Sola Scriptura is the doctrine that Scripture is the sole infallible rule of faith for the people of God. Here’s a quote from Dr. John MacArthur, adapted from his contribution to “Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible”:

“The Reformation principle of sola Scriptura has to do with the sufficiency of Scripture as our supreme authority in all spiritual matters. Sola Scriptura simply means that all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. It is not a claim that all truth of every kind is found in Scripture. The most ardent defender of sola Scriptura will concede, for example, that Scripture has little or nothing to say about DNA structures, microbiology, the rules of Chinese grammar, or rocket science. This or that “scientific truth,” for example, may or may not be actually true, whether or not it can be supported by Scripture—but Scripture is a “more sure Word,” standing above all other truth in its authority and certainty. It is “more sure,” according to the apostle Peter, than the data we gather firsthand through our senses (2 Peter 1:19). Therefore, Scripture is the highest and supreme authority on any matter on which it speaks.

But there are many important questions on which Scripture is silent. Sola Scriptura makes no claim to the contrary. Nor does sola Scriptura claim that everything Jesus or the apostles ever taught is preserved in Scripture. It only means that everything necessary, everything binding on our consciences, and everything God requires of us is given to us in Scripture (2 Peter 1:3).

Furthermore, we are forbidden to add to or take away from Scripture (cf. Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Rev. 22:18–19). To add to it is to lay on people a burden that God Himself does not intend for them to bear (cf. Matt. 23:4).

Scripture is therefore the perfect and only standard of spiritual truth, revealing infallibly all that we must believe in order to be saved and all that we must do in order to glorify God. That—no more, no less—is what sola Scriptura means.”

“The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.” — Westminster Confession of Faith

THE NECESSITY v. THE SUFFICIENCY OF GRACE

Martin Luther and his Reformers had 5 main slogans, all using the word “Sola,” which is the Latin word for “alone.” It was this word “alone” that designated the true biblical Gospel and set it apart from all other pretenders.

Rome believed (then as it does now) that justification is by grace, through faith and because of Christ. What Rome does not believe is that justification is by faith alone, or by grace alone, or by Christ alone. For Rome, justification is by grace plus merit, through faith plus works; by Christ plus the sinner’s contribution of inherent righteousness. In contrast, the Reformers called the Church back to the one true Biblical Gospel: based on the assured foundation of Scripture alone, God declares a person “just” or right in His sight, by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, to the Glory of God alone.

I would like to recommend some resources regarding the Five Solas. I do not believe I am over-stating the situation when I say that nothing is more vital to the health of today’s Church than a widespread return to these biblical doctrines.

(1) This excellent short article here discusses Luther’s own embracing and proclamation of the solas.

(2) I cannot speak more highly of Dr. James Montgomery Boice’s book “Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace?” It continues to have a profound effect on my life and ministry. If you do not have it yet, I would encourage you to do all you can to get it. You can do so here.

(3) Dr. Sproul’s series “God Alone” is an outstanding historical and biblical study of the five solas. For the next few days, Ligonier Ministries is making the entire 10 message series on CD available for any size gift here.

(4) I personally love to preach and teach on this theme. It is central in all I seek to communicate. You can hear my sermon on “The Five Solas of the Gospel” here.

(5) You can also read a short series of articles I wrote on this theme here, and about how it is entirely possible for five things to stand together alone here.

For those who have asked, the answer is “yes, that is me in the photo.” Taken on Reformation Day (the last Sunday in October) I’m wearing my Five Solas T-shirt and my Martin Luther rose cap.

New to the Reformed faith, I remember taking a car journey with a fellow minister. I had a book in my hands outlining the five Solas of the Protestant Reformation. Seeing this, my preacher friend remarked, “I just don’t get it? The word “Sola” means alone, right?”

“Yes” I replied.

He then said, “Well how is it in any way possible for five things together to be alone? Its utter hogwash.”

Now I was not sure exactly what “hogwash” was. Perhaps it is the water left behind in a tub after a pig has taken a bath. I wasn’t sure… but whatever it was, I could tell that it was not good in any way at all. My preacher friend thought the concept of the five Solas was intellectually untenable.

You are probably now waiting for me to finish this story by saying that in intellectual prowess and intestinal fortitude, I rose up (if that is possible in the passenger seat of a car) and put ignorance and unbelief to the sword, with a single blast of God given wisdom as the oracles of God thundered forth out of my mouth. Well, I could end the story that way, but I would be lying. The fact is, I did not really know how to answer him. I stumbled around… I am sure I said something, and yet he and I both knew that I had no adequate answer that day.

Don’t get me wrong. I knew there was an answer. I just was not sure what it was or how to articulate it.

Many years on, if I was asked that same question today I think I would seek to provide an answer by using a simple illustration. As with most illustrations (or parables) there is usually a limit as to how far one can go – each image in the parable cannot usually be stretched too far, but the illustration can at least provide a window, an insight, that can help people understand concepts far better than before. The same is true in this case.

The American Space organization NASA has a desire to put a man on the moon and for him to walk on it. With their best personnel, they form a highly skilled team and take what they know of the laws of science and set about the task of designing and building a rocket capable of accomplishing their goal. They build a launch site for the rocket and fill the rocket with specially designed rocket fuel.. and to cut a long story short, the man goes inside the rocket, the countdown… counts all the way down… the rocket launches and many days later, the man lands and walks on the moon. Every goal was achieved; the mission was successful.

We could summarize the mission as follows: Based on the laws of science alone, the man walked on the moon by means of rocket-fuel alone, through enclosing himself in his space suit alone, because of the rocket alone, for the glory of NASA alone.

It was not the laws of science, plus something else added, it was not rocket fuel, plus hamburger meat thrown in, it was not the space suit plus a 30 minute moonwalk wearing only his favorite Football uniform, it was the rocket alone that got him there and not some sea hovercraft added in, and when NASA got him there, the fishermen of Iceland who had nothing to do with the enterprise could not take any of the praise when the goal was realized.

In a similar way, the Reformers, in articulating the five Solas used prepositions to state these central truths. They explain how five things all work together in the plan of God, and yet each is distinct in itself, without the mixture of anything else added to it. Note the words that are capitalized in the following sentence: BASED ON Scripture alone, we can affirm that justification is BY grace alone, THROUGH Faith alone, BECAUSE OF Christ alone, all TO THE GLORY OF God alone.

Now see the contrast between the Reformers and the Roman Catholic Church. Rome believed (then as it does now) that justification is by grace, through faith and because of Christ. What Rome does not believe is that justification is by faith alone, or by grace alone, or by Christ alone. For Rome, justification is by grace plus merit, through faith plus works; by Christ plus the sinner’s contribution of inherent righteousness. In contrast, the Reformers called the Church back to the one true Biblical Gospel: Christ saves by Himself alone, and does not need a co-Redemptrix in Mary, or the added righteousness of Mary and the saints in the treasury of merit, which merit is made available to the masses in the form of indulgences by the decree of the Pope, who alone possesses the keys to the treasury. As 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” Salvation is by God’s grace alone, received through faith alone, because of Jesus Christ alone, based on the Scriptures alone, to the Glory of God alone.

God has done for us something much more remarkable than anything science and NASA could do. Seeing our desperate need, God has come to us in the Person of His Son, born of a virgin – He lived a sinless life, dying an atoning death, and being raised up from the dead, has provided a great and wondrous salvation for all who will come to Christ as their perfect sin-bearing Savior and Lord.

Let us celebrate the Solas of the Reformation, not because of mere historical interest, but because this is the only way God does in fact save anyone. These five central truths of the Gospel stand together, and forever, and always… alone.