Sola Scriptura
John Wesley stated in the 18th century, “In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church.”
Sola Scriptura states that the Bible is the only infallible and inerrant authority for a Christian. It does not deny that there are other authorities governing the Christian’s life, but it does require that all other authorities be subordinate to, and corrected by, the Word of God.
Some religions, such as Roman Catholic, teach that God’s Word is only one of three equal authorities (the other two: sacred tradition and the episcopacy) and that the Church has the right to restrict interpretation of the scriptures.
My husband, a pastor, reminds us frequently that there is something wrong when we, as supposed Christians, state, “I know the Bible says this, but…”
Since the whole premise of this blog is to form (and reform) our lives according to the Scripture, I want to add several verses that I believe indicate the infallibility and sovereignty of God’s Word:
Scripture My paraphrase
Matthew 4:4 Man shall live by God’s word
Matthew 22:29 You are in error because you don’t know the word of God
Matthew 26:24 The scriptures will be fulfilled
John 1:1 God IS the Word
John 5:39 The scriptures testify of Jesus
Acts 17:11 Search the scriptures to find out if things are true
Romans 3:4 Let God be true, and every man a liar
Romans 15:4 Scriptures are for our learning
Romans 16:26 God commanded the scriptures be made known
I Thess 2:13 The Word of God is an effective worker in us
II Timothy 2:9 The Word of God has no boundaries
II Tim 3: 15&16 Scripture given by God so we understand salvation
Rev 19: 12-14 The One on the Throne – His name is The Word of God
Rev 22: 18&19 We should not add to, or take away from the Word
So… what do you think? Is the Bible the inerrant, infallible Word of God? Is God’s Word the last authority on the Christian life? Do pastors, teachers, prophets, the gifts of the Spirit have to line up with the Word or can they transcend and redefine the Word?
Sola Scriptura?
