Principles of the Reformation: (1) Sola Scriptura

Sola Scriptura
Since 2007 we’ve commemorated each Reformation Day Sunday a different emphasis of the C16th Protestant Reformation. We began with the question, “Why Remember the Reformation Today?”—studying since then the three agreed marks of the true church: the pure preaching of the Word, the proper administration of the sacraments (baptism and the Lord’s Supper), and the rightful administration of discipline (added by the Scottish reformers). These marks were defined in response to the reformers’ observation that the attributes of the church (apostolicity, universality, unity, and holiness) had become badges of self-congratulation, when they were intended as opportunities for self-examination. The reformers used the marks, therefore, to distinguish the true church from the false one.
Nowadays, additional marks are suggested; for instance, worship, ministry to the poor, and outreach. Whereas genuine worship is presupposed in the three marks, ministry to the poor has often been handed over to the state. Outreach could be included in the first mark of pure preaching, but not all preachers preach evangelistically (contra 2 Tim. 4:5) nor do all congregants understand that preaching is to perfect their ministry of outreach throughout the week.
The reformation we are pursuing at Seventh is seeking to do justice to these additional marks. They are very clear on the pages of the New Testament. Since you’ve heard plenty of them, we begin this year instead a new series of annual Reformation sermons on what are called the five solas: Sola Scriptura, solus Christus, sola gratia, sola fide, soli Deo Gloria. While their origin seems uncertain, their definitions are familiar. They refer in turn to the supremacy of Scripture as our basis of authority in the church; salvation by Christ’s work alone; by grace alone (as opposed to works); through faith alone; and for God’s glory alone.
The new series shifts our focus from how a Protestant or specifically a Reformed church is to operate in accordance with God’s Word, to the gospel message we proclaim. While Reformation scholars understandably fear these labels treat the teaching of the reformers in too much of a reductionist fashion—a point I have also made elsewhere in print—it would nevertheless do us good, in an age in which the knowledge of history and theology is so slight, to consider one “sola” per Reformation Day service over the coming years, Lord willing. We begin this year with the principle of sola Scriptura.
Sola Scriptura has been called the formal principle of the Reformation. It states that the Bible alone is the supreme authority for Christian faith and practice. It is sufficient for all we need to know regarding the will of God, the way of salvation, and the running of the church. Nothing is to be added to Scripture or taken away from it (Deuteronomy 4:1–2; 12:32). The Christian is not to be satisfied with appropriating less than all of Scripture, is to resist going beyond it, and is certainly not to contradict it. Luther encapsulated this principle at the Diet of Worms, 1521. When asked to recant of his teachings, he famously replied: “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason —I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other— my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.” This must be our attitude today.
The challenges to sola Scriptura remain ever with us. Note, chiefly—
Tradition: Biblically unsupported beliefs or practices which are added to the Christian faith and treated as en par with Scripture. Jesus battled tradition’s opposition to sola Scriptura with the Pharisees, the reformers did likewise with the church of Rome, and we must do battle with it today. Regrettably, in the five hundred years since the Reformation we Protestants have created plenty of our own unsupported traditions—personal preferences treated as if they are biblical principles, about which Scripture says not a whit, and which ought to be peeled back when hindering the effective spread of the gospel.
Reason. While we use Spirit-aided reason to interpret Scripture, the principle of sola Scriptura opposes a use of reason that sits in judgment on Scripture, picking and choosing what we accept in the Bible. This has been prevalent in liberal Protestantism since the late C18, with the rejection of the supernatural.
Emotion. There’s nothing wrong with emotions either. But when we allow them to govern what we accept in God’s Word, we either accord them equal authority as Scripture or we subvert a fair reading of it by their dictates. How many today reject hell and the ethics of the Christian faith on the basis of emotion rather than the fair interpretation of Scripture?
This principle hits home at Seventh, too. We claim to uphold sola Scriptura, but how many of us would forego our preferences in the service of a more effective fulfillment of the Great Commission? Seriously, how many of us?