Critical Analysis of the Foundational and Fundamental Basis

Critical Analysis of the Foundational and Fundamental Basis of the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura

The Doctrine of Sola Scriptura is one of the five solae; Anglicized as the five solas. These solas include Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola gratia, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria. Translated to English, Sola Scriptura means “by Scripture alone”, Sola Fide stands for “by faith alone”, sola gratia means “by grace alone”. In contrast, Solus Christus translates to “by Christ or through Christ alone”, and Soli Deo Gloria says “Glory to God alone” (Cole, 52) However, the focus of this study is on the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura. Proponents of the Doctrine insist that the Scripture (Bible) is the only infallible source of authority that guides the Christians’ faith and moral practices. In that regard, no other person has valid original infallibility outside the Holy Bible. This paper focuses on the hypothesized notion of the Bible, the Doctrine of sola scriptura, which is the only source of authority and guidelines for the Church and adding the “Apostolic Traditions” within the scriptures.

Research Questions

What is Sola Scriptura, and why is it essential to Christianity?

Does the Bible teach that the “Bible alone” is the Holy Word of God and that the Scripture alone is the infallible authority on matters of faith?

Is the Scripture sufficient as the primary authority on matters of faith, teaching on Christian conducts and practice?

Are Apostolic Traditions contained in the Bible? Does the Church have the authority to introduce new traditions?

Part Two: Biblical Research-Verses to be referenced in the paper

Whereas some denominations like the Roman Catholic Church hold that the Holy Bible does not necessarily provide for strict application of Sola Scriptura, is universally acknowledged that traditions of men could not challenge the Bible. The inspired word forbids any person from adding or removing anything from the holy word. Therefore, if not directly or explicitly, then by

implication, the Scriptures allude to the fact that the Bible alone is infallible hence the primary source of faith. That is primarily because the Bible is said to be the breath of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). In that regard, the let us consider bible verses that form the basis of the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura.

2 Timothy 3:15-17

From infancy, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which can make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

1 Thessalonian 2:13

Acts 17:11 Now, these Jews were nobler than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

1 Corinthians 4:6- I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favour of one against another.

Mark 7:6-9> 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,“ ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;

7 In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!”

2 Timothy 4:2

John 20:30-31

Isaiah 28:9, 10, 13

Ephesian 4:11-12

Matthew 4:4,7, 10

Matthew 5:22, 28, 31; 28:18 and 1 Cor. 5:3; 7:12

Matthew 15:3, 6

Deuteronomy 4:2, Proverbs 30:5-6, and Revelation 22:18-19

Throughout Sola scriptura is emphasized. The scriptures provide both admonitions against disobeying the commands of God as provided in the word and also provides counsel on how the faithful are to live a good and righteous life before the Lord God. Just to stress on the supremacy of the Bible, the Books of Deuteronomy, Proverbs and Revelation stated above, a warning in provided against adding anything upon the written word of the Scripture because as state in 2 Tim. 3:16-17, the Scripture was given by the inspiration of God through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Additionally, the word is sure; hence addition on it will prove us to be liars. Similarly, John the revelator warns against removing anything from it lest the ultimate punishment of eternal death should pass upon whoever does that.

Christ Himself establishes the preeminence of sola scriptura over the doctrines and traditions of men. He criticized the Jewish leaders for emphasizing traditions and rituals over the written word of God. By stressing on rabbinical traditions, the Pharisees and scribes had forgotten to teach the primacy of the scriptures. A similar position is found in the book of Matthew Chapter 15, where Christ condemns the Pharisees for failing to recognize the Holy Scriptures’ final authority over tradition. He asks the theme of why they were breaking the commandments of God in favour of the traditions of men. Such worships are in vain. The commandments of God are supposed to hold a higher place. During His temptations, Jesus relied on the written word of God to counter the tempters’ advances. Every time Christ told the tempter that what was written in the law and the prophets. He quoted the book of Psalms and Exodus. All these instances indicate that the Scripture is the original infallible authority upon which theological arguments should be base.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah alludes to the sufficiency of the Scriptures when it comes to bible interpretation. In Isaiah 28:9-10, 13, the prophets agree with Paul in that Scripture is self-sufficient when in matters of interpretation. He stated that if the precepts are read one upon another and line upon another, then we gain an understanding of them. In that case, we cannot say that the scriptures contradict each other. Such scriptural study provides clarity hence establishing the basis of Holy Doctrines.

Theological Research

Ackroyd, Peter R., et al., eds. The Cambridge History of the Bible: Volume 3, The West from the Reformation to the Present Day. Vol. 3. Cambridge University Press, 1963.

In this book, Ackroyd Peter and colleagues propound how the reformers replaced the pope as the source of religious authority and established the Scripture as the infallible authority. Quoting from people like Martin Luther and Calvinists, he argues that the reformation was able to verify that the word of God was not subject to any other person. The Scripture is the primary sources of faith as well as religious practices. Church traditions cannot replace the authority of the Bible.

Downing, W.R. “Sola scriptura the great Baptist distinctive”. Sovereign Grace Baptist Church of Silicon Valley.

In this article, Dr. Downing discusses the questions revolving around the essence of the sola scriptura to the Baptist Doctrine with regards to the authority of the scriptures and sufficiency of the Scripture. Furthermore, he talks about the question of tradition and preeminence of the Scripture. The author clearly states that the Baptists’ position is that the Scripture is infallible in the matter of faith because it not given by men but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Cole, Graham. “Sola Scriptura and Contemporary Perspectives Moore Theological College, New South Wales.

This article discusses the application of Sola Scriptura to modern society. It discusses the development of this Doctrine and its influence in modern society. It identifies the change in perspectives by modern societies, especially in light of views of people like Karl Marx and Feud.

These articles aimed to provide an overview of the development of the Doctrine of Sola scriptura and determine its current states. He identifies some of the challenges facing the application of this Doctrine and its shortcomings. Notably, he states that translations result in alteration of the original meaning slightly if not entirely. Therefore, the word may lack authenticity.

Introduction

Sola Scriptura is an element of solae. The Anglicized five Solas include Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus and Soli Deo Gloria. This paper describes the meaning as translated into English. For instance, Sola Scriptura means “by Scripture alone”, Sola Fide stands for “by faith alone”, sola gratia means “by grace alone”. At the same time, Solus Christus translates to “by Christ or through Christ alone” and Soli Deo Gloria means “Glory to God alone” (Cole, 38). This study identifies Sola Scriptura. The Doctrine confines the Scripture (Bible) as the authoritative source of guidelines to Christians, the moral and faith. In this context, nobody has normal infallibility outside the Bible. Thesis: In this study, it is hypothesized that the Bible teaches the Doctrine of sola scriptura hence the only source of original infallible authority and the Church has no power to add new traditions outside “Apostolic Traditions” recorded in the Scriptures.

Definition and Importance of Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura is one of the main underlying principle initiated by the Protestants during the reformation. It is main adherents and supports were the Calvinists and the Lutherans. Initially, the roman catholic Church places its traditions to have superiority over the Word of God (Caemmerer et al., 742). Examples of these traditions include immaculate conception, infant baptism, prayer to saints and Mary, indulgences and papal authority. Luther rebuked these practices and established scriptural preeminence of tradition. He stated that it was only by the testimony of the Scripture and its word that his conscience was bound. “Sola Scriptura implies the divine authority, efficacy, perfection o sufficiency, and perspicuity of Holy Scripture, but above all Christ as the centre of it all” (Caemmerer et al., 742). On the other hand, the main Catholic argument was that the Scripture does not explicitly teach sola scriptura. However, this is not true because according to the Mark 7:6-9 Jesus clearly states that the doctrines taught by the Pharisees were in vain because they were teaching the Doctrine of men instead of the commandments of God. In 1 cor. 4:6 Paul also informed of the superiority of Scripture over traditions by admonishing that Christ’s followers were not to go beyond what is written. Therefore, it can be inferred from this that Sola scriptura refers to the fact that the written word of God.

Bible Teachings on Sola Scriptura

A read through the Bible provides sufficient evidence of sola scriptura. The Lead verses on this are Isaiah 28: 9-10, 13; and 2 Tim. 3:15-17. Isaiah 28:9-10, 13 the prophets agree with Paul in that Scripture is self-sufficient when in matters of interpretation. He stated that if the precepts are read one upon another and line upon another, then we gain understanding of them. In that case, we cannot say that the scriptures contradict each other. Such scriptural study provides clarity hence establishing the basis of Holy Doctrines. Paul affirms this in his second letter to Timothy when He states that through the Scripture, one gets established as a “man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”. Similarly, the Baptist teaches that the Scripture is the very word of God hence having the supreme authority in faith and practice (Downing, 3). Therefore, both theological studies and the Bible establish the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura.

Sufficiency of the Scripture

Throughout Sola, Scriptura is emphasized. The scriptures provide both admonitions against disobeying the commands of God as provided in the word and also provides counsel on how the faithful are to live a good and righteous life before the Lord God (Ackroyd et al.,. 4). Just to stress on the supremacy of the Bible, In the Books of Deuteronomy, Proverbs and Revelation stated above, a warning in provided against adding anything upon the written word of the Scripture because as the state in 2 Tim. 3:16-17, the Scripture was given by the inspiration of God through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Additionally, the word is sure hence addition on it will prove us to be liars. Similarly, John the revelator warns against removing anything from it lest the ultimate punishment of eternal death should passed upon whoever does that. Ackroyd also states that theological studies establish the sufficiency of the Scripture hence no need to add or remove a word from that place. Quoting Martin Luther, he claims that the Scripture is the only source of Christian faith considering that its origin is the bona fide Creator. Therefore, no humans need to give their direction on what constitutes faith or practices save the Scripture.

Apostolic traditions and Ability of the Church initiate a new tradition

Arguably, the New Testament allows the use of “traditions” (teachings) of apostles, which are either oral or written. However, that is because apostles were living authorities who Christ left in charge (Matt. 18:18; Acts 2:42; Eph. 2:20). After their death, no apostolic authority remained as eyewitnesses of Christ’s resurrection (Acts 1:22; 1 Cor. 9:1). Therefore, on other separate apostolic authority exists to set traditions of faith. Since the New Testament remain the primary inspired (infallible) account of the teachings of apostles, it is the only inspired apostolic authority. Hence, all apostolic teachings on matters of faith and practice rest in the New Testament. Therefore, the Doctrine of sola scriptura is established.

Counter-Argument

According to Fr. Dwight Logenecker, like many Roman Catholic, argue that sola scriptura cannot be found in the Bible. He identifies 2 Tim. 3:16-17 as the only closest inference to this Doctrine. He argues that Scripture is only useful for teaching reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. However, He forgets to mention that Deuteronomy 4:2 establish sola scriptura by warning anyone against adding any words to the words of the Lord God. Similar warnings are found in Revelation 22:18-19. The Bible is very clear about the consequences of such actions. Addition, the Prophet Isaiah, indicates that the Scripture is its interpreter and should be read systematically.

Conclusion

The paper analyzes the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura and its application. As stated above, the Doctrine postulates that the Scripture alone is the primary basis of the faith and practice of Christians. The main argument is that there is no other authority on earth with the power to usurp the authenticity and influence of the Scripture. Church tradition cannot be used to replace the original infallible authority of the Scripture because it is the word of God which was given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Any attempt to set aside the power of the Scripture is, therefore, unwarranted. Whereas the Roman Catholic Church opposes this view and establishes traditions by claiming that the Bible is not specific on this Doctrine, the Bible full establishes this Doctrine in both the Old and New Testaments.

Works Cited

Ackroyd, Peter R., et al., eds. The Cambridge History of the Bible: Volume 3, The West from the Reformation to the Present Day. Vol. 3. Cambridge University Press, 1963.

Caemmerer, Richard, R. et al,. Concordia Theological Monthly: Luther’s Sola Scriptura.Vol. 31, no. 12, 1960

Cole, Graham. “Sola Scriptura and Contemporary Perspectives Moore Theological College, New South Wales.

Downing, W.R. “Sola scriptura the great Baptist distinctive”. Sovereign Grace Baptist Church of Silicon Valley, Web

Sola Scriptura 1998. James Seghers and Totus Tuus MinistriesAccessed at; http://www.totustuus.com

Trenchard, Warren C. Sola Scriptura after 500 Years: The Fate of a Reformation Slogan, 2017. ASRS,. Web.

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