Dave Armstrong - 100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura

Catholicism and Protestantism differ fundamentally with regard to authoritythe rule of faith, the basis or standard Christians use to determine true (and false) doctrine and practice. Protestantism tends to see a divide between the pure Word of God in the Bible and what the Catholic Church calls Sacred Traditionsomething Protestantism considers to be corrupted by traditions of men (Matt. 15:3-6; Mark 7:8-13). For Protestants, Scripture alone is the source and rule of the Christian faith. It is the only infallible authority, sufficient in and of itself for a full exposition of Christianity and for the attainment of salvation. This is what sola scriptura means. In Catholicism, by contrast, Scripture and Traditionrevealed Christian truths passed on outside of Scriptureare two fonts of the one spring of divine revelation. Without one or the other, revelation is incomplete.

Scripture frequently refers to the notion of tradition[s] : a body of knowledge or doctrine that existed prior to and is larger than Scripture itself. For example:

Acts 17:11, 13: Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.... But when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there too, stirring up and inciting the crowds.

The word or word of God in this context is clearly not Scripture, because Scripture is compared with it; it is, rather, apostolic preaching, which is synonymous with sacred Tradition. All true Tradition, like the preaching that is examined in the above passage, is harmonious with Scripture. This is the biblical and Catholic teaching.

Other terms besides word of God are used in the Bible to refer to apostolic Tradition, such as the faith (Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:23; 1 Tim. 4:1; Jude 3), the truth (Rom. 2:8; Gal. 5:7; 1 Tim. 2:4), the commandment (Mark 7:8; 2 Pet. 2:21; 1 John 2:7-8), the doctrine (Rom. 16:17; Titus 2:10; 2 John 1:9), and the message (1 Cor. 2:4; 2 Cor. 5:19; 2 Tim. 4:15). The biblical data on this score are overwhelming. A concise Catholic definition of sacred Tradition is found in the decrees of the First Vatican Council (1870), in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith :

This supernatural revelation, according to the universal belief of the Church, declared by the sacred Synod of Trent, is contained in the written books and unwritten traditions which, received by the Apostles from the mouth of Christ himself, or from the Apostles themselves, by the dictation of the Holy Spirit, transmitted, as it were, from hand to hand, have come down even to us.

There are many complexities and nuances involved in this discussion of Christian authority that will become apparent as we delve into it. Catholics and Protestants have misunderstood each other for centuries. Yet, although there are deeply held differences, there is also more common ground than one might suspect.

Before going any further, I should like to verify the preceding definitions of sola scriptura by citing three of its contemporary Protestant defenders. Norman Geisler, a prominent Evangelical Protestant apologist who has published many books, defines it as follows:

By sola scriptura orthodox Protestants mean that Scripture alone is the primary and absolute source of authority, the final court of appeal, for all doctrine and practice (faith and morals). It is important to repeat that Catholics often misunderstand the Protestant principle of sola scriptura to exclude any truth outside the Bible. This, of course, is untrue.... What Protestants mean by sola scriptura is that the Bible alone is the infallible written authority for faith and morals.... Scripture is the sufficient and final written authority of God. As to sufficiency, the Biblenothing more, nothing less, and nothing elseis all that is necessary for faith and practice... the Bible is clear (perspicuous). The perspicuity of Scripture does not mean that everything in the Bible is perfectly clear, but rather the essential teachings are. Popularly put, in the Bible the main things are the plain things and the plain things are the main things. This is not to say that Protestants obtain no help from the Fathers and early councils... this is not to say that there is no usefulness to Christian tradition, but only that it is of secondary importance.

Reformed Protestant writer Keith A. Mathison concurs, while emphasizing the role of the Church a little more strongly:

Scripture alone is inspired and inherently infallible. Scripture alone is the supreme normative standard. But Scripture does not exist in a vacuum. It was and is given to the Church within the doctrinal context of the apostolic gospel. Scripture alone is the only final standard, but it is a final standard that must be utilized, interpreted, and preached by the Church within its Christian context.

It is important to notice that sola scriptura , properly understood, is not a claim that Scripture is the only authority altogether.... There are other real authorities which are subordinate and derivative in nature. Scripture, however, is the only inspired and inherently infallible norm, and therefore Scripture is the only final authoritative norm.

He adds, It must be emphasized that the fallibility of the Church does not render her authority invalid.

Reformed Baptist James R. White, despite belonging to the extreme anti-Catholic fundamentalist wing of Protestantism, nevertheless agrees with Geisler and Mathison in this respect, as we see in his series of expositions detailing first what sola scriptura is not:

1. First and foremost, sola scriptura is not a claim that the Bible contains all knowledge.

Sola scriptura is not a claim that the Bible is an exhaustive catalog of all religious knowledge .... It is obvious that the Bible does not need to be exhaustive to be sufficient as our source of divine truth.

Sola scriptura is not a denial of the authority of the Church to teach Gods truth ... The Church, as the body of Christ, presents and upholds the truth, but she remains subservient to it.... There is no warrant for the Lone Ranger Christian Syndrome so popular in Protestant circles these days.