What is Sola Scriptura? Why is it (or should it be) important to us?
Sola Scriptura is Latin for “Scripture Alone.” This is a title that comes from the reformers of the 1500’s. Martin Luther and the reformers had a simple plea: If it’s not found in Holy Scripture then it is not divinely authoritative over my life.
We live in a time where people want to know God, but they seek Him outside of the ONLY place He has revealed Himself to us: His Word. Many Christians want to “experience” God rather than understand that He has already given us everything we need to know Him and commune with Him. Emotions are never the gauge upon which we are to know if we are in fellowship with God. His Word (even if it is a painful double-edged sword to our souls) is how we are to examine ourselves to see if we are actually in the faith and to know Him.
Sola Scriptura encompasses a plethora of truth, but here are 3 that are most important: 1) The Infallibility of God’s Word, 2) the Authority/Supremacy of God’s Word, and 3) the Sufficiency of God’s Word.
We get this Bible doctrine from numerous verses but primarily a lot is understood from 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “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 perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
The Infallibility of God’s Word: This is a simple teaching: If you believe that the Bible is full of contradictions and errors, then you must also believe that God is not capable of preserving His Word for all generations. Therefore, God’s Word as stated in 2 Tim. 3:16 is given by inspiration of Him! If He has given it, then He also preserves it forever. Therefore, it stood then and it still stands now: Error-free and immaculate.
The Authority/Supremacy of God’s Word: Once you have established and hold firm to the belief that God’s Word is infallible, then you must come to fear it. You must hold it reverent above all other authorities. There is no rule in your life greater than the Word of God. It is our rule on which we examine all other beliefs. If “thou shall…” then you shall. If “thou shall not…” then you shall not. We are to obey the Old and New Testament commands, and grow in our knowledge of it to make sure we apply all of our hearts and minds to obey God, the Creator of the world. This also nullifies a “prophet” who says that they are hearing from God in this day and age. If God is STILL speaking to people apart from what is already written, then the Bible is not complete and we need to start adding more books after Revelation. This is very, very dangerous. Be wary of anyone who says, “God told me…” If God has revealed understanding of the Bible-- that is one thing, but if they feel God is leading them through other means (not the Bible) I would suggest that they are not hearing from God at all. If we do not turn specifically and primarily to the Old and New Testament to understand what God says, then we make God himself subjective and not objective. God is ABSOLUTE TRUTH! One characteristic of absolute truth is that there is always a standard or law that you can always go back and refer to. In math, you return to laws of addition and subtraction to understand basic concepts of numbers, so do you go to the Scriptures to understand the revelation that God has given us to know Him. For example, if someone says that lying is ok as long as it’s for a good purpose, then we know that this is not true. We can analyze that statement with the Bible which says lying is always a sin. The Bible is our governing authority, not just as Christians, but even if we are non-believers.
After we understand the ultimate authority that the Bible has over our lives, then we must believe the SUPREMACY of God’s Word. When God speaks, He speaks by His own authority. Therefore, whatever He speaks is supreme over all other speech! Philosophy, science, human opinion or wisdom, emotions, or anything else cannot usurp God’s Word. God’s Word cannot be supplemented or made equal to anything else. No one can come behind God and correct His Word. God does not need man to clarify or make better His Word. Because He is the creator of all things, He has supreme speech on everything that does and should happen. His judgments are coming. His Word tells us that He is patient, but one day whether we are physically alive or dead, He will judge us for everything we’ve ever done. His Word is SUPREME!
The Sufficiency of God’s Word: And finally we come to the sufficiency of God’s Word. This is probably the most crucial part of the Bible that we MUST BELIEVE in order to keep from becoming a heretical Christian! What does the sufficiency of God’s Word mean? It means that God’s Word is perfectly able to instruct us in EVERY AREA OF OUR LIVES! If we ever come to a place where we feel that the Bible lacks full guidance, then we call God a liar because 2 Tim. 3:17 says, “…That the man of God may be perfect; thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” True, the Bible may be hard to understand what God has to say about many of our current events, but when we look at the Bible as a whole, it will form our Christian worldview, then based on our worldview, then we will understand God’s will in those situations. For example, when we face people who believe abortion is a woman’s choice… then we must look to the scriptures and see that God considers abortion to be murder. The Bible never says that aborting a fetus is murder, but it states that from the womb God knows us (Ps. 139:13). Abortionists (the pregnant women included) believe that the fetus is not a person. Therefore, we must remind them of what God says a “fetus” really is: A person. The Bible is sufficient for all of life. It is not an ancient book that has no relevancy on our lives. If we ever come to a place where we feel that the Bible is lacking in guidance, we must fall on our knees and ask God to forgive us of unbelief. We must wait patiently as He guides our study of His Word and ultimately to our understanding of it.
This is just a quick overview of the doctrine of Holy Scripture. I hope that your view of the Bible is held so highly, that to not engage in studying it will convict you. To not desire God’s Word is to not desire God Himself. To not hold highly His Word is to not hold Him highly either.
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