Is the Docrine of Sola Scriptura
Biblical?
Affirmative Opening Statement
By Moses Flores
Well
let me begin by first giving my understanding of the Roman Catholic doctrine of
Sacred Tradition in relation to Sacred Scripture. As I understand from several doctrinal
sources, even some defined as Dogmatic and Infallible (Including the Council of
Hence, it
is argued that since Scripture is only part
of the Word of God handed down to the Church, it cannot be the case that
Scripture alone possesses any sufficiency –whether materially or formally – to
be able to convey the full truth of the Christian faith. Rather, Sacred Tradition must be used to
properly interpret the true meaning of Sacred Scripture. This tradition is solely in the possession of
the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church, especially with the Vicar of
Christ on Earth, the Pope, but also with the Bishops. The key (no pun intended), therefore, to
understanding what the Scriptures say is to be found within the body of
Tradition that the Magisterium possesses.
The See of Rome alone possesses the infallible authority to infallibly
interpret Sacred Scripture. This became
especially clear in the pronouncements of
The question we must ask of all this is if this teaching of the Roman Catholic Church is true. There are many issues that arise when discussing this doctrine including the proper interpretation of Scripture and even the canon; these will be dealt with in following dialogues. It is my contention that the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura is a Biblical doctrine and is in direct contradiction to the assertions of the Roman Catholic Church. I will first begin by defining what the doctrine of Sola Scriptura is not and then affirm what the doctrine is. Secondly, I will attempt to prove the doctrine from Scripture to show that the concept of Sola Scriptura is indeed scriptural and not some “novelty” doctrine. Finally, I will show through the early Church fathers, that though the doctrine was not defined by them explicitly, there was enough of the material of the doctrine implicit in their writings which gave the Reformers some basis for believing in the doctrine.
Let me begin, then, by saying what the doctrine is not since many Roman Catholics find themselves arguing against a straw man in regards to Sola Scriptura. I only want to state these briefly as they have been expounded by myself elsewhere [1] . These are the things that are not meant by Sola Scriptura:
1) Sola Scriptura does not mean that the Bible is an exhaustive compendium of all knowledge
2) Sola Scriptura does not mean that the Bible is an exhaustive compendium of all religious knowledge
3) Sola Scriptura does not preclude the Church from teaching nor from formulating Creeds or Confessions
4) Sola Scriptura is not a denial that the revelation of God was ever in oral form
5) Sola Scriptura does not entail the rejection of all traditions
6) Sola Scriptura is not a restriction or a denial of the Holy Spirit in the process of guiding and illuminating the Church
With these clarifications down, I will now proceed to define the doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Briefly defined, the doctrine of Sola Scriptura teaches that the sole infallible rule of faith for doctrine and life unto eternal salvation is sufficiently contained within the God-breathed Scriptures. That is, Scripture contains all the necessary knowledge (material sufficiency) and, thus, functions as the supreme authority for all matters pertaining to faith and life. It is the “norm without norm” for it is the standard not conforming to any other.
Implicit within the doctrine and expounded more in Protestant confessions such as the Westminster Confession of Faith (1648, WCF from here) is the formal sufficiency of the Scriptures. That is that since Scripture is the ultimate authority, even the very authority of God, it follows that it is not subject to anything outside of itself. Thus, it contains its own “form” for correct understanding. This will be developed later. For now, it is important to understand that within the definition of Sola Scriptura, there is concern for what it contains (the material) and the “instructions” or the “form” of the material. I will focus, first, on the material sufficiency.
Among the clearest passages in the Bible that teaches the material sufficiency of the Scriptures to contain all that is necessary for salvation and life is II Timothy 3:16-17. Before jumping into the text, however, it is important that we understand the context surrounding the passage in order to really grasp the significance. It is important that we understand that the text was not written in a vacuum, but with intention in mind and even particular situations that Paul prophesied were to arise in the Church. II Timothy 3:1-9 details the coming false teachers in the Church (v1.) and what activities and lifestyles will define their work. Then in verses 8 and 9 Paul describes their inevitable end even as those who opposed Moses, God’s holy prophet.
Then Paul tells Timothy, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine…” (v10-11) followed by a harsh truth that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (v12). This is followed by a reiteration of the warning of the coming false teachers and the growing intensity that they will have within the Church (v13). Then Paul tells Timothy of that which will preserve his faith. He says,
“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” (v14-15)
The
conjunction, “but,” shows that Timothy is not to follow in the path of
deception that the false teachers follow.
Rather, he is to continue in those things that he has learned from Paul
and even from his mother and grandmother (cf. II Tim. 1:5) who have taught him
the law, even the Scriptures, at a young age.
Those things that were learned were the Gospel. They were not secrets withheld. Recall that Timothy is a young pastor for the
Church in
But the real reason why Timothy must continue in the Faith is because He has become convinced through Holy Scripture that it is true. It is true that Timothy learned faith early from his grandmother and mother. But their words were nothing to Timothy if they were not grounded in Scripture. That is, there is no conflict between two modes of teaching going on here – one oral and one written. Rather, those things which were taught to him by his mother and grandmother, even by Paul himself, were based on the authority of the Word of God. Thus, the conjunction “and” is not only meant to unite the two sources of Timothy’s knowledge of the Gospel, but to give foundation to the former. Thus, Paul can say of the Scripture here - which is not mentioned of his teaching alone or that of Timothy’s mother or grandmother – that these alone are “able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” The Greek word translated as “able” here is dunamena which is means “power” or “ability.” The force of the word “able” here is that Scripture possesses the inherent enabling power, as it were, to “make one wise for salvation.”
Without even getting into verses 16 or 17 yet, we can see already that the assertion from the doctrine of Sola Scriptura that the Scriptures alone contain all that is necessary to know for one to be saved is true from this text. Also, we can see that any other “traditions” or “words of men” taught in the faith must be submitted to and in accordance with Scripture. Paul’s words and the teachings of Timothy’s mother and grandmother were no different than those already recorded in Scripture. The only thing that gave their words validity was that they were in accordance with Scripture, the very word of God. What is interesting at this point in the text, is that Paul probably only has the Old Testament in mind as the New Testament canon had not yet been completed. Thus, one could say that the Old Testament, rightly understood, is sufficient to reveal that salvation is only through faith in the completed work of the suffering servant of God, the anointed Christ.
Verse 16, however, shifts from only the Old Testament Scriptures to “all Scripture”. The text says,
“All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete
and thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Getting technical for a moment, most translations use the word “inspiration.” When we think of inspiration, we think of having a motivation or emotional willingness to do something. Thus, we tend to call the writers of Scripture “inspired” and even great works of literature as “inspirational”. But is this the correct view of the text of Scripture? In order to answer this question, we must delve into the languages of Scripture for a moment.
The word “inspiration” comes from the Latin word “inspirare” used in the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible which means “to breathe into”. This Latin word, however, is insufficient to convey the meaning of the original Greek word used here, which is Theopneustos. Theopneustos is more properly translated by the NIV as “God-breathed”. The differences between the words are significant. For instance, the Latin word “inspirare” is a verb which would function as saying what has been done to Scripture. The word Theopneustos, however, is a noun and serves as a predicate thus speaking of what Scripture is. The Latin actually gives the sense that the words of Scripture could have been written and not have been “breathed into”, giving the sense that they become “inspired” after an act of inspiration. The Greek word, however, gives the idea that the words of Scripture are the very breath proceeding forth from the mouth of God as He speaks in the very writings of Scripture. Theopneustos speaks of the very substance, or nature, of Scripture whereas the Latin conveys how the text has been acted upon. A huge significance, indeed, for our understanding!
It is important that we see that Paul most certainly shifted to “all Scripture” and not merely “some Scripture” such as the Old Testament only. Rather, there is clearly a categorical statement about the true nature of Scripture. This becomes important when considering the nature of the canon of Scripture. Since only Scripture is God-breathed, it is logical to say that only those writings that are God-breathed are Scripture and those that are not God-breathed are not Scripture, thus not part of the canon.
The implication from the nature of Scripture is that it alone is “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” Now, at this point some will argue, “But the Scriptures do not use the word ‘sufficient’ but rather the word ‘profitable’”. Granted that the word “sufficient” is not in the text, the concept certainly is, however. For whatever else one wishes to offer as “profitable” for doctrine, etc… must necessarily be “God-breathed” as well. This is not admitted for any other by Scripture. Not even the apostles themselves, as vehicles of revelation at one time, referred to themselves as “God-breathed.” This word is only attributed to Scripture alone. That which is not the God-breathed Word of God is not profitable to tell us what to believe or how to live.
Paul also states what the purpose of Scripture is for the Christian. The particle “that” which begins verse 17 is referred to as a particle of design, or purpose. That is to say that the purpose, according to Scripture, for Scripture is, first, to “complete” the Christian and, second, to “thoroughly equip” the Christian for every good work. The Greek word for “complete” means “entirely suited; complete in accomplishment, ready,” and even “fully qualified”. Likewise, the Greek word for “thoroughly equip”, a verb, means “to equip or furnish completely.” Now, lets understand what the text is saying. If the God-breathed Scriptures are able to “make one wise for salvation” (v15), “complete” the Christian and “thoroughly equip” the Christian for every good work(v17) – which we can take to include doctrine, reproof, correction and training in righteousness – then does it not follow that the Scripture alone, as the sole God-breathed authority in the Church, are sufficient to live out the Christian faith both doctrinally and morally? After all, we must ask if the text really means what it says it means here: Do the Scriptures really make one wise for salvation? Do the Scriptures really complete the man of God? Do the Scriptures really thoroughly equip for every good work? If the Bible is taken as true, then one can only answer affirmatively to those questions. If that is the case, then the Scriptures lack nothing to render them “not enough” or “insufficient” concerning the Gospel or anything that God would have us believe or know how to live as Christians. God has spoken, the matter is settled!
In summation, it is clear that the Bible itself teaches that it alone – apart from any other supplemental revelation or source from men – is sufficient to teach one how to be saved as well as to not only save, but to complete and thoroughly equip for every good work the one whom it saves. This is a consistent view of Scripture as Paul has even told the Corinthians that they needed to “learn not to think beyond what is written” (I Cor. 4:6). Previously, he even told Timothy, in his first letter, to “give attention to reading…” until he could visit him. Reading from what? From none other than the Scriptures, of course. The same structure of impending death, warnings against false teachers and the charge to follow the Scriptures alone is also seen in II Peter 1:12-21. The doctrine of Sola Scriptura is taught in Scripture and must be upheld for we too are charged, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom to preach the Word alone. Only to proclaim it. Only to trust it as the sole infallible authority for life and doctrine. Amen.
[1] www.geocities.com/prchdaword/RomanCatholicPage.html This work called “the Protestant position on the Bible” has yet to be posted but will be up very soon hopefully.