Beth-El Baptist Church

08/16/2009

Greg Tomlinson


Is the principle of Sola Scriptura Biblical?


One of Martin Luther's theological views of understanding that caused him to depart from the Roman Catholic Church is what is called “Sola Scriptura”. The Roman Catholic Church adamantly opposes the view of “Sola Scriptura” and as men of God seeking truth, we need to understand what is right and what is true.


  1. What does Sola Scriptura mean?

Literally, “Sola Scriptura” means “Scripture alone”. The Roman Catholic Church defines it as meaning that “Scripture is the sole rule of faith” and that “Scripture alone contains everything needed to know and believe all that Jesus wanted us to know and believe”.


An alternative definition is that “the Bible is the only infallible or inerrant authority for Christian faith and that it contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness”. Sola Scriptura “demands that all other authorities are subordinate to, and are to be corrected by the written word of God”.


The difference in understanding between the Roman Catholic and Protestantism is one of understanding who or what is the final arbiter of truth.




  1. What is a simplified way of understanding Sola Scriptura?

Luke 16:13-17 Mark 7:1-9

Matthew 23:1-12 John 17:17

Matthew 15:1-9 Colossians 2:20-23


As a simplified way of understanding the rule of authority, there are various forms of authority that a person may have and they are not all necessarily wrong to have such authorities. The difficulty occurs when there is disagreement amongst the authorities. It is necessary for no more than one authority to be THE authority when the mandates of the authorities conflict. Since both cannot be obeyed, it is necessarily true that one take precedence.


  1. What is a deeper understanding of the issues of tradition and human hierarchy?

2 Thessalonians 2:15 2 Timothy 2:2

1 Corinthians 11:2 1 Thessalonians 2:13

Titus 1:5 Acts 1:20-22

Matthew 23:1-3 1 Timothy 3:15

Hebrews 13:17 Matthew 18:17


There is teaching in the scriptures that do state that we are to listen to and obey the traditions of the Apostles and that men are to be placed as authority over us. The scriptures state that the “church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth” thus indicating that it is the church which is to hold up and to protect the truth of God itself. This would thus indicate that truth, even spiritual truth, would also reside someplace other than the scriptures.


2 Timothy 3:14-17 Hebrews 1:1-3

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 1 Peter 2:7-10

Acts 17:11


Keep in mind though that the only scriptures that the Jews had as this time was the Old Testament. The Old Testament provided enough to know the reality of personal sinfulness and the need for a redeemer and sacrifice, yet it was insufficient to know the identity of that redeemer and sacrifice. The greater picture of God's salvation plan was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Prior to the writing and distribution of the scriptures themselves, the teaching would have been oral and by teaching tradition. At that time there were hundreds if not thousands of people who were living and would be able to correct you on the teachings of Jesus Christ. We no longer live in that era in which men “went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us” (Acts 1:21-22). Now we do have the scriptures by which we can evaluate the truth claims of others, including the heads of the church. Also note, that there is no record of replacing any of the apostles after Judas fell. There was no replacement for James whose death is recorded in Acts 4. There is no Biblical support for ongoing Apostolic authority and the definition of those qualified to be true Apostles is given in Acts 1 of which no man alive today qualifies.


Romans 13:1-5 Acts 4:19-20


While it is biblical that the “church” be the authority over us, there is also the necessity to understand that there comes a time when the people of God MUST reject those in authority over us. For example, the secular government was created by God to be a “terror” to evil works. Just as a government which becomes a “terror” to good works by promoting abortion, same-sex unions, physician assisted suicide, and other such things must be resisted so must a “church” which ceases to function as a true “pillar and ground of the truth”.


  1. Has the Roman Catholic Church ceased to be a “pillar and ground of the truth”?

Matthew 13:54-55 – Contradicts the teaching that Mary had no other children besides Jesus

Luke 1:46-49 – Contradicts the teaching that Mary did not have personal sin

1 Timothy 4:1-3 – Contradicts the teaching concerning the marriage of Priests

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 – Contradicts the teaching of transubstantiation

1 Peter 5:1; Galatians 2:11-16; James 15:13-15 – Contradicts the teaching regarding Peter's preferred position

Romans 4:4-5 – Contradicts the teaching regarding working for salvation


There are many places where the Roman Catholic Church has ceased being the “pillar and ground of the truth”. It is as a result of the abuses of those in the Roman Catholic Church in rejecting the clear teachings of scripture that led Luther to depart from the Roman Catholic Church. Luther attempted to work to fix the Roman Catholic Church but the Roman Catholic Church refused to repent of its was. It was met by a need for Luther and others to proclaim “what they have seen and heard” (1 John 1, Acts 2).


As it can be seen, Sola Scriptura is very much a biblical concept. It is not so much that scripture provides everything that is desired but that it is definitely sufficient as a correction of the truth. It is the scriptures that are to be the final arbiter of truth and not a “church” that is run by fallen men rejecting the spirit of God.