The 5 Solas: Sola Scriptura

[Christ_†_Alone]

Sola Scriptura: The Scripture Alone is the Standard

The doctrine that the Bible alone is the ultimate authority was the "Formal Principle" of the Reformation. In 1521 at the historic interrogation of Luther at the Diet of Worms, he declared his conscience to be captive to the Word of God saying, "Unless I am overcome with testimonies from Scripture or with evident reasons -- for I believe neither the Pope nor the Councils, since they have often erred and contradicted one another -- I am overcome by the Scripture texts which I have adduced, and my conscience is bound by God's Word." Similarly, the Belgic Confession stated, "We believe that [the] holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein...Neither may we consider any writings of men, however holy these men may have been, of equal value with those divine Scriptures nor ought we to consider custom or the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God... Therefore, we reject with all our hearts whatsoever does not agree with this infallible rule" (VII).

As the Scripture says,
Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Thy law....I will bow down toward Thy holy temple, And give thanks to Thy name for Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth; For Thou hast magnified Thy word according to all Thy name....You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them; and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (Psalm 119:18; Psalm 138:2; II Tim. 3:14-17)

[Fledge]

SOLA SCRIPTURA
Evangelical Protestants believe that Scripture alone is the infallible rule of faith. Does the Bible make this claim for itself?

Both Christ and the apostles viewed Scripture, and Scripture alone, as the unerring word of God. That Jesus held Scripture in the highest regard is evident from statements such as these: “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35);
“Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything has been accomplished” (Matt. 5:18); “It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law” (Luke 16:17); “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my
words will never pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Jesus even asserted that greatness in heaven will be measured by obedience to Scripture (Matt. 5:19).

When he disputed with the Pharisees on their view of tradition, Jesus proclaimed, “Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition...” (Mark 7:13).

Scripture therefore determines whether tradition is acceptable. When Jesus was tested by the Sadducees concerning the resurrection, He retorted, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures” (Matt. 22:29).

When confronted with the devil’s temptations, He responded three times with the phrase, “It is written” (Matt. 4:4-10). Clearly, Jesus accepted Scripture as the supreme authority and subjected Himself to it (Luke 24:44). And, as followers of Christ, our view of Scripture cannot be inferior to His.

Scripture derives none of its authority from the church; its authority is inherent because it is the very Word of the living God: “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work” (2 Tim. 3:16).

Does the Bible teach Sola Scriptura? Yes! God speaks to us authoritatively only through the objective Word of God. It is for this very reason that I constantly exhort Christians not only to get into the Word, but to begin to receive the blessing of getting the Word into them.

[Peter]

Interesting. Is not the NT itself simply written tradition? Jesus never gave his disciples a book to study. He taught them by word of mouth. Paul, too, said, hold to the traditions that we told you and wrote to you. He told Timothy to find faithful men to teach the gospel too so that they in turn could teach others. He didnt tell him to stand out on the street corner and hand out the Bible.

If you use the NT to prove that Jesus and the Apostles held to sola scriptura, then you must eliminate the NT itself because it had not been written in their time. Paul's reference to the use of scripture in Timothy was not refering to the NT, it was refering to the OT. How do we know? Because Paul says that the things that Timothy heard as a boy could lead him to salvation.

Has anyone read Jude lately? One quote from "The Assumption of Moses" and another from "The Book of Enoch." Also, his benediction is a quote of tradition. (The Church being liturgical from the start, coming straight out of Judaism.)

All Christians hold to tradition. No exceptions. What is too often misunderstood is the definition of tradition. A tradition is simply that which is handed down. The scriptures are certainly that. They are the ultimate Tradition of the Church. The Tradition by which all other Traditions are judged. Tradition should not be confused with custom.

If you say that you do not hold to any traditions, then I'll be over to your house December 25, seeing as how it means nothing to you. Oh, and there's a date in April that's probably free too, right?We are not instructed in the NT to celebrate either the Lord's birth or His resurrection. We are told to celebrate His death, until He comes.

Two final thoughts regarding tradition. What book did Paul read that told him about the gospel message? None. It was told to him from God himself. However, he went to the apostles to get their blessing and to make sure what he was saying was in line with what they had been taught. ("And they extended to us the right hand of fellowship.")

The first NT book was not written until almost 20 years after Christ ascended. What did the Church do in the mean time? they "traditioned" the gospel. they taught as Christ himself taught. (Try naming the four gospels without tradition. Not just one, but all four. )

Just because the Western Church was, and still is, in error, let's not thrown the baby out with the bath water.