists. This direction formed in the mid-sixteenth century in Switzerland. The young French preacher and theologian, John Calvin, decided to continue and deepen the reform ideas of Martin Luther.
He declared that not only should things be removed from churches that were contrary to the Holy Scriptures, but also those things that were not even mentioned in the Bible. That is, according to Calvinism, the house of prayer should contain only what is prescribed in the holy book.
Thus, there are some differences in doctrine held by Protestants and Orthodox Christians. The first consider any gathering of people in the name of the Lord to be a church; they deny the majority of saints, Christian symbols and the Mother of God.
In addition, they believe that a person accepts faith personally and through sober judgment. Therefore, the rite of baptism occurs only in adulthood.
The Orthodox are the complete opposite of Protestants in the above-mentioned points. In addition, they adhere to the belief that the Bible can only be interpreted by a specially trained person. Protestants believe that everyone does this to the best of their abilities and spiritual development.
Lutherans
In fact, Lutherans are the continuators of the true aspirations of Martin Luther. It was after their performance in the city of Speyer that the movement began to be called the “Protestant Church.”
The term "Lutherans" appeared in the sixteenth century during the polemics of Catholic theologians and priests with Luther. This is how they called the followers of the father of the Reformation in a derogatory manner. Lutherans call themselves “Evangelical Christians.”
Thus, Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians strive to achieve the salvation of their souls, but each has different methods. The differences, in principle, are based only on the interpretation of Holy Scripture.
With his Ninety-Five Theses, Martin Luther proved the inconsistency of the entire institution of priests and many of the traditions that Catholics adhere to. According to him, these innovations relate more to the material and secular sphere of life than to the spiritual. This means they should be abandoned.
In addition, Lutheranism is based on the belief that Jesus Christ, with his death on Calvary, atoned for all the sins of mankind, including the original sins. Everything you need for happy life, is to believe this good news.
Lutherans are also of the opinion that any priest is the same layman, but more professional in terms of preaching. Therefore, a chalice is used to give communion to all people.
Today, more than eighty-five million people are Lutherans. But they do not represent unity. There are separate associations and denominations based on historical and geographical principles.
In the Russian Federation, the most popular in this environment is the Lutheran Hour Ministry society.
Baptists
It is often jokingly said that Baptists are English Protestants. But there is also a grain of truth in this statement. After all, this movement emerged precisely from among the Puritans of Great Britain.
In fact, Baptistism is the next stage of development (as some believe) or simply an offshoot of Calvinism. The term itself comes from the ancient Greek word for baptism. The main idea of this direction is expressed in the name.
Baptists believe that only a person who, in adulthood, came to the idea of renouncing sinful actions and sincerely accepted faith into his heart can be considered a true believer.
Many Protestants in Russia agree with similar thoughts. Despite the fact that the majority are Pentecostals, which we will talk about later, some of their views completely coincide.
To briefly express the basics of the practice of church life, Protestant Baptists are confident in the inerrancy of the authority of the Bible in all situations. They adhere to the ideas of a universal priesthood and congregation, that is, each community is independent and independent.
The presbyter does not have any real power, he simply reads sermons and teachings. All issues are resolved at general meetings and church councils. The service includes a sermon, singing hymns to the accompaniment of instrumental music, as well as impromptu prayers.
Today in Russia Baptists, like Adventists, call themselves evangelical Christians, and their churches - houses of prayer.
Pentecostals
The most numerous Protestants in Russia are Pentecostals. This current entered our country from Western Europe through Finland at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The first Pentecostal, or, as he was then called, “Oneness,” was Thomas Barratt. He came in 1911 from Norway to St. Petersburg. Here the preacher declared himself a follower of evangelical Christians in the apostolic spirit, and began to rebaptize everyone.
The basis of Pentecostal faith and practice is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They also recognize the rite of passage with the help of water. But the experiences that a person experiences when the Spirit descends on him are considered by this Protestant movement to be the most correct. They say that the state that the baptized person experiences is equivalent to the feelings of the apostles who received initiation from Jesus Christ himself on the fiftieth day after his resurrection.
Therefore, they name their church in honor of the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, or Trinity (Pentecost). Followers believe that the initiate in this way receives one of the Divine gifts. He gains the word of wisdom, healing, miracles, prophecy, the ability to speak foreign languages or discern spirits.
In the Russian Federation today, three of the Pentecostals are considered the most influential Protestant associations. They are part of the Assembly of God.
Mennonites
Mennoniteism is one of the most interesting branches of Protestantism. These Protestant Christians were the first to proclaim pacifism as part of their creed. The denomination arose in the thirties of the sixteenth century in the Netherlands.
Menno Simons is considered the founder. Initially, he abandoned Catholicism and adopted the principles of Anabaptism. But after some time he significantly deepened certain features of this doctrine.
So, Mennonites believe that the kingdom of God on earth will come only with the assistance of all people, when they establish a common true church. The Bible is the unquestioned authority, and the Trinity is the only thing that has holiness. Only adults can be baptized after they have made a firm and sincere decision.
But the most important distinctive feature Mennonites are considered a refusal military service, army oath and litigation. In this way, supporters of this movement bring to humanity the desire for peace and non-violence.
The Protestant denomination came to the Russian Empire during the reign of Catherine the Great. Then she invited part of the community to move from the Baltic states to Novorossia, the Volga region and the Caucasus. This turn of events was simply a gift for the Mennonites, as they were persecuted in Western Europe. Therefore, there were two waves of forced migration to the east.
Today in the Russian Federation this movement has actually united with the Baptists.
Adventists
Like any devout Christian, a Protestant believes in the second coming of the Messiah. It was on this event that the Adventist philosophy (from the Latin word “advent”) was originally built.
In 1831 former captain United States Army Miller became a Baptist and later published a book about the certain coming of Jesus Christ on March 21, 1843. But it turned out that no one showed up. Then an adjustment was made for the inaccuracy of the translation, and the Messiah was expected in the spring of 1844. When the second time did not come true, a period of depression began among believers, which in historiography is called the “Great Disappointment.”
After this, the Millerite movement splits into a number of separate denominations. Seventh-day Adventists are considered the most organized and popular. They are centrally managed and strategically developed in several countries.
IN Russian Empire this movement appeared through the Mennonites. The first communities were formed on the Crimean Peninsula and the Volga region.
Due to their refusal to take up arms and take the oath, they were persecuted in the Soviet Union. But at the end of the seventies of the twentieth century there was a restoration of the movement. And in 1990, at the first congress of Adventists, the Russian Union was adopted.
Protestants or sectarians
Today there is no doubt that Protestants are one of the equal branches of Christianity, with their own creed, principles, principles of behavior and worship.
However, there are some churches that are very similar in organization to Protestants, but, in fact, are not. The latter, for example, include Jehovah's Witnesses.
But in view of the confusion and uncertainty of their teaching, as well as the contradiction of early statements with later ones, this movement cannot be unambiguously attributed to any direction.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not perceive Christ, the Trinity, the cross, or icons. They consider the main and only God, whom they call Jehovah, like the medieval mystics. Some of their provisions echo Protestant ones. But such a coincidence does not make them supporters of this Christian movement.
Thus, in this article we have figured out who Protestants are, and also talked about the situation of different branches in Russia.
Good luck to you, dear readers!
Protestantism(from Latin protestatio, onis f - proclamation, assurance; in some cases - objection, disagreement) - a set of religious communities (about 20,000 denominations), each of which identifies itself with the Church of God, Christ, and believes that it professes pure faith , based on the Gospel, on the teachings of the holy apostles, but in reality it is a pseudo-Christian community, or sect. The basis of the doctrine of each Protestant community, as well as the basis of the norms of worship and worship of God, is the uniquely interpreted revealed teaching set forth in the Holy Scriptures, mainly in the canonical Books of the New Testament.
Protestantism was formed during the Reformation, in the 16th century. The reason for the start of the reform movements was the dissatisfaction of individual representatives of the Roman Catholic Church with abuses on the part of its pastorate, and above all by the popes. Martin Luther became the leader of the religious revolution. His plans were to partially reform the church and limit the power of the pope. Luther's first open speech against the policies of the Catholic Church took place in 1517. Luther then sent the theses to his friends. They were published in January 1518. It was also previously believed that the reformer publicly and vehemently condemned the trade in indulgences, but he did not deny the legality and effectiveness of indulgences, but only the abuses in issuing them. His 71st thesis read: “Whoever speaks against the truth of papal absolution – let him be anathematized and cursed.”
Other founders of Protestantism, in addition to Martin Luther, were J. Calvin, W. Zwingli, F. Melanchthon.
Protestantism, due to its rather free attitude to the methods and techniques of interpreting the Holy Scriptures, is very heterogeneous and includes thousands of directions, although in general, to some extent, it still shares Christian ideas about God the Trinity, the consubstantiality of the Divine Persons, and the God-Man Jesus Christ (Incarnation, Atonement, Resurrection of the Son of God), about the immortality of the soul, heaven and hell, Last Judgment etc.
A rather sharp difference between Orthodoxy and Protestantism is seen in relation to the doctrine of the Church, and this is natural, because if Protestants agreed with the Orthodox (or even Catholic) teaching, they would have no choice but to recognize their “churches” as false. Besides the fact that Protestantism rejects the doctrine of Orthodox Church as the only true and salutary one, Protestants, partially or completely, deny the church hierarchy (clergy), the Sacraments, the authority of Holy Tradition, on the basis of which not only the interpretation of Holy Scripture is built, but also liturgical practice, the ascetic experience of Christian ascetics, the veneration of saints and the institution of monasticism .
Five main doctrinal theses of classical Protestantism:
1. Sola Scriptura - “Only Scripture.”
The Bible (Holy Scripture) is proclaimed to be the sole and self-interpreting source of doctrine. Every believer has the right to interpret the Bible. However, even the first Protestant Martin Luther noted: “The devil himself can quote the Bible with great benefit to himself.” Evidence of the recklessness of striving to understand the Bible only with one’s own fallen mind is the ever-increasing fragmentation of Protestantism into many movements. After all, even in ancient times St. said in a letter to Emperor Constantine: Scripture is not in words, but in their understanding.
2. Sola fide – “Only by faith.” This is the doctrine of justification by faith alone, regardless of the performance of good works and any external sacred rites. Protestants deny their significance as a source of salvation for the soul, considering them the inevitable fruits of faith and evidence of forgiveness.
3. Sola gratia – “By grace alone.”
This is the doctrine that salvation is a good gift from God to man and man himself cannot participate in his own salvation.
4. Solus Christus - “Only Christ.”
Salvation is possible only through faith in Christ. Protestants deny the intercession of the Mother of God and other saints in the matter of salvation, and also teach that the church hierarchy cannot be a mediator between God and people, believing that believers represent a “universal priesthood.”
5. Soli Deo gloria – “Only God be the glory”
Considering that Protestantism is not a single religious movement, but is fragmented into many particular ones, the above comments apply to different Protestant communities to varying degrees. Thus, Lutherans and Anglicans recognize the need for hierarchy, although not in the form in which it is present in the Orthodox Church. The attitude towards the sacraments in different communities is not the same: it differs both in the actual attitude towards them and in the number of recognized sacraments. Protestantism, as a rule, is alien to the veneration of holy icons and holy relics, alien to the doctrine of the appropriateness of prayers to God's saints as our intercessors. Attitude to Mother of God varies greatly depending on the creed adopted in a particular “church”. Attitudes to personal salvation also vary greatly: from the belief that all who believe in Christ will be saved, to the belief that only those who are predestined to this will be saved.
Orthodoxy implies a living, active perception by a Christian of Divine grace, due to which everything becomes a mysterious union of God and man, and the temple with its Sacraments - real place such a connection. The living experience of the action of Divine grace does not allow for the limitation of the Sacraments or their perverted interpretation, as well as the belittlement or abolition of the veneration of saints who have acquired grace, asceticism as a way of acquiring it.
The original forms of Protestantism were Lutheranism, Zwinglianism and Calvinism, Unitarianism and Socianism, Anabaptism and Mennoniteism, and Anglicanism. Subsequently, a number of movements emerged, known as late, or neo-Protestantism: Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, Adventists, Pentecostals. Currently, Protestantism is most widespread in the Scandinavian countries, the USA, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Canada, and Switzerland. The United States is rightfully considered the world center of Protestantism, where the headquarters of Baptists, Adventists and other Protestant denominations are located. Protestant movements play main role in the ecumenical movement.
The theology of Protestantism went through a number of stages in its development. This is the orthodox theology of the 16th century. (M. Luther, J. Calvin), non-Protestant or liberal theology of the 18th – 19th centuries. (F. Schleiermacher, E. Troeltsch, A. Harnack), “crisis theology” or dialectical theology that appeared after the First World War (C. Barth, P. Tillich, R. Bultmann), radical or “new” theology that spread after World War II (D. Bonhoeffer).
Protestantism - brief informationOne of the three, along with Catholicism and Orthodoxy, main directions of Christianity. Protestantism is a collection of numerous and independent churches and sects, connected only by their origin.
The emergence of Protestantism is associated with the Reformation, a powerful anti-church movement in the 16th century in Europe. In 1526, the Speyer Reichstag, at the request of the German Lutheran princes, adopted a resolution on the right of everyone to choose a religion for themselves and their subjects. The Second Reichstag of Speyr in 1529 overturned this decree. In response, there was a protest from the five princes and a number of imperial cities, from which the term “Protestantism” comes. Protestantism shares common Christian ideas about the existence of God, his trinity, the immortality of the soul, hell and heaven, however, rejecting the Catholic idea of purgatory. At the same time, Protestantism put forward three new principles: salvation by personal faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the exclusive authority of the Holy Scriptures.
Protestantism categorically rejects the Holy Tradition as unreliable and concentrates all dogma in the Holy Scripture, which is considered the only holy book in the world. Protestantism requires believers to read the Bible daily. In Protestantism, the fundamental difference between priest and layman has been removed, and the church hierarchy has been abolished. The clergyman is deprived of the right to confess and absolve sins; he is accountable to the Protestant community.
In Protestantism, many sacraments have been abolished (with the exception of baptism and communion), and celibacy is absent. Prayer for the dead, worship of saints and holidays in honor of saints, veneration of relics and icons are rejected. Houses of worship have been cleared of altars, icons, statues, and bells. There are no monasteries or monasticism.
Worship in Protestantism is simplified as much as possible and reduced to preaching, prayer and singing psalms and hymns in the native language. The Bible is recognized as the only source of doctrine, and sacred tradition is rejected.
The formation of most movements of Protestantism took place under the idea of religious revival in the form of revivalism.
Protestantism is divided into early, including:
Anabaptism
- Anglicanism
- Calvinism
- Lutheranism
- Mennonism
- Socinianism
- Unitarianism
- Zwinglianism
And the later one, including:
Adventism
- Salvation Army
- baptism
- Quakerism
- methodism
- Mormonism
- Pentecostalism
- Jehovah witnesses
Christian Science
Currently, Protestantism is most widespread in the Scandinavian countries, the USA, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Modern Protestant churches created the World Council of Churches in 1948.
Protestantism is one of the 3 main directions of Christianity, which arose at the beginning of the 16th century as a result of the Reformation in Northern Europe. In 1529, a group of people representing the free cities and heads of small states (most of the German states) made official protests against the Diet. This protest was aimed at stopping the reform movements carried out by the Roman Catholic Church. All these delegates participated in the work of the Imperial Diet in the city of Speyer, where most of the representatives were Catholics. If we take a chronology, we can see that the reformation movement that swept Western Europe, coincides with the beginning of the collapse of the feudal system and the appearance of early bourgeois revolutions. Speeches against feudal lords huge amount the people and the movements of the emerging bourgeoisie acquired a religious orientation.
It turned out to be impossible to define religious demands in them and separate them from socio-economic and political demands: everything was interconnected. In religious terms, the transformations led to a deep decline in the annals of the Roman Catholic Church; a significant proportion of believers separated from the Latin traditions of Western Christianity and created a new, northern (or Protestant) tradition of Western Christianity. Definition " northern tradition» is used because it is a branch of Christianity and is considered a distinctive feature of the population of Northern Europe and North America, despite the fact that today Protestant churches are practically spread throughout the globe. The word "Protestant" is not considered a specific term, and the participants in the Reform themselves were usually presented as reformers or evangelists. Various Protestant churches are classified by denomination, that is, by types of religious associations that have similar principles organizational structure and teaching the faith, regardless of whether they are independent or grouped along national, religious or international grounds. Protestant denominations are endowed with the highest degree of adaptation to specific conditions due to the same high degree distribution. The transformations that caused a split in Western Christianity ended with a refusal to recognize the supremacy of the Pope and the use of Latin as the official language, which was considered the only one allowed for communication in the religious sphere. A strictly centralized hierarchical church is a feature of Catholicism. In turn, Protestantism is distinguished by the existence of the most diverse and independent Christian movements. These include: church, community and sect. These movements are autonomous in their religious activities.
Protestant (Northern) or Western Christian tradition is national tradition, local, local. Based on the requirement for the most detailed and meaningful perception of faith by all believers, the reformers stopped using Latin, which was dead and incomprehensible to the broad masses, and began the process of rethinking Christianity in the field of cultures of nations and state languages. Calvin most consistently defined the bourgeois direction of the Reformation, the interests and sentiments of the bourgeoisie, which fought for power. The center of his teaching is the doctrine of absolute predestination, from which it follows that all people can be divided into the elect and the condemned. During the Reform, already in the Protestant tradition, two main trends can be traced, which rapidly develop in the following centuries. The first (Protestant) direction tried to prepare a reformed version of the Latin Church. Representatives of this trend did not accept the leadership of the papal throne, created national churches, forming a different concept of the Christian faith in the field of culture of the nation and their language and got rid of what, in their opinion, was at odds with the meaning of the Holy Scriptures.
Radical Protestants were persecuted in many European countries, especially during the Reformation. The Netherlands was the most hospitable for them; for a short period of the 17th century in England they themselves had an advantageous position, and yet America is considered the real birthplace of radical Protestantism. However, starting from the eighteenth century, conservative and radical movements began to move closer and mix with each other, forming other Protestant churches, communities and sects. These include Mormons and Pentecostals. In the 18th century, within the framework of Protestant foundations, such religious and moral teachings as pietism and revivalism (awakening) arose. These movements, largely among churches (evangelical), placed special significance on the differences between formal and real Christians, who took upon themselves certain obligations by virtue of personal faith. The Protestant, or northern, faith contributed to the great secularization of Western Christianity. The Bible as the sole source of teaching about faith and one's own faith as an instrument of salvation have greatly reduced the role of the clergy and the presence of sacraments in religious life.
The secularization of religious life in Protestantism contributed to secularization (translated from Latin as liberation from church influence). Subsequently, the reason and motivation for consecration Everyday life believers have lost their importance. And yet, if in countries where Protestant influence dominates, the rate of secularization of society is higher, then in countries where the Latin tradition dominates, atheistic and anti-clerical movements are more powerful. The beliefs that underlie the Protestant tradition contributed to the energetic creation by Protestant theologians of concepts associated with such terms, for example, “revelation”, “faith”, “psychology of faith”. The Protestant worldview during the Age of Enlightenment influenced the origin and progress of rationalism. Later, the Protestant idea influenced the philosophy of liberalism, in the 20th century. Protestant theologians influenced the formation of existentialism and dialectical teaching. Among the influential Protestant theologians of the twentieth century are K. Barth, R. Bultmann, D. Bonhoeffer and P. Tillich. Majority Protestant churches actively participate in the process of unification of all Christian denominations. This movement is given the name ecumenical (translated from Greek “ecumene” means world, universe) and aims to restore Christian unity, which was lost during the Middle Ages. IN modern world supporters of this branch of Christianity can enjoy almost all the benefits of civilization and the achievements of scientific and technological progress, for example, they can choose unlimited tariff lines without any restrictions. They actively use Newest technologies, Internet resources ( social media, forums, chats), have their own radio and television, and, in general, they are practically no different in appearance and behavior from ordinary “secular” people.
Let's start with the fact that the word PROTESTANTISM does not come from the word PROTEST. It's just a coincidence in the Russian language. Protestantism or Protestantism (from Latin protestans, gen. protestantis - publicly proving).
Among world religions, Protestantism can be briefly described as one of the three, along with Catholicism and Orthodoxy, main directions of Christianity, which is a collection of numerous and independent Churches and denominations. We need to dwell in more detail on the question: who are Protestants from a theological point of view?
There is a lot to be said here. And we need to start with what Protestants consider the basis of their faith. This is, first of all, the Bible - the Books of Holy Scripture. It is the infallible written Word of God. It is uniquely, verbally and completely, inspired by the Holy Spirit and unerringly recorded in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the highest and final authority on all matters it deals with.
In addition to the Bible, Protestants recognize the creeds generally accepted by all Christians:
Protestant theology does not contradict the theological decisions of the Ecumenical Councils. The whole world knows the famous five theses of Protestantism:
1. Sola Scriptura - “Only Scripture”
“We believe, teach and confess that the only and absolute rule and standard by which all doctrines and all teachers are to be judged are the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.”
2. Sola fide - “Only by faith”
This is the doctrine of justification by faith alone, regardless of the performance of good works and any external sacred rites. Protestants do not devalue good deeds; but they deny their value as the source or condition of the salvation of the soul, considering them the inevitable fruits of faith and evidence of forgiveness.
3. Sola gratia - “Only by grace”
This is the doctrine that salvation is grace, i.e. a good gift from God to man. A person cannot earn salvation or somehow participate in his own salvation. Although a person accepts God's salvation by faith, all the glory for a person's salvation should be given to God alone.
The Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8,9).
4. Solus Christus - “Only Christ”
From the point of view of Protestants, Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and salvation is possible only through faith in Him.
Scripture states: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
Protestants traditionally deny the mediation of the Virgin Mary and other saints in the matter of salvation, and also teach that the church hierarchy cannot be a mediator between God and people. All believers constitute the “universal priesthood” and have equal rights and standing before God.
5. Soli Deo gloria - “Only God be the glory”
The Internet project “Wikipedia” very accurately defines the features of theology, which is traditionally shared by Protestants: “Scripture is declared to be the only source of doctrine. The Bible was translated into national languages, its study and application in own life became important task every believer. The attitude towards the Holy Tradition is ambiguous - from rejection, on the one hand, to acceptance and veneration, but, in any case, with a reservation - Tradition (as, indeed, any other doctrinal opinions, including your own) is authoritative, since it is based on Scripture , and to the extent that it is based on Scripture. It is this reservation (and not the desire to simplify and cheapen the cult) that is the key to the refusal of a number of Protestant churches and denominations from this or that teaching or practice.
Protestants teach that original sin corrupted human nature. Therefore, a person, although he remains fully capable of good deeds, cannot be saved by his own merits, but only by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”
And although Protestant theology is not exhausted by this, nevertheless, on these grounds it is customary to distinguish Protestants from among other Christians.