Does the Bible Teach Sola Scriptura

Round III for Sola Scriptura IS taught in the Scriptures. To (again) define this oft debated term, Sola Scriptura means the simple fact that the Bible (the Scriptura) is the sole authority for Christian teaching. The following is an outline for Round 3: I. The Book of Hebrews proves Sola Scriptura II. James proves " " III. The Absence of an Express Prohibition proves " " IV. Denominations prove " " V. Sermon Topics prove " " VI. Conclusion I. The Book of Hebrews proves Sola Scriptura Even a casual read through the Book of Hebrews proves its complete dependence upon ONE scripture (The Old Testament) as its sources and thereby gives evidence for Sola Scriptura. Hebrews begins by reminding readers of "the fathers" of the faith who were spoken "unto ... by the prophets." Hebrews 1.1. We know "the fathers" and "the prophets" mean the OT writers and founders of the true faith in G-d. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 6 quotes Psalm 8.4 of the OT saying, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?" Jesus Christ is compared to Moses in Hebrews chapter 3. King David is invoked in Hebrews 4. Both (Moses and King David) are OT figures. The OT sacrificial systems, found originally in the OT in Deuteronomy and Leviticus, are invoked in Hebrews 5. Abraham and Melchisedec, OT figures, are referenced in Hebrews 6. In chapter 7, "the sons of Levi" and "the office of the priesthood" are referenced, as well the phrase, "according to the law." We know and understand that these were OT tribes, offices, and understand "according to the law" to be a mode of the OT Jewish judiciary. I could easily continue through the remaining 6 chapters of Hebrews pointing out its elucidation and invocation of the Old Testament. The point is this: The Book of Hebrews does not concern itself with church commentators, or any old writer or apologists of the day; rather, it lifts up, explains, and compares the OT Scriptures and the OT Scriptures alone. From this we should understand that The Book of Hebrews steadfastly relied upon certain sacred texts and in doing so trusts those texts ALONE for its understanding of the modern Christian faith. This is another example where the writers here adhered to the principle of Sola Scriptura. II. James proves Sola Scriptura James makes reference to two ideas indicative of Sola Scriptura: 1) "the perfect law of liberty" and 2) "the royal law according to the scripture," James 1.25 and 2.8, respectively. First, within the quote "the perfect law of liberty" there are the ideas of 1) "a law" and 2) the perfection of this law. James equates this perfect law to "the word" several times. James 1.22, 23. It should be clear he is talking about the Scriptures. The idea when taken together is that there exists ONE perfect Word which James understands to be "a law." The singularity and completeness of this law is akin to the principle of Sola Scriptura where a sole or singular text is the guide for one's practice. Secondly, taking this point further, when James wrote "the royal law according to the scripture," he quickly explained what that meant and references two OT passages, Deuteronomy 6.5 and Leviticus 19.18. (On a side note, notice he mentions a law again in this quote and say it is "according to THE SCRIPTURE" -- Singular.) The reason this is significant is it shows that James amalgamated two OT principles to form a guiding principle for his faith; this is him adhering to ONE text and is proof that he practices Sola Scriptura. Thirdly, within these two quotes there is a reference to the idea of a singular "law." Law, in general, attempts to be predictable, unvarying, and steadfast. James" twice emphasizes "law" and thus we understand that he recognized a singular law, one that was comprised of OT ideas. By doing this, James showed us that he practiced Sola Scriptura. Lastly, James mentioned "the law," "the prophets," "the patience of Job," and prayerful "Elias," suggesting the thoroughness by which he recognized OT sources for understanding, relating and practicing his faith. James 4.11, 12; 5.10, 11; 5.17, 18. This is more evidence that James held the OT scriptures ONLY as authoritative for his faith and practice; he believed in and practiced Sola Scriptura. III. The Absence of an Express Prohibition suggests Sola Scriptura Opponents of Sola Scriptura frequently use this argument: nowhere in the Scriptures are we commanded to use One text and One text only. For Point III's sake, I will concede that argument and counter with this: nowhere in the Scriptures are we commanded NOT TO USE ONE TEXT. Just because G-d never comes out and expressly commands us to "use one Text ONLY" does NOT mean we are forbidden from doing that. To bolster Point III, we ARE repeatedly warned against adding to or taking from Scripture. Deuteronomy 4.2, 12.32; Proverbs 30.5, 6. We are also warned to be wary of deceit, false doctrines, and false teachers. 1 Timothy 4.6; Matthew 24.11; 2 Corinthians 11:13-14; II Peter 2.1. Obviously, G-d wants His word and doctrines protected. Sola Scriptura is the best way to ensure we are protecting G-d's word and obeying His command NOT to add to His word and also heeding His warnings to be wary of deceitful teachers and doctrines. While G-d never comes right out and says USE ONE TEXT, He never comes right out and refuses it. By adhering to Sola Scriptura, we greatly increase our chances of obeying the prohibitions that G-d DID comes right out and say. Sola Scriptura is, therefore, a biblical practice. IV. Denominations prove Sola Scriptura The sheer number of denominations give evidence of Sola Scriptura. There are large numbers of Christian Denominations, from Baptists, to Protestants, to Catholics and more. Yet, a curious fact remains: all of these denominations GENERALLY adhere to certain fundamentals from ONE SINGLE book: the Holy Bible. The fact that several denominations exist and ALL have their fundamental principles "anchored" to the Holy Bible is additional proof of Sola Scriptura. V. Sermon Topics Prove Sola Scriptura Do preachers preach out of commentaries or the Bible? When your bishop ascends his pulpit, what book does he take his text from? Is it a commentary, a curious writing by some long ago Christian? While those may color his sermon, I bet they are not his source. His source is "The Scriptures." Therefore, the example of your preacher's sermons prove his reliance upon the cannon as his sole authority; that is Sola Scriptura. VI. Conclusion My colleague has had a fit about distinguishing Prima vs Sola Scriptura. That is the vagaries of elevated scholarship I mentioned earlier, something hardly worth the breath, and something that leads to endless squabbling. Going down that trail we could have and would have had to continue on to distinguish Supra Prima, Sectional Prima, Prima Sola, Supra Prima Sola, and on and on and on. As you can see, readers, the endless parsing is what I stayed away from: we would never get to the point of the debate. Regarding the arguments, my esteemed colleague has offered you conjecture and has failed to buttress it with anything substantive. His favorite mode of debate -- selecting verses or bits of my arguments and taking them out of context -- is a far cry from elucidation and honest inquiry. Rather, those modes of debate lead to gross oversight and error. That is also how false doctrines are introduced. However, the arguments I presented considered the sacred cannon AS A WHOLE. I have shown that certain texts WERE and ARE solely adhered to. I highlighted how people throughout Scripture honored a single sacred text. I showed you how people continue to honor what are called "the Scriptures," something singular and complete. These arguments combine to show that Sola Scriptura can be found in the Bible AND are found in practice today. - MSP