“The foundation of our religion is the written word, the scriptures of God” Huldrych Zwingli.
What is Sola scriptura?
Sola scriptura is Latin for Scripture alone.
The Bible is a God-breath, truthful, and trustworthy Word of God.
“Sola scriptura means that only Scripture, because it is God’s inspired Word, is our inerrant sufficient, and final authority for the church (Barrett, 2016)
Scripture is to be our authority in life. It should guide and formulate our beliefs, affecting our lives.
“As the foundational principle, sola Scriptura is the doctrinal foundation upon which we erect the entirety of Christian belief, including our understanding of the gospel itself” (Allen, 2019)
What we believe about the Bible is essential. It shapes our thinking and how we act. This is why the Bible should be our final authority if we are followers of Christ and His Word!
A bit of history…..
It’s the sixteenth century… and the Roman Catholic church was the authority on religious matters. However, men like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli, to name a few, questioned some of the church’s and the Pope’s practices. They also questioned the church’s belief that it, the Pope, and tradition had authority over God’s Word. As time passed, the Reformers, as they are called, began to stress the infallibility and authority of Scripture. This led to the Bible being translated so ordinary people could read it themselves. It is partly because of this (Sola scriptura) that Protestantism starts to take root.
What does it mean for us today?
What do you truly believe about the Bible? Is it the final authority in your life? How do you demonstrate this daily? We first must propose to study it diligently. If it is to be the authority in our lives, we must know that it teaches. Second, we must believe it with our hearts and minds. When we believe in something, it can change us. It can change how we think and act. Lastly, we must seek to make the change stick. Knowing the Bible is great, but we don’t believe it has authority over us if it does not garner fruit in our lives.
Let’s propose to be diligent students of the Word and faithful doers of the Word.
References
God’s Word Alone The Authority of Scripture What the Reformers Taught….. and Why it Still Matters (2016) by Matthew Barrett (The 5 Solas Series)
Sola How the Five Solas are Still Reforming the Church (2019). Jason K. Allen Gen Editor Contributors Wilson. J., Duesing, J., Barrett, M,. Strachan, O.
