Sola
Scriptura! That’s Latin for Scripture
Alone! Simply put it means that
Scripture has everything we need for what we are to believe and what we are to practice (I Corinthians 4:6, I Timothy 3:14-15). Scripture alone is the revealed mind of God
and tells us about sin and salvation, our wretchedness and God’s righteousness,
hell and heaven, death and the life to come.
While creation is a general revelation of God (Psalm 19:1, Romans 1:18-23), Scripture is the specific
revelation of God and tells us why the world is so sinful and how God redeems
us through His perfect Son, Jesus Christ (I Timothy 3:15-16, II Peter 1:19-21).
Without God revealing this to us, we’d be left to our own speculations
and imaginings. This would no doubt
lead us to many different attempts at being reconciled to Him. But God has not left us in the dark. He has spoken and what He has spoken has
been written down. These writings,
inspired by God and written at the hands of men, are what guide us in orthodoxy
and orthopraxy—right belief and a right practice that flows from these beliefs.
Sola
Scriptura does not mean that the Bible is the only book that we are to read and
that we cannot learn from the books and writings of great Christians—living or
dead. Indeed, God had given us pastors
and teachers to edify the body of Christ so that we may mature spiritually (Ephesians 4:11-14). These pastors and teachers are given to us
so that they may explain the Scriptures in a Christ-centered fashion and then
call us to believe them and then live in a way that magnifies our Savior. And many of their teachings and sermons are
written down and put into books so that their admonitions and insights can be
passed on to future generations.
Nevertheless, their teachings are to bow before Scripture—for Scripture
alone is the ultimate authority and there is no other authority that rises to
the level of God’s Word. The Lord’s
Word written down is our ultimate authority because it comes directly from God.
This
is one of the central truths that the Reformers sought to bring back to the
forefront of Christianity. The Catholic
Church did not and does not hold to the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Let me say that they do believe Scripture to
be the Word of God; it’s just not the ONLY rule for faith and practice. They also believe that tradition, certain
teachings of the pope and the verdicts of councils are to rule over the people
with the same authority as God’s written Word.
Let’s take for example the Catholic Church practice of Ex Cathedra.
Ex Cathedra is a
Latin phrase that means “from the chair.”
It is used in reference to the pope when he is teaching and his
teachings are to be considered without error--or infallible. In real life application, this means that
what the pope says in certain teachings is as good as the Word of God. It means that his teachings are binding upon
the people within the Catholic Church.
If a member of the Catholic Church were to disregard Ex Cathedra
teachings, then this member would be considered as one who abandoned the faith
and is an apostate—or a spiritual traitor.
These people would be considered accursed by the Catholic Church for not
adhering to the pope’s teachings.
In
1950 there was an Ex Cathedra doctrine that said that Mary, the mother of
Jesus, was taken bodily up into heaven at the end of her life. Of course, there is nowhere in Scripture
where this is taught. Yet if the pope
is teaching Ex Cathedra and claims this, the Catholic Church is bound to believe
this. After this doctrine was installed
as official Catholic doctrine, these words were added to it: Hence if anyone, which God forbid, should dare willfully to deny or to call
into doubt that which we have defined, let him know that he has fallen away
completely from the divine and Catholic Faith.
I
hope you hear what the Catholic Church is saying. They are saying that Ex Cathedra teachings are binding upon everyone and if you do not adhere to them, you have fallen away from the faith that is of divine origin---and therefore, the
“universal” faith. They elevate the
teachings of the pope to that of Scripture.
So as far as Catholic doctrine goes, Sola Scriptura is a heresy and a
danger to them. Sola Scriptura would
require that all their teachings be subject to God’s Word and that whatever is
not derived from God’s Word must be discarded and repented of. Reformation Theology teaches that scripture
alone is our basis for doctrine and practice.
Hopefully you see the vast difference between these opposing views.
But
the Catholic Church is not the only group to deny the doctrine of Sola
Scriptura. Many Christians would affirm
and say that this doctrine is true, but what they do actually denies this
truth. In other words, they deny this truth not in confession, but in practice. Let me give you an example
of how some Christians actually deny Sola Scriptura, practically speaking.
There
is a prominent Christian author named Henry Blackaby. I’ve read several of his books and for a time in my life I agreed
with his teachings and actually promoted them to others. I have since repented of these certain
teachings. Blackaby teaches that God
speaks through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church. Now you may say to yourself, “This man seems
to affirm that God does speak through His Word.” And that is certainly true, but so does the Catholic Church as I
mentioned earlier. The problem is not
in his affirming that God speaks through His Word. The problem is that God’s Word is not seen as the ONLY rule for
faith and practice. According to
Blackaby, God also speaks through circumstances, prayer and the church. Here’s the problem with these three ways
that God supposedly speaks to us.
Scripture
never tells us that God speaks to us in prayer. Prayer is us speaking to God and praying for His will to be
accomplished in the world and in our lives.
As Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.” Contrary to
popular belief, prayer is not a two-way communication. God speaks to us by His Word. We speak back to Him by prayer. That doesn't mean that God doesn't answer prayer. He certainly does. But He is not "speaking" to us.
Secondly,
Scripture nowhere teaches us that we are to look at circumstances to determine
what God is saying to us. This is where
the rubber meets the road for many Christians.
A lot of Christians live their lives as if circumstances are some sort
of tarot cards that they need to observe and then determine what God is
saying. The look for signs and open
doors and situations and when they see them “align” they say, “God is telling
me to do this or that.” Oh, how many
people have made poor decisions because they assumed that God speaks not by His
Word only, but also by circumstances and open doors. Rather, we should to look to God’s Word to see what God requires
us of, then ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment and then make appropriate
decisions that do not compromise the glory of God and His gospel. God gives us much liberality to made
decisions that are in accordance with His Word. To assume that God has some hidden agenda and will for your life
and that you need to figure it out by gaining a higher knowledge that is not
derived from Scripture is dangerous.
That is mystical and has close ties to the heresy of Gnosticism that the
first Christians fought against.
Thirdly,
while God does use pastors, teachers and other believers to disciple you and
train you in God’s Word, they should be simply reiterating what God has already
said. God is not speaking fresh
revelation to us through those whom He has called to preach. If He were speaking fresh revelation, then
we would need to have those words recorded down for future generations to
have. If He were speaking fresh
revelation through preachers or other church members then our Bible would
continue to grow and grow and additions would be needed.
As
you dive deeper into the teachings of Blackaby, you get caught up in looking to
all sorts of things from which to hear from God…and they are all apart from
Scripture. The only sure word that we
have for faith and practice is God’s Word and God’s Word alone. So while many Christians will give lip
service to Sola Scriptura (like I once did), they actually deny it (like I once did)
through their everyday living and practice. It's a very subtle deviation, but a dangerous deviation nonetheless.
The
biggest argument against Sola Scriptura is that it’s tough to find a verse that explicitly says, “Sola Scriptura” just like you won't find a verse that says that there is a Trinity. But we would all agree that
there is no higher authority than God Almighty. And if God has spoken, then what He says must have ultimate
authority in our lives. If God has
spoken, and if we know what He has said, then that is what we must ultimately
submit to. And since Scripture claims
to be the Word of God, then we must either submit to and yield to Scripture as
the authority of God…or else we must prove that the Bible is not the Word of
God written down.
If
God’s Word is not the ultimate authority in our lives then we are left to the
whim and feeling of every person who claims to hear from God or wants to define
truth in their own terms. Truth then
becomes subjective or based on personal experience and personal feeling, rather
than its basis in the ultimate Truth Giver.
For example, you will hear Christians say that they can no longer regard
homosexuality as a sin because of the hurt that a homosexual family member has
had to endure. Their standard for truth
is subjective, internal, based on what they feel is right. It is not based on what God has said. Their ultimate authority ends up becoming
themselves. Be mindful of those
who profess to be Christians but use experiences, traditions, circumstances, feelings
and other things to determine what they believe and how they should live. It is very possible for any of us to misinterpret our cirumstances and feelings. Sola Scriptura
ensures that what we believe and what we do is in sync with the mind of
God. As an aside, may I also say that
while church constitutions and by-laws are important, they too must yield to
the Word of God. Those documents are
man-made and when they need to be adjusted or re-written to be in accordance
with God’s Word, let it be done with glad and joyful submission.
Lastly
may I say that God’s Word is precious to us.
It is most vital for our salvation and spiritual growth. Without God’s Word we would be perishing in
our sin. Without God’s Word we would
still be under God’s wrath and judgment.
The fact that God has spoken to us and called us to salvation is
remarkable. Scripture shows us our sin and need for the
Savior. Scripture shows us who this
Savior is and what to believe about Him.
Scripture grants us spiritual life so that we can grasp the spiritual
truth about Jesus. Scripture is what
God uses to give us faith. Scripture is
what transforms us to look more like Christ.
Look at what God says about His Word.
1. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses to CONVICT us of
sin. Romans 7:7 – “What then
shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the
law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet
if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” Another synonym for God’s Word is the Law. The Law or God’s Word shows us our sin and
damnation before God. John 16:8 –
“And when he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”
2. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses to REGENERATE us
or make us born again. In other words,
the Word of God is what the Holy Spirit uses to bring about a spiritual
resurrection in our lives. The Bible
says that we are spiritually dead because of sin. Spiritually dead people cannot respond to a spiritual being or
comprehend spiritual truth—they are spiritually dead. In order for them to believe in Christ, which is a spiritual act,
they must first be brought to spiritual life. We have been
resurrected to spiritual life. God’s
Spirit uses God’s Word to accomplish this for us. 1 Peter 1:23 – “Since you have been born again, not of
perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of
God.” What grace we’ve been
shown! John 3:6-7 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of
the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.
3. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses to grant us FAITH
in Christ. How amazing is God’s
Word. Romans 10:17 – “So
faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Do you believe that Christ is the
Savior? Do you trust in Him alone to
save you from God’s wrath and from sin?
If you do, you do so because of God’s Word. The gift of faith comes to you by your hearing God’s Word. Faith is not internal or inherent in
us. It comes from without as a present
to us from God. Amazing grace!
4. Scripture is what the Holy Spirit uses in SANCTIFICATION
or in making us more like Christ.
Believers are called to salvation by God’s Word in order to have the sin
marred image of Christ restored in them.
Remember back to the garden of Eden when God created man to be
representations of God’s glory--“Let us make man in our image.” Well, sin wrecked that. And salvation is not only about God saving
us from hell, but it’s also about God restoring us to look like perfect image bearers of God.
Christ, who was God in the flesh, was the only one to ever have lived
the perfect life that Adam and we were commanded, but failed to do. We are supposed to look like the human
Jesus, the Adam before sin, but we don’t.
So part of our salvation includes having that image slowly but surely
restored---God will do it. And He does
this by His Word. That transformation
of us is called sanctification. John
17:17 – “Sanctify them in the truth;
your word is truth.” A
Christian who fails to sit at the teachings of our Savior and His apostles is a
person who is not growing to look more like Christ. If you still struggle with sin, like I do, then the answer is
more of God’s Word. He will put His
Word in your heart so that you will not sin against Him.
In
light of all that Scripture says about God’s Word, it’s hard to think that
anything else could ever do what God’s Word does for us. The exhilarating reality is that God’s Word
stands alone as ultimate authority and the only thing that can bring us
effectively to salvation. His Word
endures forever (Isaiah 40:8, 1 Peter 2:25)!
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