It is helpful for us,when thinking of Sola Scriptura to…

It is helpful for us,when thinking of Sola Scriptura to remember what it doesn’t mean. Dr Ken Samples and Dr James White does a great job here explaining what Sola Scriptura doesn’t mean.

1. Dr Ken Samples

√1) Sola Scriptura does not mean that other authorities besides scripture can’t be appropriately recognized by the church. Creed’s, tradition,consensus of the church and human reason all provide valuable judgment. However,they are subordinate to the supreme and final authority of Scripture.

√2) Sola Scriptura does not repudiate the usefulness of tradition in particular as a subordinate norm in theology. It may be quite acceptable to allow tradition to play a secondary (or derivative) role in the formulation of doctrine(for example, the ecumenical creeds of Christendom).

√3) Sola Scriptura does not repudiate the church fathers or church history overall. The great leaders and teachers in the history have provided invaluable instruction in theology ,but(as those same individuals have often remarked) their views must be appropriately evaluated in light of the supreme theological norm-Scripture.Examples from church history can still provide a secondary form of spiritual guidance for Christians.

√4) Sola Scriptura does not mean that all truth is found in the Bible or can only be found there. Certainly all truth is indeed God’s truth.Information found outside scripture(in general revelation, tradition,and so forth) can be genuinely true and may actually correct misunderstandings of scripture.However,alleged truths that contradict scripture are not genuinely true.

√5)Sola Scriptura does not deny that the word of God was initially in oral form.When the apostles were living,they spoke and wrote with divine authority as the Holy Spirit worked through them.However,upon their deaths,the only reliable and accessible apostolic source is found in the Bible.

2. Dr James White

√1) First of all,it is not a claim that the Bible contains all knowledge.The Bible is not exhaustive in every detail.John 21:25 speaks to the fact that there are many things that Jesus said and did that are not recorded in John,or in fact in any book in the world because the whole books of the world couldn’t contain it.But the Bible doesn’t have to be exhaustive to function as the only rule of faith for the church. We do not need to know the menu of each meal of the apostolic band for the scriptures to function as the only rule of faith for the church.

√2)Secondly, it is not a denial of the church’s authority to teach God’s truth. 1 Timothy 3:15 describes the church as “the pillar and foundation of the truth”. The truth is in Jesus Christ and in his word.The church teaches truth and calls men to Christ,and, in so doing,functions as the pillar and foundation thereof. The church does not add revelation or rule over Scripture.The church being the bride of Christ,listens to the word of Christ,which is found in God-breathed Scripture.

√3) Thirdly, Sola Scriptura is not a denial of the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding and enlightening the church.

√4)Fourthly, it is not a denial that God’s word has been spoken.Apostolic preaching was authoritative in and of itself.Yet,the apostles proved their message from Scripture,as we see in Acts 17:2, and 18:28,and John commended those in Ephesus for testing those who claimed to be apostles, Revelation 2:2. The apostles were not afraid to demonstrate the consistency between their teaching and the old testament.