Sola Scriptura: Part 1
Tom Sugimura
On October 31, 1517, a monk, named Martin Luther, pounded with a mallet his message onto the door of the Wittenberg church: 95 theses challenging the Roman Catholic doctrine of salvation by works. Over 500 years later, we still cling to the tenets of that Reformation, which we call the five Solas. Picture the Protestant worldview as a magnificent atrium. The base of this atrium is the rock-solid foundation of Sola Scriptura: Scripture alone is our highest authority. Then, upon this foundation, arise three pillars: Salvation is by grace alone (Sola Gratia), through faith alone (Sola Fide), in Christ alone (Solus Christus). Atop these pillars rests the heavenly expanse of Soli Deo Gloria: All creation exists for the glory of God alone.
We rarely talk about foundations, of course. When you invite guests into your home, you don’t let them see the foundation of your home. You might show them your kitchen, your dining room, or pictures of your family. The foundation is meant to stand unseen, but if it’s off, your entire house will be in trouble. Likewise, if we do not affirm Sola Scriptura, then the entire church faces disaster [1]. Therefore, let us define Sola Scriptura, illustrate it in the Reformation, and apply it to the church today.
Sola Scriptura Defined
Matthew Barrett provides a poignant definition of Sola Scriptura: “Only Scripture, because it is God’s inspired Word, is our inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church” [2].
Scripture is Inspired
Scripture reveals itself to be God-inspired, meaning God is the Author of Scripture even though he sovereignly ordained human authors to write the actual words. According to 2 Peter 1:21, “No prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (ESV). Picture a mighty, rushing wind filling the sails of a boat and propelling it across the ocean. So also, these human authors, writing in their own language and style, were carried along by God’s mighty Spirit. “All Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Tim 3:16a) and therefore without error, for “it is impossible for God to lie” (Heb 6:18b). “Every word of God proves true” (Prov 30:5a), for he is infinitely perfect. As Luther explained, “We know that God does not lie. My neighbor and I—in short, all men—may err and deceive, but God’s Word cannot err” [3].
Scripture is Sufficient
God’s Word is first inerrant because it is inspired. Second, God’s Word is sufficient, which means it is enough. “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 competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16–17). Scripture teaches us truths to live by and reproves us when we stray. It corrects us onto the right path and trains us to walk in righteousness. Scripture is sufficient to transform God’s children into his glorious image-bearers. Scripture is enough; it is sufficient; it is competent to make you more and more like Jesus Christ.
Sufficient for trials: So, when you hide from either shame or suffering, where do you find help? Do you turn to the manifold promises of God? Is God’s precious Word so hidden in your heart that it sets you free in moments of despair? When you are pricked by trials, does the Bible bleed into your everyday conversations? Can you praise the Lord with the psalmist, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps 119:105)? Can you testify with Jesus, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4)? Can you declare with Paul, “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom 15:4)? Where you turn in the midst of trouble is the place where your hope resides.
Sufficient for ministry: As Christians, we are also committed to Scripture alone as the foundation of our ministry, for God’s Word empowers us to care for every person in every situation. We claim God’s promise that “his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet 1:3). Every essential truth—every principle to care for souls resides within the Word of God. We call this the sufficiency of Scripture. This does not mean, of course, that the Bible comments encyclopedically about everything. The Bible is not exhaustive, but it is surely comprehensive. As Luther declared, “This Word is the Word of life, of truth, of light, of preaching, of righteousness, of salvation, of joy, of liberty, of wisdom, of power, of grace, of glory, and of every blessing beyond our power to estimate” [4]. It is sufficient unto the end for which it was designed.
Scripture is Authoritative
Finally, God’s Word is authoritative. For if Scripture is inspired by a God who does not lie, then Scripture itself must be without error. If God’s inerrant Word is sufficient for “all things that pertain to life and godliness,” then Scripture must be our final authority. It is not our sole authority, but it is our final authority, and all other authorities must only be followed in so far as they align with Scripture. Sola Scriptura does not mean the Bible is the only book we read; rather, it is the ultimate authority over every book. Submission to God means submission to his Word until our very obedience becomes an act of worship, for when Scripture speaks, God speaks. We demonstrate our faith in God by obeying his Word and by teaching others to obey as well (Matt 28:20a).
The Roman Catholic Church in Luther’s day also affirmed the authority of Scripture, but they often gave the same level of authority to popes and councils. Instead of Scripture alone, they claimed that Scripture and Tradition were equal in authority [5]. Consider, then, the radical claim of Sola Scriptura as illustrated in the Reformation.
Sola Scriptura Illustrated
In 1517, Martin Luther protested the Church’s practice of selling indulgences. Back then, you could pay a certain sum of money, and the pope would promise to forgive your sins. You could also purchase indulgences for deceased loved ones—certificates authenticated by the pope himself—to quicken their journey from purgatory to heaven. The traveling salesman, Johannes Tetzel, even went from town to town with a catchy little jingle: “As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”
Luther challenged the Church’s authority to forgive sins, let alone to charge money for it. The Church only possesses authority so much as it submits to Scripture. As one might expect, Luther soon became a thorn in the side of Rome. In 1519, two years after his ideas spread like wildfire across the German countryside, Luther debated a scholar named Johannes Eck, who questioned Luther, “Will you reject the doctrine of purgatory?” Luther did reject it, for purgatory was nowhere taught in Scripture, but instead derived from the extra-biblical Apocrypha. Eck put forth the widely-held claim that “the Scriptures are not authentic, except by the authority of the church” [6]. In other words, “You need the Church to tell you what the Scriptures say. Purgatory is true because the pope says it’s true.”
Luther argued back that Scripture has authority over popes, church fathers, and even church councils, all of whom have erred in the past. Consequently, Scripture is not only our infallible authority, but it also equips us to weigh those other supposed authorities. Indeed, a schoolboy with Scripture in his hand is better fortified than the pope! As he contended for the truth, Luther realized that the authority of the Catholic Church and the authority of the Scriptures were in direct confrontation.
Eventually, in 1521, The Church called Luther to stand trial at the Diet of Worms. All his writings were laid on a table before him, and the prosecutor asked, “Are you prepared to recant what you have written in these books?” To this, Luther humbly replied: “Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand, may God help me. Amen” [7]. Luther reasoned that if he must choose between divergent opinions, then his final authority must be Scripture alone. This claim was not original to Luther, for our Lord Jesus first used the metaphor to conclude his Sermon on the Mount: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock” (Matt 7:24–25).
The only rock-solid foundation for believers today must be the Word of God. Our final authority must be the teachings of Jesus, or else, when we face the hurricanes of life, our house will crumble. Scripture alone is our final authority—our all-sufficient, inspired, and inerrant Word from God. To build our faith on any other word is to foolishly build a house on sand. So also, the church must stand upon God’s Word and think biblically about all things pertaining to life and godliness. “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12).
Tom Sugimura - New Life Church - Woodland Hills, California
[1] Sadly, less than half of Protestants today affirm Sola Scriptura http://www.pewforum.org/2017/08/31/after-500-years-reformation-era-divisions-have-lost-much-of-their-potency.
[2] Matthew Barrett, God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 23.
[3] Martin Luther, Large Catechism (1529).
[4] Martin Luther, “A Treatise on Christian Liberty,” in Three Treatises (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1947), 23.
[5] R. C. Sproul argues that “at the center of the whole dispute [the Reformation] was the question of authority, specifically the question of the authority of Scripture” (R. C. Sproul, Are We Together? A Protestant Analyzes Roman Catholicism [Orlando: Reformation Trust, 2012], 11–12).
[6] John Eck, Enchiridion of Commonplaces, trans. by Ford Lewis Battles (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1979), 13.
[7] Martin Luther, Luther’s Works, vol. 32, ed. George W. Forell (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1958), 113.