Sermon Central
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Sola, Sola, Sola Series
Contributed by Jeff Strite on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: I had never heard of the 5 Solas of the Reformation Movement till this last year. They are the founding principles of that movement and they're pretty good stuff... but we don't teach them. Why don't we?
Now that brings me to the last 2 solas…. And here’s where the problem lies.
“Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”): The Bible alone is our highest authority.”
Now, how many of you believe that the BIBLE ALONE is our highest authority? Of course you do. In fact, one of our brotherhood’s mottos is: “Where the Bible speaks we speak and where the Bible is silent we are silent.”
Now if that was what the Reformation Movement meant by Sola Scriptura then we’d have no problem with with this “Sola”. But one reformation scholar describes “sola Scriptura” this way:
“Sola Scriptura acknowledges the authority of the CHURCH and its TRADITION, including CREEDS and CONFESSIONS, but always as subordinate to, and only as they agree with, the Scriptures…. More robust creeds and confessions seek to articulate what the entire Bible says on a given subject or a range of subjects. This is NECESSARY because IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to turn to one passage or book of the Bible to define baptism, prayer, atonement, or any other doctrine.”
(Rev. Jason Helopoulos is associate pastor of University Reformed Church (PCA) in East Lansing, Mich. He is author of “The New Pastor’s Handbook” and “A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home.”)
ILLUS: Now, for the uninitiated, let me explain what is meant “traditions”, “creeds”, and “confessions.” Essentially these are human definitions of Biblical truths - and many of them are definitions that we’d agree with in principle. The problem we have with traditions, creeds and books of doctrine is that they end up being “filters” through which believers view Scripture. (I placed a piece of paper on top of a Bible and identified it as a Creed”) Rather than read Scripture, the folks in these kinds of churches simply believe the Creed/tradition/book of doctrine is the truth thru which the Bible must be understood. And that’s essentially what this reformation scholar was saying: he was saying we NEED church traditions and creeds because you could never arrive at a proper conclusion of what the Bible says by simply reading Scripture. It would be impossible because you’re just not smart enough!!!
Now, that’s pure hog wash! It’s balderdash! (Can I be any clearer than that?) And I can prove that this assumption by this reformation scholar is hogwash!!!
ILLUS: How did Luther, and Wycliffe and John Hus - and all those other guys - discover that the Catholic church was teaching wrong things? Did they turn to Church Tradition? Did they study Church Creeds? Did they meditate on books of doctrine? No? Well, where did they get the idea that Catholicism was wrong? They arrived at their conclusions by studying scripture!
They were Bible men learning Bible truths from Bible passages.
If you want truth about God’s will, don’t look to man-made creeds or traditions or books of doctrine, or any other form of human reasoning, because they don’t have the power OR the authority of Scripture.
II Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is GOD-BREATHED and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, SO THAT the man of God may be THOROUGHLY EQUIPPED for every good work.” (You don’t need anything else).
