Not To Be Confused With
Sola gratia excludes MERIT as the ground of salvation; it does not deny that grace produces works. 'Grace alone' and 'faith alone' are distinct solas — grace is the source, faith the empty hand that receives it.
The Reformation's recovery of Augustine against every form of works-righteousness: salvation originates in grace (Eph 2:8-9), not in anything God foresees in us. Traditions still debate how grace and the will cooperate, but sola gratia insists the first move and the decisive power are God's.