Sola Scripture

It’s the 31st October and I’m sat waiting for a locksmith to come to get us out of a bit of a jam, literally .  As I’m waiting, I pick up on a Facebook discussion about “Sola Scripture”.  Someone is arguing that this idea is nowhere to be found in Scripture.

Well, I’m doubly struck by the aptness of the conversation. First because it’s happening on the anniversary of the Reformation and secondly because this really is the key to unjamming the lock of much that tends to go wrong with the church.

The reformers realized that if people either added to Scripture or took Scripture away that you ended up with superstition, legalism, corruption and exploitation.  So, getting access to Hebrew and Greek manuscripts so that what Scripture was meant to say could be checked and getting good translations into the everyday language of the people was vital to the work of the Gospel and healthy church life.

And the basis for their belief? Well, it’s strange to suggest that the concept isn’t there in Scripture at all.  It’s worth remembering what we mean by “Sola Scripture”.  It means that Scripture is our sole authority for the Christian life.  And that’s exactly what 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us. First it tells us that Scripture has the unique authority of being “God breathed”. Nothing else has that characteristic.  Secondly it tells us that it is able to thoroughly, completely equip us for godliness.  It’s got the authority of being God’s uniquely inspired word and it’s sufficient to do its intended job.  That’s the very idea of Sola Scripture.  Door unlocked!