Solae Scriptura means; “scripture alone, and is a theological doctrine held by some Christian denominations that the Christian scriptures are the sole infallible rule of faith and practice,” (Sola Scriptura, Wikipedia). Which is proven by Scripture itself:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) This proves New Testament Writings were considered Scripture by the apostles in their own times!
“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Romans 15:4)
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For no prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
While other denominations cling to other rules of faith (Prima Scriptura), Solae Scriptura is to keep to the binding teaching of the apostles:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)
The Apostle warned us to not follow any other teaching:
“6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—
7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!
10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
” (Galarians 1:6-10)
“1 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me!
2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him.
3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it too easily.
5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”
6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
7Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge?
8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you.
9 And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.
10 As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine.
11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about.
13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
” (2 Corinthians 11:1-15)
Sola Scripture is to devote yourself to the teachings of the apostles (Acts 2) and to Christ’s message contained in those teachings. There are many churches that deviate from Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), and advocate Prima Scriptura which combines Sacred Scripture with Holy Traditions that are decided by the said denomination’s ecclesia and clergy; an example of this is the Roman Catholic Church which holds Scripture as sacred but believes the deuterocanonical holy traditions they follow as equal to Scripture, such as the doctrines of purgatory, penance, the prayers fo Saints, and more.
Jesus had a stern rebuke for those who follow Prima Scriptura and make their traditions equal fo God’s Scripture:
“So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?” 6 He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “ ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” 9 And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observeyour own traditions! 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 11 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12 then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.” 14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” 17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.).” (Mark 7:5-19 NIV). The Apostle concurs with Christ, “These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” (Colossians 2:23 ESV).
Jesus in verses 7 and 8 tells the religious leaders, “They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ 8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” (Mark 7:7-8). He rebukes them for creating Prima Scriptura, for abandoning the Commands of God Almighty which are in the Scriptures! Christ is advocating Sola Scriptura here, to keep to the Commandx of God not men and He adds His own because He is the God Almighty made flesh (see commands Jesus changes on divorce Matthew 19:1-12, the sabbath see Mark 2:27-28, eating see Mark 7:19, and more).
If we fall info the trap of the Pharisees and add holy tradition, then we weaken the apostle’s teaching and subsequently the gospel of grace. Unless we hold Scripture as the only standard for Christian Theology, Doctrine, Living, and Belief, we shall plunge into the dark ages of the Medieval Church and become as misled as those who think holy water can remove 7 years in purgatory or become like the infamous Protestant charlatan John Calvin whose error of Conditional Election violates the Gospel and Scriptures (see: Romans 10:9-10, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4, Romans 11:14, John 3:14-18, John 6:40, John 17:3, Acts 4:10-12, Acts 15:6-11, 1 John 2:1-2, 1 John 1:7-9).
Beware of any teacher, church, and teaching that tries to seduce you from the God breathed Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16) for your statement of faith and doctrine. Beware of any teacher, church, and teaching that tries to lure you away from pure and simple devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). Beware of sny teaching, church, and teacher that tries to get you to take your eyes of Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and on to good works, church fathers, holy tradition, and their man made religion (Colossians 2:23). Amen.
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