Think Update #15 - Can You Defend Sola Scriptura?
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Sometimes Guys Send Me Apologetics Questions
(and you can too by going to https://thethink.institute/contact).
When I get a question, I try to answer it thoughtfully and thoroughly. With this recent question I received, I was amazed at how the Lord had prepared me to answer it.
I've been outlining Dr. James White's book Scripture Alone, section by section, over the last several weeks. So when this viewer emailed me asking about the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, I was ready. Below, I'm going to share with you what he asked and how I responded. My hope is that it will help equip you to answer this question—whether for yourself or for someone else who asks you. And by all means, go check out Dr. White's excellent book, which you can find here.
A Defense of Sola Scriptura
Hi Joel,
I am having a discussion with a friend regarding many topics but one that has come up consistently is the topic of sola Scriptura. My friend is an evidentialist and loves to witness through science, physics, math, etc. I am a presuppositionalist. He seems to claim that the doctrine of sola Scriptura is not found in the Bible. Is he not then appealing to Sola Scriptura, the very thing he doesn't believe is in the Bible, to say that the doctrine is not in the bible? I'm trying to rack my brain thinking that this is somehow reductio ad absurdum. I watch lots of your videos and thought you might have an idea. Thanks for your time.
—A.
Dear A.,
Thanks for reaching out, and I'm glad to know you're finding my videos helpful.
It sounds like what your friend is trying to do is to use your own view against you. I think he's not trying to appeal to Scripture to refute your claim (as if it's his sole authority), but rather trying to undermine your belief in scriptural sufficiency by proving it to be unfounded by Scripture.
Viewed one way, it might be that he's trying to make the following argument:
If you profess Sola Scriptura, then (to be consistent) you ought to be able to point to a verse in Scripture that expressly teaches Sola Scriptura, or else your position is inconsistent. Since you can't do this, you are therefore inconsistent and don't really hold to Sola Scriptura.
^Taken this way, his argument would be that you yourself are wrong.
Viewed another way, he might be saying this:
1. If Sola Scriptura is a true principle, then it is expressly taught in Scripture.
2. Sola Scriptura is not expressly taught in Scripture.
∴Sola Scriptura is not a true principle.
^In this second case, he's arguing that the principle itself is wrong.
In the end there's probably not much material difference in either of these arguments. He's trying to debunk your belief in Sola Scriptura.
At first, we can see how this is a challenging objection. On the surface, it might seem like Sola Scriptura might need to be expressly articulated in a verse or passage for it to be a valid principle. However, we can be grateful this isn't the case. Sola Scriptura is a perfectly rational (and true) principle, and we can get there by starting solely with Scripture.
According to James White,* Sola Scriptura means "Scripture alone [is] the sole infallible rule of faith for the church." A rule of faith is "that which governs and guides what we believe and why." In other words, Sola Scriptura affirms "the freedom of Scripture to rule as God's word in the church, disentangled from papal and ecclesiastical magisterium and tradition." A corollary to this is the idea that, "all a person must believe to be a follower of Christ is found in Scripture and in no other source."
Scripture has three attributes that "nothing else can begin to approach":
- Sufficiency
- Certainty
- Infallibility
In Chapter One of his book Scripture Alone (2004, Bethany House), which I highly recommend, Dr White gives three arguments for Sola Scriptura. Here are two of them:
Argument One: God revealing His truth via written revelation fits our experience and God's purposes.
Premises:
It is logical to believe that God, who gave the ability of man's body and mind, and the desire for communication, would be able to communicate at a level on par with Man's ability, and that he would do so.
This, combined with the assumption that God has a purpose in His creation and pursues His ends therein, entails that God is motivated to communicate with us in such a way "so as to produce the ends He desires," including the end of communicating His truth to all or part of humanity over multiple generations (19).
A written document would fit the bill—as it could be transmitted over time—and its consistency "would provide a means of maintaining its integrity over time." (White means by this that the revelation's consistency over time would give a means for correcting misinterpretation, rather than helping with the transmission of the text. "The protection of the text over time falls under God's purpose in giving the revelation in the first place; that is, if God has a purpose in giving the revelation, He will then see to its protection over time."
Conclusion: " "If God wished to reveal Himself to His creation, He could do so in a written body of revelation. In fact, such a revelation is consistent with the facts of creation as we have experienced them." —————
Argument 2: "Scriptural sufficiency… is the necessary result of sound beliefs concerning God and His purposes."
Two major teachings form the core of this belief:
The nature of Scripture: Scripture is God's word (cf. "Thus saith the Lord" of the prophets; "It is written" of the apostles; Psalm 119; The Lord Jesus's teaching ministry; Confessions of 2 Tim 3:14-17; 2 Pe 1:20-21; Nothing else is described as God-breathed than Scripture).
What the Bible teaches about the "only other possible 'candidate' for a necessary complement to written divine revelation, [i.e.] tradition": Scripture acknowledges the existence and inevitability of tradition. Scripture also teaches that "all forms of tradition… are to be subjected to the higher authority of the enscripturated Word" (cf. Mt 15:1-9; Mk 7:5-13). "Traditions" sometimes obviously refers to the Gospel itself (cf 2 Th 2:15). Scripture is never said to be God-breathed or presented as equal or over Scripture.
Conclusion: "The divine truth of biblical sufficiency is based firmly upon the bedrock of the nature of Scripture and God's sovereign rule over His creation… not a doctrine unto itself that canbe separated from the rest of revelation."
—————
Andrew, notice that none of the above relies on the Church or Church Tradition, but rather solely on Scripture, via logical reasoning (and the use of logical reasoning does not negate Sola Scriptura, rather it is iself justified by Scripture (in a way that Church Tradition is not; see above); the doctrine of Sola Scriptura is not Scripture-apart-from-reason(!)).
A few loose ends we might still need to tie up here would be, 1. Does your friend understand the definition and scope of the Doctrine of Sola Scriptura—could it be that he's arguing against something he doesn't understand? 2. Does your friend think that the value of appeals to General Revelation somehow negates Sola Scriptura? (it doesn't, and I would hope he doesn't think we need secular scientific "consensus" in order to rightly interpret Scripture!).
Anyway I hope this is helpful. Please let me know if I can clarify anything.
I'll also say, I've been outlining Dr White's book Scripture Alone, and though I'm not done yet, I'd be happy to share with you my notes so far, if you'd be interested. Just let me know.
In Christ,
Joel
Until Next Time
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Your brother in Christ,
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*all quotations and information from this book can be found in James R. White, Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bible's Accuracy, Authority, and Authenticity (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2004), 9-6.