Scripture alone

Scripture alone (from the Reformation slogan Sola Scriptura) is the teaching that Scripture is the Church's only infallible and sufficient rule for deciding issues of faith and practices that involve doctrines. While the Bible does not contain all knowledge, it does contain that which is necessary for salvation. Indeed, if something is not found in Scripture, it is not binding upon the believer. This view does not deny that the Church has the authority to teach God's Word. Furthermore, while tradition is valuable, it but must be tested by the higher authority of the Scriptures.
Sola Scriptura "does not mean that the Reformers rejected everything that every Christian in earlier ages has said: indeed, they often cited the early Christians as supporters of their own positions. However, they recognized that those earlier believers were not inspired, were not inerrant, and, in fact, quite often made errors in their judgments and beliefs, just as people do today. The only infallible rule of faith, they argued, is found in the pages of Holy Writ." 
In all of this, the role of the Holy Spirit is vital. The Word can only be received and obeyed by the Holy Spirit.
==Quotes==
* "You have Scripture for a master instead of me; from there you can learn whatever you would know." -John Chrysostom
* "Among those things which are said openly in Scripture are to be found all those teachings which involve faith, the mores of living, and that hope and charity which we have discussed." -Augustine, On Christian Doctrine trans. by D.W. Roberston, Jr. (New York: Liberal Arts Press, 1958) 11:9. 
* "The Church is to be judged by the Scriptures, not the Scriptures by the Church." - John Wesley
* "Let God-inspired Scripture decide between us; and on whichever side be found doctrines in harmony with the word of God, in favor of that side will be cast the vote of truth." - Basil of Caesarea (c. 330 - 379 A.D.) 
* "The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed." - Westminster Confession of Faith
==Resources==
===Favorable===
* The Shape of Sola Scriptura, by Keith A. Mathison (Canon Press, 2001) ISBN 1885767749
** R.C. Sproul says, "This work by Keith Mathison is the finest and most comprehensive treatment of the matter I've seen."
* Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, by Don Kistler ISBN 1573580287
* Scripture Alone, by James White (Bethany House Publishers, 2004) ISBN 0764220489
* Scripture Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine, by R.C. Sproul (P & R Publishing, 2005) ISBN 1596380101 (Review)
===Critical===
* Not by Scripture Alone: A Catholic Critique of the Protestant Doctrine of Sola Scriptura, by Robert A. Sungenis (editor) ISBN 1579180558
* Scripture Alone?: 21 Reasons to Reject Sola Scriptura, by Joel Peters ISBN 0895556405
==See also==
* Five Solas
* Inerrancy
* Authority of the Bible
* Wesleyan Quadrilateral
* Illumination of the Holy Spirit
== External links ==
* Sola scriptura (Wikipedia)
*A written debate on Sola Scriptura between Douglas Jones and Gerald Matatics from Antithesis Magazine 
*A formal written debate on Sola Scriptura between Julie Staples and Apolonio Latar
===Favorable===
* Sola Scriptura, by A.A. Hodge
* The authority and sufficiency of Scripture, by Scott McClare
*Many articles on Sola Scriptura from a Protestant perspective
* Why King James Version Onlyism Denies Sola Scriptura
* What Do We Mean by Sola Scriptura?, by W. Robert Godfrey
* "God told me" and the Sufficiency of Scripture, by Mark Dever: tinyurl.com/8tpmh
* The Authority and Sufficiency of Scripture by Gary E. Gilley
* Sola Scriptura: by the Scriptures Alone, by Pastor John Samson
* Thoughts on the Sufficiency of Scripture: What It Does and Doesn't Mean, by John Piper
* In Defense of Sola Scriptura, by C. Michael Patton
===Critical===
*A Catholic rebuttal to Sola Scriptura
*A Treatise on Sola Scriptura by Gary Hoge (Catholic)
*An Eastern Orthodox rebuttal to Sola Scriptura
*Bible-only Christians DRBO.org
Category:Five solasCategory:Bible