Sola Scriptura: “Scripture alone as authority.” “Scripture alone is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, not the traditions of men or even the Church.”
Some have twisted sola Scriptura to mean that the Scripture is the only way that God speaks. However, Scripture doesn’t say that Scripture is the only way that God speaks. God, speaking through Scripture, tells us that Scripture is not the only way that God speaks. In fact, we can’t know that Scripture alone is the inspired, inerrant Word of God unless God reveals this to us, and God doesn’t specifically say this in Scripture. He says that Scripture cannot be broken. He says that Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Some have implied that this means that Scripture is they only way that a servant of God may be equipped for every good work. That would be to leave Christ out of the matter. In this way, a dedicated Atheist who studies Scripture so he can claim that God doesn’t exist is being equipped for every good work. If Scripture is all that is needed, that would be the result. It’s true that no one can read Scripture or hear it being read without interacting with the living Christ, but rejection is also an interaction. Acknowledgement of the Christ must occur, not just acknowledging that the Bible exists. The Holy Spirit revealed which books belong in the cannon of Scripture and He has revealed that Scripture alone is the inspired, inerrant Word of God, not the traditions of men or even the Church.
Sola Scriptura is one of five solas that Martin Luther received by the Holy Spirit. None of the solas stands on its own. The solas are interdependent. For instance, if we declare that Scripture alone holds the key to knowing certain things, we need to know why Scripture alone holds the key. If Scripture is the foundation, what is the foundation of Scripture. The foundation of Scripture is the Writer of Scripture, the Triune God. He is the One Who wrote Scripture. He is the only One Who can interpret Scripture. He tells us, through Scripture, that Scripture can be falsely interpreted by Satan or by the human mind. It can be twisted.
It seems that every person who has a strongly held opinion about a certain interpretation of Scripture considers his or her opinion to be the right opinion. That person will consider any other interpretation to be a form of twisting Scripture. Some twisting of Scripture is obvious. Often, you end up with two theologians each accusing the other of twisting Scripture. Both of them have added to Scripture through interpretation. Interpretation, by it’s very nature, must add to Scripture.
This is a quote from a theologian:
But the Bible 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, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, emphasis added). This means the man of God needs no outside help to mature. The Bible alone is sufficient for faith and practice. By it alone we can know what Jesus desires of us.
Adding to God’s words goes like this: God said A. This means B. B is not A. B is a modified version of A.
In this case, adding to God’s words goes this way. God 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, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, emphasis added). This means “The man of God needs no outside help to mature. The Bible alone is sufficient for faith and practice. By it alone we can know what Jesus desires of us.”
Let’s test this. Suppose that a young person is considering two different careers. One is the career as a Java programmer. The other is a career as a Dot Net programmer. Where, in the Bible, do you look for the answer? You aren’t allowed to pray to God for guidance in the issue, remember. Remember what the theologian has said. “By it (the Bible) alone we can know what Jesus desires of us.”
Some people solve this by saying that there are many things God just doesn’t care about. You can do whatever you want. When choosing a wife or husband, there’s no need to ask for guidance. Just read your Bible. Write down the criteria and pick someone who meets the criteria in the Bible. Don’t add to the Bible at all.
Well, the human mind tends to interpret Scripture. It tends to add to Scripture through interpretation. That’s a big part of why we have denominations, divisions, in the Church. My own interpretation appears to be pure Scripture to me. Your own interpretation appears to be pure Scripture to you. You can’t understand how I get my interpretation when your own interpretation is obviously correct. That’s because interpretations are filtered through worldviews. Worldviews appear to be reality. However, worldviews are not reality. They are concept. They are not accurate. Yet, they seem to be reality. Second Corinthians chapter three mentions this problem, referring to a veil through which Scripture is seen.
