What is it and why should it matter to me?
Sola Scriptura (“by scripture alone”) is the belief that the Bible alone is the only infallible source of authority for Christians. Some Protestant denominations hold this to be true.
The Bible is the Word of God so what’s the issue with Sola Scriptura? One problem with Sola Scriptura is that it is a circular argument. If one of our Protestant brothers/sisters is asked why they should believe in their particular denominational teaching as opposed to another, he or she will use the “clear teaching of the Bible” as support.
Here is an excerpt by Dave Armstrong from Catholic Answers to best highlight the circular position of Sola Scriptura:
“This is similar to people on two sides of a constitutional debate both saying, ‘Well, we go by what the Constitution says, whereas you guys don’t.’ The U.S. Constitution, like the Bible, is not sufficient in and of itself to resolve differing interpretations. Judges and courts are necessary, and their decrees are legally binding. Supreme Court rulings cannot be overturned except by a future ruling or constitutional amendment. In any event, there is always a final appeal that settles the matter.
But Protestantism lacks this because it appeals to a logically self-defeating principle and a book that must be interpreted by human beings. Obviously, given the divisions in Protestantism, simply “going to the Bible” hasn’t worked. In the end, a person has no assurance or certainty in the Protestant system. They can only “go to the Bible” themselves and perhaps come up with another doctrinal version of some disputed doctrine to add to the list. One either believes there is one truth in any given theological dispute (whatever it is) or adopts a relativist or indifferentist position, where contradictions are fine or the doctrine is so “minor” that differences “don’t matter.”
But the Bible doesn’t teach that whole categories of doctrines are “minor” and that Christians freely and joyfully can disagree in such a fashion. Denominationalism and divisions are vigorously condemned. The only conclusion we can reach from the Bible is what we call the “three-legged stool”: Bible, Church, and Tradition are all necessary to arrive at truth. If you knock out any leg of a three-legged stool, it collapses” (Catholic Answers).
When discussing Sola Scriptura, many of our Protestant brothers/sisters will refer to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 which says “All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” They believe that this proves Sola Scriptura is the sole infallible authority for Christian life. However, when analyzing Bible verses it is important to look at the overall context of the passage. Paul refers to oral Tradition three times around this passage and it is important to take a look at these verses.
2 Timothy 1:13-14
“Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the holy Spirit that dwells within us.”
2 Timothy 2:2
“And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well.”
2 Timothy 3:14
“But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it”
Let’s turn to Ephesians 4.
Ephesians 4:11-15
“And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ”
If 2 Timothy proves that Sola Scriptura is correct then Ephesians 4 would prove that pastors and teachers are sufficient for the “attainment of Christian perfection” (Catholic Answers). It is clear that this is unreasonable. The “absence of one or more elements in one passage does not mean that they are nonexistent” (Catholic Answers). In Ephesians 4, “the Christian believer is equipped, built up, brought into unity and mature manhood, and even preserved from doctrinal confusion by means of the teaching function of the Church” (Catholic Answers).
As you can see nowhere in these verses does the Bible say that Scripture alone is sufficient. It does say that Scripture is important and must be acknowledged which Catholics believe. Armstrong says it best: “The Church and Scripture are both equally necessary and important for teaching” (Catholic Answers).
This essay provides only a glimpse into the argument against Sola Scriptura. For the sake of time and holding the audience’s attention, I picked out the evidence which was most helpful to me. I encourage you to do more research for yourself and check out the other links below!
Deus te benedicat
Prayer
Eternal Father,
we praise you for sending your Son
to be one of us and to save us.
Look upon your people with mercy,
for we are divided in so many ways,
and give us the Spirit of Jesus to make us one in love.
We ask this gift, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
P.S. I find it important to note that most of these articles were written by Catholic converts. This is not an attack on Protestantism. This essay was written for the purpose of edifying one another.
Link to full article used in this essay:
Other helpful links:
Catholicism Rekindled 