Week #2: Sola Scriptura
Blog Series Intention Recap
This series looks at each of the five solas (“onlys” or “alones”) drawn from theology revived in the era of the Reformation: sola Scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, and soli Deo gloria. The series will define them and show how they work themselves out in our doctrine and lives. By thinking about the Bible, grace, faith, Christ, and God’s glory, we are better able to understand God’s gift to the world and how to live as we follow him.
This post is part of the series “The Five Solas.” Click here to see the rest of the posts.
Let’s jump into Week #2:
SOLA SCRIPTURA ~ SCRIPTURE ALONE
Sola Scriptura holds that the Bible is the ultimate and final authority in matters of faith, doctrine, and practice, superseding all other sources such as Church Tradition, central authoritative figures (like the Pope), or church councils. Evangelical Protestantism asserts that while traditions and leaders may provide guidance, they must always be subject to and aligned with Scripture.
Why it Matters:
The Bible is the sole revelation of God and essential for salvation and life.
Scripture’s unity, from creation to redemption, reveals God's plan for humanity.
Right understanding of Scripture (orthodoxy) leads to right living (orthopraxis).
Protestant authority rests on Scripture alone, unlike the Catholic Church's three-legged structure of Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium.
Scripture is inspired by God, without error, and fully sufficient for faith and practice.
Protestant leaders and traditions must submit to the authority of Scripture.
Key concepts include the inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, clarity, and sufficiency of Scripture.
Go Deeper
According to Scripture alone… Sola Scriptura.
The Bible contains the only revelation of God and His story of redemption. The story of Jesus Christ in the New Testament explodes conceived notions about God from the Old Testament. The cohesiveness of the entire story allows the reader to understand what God was accomplishing, from the creation of everything to the redemption of humanity. This one book brings into focus for the readers the only necessary information for salvation and living. Orthodoxy or right knowledge spurs on orthopraxis or right action. Without the Bible, we cannot know the absolute truth. On my first day of hermeneutics, my professor had us open the covers of our Bibles and write this phrase: "This Book is my all-sufficient guide for faith and conduct." The Bible has led me well.
Scriptures we trust:
2 Peter 1:20–21 (ESV):
20 knowing that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV):
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Authority - What's the difference?
The Catholic church would compare authority in the church to a three-legged stool. The three legs consist of Biblical authority, Church Tradition, and the Magisterium. These three legs work together to keep the church stable. Let's look at each of these legs and see how they are interpreted.
First, Sacred Scripture forms the first leg of the Catholic Stool of Authority. The Catholic version of sacred Scripture includes 73 books. These books include Apocrypha's seven books. These were finalized at the Council of Trent in 1546.
The second leg flows from Church Tradition. The church, through practice, could add traditions to the authority of the church. For instance, indulgences were sold to shorten the time Christians would need to spend in purgatory. The church also made kings responsible for the souls they led into battle or the souls taken by the king's army. The church determined the cost of a soul and would accept payment for the indulgence. Church tradition developed from practice and acceptance of this tradition became widespread by the 16th century.
The third leg of the Catholic stool was the Magisterium. The Pope gathers bishops and cardinals to study the Sacred Scriptures and develop theology accordingly. These gatherings determine church teachings. Catholics are then encouraged to trust what these men have resolved Scripture to say even if they do not fully understand the thought process behind the instructions. Those teachings flow into Church tradition and become accepted for authoritative use.
The three together keep stability and no one leg should be more important than any other leg.
Sources:
Corpus Christi Catholic Church - Website
Family and Respect Life of The Diocese of Fall River
Feldmeth, N. P. (2008). In Pocket Dictionary of Church History: Over 300 Terms Clearly and Concisely Defined (p. 79). IVP Academic.
Protestant Authority flows somewhat differently. The one thing both types of authority have in common is Scripture. However, where the Catholic Church has a three-legged structure, protestants would say the ultimate source of authority in the church rests in Scripture. Like a marble column, Scripture alone has leading authority over the church, leaders, and the traditions we follow. "Where do you find that in Scripture?" This question stands like a gate determining what theology and dogma look like in the church. For instance, the word, Trinity, does not appear anywhere in Scripture. However, we see the building blocks and understand the roles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be defined in Scripture. We have church traditions, but they are governed by Scripture alone. We have leaders who lead, but they are to submit themselves to the Scriptures.
Gregg Allison, from Nine Marks, states Sola Scriptura this way: Scripture is the church's sole authority, ultimately determinative for doctrine, practice, faith, worship, and ministry. Scripture leads the way for us. Church tradition submits to Scripture and provides direction for us to heed. Others have faced this path; if their way lines us with the Scriptures, we would do well to learn from them.
Sources:
Two views on church authority: protestant vs. roman-catholic
Important Concepts
The Inspiration of Scripture - This idea comes from 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The word inspiration comes from the translation of the Greek word "theopneustos" or God-breathed. We believe the Scriptures to be God's own words. Second, while humans had some role in delivering God's word, God's breathing these words preserved what He wanted those words to be.
The Inerrancy vs. Infallibility of Scripture - The word inerrancy is defined as without error. The word infallible means incapable of making mistakes or being wrong. Often they are used interchangeably. However, groups will put different emphases on different ideas. Some will view inerrancy and try to use the Bible as a scientific book. Problems arise when they are hard-pressed to deal with scientists who date the Earth's age at around 4.5 million years old. Infallible is often used to describe the Spiritual nature alone. The Bible is infallible in relationship to telling us how to have eternal life. FYI: I am summarizing what I understand and am open to correction by people I trust have studied Scripture.
The Clarity and Sufficiency of Scripture - Can an individual read Scripture and understand its meaning clearly? This question gets somewhat murky reasonably quickly. Can you hear the Scriptures clearly if you cannot read Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic? Does the English translation provide enough understanding for the Bible to stand on its own? These questions need a fuller fleshing out than I can give them here.
How does this help me understand, “The Five Solas?”
On the first day of my Biblical Hermenuetics class, Dr. Dan Langston told us to open our Bibles and write the phrase, “This book is my all sufficient guide for faith and conduct.” As a group of young people (future pastors, teachers, business peoples, etc.), we were encouraged to place our faith in the Bible as our authority. I made a choice that day to utilize the Bible as the measuring stick against which my life’s actions would be judged.
