Sola scriptura is among the most important Reformation principles for believers to understand and apply. That\u2019s the conclusion of at least some Southern Baptist Convention seminary professors on the Protestant Reformation\u2019s 500th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Sola scriptura (Latin for \u201cby Scripture alone\u201d) is the doctrine that the Bible alone is humankind\u2019s infallible rule for faith and practice.<\/p>\n
\u2018The highest functional authority\u2019<\/p>\n
Chris Chun, associate professor of church history at Gateway Seminary, told Baptist Press the Reformation\u2019s 500th anniversary \u201cmight be an appropriate time to reflect if Scripture still is the highest functional authority in Southern Baptist life and practice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c Sola scriptura was the heart cry of Huldrych Zwingli, John Calvin, Menno Simons and William Tyndale,\u201d Chun said in written comments, \u201cand many lost their lives for believing that the Bible was their highest authority — no authority above the Scripture whether that be the pope or the councils! [The] notion that any literate person could study the Scripture revolutionized the concept of authority in the church.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reformers\u2019 emphasis of sola scriptura , Chun said, was highlighted by Martin Luther\u2019s 1521 appearance before an assembly of the Holy Roman Empire known as the Diet of Worms. When asked to recant his writings, Luther replied, \u201cUnless I am convinced by the evidence of Scripture … I do not accept the authority of the pope or the councils alone … I am bound by the Scriptures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Luther\u2019s speech at Worms, Chun said, \u201cresonated with many like-minded bands of Protestant Reformers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chun asked Southern Baptists to reflect on whether Scripture is \u201cauthoritative\u201d in their \u201cmeetings,\u201d \u201cchurches\u201d and \u201cassociations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor all intents and purposes, who really has the authority,\u201d Chun asked, Scripture or \u201cpastors, committees, chairpersons [and] deacons?\u201d<\/p>\n
Scripture vs. \u2018cultural norms\u2019<\/p>\n
Despite pressure \u201cto conform to the cultural norms of the day,\u201d Brent Aucoin, professor of history at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, noted that the Reformers\u2019 \u201ccommitment to the authority of Scripture enabled them to courageously advocate positions that were then viewed as radical but today are generally accepted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those positions included \u201cthe notion that salvation does not come by way of the church or through works, but rather by grace alone, through faith alone and in Christ alone,\u201d Aucoin said in written comments. \u201cLuther and other Reformers saw this critical, but contested, notion taught in the Scriptures and were willing, if need be, to sacrifice their lives and careers for it rather than have their views dictated by what the authorities of the day demanded.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some believers in the 20th century seemed to disregard sola scriptura , allowing \u201ccultural norms to supersede Scripture when it came to formulating [their] views on segregation, interracial marriage, abortion and other issues.\u201d<\/p>\n
A reemphasis of sola scriptura is needed again today, Aucoin said, because \u201cwe see some who place themselves in the Baptist or evangelical camp allowing society rather than Scripture to determine their position on the morality of homosexuality and same-sex unions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deeply convinced<\/p>\n
Shawn Wright, professor of church history at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, claimed Luther\u2019s \u201cconviction that the Bible alone was able to give shape to our doctrine\u201d served as a driving force in his life and ministry.<\/p>\n
Ironically, Luther\u2019s embrace of sola scriptura was spurred unwittingly by his Roman Catholic superiors when he served as an Augustinian monk, Wright wrote for a forthcoming issue of Towers , Southern\u2019s campus publication. Exhausted by Luther\u2019s incessant confession of sins, his superiors made him get a doctoral degree in theology and lecture on the Bible, thinking that might \u201ctake his mind off himself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet to their chagrin, Wright wrote, after studying and teaching Psalms, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews, Luther concluded \u201cthe Bible was the sole authority in the ultimate determination of our doctrine and our practice.\u201d<\/p>\n
That conviction led Luther to renounce the pope\u2019s authority in public debates and eventually receive condemnation from the Catholic Church as a heretic.<\/p>\n
\u201cLuther never recanted because he was deeply convinced that God\u2019s Word alone was true and authoritative. His response to the church and the empire proves this,\u201d Wright wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe preached tirelessly from the Bible. He wrote commentaries on several books of the Bible (his 1535 commentary on Galatians is a wonderful example of the mature Luther\u2019s thought). He translated the New Testament from Greek to German (in 11 weeks!) so that laypeople could read, hear, and understand the Bible for themselves. He himself was convinced that God used him simply as an instrument to make the Bible known,\u201d Wright wrote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sola scriptura is among the most important Reformation principles for believers to understand and apply. That\u2019s the conclusion of at least some Southern Baptist Convention seminary professors on the Protestant Reformation\u2019s 500th anniversary. Sola scriptura (Latin for \u201cby Scripture alone\u201d) is the doctrine that the Bible alone is humankind\u2019s infallible rule for faith and practice. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1232,129,153,3451,5536,5538,5537],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7639"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7639\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.churchedge.com\/illustrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}