Sola Scriptura: The Bible Alone

Saturday, October 31 is Reformation Day which commemorates the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses (protesting abuses of the Roman Catholic church) to the church door in Wittenburg in 1517.

Luther's act is seen as the spark which began the reformation which quickly spread throughout much of Europe and has impacted the church and the world ever since.

A key issue in the reformation was that of authority. The Roman Catholics taught that authority rests in their church which defines and interprets the Scriptures. They also taught that the pronouncements of church councils, traditions, and papal pronouncements are authoritative alongside of Scripture. They once forbade lay people from possessing the Bible in any form (especially in their own languages) and forced them to attend ‘worship' which was conducted in a language they did not know (Latin).

Luther, who was a Monk teaching in the University in Wittenburg, began to understand, through His study of Scripture, that the church had strayed far from the Bible. At first he tried to reform the church, but when that failed, a new movement was born. Luther and the other reformers proclaimed that the Bible alone is our authority in matters of religious faith and practice (sola scriptura – scripture alone). This understanding also led them to see that the Bible teaches that salvation is by grace (sola gratia) along through faith alone (sola fide) in Christ (solo Christo) alone to God's glory alone (sole Deo Gloria). Here we stand!

Today we consider what the Bible says about its own infallibility, sufficiency, and power; and are reminded of the way of salvation taught throughout the Scriptures.