What is sola scriptura?

The phrase sola scriptura is from the Latin: sola, meaning “alone,” “ground,” or “base,” and the word scriptura, meaning “writings,” referring to Scripture. Sola scriptura means that Scripture alone is authoritative for Christian faith and practice. As Paul writes, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Sola scriptura was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation. For centuries, the Roman Catholic Church had taught that its traditions were authoritative alongside the Bible. This led to disputes over practices that reformers believed were contrary to Scripture. Examples of unbiblical practices include prayer to saints, transubstantiation, indulgences, and papal authority.

Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church and father of the Protestant Reformation, publicly rebuked the Catholic Church for its unbiblical teachings. In response, the Catholic Church threatened Luther with excommunication and possibly death if he did not recant. To this, Luther famously replied,

The primary Catholic argument against sola scriptura is that the Bible does not explicitly teach the doctrine. The Catholic Church argues that the Bible nowhere states that it is the only authoritative guide for faith and practice. This claim is only partially true. The principle of sola scriptura is clearly affirmed in verses such as Acts 17:11, which commends the Bereans for testing doctrine—taught by an apostle, no less—using Scripture. Sola scriptura is also implied in 1 Corinthians 4:6, where Paul warns the church not to “go beyond what is written.” In addition, Jesus Himself criticized those who used tradition to set aside Scripture (Mark 7:6-9).

Sola scriptura is not so much an argument against tradition as against unbiblical and extra-biblical doctrines. The only way to know for sure what God expects of us is to stay true to what we know He has revealed in the Bible. We can know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that Scripture is true, authoritative, and reliable. The same cannot be said of tradition.

The Word of God is the ultimate and only infallible authority for the Christian faith. Traditions are valid only when they conform to Scripture. Traditions that contradict the Bible are not of God and are not a valid aspect of the Christian faith. Sola scriptura is the only way to avoid subjectivity and keep opinion from taking priority over the teachings of the Bible.

The essence of sola scriptura is basing one’s spiritual life on the Bible alone and rejecting any tradition or teaching that is not in full agreement with the Bible. Second Timothy 2:15 encourages believers to prioritize the study of Scripture: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Sola scriptura does not nullify the concept of church traditions. Rather, sola scriptura gives us a solid foundation on which to base church traditions. There are many practices in both Catholic and Protestant churches that result from tradition rather than the explicit teaching of Scripture. It is good, and even necessary, for the church to have traditions.

At the same time, for these traditions to be valid, they must not disagree with God’s Word. They must be based on the solid foundation of Scripture. A concern some raise about the Catholic Church is that its traditions can build on earlier ones that don’t align with Scripture. For this reason, Christians must embrace sola scriptura, as it correctly affirms that God’s Word is authoritative and, therefore, the only solid basis for faith and practice.

Another frequent objection to the concept of sola scriptura is that the Bible's canon was not officially agreed upon for at least 250 years after the church was founded. Further, Scripture was not available to the masses for over 1500 years after the church was founded. How, then, were early Christians to use sola scriptura when they did not even have the full Scriptures? And how were Christians who lived before the invention of the printing press supposed to base their faith and practice on Scripture alone if there was no way for them to have a complete copy of the Bible? This issue is further compounded by the very high rates of illiteracy throughout history. So, how does the concept of sola scriptura handle these issues?

The problem with this argument is that it claims Scripture’s authority rests on its availability. This is not the case. Scripture’s authority is inherent—because it is God’s Word, it is His authority. The fact that Scripture was not readily available, or that people could not read it, does not change the fact that Scripture is God’s Word.

Further, rather than being an argument against sola scriptura, it is an argument for what the church should have done rather than what it did. The early church should have made producing copies of the Scriptures a high priority. While it was unrealistic for every Christian to possess a complete copy of the Bible, it was possible for every church to have some, most, or all of Scripture available to it.

Early church leaders should have made studying the Scriptures their highest priority so they could teach it accurately. Even if the Scriptures could not be made available to the masses, at least church leaders could be well-trained in the Word of God. Instead of building tradition upon tradition and passing them on from generation to generation, the church should have copied and taught the Scriptures (2 Timothy 4:2).

Nevertheless, we now have the Scriptures readily available to us. Through careful study of God’s Word, it is clear that many church traditions developed over the centuries that don’t align with Scripture. This is where sola scriptura applies. Traditions that are based on and in agreement with God’s Word should be maintained. However, traditions that are not based on God’s Word should be rejected.

Sola scriptura points us back to what God has revealed to us in His Word. It ultimately points us back to the God who always speaks the truth, never contradicts Himself, and always proves Himself to be dependable.