Is the Bible Alone the Primary and Absolute Source for All Doctrine?

Since the time of Martin Luther, multiple ways of defining sola scriptura have surfaced.

This is problematic: not only do Protestants disagree with Catholics over sola scriptura, but they don’t agree among themselves how to define the belief. If there is no uniform standard or definition used by all or even most Protestants, it can’t be our sole rule of faith. 

Some Protestants try to offer coherent definitions of sola scriptura. Not only do these definitions differ from one another, but each of them is flawed. Let’s consider a couple.

The Bible Alone Is the Christian’s Rule of Faith

“The doctrine of sola scriptura, simply stated, is that the scriptures and the scriptures alone are sufficient to function as the regula fide, the ‘rule of faith’ for the Church. All that one must believe to be a Christian is found in Scripture and in no other source. That which is not found in Scripture is not binding upon the Christian conscience.” 

PROBLEM #1: We know that the Church has known at least one other rule of faith—namely, apostolic teaching, which is binding upon Christians. Moreover, Scripture doesn’t ever say that apostolic teaching will cease to function as a rule of faith. We can look to Matthew 16:19, 18:18; Acts 15:22-29; 1 Corinthians 5:3-5; and 2 Timothy 2:1-2 for examples.

PROBLEM #2: For sola scriptura to work, the canon of the Bible (the list of books that belong in it) must certainly be binding upon all Christians. But that list is not found anywhere in the Bible.

PROBLEM #3: Certain distinctive characteristics of Christ’s Church, such as its hierarchical structure and its sacramental system, are “found in Scripture” and hence are part of the rule of faith for Christians. How does an adherent to this definition of sola scriptura know when to apply this principle and when to ignore it? 

PROBLEM #4: Saying that Scripture is “all that one must believe to be a Christian” doesn’t specify if Scripture contains just those truths necessary for salvation or if it also contains all the truths of Christian theology. For example, the existence of angels is a theological truth we find in the Bible. But is it something we must believe in? 

The famous nineteenth-century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon asserted that not all theological truths are of equal importance:

We are not saved by knowing any one theological truth we may choose to think of, for there are some theological truths which are comparatively of inferior value. They are not vital or essential, and a man may know them, and yet may not be saved. 

If these truths are not vital, then the reverse may also be true: a person might not know them but still be saved. This invites Protestants to discard or downplay certain doctrines as being of “inferior value” based on their own judgment. Yet Jesus never gave his followers liberty to judge the value of a given biblical truth (Matt. 28:20). Jesus did not make optional any teachings in the Father’s plan of redemption, to empower individual believers to do so would violate the integrity of God’s revelation to humanity.

PROBLEM #5: Since the essential parts of biblical revelation are not defined, what it means to be a Christian is not defined. If sola scriptura doesn’t tell us how to know for sure that we’re Christians, how can it be our sole rule of faith?

The Bible Alone Is the Primary and Absolute Source for All Doctrine

“By sola scriptura Protestants mean that Scripture alone is the primary and absolute source for all doctrine and practice (faith and morals). Sola scriptura implies several things. First, the Bible is a direct revelation from God. As such, it has divine authority. . . . Second, the Bible is sufficient: it is all that is necessary for faith and practice. For Protestants ‘the Bible alone’ means ‘the Bible only’ is the final authority for our faith. Third, the scriptures not only have sufficiency, but they also possess final authority. They are the final court of appeal on all doctrinal and moral matters.” 

PROBLEM #1: The claim of sufficiency—that the Bible is “all that is necessary for faith and practice”—is disproved by Church history. We know that from the earliest centuries the Christian faithful relied—sometimes in a critical way—on what the Church affirmed and denied in its councils, especially when refuting the many heresies that threatened to pull Christians away from authentic apostolic teaching. It was the Church’s Magisterium that provided doctrinal clarity, as evidenced by the numerous times it had to address heresies that were based on Scripture. In those instances, the implications of sola scriptura actually created disputes, and the Bible by itself could not be used to resolve them. 

PROBLEM #2: The claim of an absolute source of authority is also refuted by the exercise of the Church’s magisterial authority in its councils. The Church has always expected believers to accept what it promulgates as binding because it is the final court of appeal. Christians are not at liberty to go back to the Bible and judge a council’s proceedings for themselves. That is not the mechanism Jesus set up to ensure doctrinal purity in his Church.

There is so much more to learn.