Part 8 of 12
The 1st Sola - “SOLA SCRIPTURA”
As
stated earlier, the “Five Solas” are five Latin
phrases (or slogans) that emerged during the Protestant
Reformation. These summarized
the Reformers’ basic theological beliefs that were in stark
contradistinction to the teachings of
“Sola
Scriptura”
means “Scripture
ALONE.” This is the first
sola since the other four solas are based upon the
Bible as the inspired all-sufficient “word
of God.” Without the written “word of God” we would have no sure
foundation for the other four Solas of absolute truths.
Consider
that the Psalmist here places God’s Word above His Name. “I
will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy
lovingkindness and for thy TRUTH:
for thou hast magnified THY WORD
ABOVE ALL THY NAME.” (Psalm
138:2)
Paul says the “word of God” that Christ spoke through him, and as written by Paul, actually works in those who hear it today.
“For
this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received THE
WORD OF GOD which ye heard
of us (Paul and his co-workers), ye received it
NOT as
the word of men, but as it
is in TRUTH, THE WORD OF GOD, which effectually WORKETH also IN
YOU THAT BELIEVE.” (1 Thess
2:13)
Paul
declares that his words are our
instructions in this day of grace that we now live in. “If
any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge
that the things that I
(Paul) write unto YOU ARE THE
COMMANDMENTS (instruction) OF THE LORD.”(1Cor 14:37)
We
should note that the truths the Reformers discovered and recovered are
principally the words of the Apostle Paul. These were written to the genuine
church that he more definitively titled “the
church, which is His body” (Eph 1:22b-23a). This is the one true
church exists on earth still today, having no other name than “the
church, which is His body.” It will remain on earth until the day
of the rapture of “the body of Christ” to heaven when both the dead and
living members of “the body of
Christ” will “meet the Lord
in the air…to ever be with the
Lord” (1Thes 4:17-18).
“SOLA
SCRIPTURA” – “THE BIBLE ALONE”
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: 17 That
the man of God may be perfect (complete),
throughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.
Acts
17:11 These
(Bereans) were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that THEY
RECEIVED THE WORD (that Paul and Barnabas preached, v10) WITH
ALL READINESS OF MIND, AND SEARCHED THE
(Old Testament) SCRIPTURES DAILY, WHETHER THOSE THINGS
WERE SO.
Sola
Scriptura
is sometimes called the formal
or strict principle of the Reformation, since it is the
source and norm of the material
or substantive principle of Sola
Fide - by
faith alone. Yet, the
Bible does not stand alone apart from God; it is the instrument of God by
which He reveals Himself for salvation
by grace (Sola Gratia) ALONE, through faith ALONE (Sola Fide) in “Christ
ALONE” (Solas
Christus).
Sola
Scriptura
is the teaching that the Bible
is the ONLY inspired
and authoritative word of God. It is the only
source for pure Christian doctrine, and it is accessible
to every believer. The Bible is self-evident
and self-interpreting when we approach it correctly.
The
Bible requires no interpretation outside of itself. It is revealed to us by
the enlightenment we may gain, by the Holy Spirit of Truth who indwells
every believer, as we study “the
word of God.” (See the writer’s series: “How
to Approach the Bible.”)
The
Bible itself warns us not to add or subtract from its words of truth. Revelation
22:18 For I testify unto every
man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, IF
ANY MAN SHALL ADD UNTO THESE THINGS, God shall add unto him the plagues that
are written in this book: Yet, in addition to the many paraphrased
and mistranslated modern Bibles
we see today, many men of religion add the words of their church
organization, and they elevate their own manmade laws and precepts, making
them out to be as God’s words.
All believers need to be like these Bereans, who searched the Scripture daily (Act 17:10-11); examining Paul’s words to see if these things he wrote were so. Bible students need to discover where Paul’s words fit in the context of the Bible by “rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH. It’s absolutely necessary that we approach the Bible in our study by “RIGHTLY DIVIDING the word of truth.”
This
phrase “rightly dividing,” is
from the Greek “orthotomeo,” meaning to “cut
straight.” In making a straight cut you then get two (2) pieces. These
two components of the Bible are not the Old and New Testaments, but rather
it assigns Scripture as applicable to either of two
groups of people. You see, God originally ordained to bless, fill,
and rule the two realms mentioned in the very first verse of the Bible – “the
heaven and the earth.”
Ephesians
1:9-11 Having
made known unto us the
mystery (Gk., musterion, secret) of
his (God’s) will, according to
his good pleasure which he hath purposed
in himself: 10 THAT IN
THE DISPENSATION OF THE FULNESS OF TIMES HE MIGHT GATHER TOGETHER IN ONE ALL
THINGS IN CHRIST, both which are IN HEAVEN, and which are ON EARTH;
even in (union
with) him (Christ): 11
In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM
WHO WORKETH ALL THINGS after the counsel of his own will:
The
entire Bible, when “rightly
divided,” reveals the eternal plan and purpose of God toward
reconciling man to God and His subduing
the heaven and earth through regenerated mankind. God’s eternal
purpose is to recover “the heaven
and the earth” through the believing nation of
“Sola Scriptura” says that the Bible ALONE is the primary and absolute source of authority, the final court of appeal, for all doctrine and practice. It holds that THE BIBLE IS INFALLIBLE, that it is all-sufficient, and that IT IS UNAMBIGUOUSLY CLEAR when it is PROPERLY APPROACHED IN ITS CONTEXT, and when it remains UNTAINTED MY MAN and his TRADITIONS.
It is
this last point, that the Bible “is
unambiguously clear,” that is disputed by the Roman Catholic
Church even today. The Roman church holds that while the Bible contains all
truth necessary for salvation the Bible’s meaning is not
clear and must be interpreted by
The
“dark ages” were considered
dark because the light of the message
of the Bible had been literally locked away and kept from “the common
people.” During
the Middle and Dark Ages Satan had the Bible shut up in great cathedrals and
monasteries and it was kept from the common lay people. This was one reason
for the Dark Age. During
the Dark Age Christians
were tortured and burned with their Bibles at the stake because the Roman
church had said only the Priests could understand the Bible. So, they had
locked up the Bibles. As a child and being raised Roman Catholic, I never
once saw a Bible. It’s only in recent years that this has somewhat changed
in the Roman church.
The
Reformers of the late middle ages began to read the Bible for themselves,
then to preach its message of
“salvation by grace (alone) through faith (alone), NOT
of works” (Eph
2:8-9). These words of the light
of “the gospel of grace” came
from Paul, whom the Lord sent to bring the message of the grace gospel to “the
Gentiles…to turn them FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT”
(Acts 26:17-18).
As
opposed to “Sola Scriptura”
– the Bible only, the Roman
church today places its reliance upon a so-called three-legged stool with
regard to its sourcing authority. Their faith is in the Bible, plus
Church Tradition, plus the teaching authority of the Roman church’s
magisterium. Yet, time and time again, Scripture warns us of philosophies
and traditions. When
we start following tradition and philosophies, putting them above the Word
of God, then we are wrong. Somewhere in the world there has to be a
standard, a sure measuring stick, and that is… the sure “Word of God.”
What
has religion (Roman and Protestant) used in place of Sola Scriptura – it
is the
tradition of men, manmade law, philosophy,
and pagan
traditions that can be traced to
Note
that Jesus warned “the lost sheep
of the house of
Paul
then also warned “the body of
Christ” of “philosophy”
and “the tradition of men.”
Colossians 2:8 Beware
lest any man spoil you through PHILOSOPHY
and vain deceit, after the
TRADITION OF MEN, after the rudiments of the world, and not
after Christ.
Having
the aforementioned, we could now summarize our proper attitude toward the
Bible.
The
Holy Bible is the PLENARY,
VERBALLY INSPIRED, WORD OF GOD
consisting of sixty-six (66) books of the Old and New Testament. This inspired
Word of God is inerrant and infallible in the original manuscripts. It
is the supreme authority and the final rule in life, faith and practice.
(2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter l:20-21; Isaiah 8:20; John l6:12-13)
What
do the words in this phrase mean?
“Verbally” Means Every Word. Verbal means that every word of Scripture is God-given. The idea is that every single word in the Bible is there because God wanted it there. By themselves the words are meaningless. What’s divine is not the individual words per se, but the “wording,” that is: the context that is established by the words before and after each word. We derive the meaning of the words by the way they are used in relationship to each other – in context. Each word is important, but only as it relates to the words around them. Having said that, I want to emphasize; Scripture contains the exact words, forms of words, and “wording” (the context) that God desired.
“Plenary” Means Fully Authoritative. Plenary means that all parts of the Bible are equally authoritative. All parts of the Bible are of divine origin. Jesus said. “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.” (Luke 16:17). Paul wrote. “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
“Inspired” Means God Guided The Process. The idea behind the word inspiration is that God supernaturally guided and moved the biblical authors to write the exact things that He wanted expressed - “as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The result is Holy Scripture.