Sola Scriptura: The Language of the Church, of God, and of Unity

One reason the church should practice classical and historical Christian worship is that we do not want to forget where our language originates.

There was a time when every evangelical could sing, “The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that’s the book for me.” These days, the song has changed its tune and lyrics. The BIBLE may be a book for me, but it’s not necessarily authoritative or relevant. Today, many evangelical churches are skeptical about certain aspects of the Bible’s claims, particularly those related to moral issues. In a recent discussion, a priest in the Church of England declared that we shouldn’t be concerned with what the Bible says, but rather with the spirit behind the Bible's teachings. It almost sounds pious. But in this case, the “spirit of the Bible” translates to “Whatever I wish the Bible to mean to justify my sexual dispositions.”

In the last six months, I have received phone calls from concerned parents asking me to talk to their teenage sons who are doubting the veracity of the Bible. These young folks who grew up in evangelical churches did not receive a proper foundation; they did not learn what it means to presuppose the authority of the Bible in all things, and now, the first time a charismatic professor or friend challenges their assumptions, their entire faith begins to collapse.

What Sola Scriptura Is Not?

In this essay, I’d like to argue for Sola Scriptura in three distinct ways, but before I do so, it’d be helpful to articulate what Sola Scriptura is not. I will rely on a lecture delivered by a Lutheran acquaintance, Dr. Jordan Cooper.