Scripture Alone Series

Scripture

During this fall, we are focusing our attention on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. The Reformation began when an Augustinian monk name Martin Luther nailed Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. His propositions sparked a debate that eventually gave us five key Reformation doctrines, and are usually referred to by their Latin names: sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola gratia (grace alone), sola fide (faith alone), and soli deo Gloria (glory to God alone). Today, I would like to examine Scripture alone.

Let’s read 2 Timothy 3:1-17:

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:1-17)

Introduction

Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Luther’s concern regarding the Scripture was that it should be the sole, ultimate authority for the Church and Christians. The Roman Catholic Church in Luther’s day also believed that the Scripture was authoritative for faith and life. However, they did not believe that Scripture was the sole, ultimate authority. They believed that of equal authority to the Scripture were the traditions of the Church, the councils of the Church, and the Pope. Luther and the other Protestant Reformers said that the Scripture, the traditions, the councils, and the Pope did not have equal authority. They asserted that the supreme and sole authority was the Scripture. That is why they said that Scripture alone was authoritative.

For almost 500 years the Evangelical Church agreed that the Scripture was the sole, ultimate authority for the Church. The authority of Scripture is a settled doctrine in the Church. However, the doctrine that we must recover today is not the authority of Scripture but rather the sufficiency of Scripture. James Montgomery Boice, upon whose book titled Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? much of the material for this series is based, wrote:

The Reformers wanted Scripture to stand alone as the church’s true authority. Today, at least in the evangelical church, that is not our chief problem; we assert biblical authority. Rather, our problem is in deciding whether the Bible is sufficient for the church’s life and work. We confess its authority, but we discount its ability to do what is necessary to draw unbelievers to Christ, enable us to grow in godliness, provide direction for our lives, and transform and revitalize society. So, we substitute such things as Madison Avenue methodology for biblical evangelism, special “religious” experiences rather than knowledge of the word to promote and guarantee sanctification, special revelations for discerning the will of God for our lives, and a trust in the power of votes and money to change society. In other words, in the sixteenth century the battle was against those who wanted to add church traditions to Scripture, but in our day the battle is against those who would have us use worldly means to do God’s work.