Church Bulletin:
The first of the five “solas” is sola scriptura – scripture alone. It lays the foundation for the other four – Christ alone, faith alone, grace alone and to God be glory alone. The 1689 BCF para 1 sums it up well – The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation.
Embedded into the idea of sola scriptura is the authority, sufficiency, inerrancy and infallibility of scripture in all things related to faith and practice. It is the highest and final court of appeal in terms of what we are to believe about God and ourselves; how we are to be saved and live. It is important to understand, however, that scripture alone does not mean scripture only. In other words, while scripture is without equal because it is inspired by God, there are other sources through which we learn and are directed in the Christian faith.
The historic creeds and confessions – these documents provide a useful summary and explanation of biblical doctrine. Scripture must be explained for it to be understood and God has gifted people to that end. The church and church councils have thus affirmed sound doctrine throughout the ages. This does not mean that humans decide what the Bible teaches, rather they draw out what the Bible teaches. When we say that we believe the Bible, the question is, what do we believe. This is where creeds and confessions are helpful. In the same vein, the preaching of God’s Word is also necessary. And so, we read and hear scripture through the prism of explanation.
The authority of the elders and the church – God has delegated power to church elders and the church itself when it comes to discipline. In Matt 18:15-20 Christ explains the principle of going to a brother / sister in order to address a matter of sin. If there is no progress take witnesses. If there is still no progress – “tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. (18) “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (19) “Again, I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. (20) For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” The church guided by scripture, under the rule of elders has the authority to enact discipline. God affirms that authority in agreement with its decision.
The place of tradition and freedom of conscience – there are aspects of Christian practice and worship which are not explicitly stated in scripture and God allows us to decide for ourselves. There are Biblical principles to guide and within that scope, we are given liberty of conscience. Corporately, we are not told how often to meet together, where to meet, or what to wear. We are not given worship liturgy. Sermons, hymns and prayers are not merely read from the bible but crafted by people. Each church / denomination has its own way of doing things and its own traditions. Individually, there are many issues we are free to decide for ourselves related to family life, education, healthcare, recreation and employment. We seek the Lord’s wisdom because we don’t always have commands. Within the parameters of scriptural wisdom, there is often room to move.
As we uphold sola scripture we do not do so in a maverick spirit. It is not simply us and the Bible. There is teaching which provides explanation. There is authority to oversee. There are traditions which shape and give meaning to what we do. While all subservient to scripture, they complement scripture and are eminently useful.