N.T. Wright on sola scriptura:
“The Reformers’ sola scriptura slogan was part of its protest against perceived medieval corruptions. Go back to scripture, they insisted, and you will find the once-for-all death of Jesus but not the Mass, justification by faith but not purgatory, the power of God’s word but not of the Pope. Their insistence that scripture contains all things necessary to salvation (a point which remains loud and clear in the formularies of most of the churches which take their origins from the Reformation) was part of their protest against the Roman insistence on belief in dogmas like transubstantiation as necessary articles of faith. It was never a way of saying that one had to believe every single thing in the scriptures in order to be saved. Rather, it provided on the one hand a statute of limitation: nothing beyond scripture is to be taught as requiring to be believed in order to be saved. On the other, it gave a basic signpost on the way: the great truths taught in scripture are indeed the way of salvation, and those entrusted with the teaching office in the church have no right to use that office to teach anything else.
The Reformers thus set scripture over against the traditions of the church; the recovery of the literal sense over against the lush growth of the three other senses; and the right of ordinary Christians to read scripture for themselves over against the protection of the sacred text by the Latin-reading elite. They did so in order to insist that the church had got off the right track and that the living God was using scripture itself to get it back on the right one. Scripture was not just a resource to be brought in to back up, or to knock down, a particular idea. When expounded faithfully, with proper attention given to the central New Testament emphasis on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the turning-point of all history (it happened once and once only, they stressed, and could not be repeated with each Mass), God’s word would once again do a fresh work in the hearts and lives of ordinary people. It was with these ordinary people in mind that some of the great Reformers became translators, the best known being Luther in Germany and Tyndale in England. Both men have exercised a lasting influence, not only on Christian thinking but on the languages of their people in the subsequent centuries.”
source: N.T. Wright, Scripture and the Authority of God, Chapter 7: Scripture from the Second to the Seventeenth Century, Sola Scriptura and the Reformation.
“U
nless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the pope or in councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen.”
– Maarten Luther (1)
“The rule of theological verity is not two-fold, one primary and the other secondary; but it is one and simple, the Sacred Scriptures.
2. The Scriptures are the rule of all divine verity, from themselves, in themselves, and through themselves; and it is a rash assertion, “that they are indeed the rule, but only when understood according to the meaning of the confession of the Dutch churches, or when explained by the interpretation of the Heidelberg Catechism.”
3. No writing composed by men — by one man, by few men, or by many — (with the exception of the Holy Scriptures,) is either axiopison “creditable of itself,” or autopison “of itself deserving of implicit credence,” and, therefore, is not exempted from an examination to be instituted by means of the Scriptures.
4. It is a thoughtless assertion, “that the Confession and Catechism are called in question, when they are subjected to examination;” for they have never been placed beyond the hazard of being called in doubt, nor can they be so placed.
5. It is tyrannical and popish to bind the consciences of men by human writings, and to hinder them from being submitted to a legitimate examination, under what pretext soever such tyrannical conduct is adopted.”
– Jacobus Arminius (2)
Source: unknown
Source: unknown
“For the scientific mind, the Bible is wonderful if you read it from start to finish. It fits together with an astonishing consistency, which was the opposite of my secular perception. My early impressions were that it was rife with contradictions.”
– Dr. Raymond Damian, inventor of the MRI-scan in Chuvala, Images of the Body, 7.
Source: unknown
My personal opinion is that Luther was right in the fact that The traditions of men got corrupted (Mark 7:8, Colossians 2:8) and contradict themselves. Therefore it cannot be viewed as equal to the inerrancy of Scripture. Tradition of the early Christians is useful to learn from but not perfect. The Scriptures are “given by inspiration of God, and are profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Since God inspired them, they contain truth and not half-truths and therefore the Bible is inerrant.
I believe that the Scriptures contain the 66 Books, no more or less books. The proof for this is that only the 66 Books where generally accepted as inspired by the early Christians and that for example 2 Maccabees claims to contain exaggerations. (2 Maccabees 15:38-39)
I truly believe in sola scriptura; Bible above tradition.
I believe teachings should be from the Bible only (1 Corinthians 4:6, Colossians 2:8).
Source: Challies
Source: unknown
But we should defend the Bible!
(Although the Bible itself doesn’t need our defence to be true):
“Always be ready to give an answer
to anyone who asks you a reason
for the hope that is in you”
– 1 Peter 3:15b (TLV)
This video might help:
Also, Apologeticspress.org can help tremendously.
“That ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written,
that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.”
– 1 Corinthians 4:6 [KJV, crossed out “of men”, as it is not in the Greek – as the KJV indicates by using italics -. It is more clear without those words, as it then indicates that we should try to stick to the Bible, as good as we can and not follow nonbiblical traditions of man (Mark 7:8).]
This man knows the value of the Bible and so should you:
Source: Qpolitical (youtube)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
“The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.”
– Søren Kierkegaard, Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard
(1) Maarten Luther, at the diet of Worms
Quote taken from: Martin Brecht. Martin Luther. tr. James L. Schaaf, Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985–93, 1:460.
(2) Jacobus Arminius, Certain Articles To Be Diligently Examined And Weighed. Because Some Controversy Has Arisen Concerning Them Among Even Those Who Profess The Reformed Religion, Scripture And Human Traditions
Picture of Luther: Lukas Cranach the elder, Maarten Luther, TimeRime
, James 2:22, biblija blog
Picture of Dr. Raymond Damadian: creationwiki
Picture of Spurgeon: challies
Picture of Søren Kierkegaard: brycerich
crosstheology.wordpress.com 