Sola Scriptura
Many days, I pass a church that has on its "out front" sign the words: "Scripture Alone." That is, of course, the great rallying cry of the Reformation, out of which all we Protestants eventually came. In response to what Martin Luther perceived as over-reliance on other sources of authority in the church, leading to the devaluing or ignoring of Scripture, Luther declared that the basis for our faith was really "Sola Scriptura"—Scripture alone.
It is true. Scripture is the supreme source of our doctrine and faith. And I'm fairly certain that church, when they put that on their "out front" sign, meant to convey that truth. But, for one, I doubt that those words really communicate anything to those who aren't already "in" the faith. Do those two words really tell not-yet-believers anything about the church?
And secondly, I want to stop and ask this question: which Scripture? Which interpretation? Because none of us, really, follow Scripture alone. If we did, we would at least be walking around without an eye or a hand. Jesus told us to, right? "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell" (Matthew 18:8-9). But I don't know anyone who actually has done that. We interpret that passage—and many others. And rightly so. But it makes the point: none of us live by Scripture alone.
So what role does Scripture play for the believer? Scripture is the absolute foundation. It is the supreme authority. We take it seriously and attempt to discern the way of life God wants us to live as we study and read and absorb the teachings found in these pages. But many times we need help in understanding these pages.
It is true. Scripture is the supreme source of our doctrine and faith. And I'm fairly certain that church, when they put that on their "out front" sign, meant to convey that truth. But, for one, I doubt that those words really communicate anything to those who aren't already "in" the faith. Do those two words really tell not-yet-believers anything about the church?
And secondly, I want to stop and ask this question: which Scripture? Which interpretation? Because none of us, really, follow Scripture alone. If we did, we would at least be walking around without an eye or a hand. Jesus told us to, right? "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell" (Matthew 18:8-9). But I don't know anyone who actually has done that. We interpret that passage—and many others. And rightly so. But it makes the point: none of us live by Scripture alone.
So what role does Scripture play for the believer? Scripture is the absolute foundation. It is the supreme authority. We take it seriously and attempt to discern the way of life God wants us to live as we study and read and absorb the teachings found in these pages. But many times we need help in understanding these pages.
John Wesley used three other things to help us understand Scripture, to interpret: tradition, reason and experience. We do not come to this Scripture as if it were a brand-new book; rather, there are 2,000 years full of Christians who have wrestled with these words. How has the church traditionally understood these passages and stories? (This, I think, is one of the "lenses" that people try to throw out today, writing off previous generations as "unenlightened.") We also have reason; God made us with a brain to help us understand the world and the life God created. Reason can also help us understand Scripture, as long as we understand that reason is subordinate to Scripture. And the final piece is experience. While not the most important, as many today would like us to believe, it is a part of our life. What has our experience walking with Jesus taught us and how does that help us understand what the Bible says?
Scripture, understood through the lenses of tradition, reason and experience, will lead us to a life lived in faithfulness, as best we can, to Jesus Christ. We take the Bible seriously, and we seek to use everything we have to understand it the best we can.
Scripture, understood through the lenses of tradition, reason and experience, will lead us to a life lived in faithfulness, as best we can, to Jesus Christ. We take the Bible seriously, and we seek to use everything we have to understand it the best we can.
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