According to Scripture Alone

2 Timothy 3:16-17

What is meant by Sola Scriptura?

The Reformation Context

Roman Catholic Church - Who has final authority, God’s Word or the Church?

Scripture receives authority from the church.

Council of Trent (1545-1563) responding to Reformation: “We have both the written books and the unwritten traditions.” These unwritten traditions were received by the apostles and kept by the Church in “unbroken succession.”

The church sees tradition as divine revelation, essential to the full counsel of God, and infallible. The scriptures are joined with traditions to give saving knowledge of God.

What does this mean? Scripture alone is insufficient to reveal the truth of who God is and what we need for salvation. Scripture must share that role with tradition.

Reformation - Scripture alone has authority of God.

The church receives her authority from the word of God.

The authority of the holy scripture, for which it ought to be believed and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God, (who is truth itself,) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the word of God (WCF 1)

Reformers such as Tyndale, Luther, and Calvin held that only the Bible can serve as the ultimate authority for the church, for Scripture alone is the inspired word of God.

Churches, confessions, and counsels are servants of the word, they do not create the word. The key reformation thought: Human counsels and traditions may and do err, but the word of God does not.

Sola Scriptura does not deny tradition

The Reformers did not dismiss church tradition entirely, but they insisted that it be subordinate to the teachings of Scripture.

Tradition itself was never viewed as a negative thing, except when it supplanted the authority of the Word of God.

We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, coming to the scriptures as if they had never been opened before. We stand in tradition, but not on it.

Nuda (naked/bare) Scriptura - “No creed but the bible.” disapproving of historic creeds and confessions, the best reading of Scripture is one that is divorced from all tradition.

We cherish to the historic confessions, the great writings of faithful Christians, to the extent that they are faithful and subordinate to the Word of God. There are other important authorities for the Christian, but Scripture is our final authority.

Why Sola Scriptura? It is taught in God’s Word - esp. 2 Tim 3:16-17.

All Scripture is God-Breathed.

Theopneustos - inspired, exhaled - God breathed the Scriptures into existence by His Spirit.

Not teaching how inspiration works, but that all scripture is the word of God, originating in God’s mind, communicated from God’s mouth. Does not override the personality of the writers, but communicates the word of God through them.

2 Peter 1:21 - “not from the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

The consequences of Inspiration:

Authority: Scripture alone is the standard by which everything else is judged. All disputes, questions, regarding faith and life are to be sought out in the author’s book.

2 Cor 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Inerrancy: “The law of the Lord is perfect” (Ps. 19:7), “Every word of God is pure” (Prov 30:5).

As God is without error, so His word is without error. We who are in error cannot judge God’s word.

Infallibility: unable to fail in its purpose.

God is truthful and perfectly reliable (John 14:6; 17:3), and so is His Word (John 17:17).

Perspicuity: clearly telling the coherent message of salvation

All Scripture tells the overarching story of God’s creation and redemption of fallen humanity through the promise and coming of Jesus Christ.

The story is God’s story. It describes His work to rescue rebels from their folly, guilt, and ruin. In other words, the Bible is about Jesus and what He has accomplished.

“The Scriptures … testify of Me” (John 5:39).

2 Tim 3:15 are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Sufficient: Scripture is the only revelation that shows us what we must know to be saved.

It doesn’t teach us everything, but it teaches everything we need to know in our walk with the Lord.

All Scripture is Profitable

Profitable for Righteousness

For Faith - What we believe about God. Scripture teaches truth and refutes error. We are not left to grope blindly for answers, but the Word shines as a light from God.

For Life - What God has required of man, and how we go about living for God’s glory. God’s word corrects us when we stray from the path of glory, and disciples us, trains us, to persevere in grace.

WSC - Scripture is the only rule of faith and life.

Scripture is able to make you complete, equipped for every good work.

Not perfect, but giving you what you need to go and make disciples and to proclaim the gospel to the nations.

How to live Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura is as essential today.

Keeps us from Traditionalism:  “Church tradition is our guide”

Protestants need to hear this too: As important as confessions are we must be careful they don’t take the place of God’s word.

Keeps us from Individualism/Biblicism: “My Own Private Bible Interpretation is My Guide

Solo Scriptura - scripture is the only rule of faith to the exclusion of all other sources

Keeps us from Existentialism: “Who Needs the Bible?  Religious Experience is My Guide”

Too many live by Sola Cultura - letting the world around us shape what we believe and what we do. This is a very real problem for today. For many, the Scriptures play no meaningful role in shaping their faith or life. People are relying on what they “feel” rather than what the Word clearly states.

Know the Word (Discipleship)

Cherish the word of God -

Psalm 119:97 Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Love the means that God has given for you to know him and to grow in his grace

Daily attend to the word of God -

Josh 1:8 you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.

You will never find the time to read God’s word, you must make the time

Hide God’s word in your heart - Memorize, store it up

Psalm 119:9: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word”. 

Spurgeon - He who has been taught in Scripture, saturated with Scripture, is conscious of its influence and it gives him conviction. Bible truth influences his thoughts, words, and deeds. He begins to eat, drink, and sleep Holy Scripture. The man’s heart is fixed on God, fixed in the truth, fixed in holy living. He will stand fast, however evil the days.

Be Surrounded by the Word (Fellowship)

Be in a church that sings, prays, and preaches the word. I heard this week of two churches, one that preached on the life of Jake Paul, another that preached a sermon on the lyrics of a contemporary christian song.

“Do not go where it is all fine music, grand talk and beautiful architecture: Go where the gospel is preached. And go often.” Charles Spurgeon

Be a home that reads the word of God together

Parents: Read the Bible to and with your children. Pray for and with them. Bring them to worship with God’s people, where they will hear Christ preached consistently. Be patient with them, even when they seem disinterested or express their doubts about the word of God. Continue to love them as they grow, patiently helping them to know what we believe and why we believe it.

Find friends who will speak the word of God to you

Proclaim the Word (Mission)

Col 4:6 - Season your speech with salt - Look for ways to share the word of God with others (Social Media, Cards, Letters, Texts

We desire to build up a church with those who know what they do know and can give a reason for what they believe. The true believer’s great reason for his faith is, “It is written.”