Reformation Month / Study / The Five Solas / Sola Scriptura
Scriptura
The Bible is the church's final and sufficient written authority.
Every Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
¶ What does it mean?
God has spoken in the Scriptures. Because the Bible is his Word, it is the rule by which every other word in the church is tested. Creeds, councils, pastors, and traditions can serve the church. They cannot outrank the text.
¶ What does it deny?
It does not deny that the church has teachers, memory, or helpful tradition. It denies that any of those things is a second infallible rule sitting over Scripture. When custom and the Bible disagree, the Bible wins.
¶ Where do we see it in Scripture?
- Isaiah 8:20To the law and to the testimony: if a word does not match what God has spoken, it has no light.
- Acts 17:11The Bereans were noble because they examined the Scriptures daily to see whether the preaching was true.
- Psalm 19:7–8The law of the Lord is perfect, sure, right, and pure. God's Word does the work God intends.
¶ Why does it matter?
If Scripture is not final, someone else is. Ordinary Christians need a Word they can open, hear, and use to test what they are told. That is not a slogan. It is how a church stays under God.