5 Solas Unpacked: Sola Scriptura
The Reformation was a turning point in the history of the church. For ages upon ages the Body had the Scriptures read to them, interpreted for them, and preached at them. The battle cry of the reformers was a rally around the Word itself, a call back to times when the people of God heard the voice of God in the Scriptures directly. "Ad Fontes", to the sources, rang from the rooftops and hillsides as the men who shaped Western Civilization for generations pushed us back to the plumbline of spiritual truth.
In this series of articles, this writer will attempt to re energize our love for those principles and call the Body back to a biblical view of truth and a perspective like the apostles before us. We will walk through the Scriptures together and see if the sources themselves can illuminate us.
First on the docket is the cornerstone of the Reformation, and arguably the most disputed of the Solas. Each of these propositions begins with the latin word Sola, meaning alone. Sola Scriptura simply means Scripture Alone. Formally defined, Sola Scriptura means "Scripture is the sole, infallible rule of faith and practice for the believer". The Word of God is our highest authority in the church, and all things are subordinate to it.
Let's begin by defining what we mean here. We do not mean that Scripture is our ONLY authority. The Bible itself tells us to obey our parents, to respect kings and governors, and for wives to submit to husbands and children to parents. There are many authorities in our lives, and they are good and righteous things. However, each of them is subject ultimately to the Word of God. No authority stands above or beside it. God creates these authorities, and His Word governs and corrects them.
So where does one begin with this concept? Is there a passage that says "the bible is the highest authority"? No, and we should not expect there to be one. The canon of Scripture did not close until after the final book was written and so it would be odd for the writers to refer to something that does not yet exist. Also many doctrines that the Church holds sacred are not named explicitly in the written word. The Trinity is not a word found in Scripture, yet we see it on nearly every page. Substitutionary Atonement is not named, yet Paul's argument in Romans 5 makes no sense without it. With some doctrines we must build them from the clear teaching of Scripture, and it is no different here.
What then does Scripture teach about this topic? We begin with the clearest passage on the subject, 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
Here Paul is referencing the Hebrew Scriptures, however Peter tells us that Paul's own writing is scripture in just the same way (2 Pet 3:16). The greek word Paul uses here "Theopneustos" literally means breathed out by God. In many translations we have "inspired" meaning essentially the same.
This text tells us a couple of things. First, this is the only time Theopneustos is used in the New Testament. No other source of revelation is described this way, and so we ought to be mindful of that. Secondly, Paul tells us that we need no other source. Scripture is able to make the man of God complete, and it equips him for every good work. What better way to lift the Word above all other authorities and recognize it's unique character when compared to all other sources. Certainly Paul did not mean that Timothy should have no other teachers in his life, or that there were no other ways to equip oneself for the work of the gospel. However none of these others can do what Scripture can do on its own. It alone is able to equip the saints by itself, and other sources ought to seek it's wisdom. One could arrive at Sola Scriptura on this passage alone, but let us persist a bit further.
How does Jesus answer His critics when he is accosted in Jerusalem? Does He not always return to the Scripture? Think of His discussion with the Sadducees on the resurrection, or His answering the Pharisees on divorce and marriage, or even Satan himself during His temptation in the wilderness. Each and every time Christ goes back to the Scripture and uses it to prove His point and silence His opponents. Even the Council in Jerusalem recorded in Acts 15 focuses on the prophecies in Joel about the coming of the Kingdom. The early Fathers of the church recognized that the Scriptures were the supreme authority, citing them consistently and being careful to discern the meanings of the text in their writings. Again, we do not say that Scripture is the only authority, but that these authorities recognize that they answer to it.
Lastly we will look at an example from Acts directly. Acts 17:1-15:
"Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed."
While there is more meat on this bone then one could reasonably chew, let's take a look at the defining characteristic of the Bereans over and against the Thessalonians. Luke (the author) commends the Bereans as "more noble" than the Thessalonians for 2 reasons. First, they didnt start a riot when Paul and company strolled into town, they instead listened to him and checked him. This is the second reason, they checked him against the Scriptures. For those who insist on private teachers, pet pastors, and popes we should ask "are you comparing them to Scripture? Do they answer to it's teaching?" Those who cannot answer in the affirmative ought to be terrified of the teachings they have let into their lives, for they may very well be worse than a riot in the end. If the apostle himself commended people for checking him against the Word of God, we should have no trouble doing the same for others.
The matter, then, ought to be settled. While there is no explicit passage telling us that Scripture alone holds the office of Ultimate Authority, our passages could mean nothing less. Paul tells us it completes us and equips us fully, our spiritual fathers consistently referred to it as their abiding authority, and those who do likewise are commended as the most noblest of people. Would we not love to have that said of us to future generations? One could hardly think of a better compliment than this.
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