Sola Scriptura?

Photo courtesy of www.shepherds.edu

There are two mighty pillars that hold up the Protestant Faith--sola scriptura (Scripture alone) and sola fide (faith alone).  These are beliefs that, until very recently, I thought were Biblically-based and almost so foundational and true that they hardly deserved much scrutiny.  I'd like to consider just one of these pillars in today's post--sola scriptura.

Sola scriptura is"the Christian doctrine that the Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice" (wikipedia.org).  On face value, I'd whole-heartedly agree with that statement.  I, too, think the Bible is the supreme authority and believe that it is heretical to add anything to the Word of God (for example, I know the Mormons add The Book of Mormon to the Holy Bible and I know that they are not true Christians).  However, please allow me to dive deeper into what God has recently been revealing to me about the theological tenet of sola scriptura.

First of all, if you look within the pages of Scripture, you will not find it clearly stated that the Bible is God's only means of revealing Truth.  Now, this does not cause me to raise any eyebrows--I mean, the word "trinity" is not found in the Bible and yet the truth of God being three persons-in-one is undoubtedly taught and supported throughout the Scriptures.  However, when I look into the pages of Scripture, I do not see Jesus handing us a book during His ministry here on Earth; instead, I see Him establish a Church.  Now, that is not to minimize Scripture and its role in any way--I firmly believe that the Scriptures are THE inherent and inspired Word of God.  That is to say, although it was written by man and canonized by man (a process wherein particular books were deemed to be divinely-inspired and worthy to be included in the Holy Bible or discarded), it is wholly authored by God and is THE Truth.

So, instead of handing us the Bible, we see Christ establishing a Church here on Earth (through Peter; Matt 16:18) and commissioning His followers to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt 28:18-20) prior to his Ascension into Heaven.  Then later, in Acts (chapters 1-2) we get a glimpse into how the first century church functioned.  They fellowshiped, served together, took care of one another, and loved one other.  However, the early Church hit some rough patches, too.  Paul publicly chided Peter for adding to the Gospel message by insisting Gentile believers be circumcised according to Jewish tradition (see Galatians).  In fact, this became a very sticky point in the early church and necessitated a council, with James the brother of Jesus at its head.  We see the Jerusalem Council convene in Acts 15 and how it heard from various Church leaders (Paul and Barnabas) and decided (through James' leadership) that Gentile believers ought NOT be circumcised according to the new covenant, but rather abstain from idols and sexual immorality, etc.  Well, that is interesting!  We see the early Church meet as a council and make a decision for all of the Church to follow in God's Word.  When I reread this portion of Scripture, I was unarmed.  Aren't "rules" and "traditions" voted on upon men bad, even if they are part of the Church?  Shouldn't we shirk the idea of universal Church leadership, papal councils, etc.  I mean, it's sola scriptura, right?!

Conversely, as I continued through the epistles of Paul, I also saw him mention customs and traditions that many of us "Bible Christians" do not adhere to--case in point, covering our heads in church.  So, if I believe that it is sola scriptura, then why don't I cover my head today?  (I have heard various opinions on this Scripture throughout the years and will save that discussion for another time; however, I am currently praying through this one and checking out these online, if you are curious--aren't they beautiful and oh so feminine?!).

Lastly, as I look up from the pages of Scriptures and look around at the current Church landscape, I see those of us Protestants who strongly adhere to sola scriptura and see all the divisions we have brought about in the past six centuries...starting with the Protestant Reformation, the start of Lutheranism, Calvanism (Presbyterianism/Reformed Faith), Anglicanism, then later the Anabaptists, Methodists, and even the multitudes of divisions within each denomination just this past 50 years!!  Have we really been true to the unified Church as Christ prayed, sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His walk to the cross (see John 17)?  And even look at our magnificent democracy--did the Founding Fathers merely hand us the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (as wonderful as they are) and expect democracy to flow freely from it?  Heavens, no!  In their wisdom, they set forth the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government, with a President at it's helm. Could this design have mimicked what ought to be the organization of the One True Church?

So, where does this bring me?  Well, suffice it to say that my idea of sola scriptura is suffering a little bit of a beating of late...and it is not man's words that are doing it but Scripture itself!!  Is sola scriptura Biblical afterall...or is simply a battle cry I have absorbed from the Protestant Reformation (or "revolt" as some sources call it) and I have taken it to be the Gospel?

I continue to pray and seek for Truth...and I covet your prayers in this process, dear friend!

Oh and stay tuned for more thoughts about sola fide in a future post!