Scripture Alone Is Still Enough Why the Reformation’s rallying cry remains vital in a world of competing truths. May 29th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

 

Scripture Alone Is Still Enough

Why the Reformation’s rallying cry remains vital in a world of competing truths.

May 29th, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

We often hear about the “five solas” of the Reformation Scripture alone, grace alone, faith alone, Christ alone, and glory to God alone. But interestingly, this list of five wasn’t formalized until 1965. Earlier Reformers focused primarily on three Scripture, grace, and faith. In fact, as late as the 19th century, scholars like Philip Schaff only highlighted two. Even more surprising, some historians now question whether the expression sola Scriptura "Scripture alone" was ever explicitly coined during the Reformation era.

So, is sola Scriptura even a true Reformation doctrine?

Absolutely but like most foundational truths, it requires careful explanation.

A Reformation Concept Rooted in Context

Though the phrase “Scripture alone” might not have appeared verbatim in early creeds, the concept was alive and well. Martin Luther famously declared in The Bondage of the Will, “We are willing to fight each other, not by appealing to the authority of any doctor, but by that of Scripture alone.” The Reformers clearly placed the Bible in a category of ultimate authority, especially in matters of doctrine and salvation.

But what does “Scripture alone” actually mean? What is it the standard for?

Scripture’s Specific Scope

When we say that Scripture is our only standard, we’re not claiming it’s our only source of information. You’ll still need manuals to assemble furniture or books to understand calculus. Sola Scriptura doesn’t cancel out reason, science, or the natural world. It means that Scripture alone is the final authority on what must be believed and done to be saved.

Even the Reformers themselves acknowledged this. The Belgic Confession, for instance, affirms that we know God through both Scripture and the natural world the “beautiful book” of creation. The Westminster Confession frequently references “the light of nature” and common sense, affirming that God has given us tools to understand Him beyond just Scripture. But only Scripture tells us the way of salvation.

A Sufficient Guide to Saving Knowledge

The Church of England’s 39 Articles put it succinctly: “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation.” This is the heartbeat of sola Scriptura. Scripture is not the only thing we can learn from, but it is the only origin of doctrine necessary for salvation.

This doesn’t mean other teachers and traditions aren’t helpful. Faithful saints from Augustine to your Sunday School teacher can faithfully explain biblical truths. But their authority is derivative. They must be judged by the Word. As the Westminster Confession puts it, no doctrine is required “except it be contained in Scripture, or proved by it.”

And this means something very important in our current age: new revelations, extra-biblical traditions, and spiritual experiences cannot establish doctrine. Every truth claim must be tested against Scripture. It is the only rule that never errs.

Scripture and Reason: Not Opponents but Partners

Of course, the application of sola Scriptura requires interpretation. Scripture doesn’t function on autopilot. We need logic, grammar, context, and community to understand its teachings. Luther himself famously added, “Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason, I cannot recant.”

So reason is not an alternative to Scripture. It’s a God-given means of understanding and applying it. The real debate, then, often lies in the realm of interpretation and that’s where historical creeds and councils still matter.

Councils: Valuable but Not Infallible

The Reformers didn’t reject church councils. They drafted many of them. From national synods to denominational assemblies, these gatherings helped clarify belief and unify the Church. But sola Scriptura insists that no council can claim final authority over a Christian’s conscience. All human statements however historic or cherished must yield to the judgment of Scripture.

Even the creeds and confessions we treasure are fallible. They serve as helpful guides, but they are not Scripture. They may need to be revised. They must always be judged by the higher, unchanging standard: the Word of God.

The Light We Still Need Today

So what does all this mean for us?

It means that God, in His mercy, gave us a clear and sufficient guide. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Not a flashlight that flickers with the trends of culture. Not a torch passed only to scholars and pastors. But a lamp for every believer sturdy, reliable, and full of truth.

We don’t walk through a fog of uncertainty about God’s will. The Scriptures don’t answer every question about politics, economics, or medicine but they give us all we need to know God, trust Christ, and inherit eternal life.

A 2022 LifeWay Research study found that only 32% of American Protestants read the Bible daily. Yet 89% affirm its importance. The gap between what we believe about Scripture and how we engage with it suggests that many of us affirm sola Scriptura in theory but live by “some Scripture plus something else” in practice.

Let us return to the Word. Let us judge every voice, every trend, every philosophy by its truth. Let us hold fast to the one book that will not fade, the one voice that will not fail, and the one foundation that will not fall.

Because while sola Scriptura might not have always been a slogan, it has always been a safeguard against error, against pride, and against the temptation to seek truth where only shadows dwell.

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