Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)

This principle affirms that Scripture alone is the ultimate authority for faith and practice—the

absolute truth of God, sufficient, inerrant, infallible and governing all doctrine, tradition, and

life (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Scripture is God’s Word, and everyone and all creation is subject to

it . It stands as a corrective against relying on papal authority or church tradition apart from the

Word.

A faithful theology (the study of God) must be Scripturally grounded. God’s lifegiving speech

(Scripture) reveals His salvation and calls us to faith and repentance in the Lord Jesus Christ. We

were once darkness (unsaved), but now saved people are light in the Lord (Ephesians 5:8).

Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of

Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). Yet the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness shines in

our hearts, giving us the light of “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

This is accomplished by God the Holy Spirit working through the Word.

The Holy Spirit is the Author of Scripture, and He speaks through Scripture (Hebrews 3:7). The

Scriptures teach us everything necessary to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ

and to equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15-17). This is why those who do not speak

according to the rule of Scripture have no light of truth in them (Isaiah 8:20).

Yet without the Spirit, even Scripture cannot help us. We are dead in trespasses and sins

(Ephesians 2:1-2), incapable of obtaining salvation of our own volition, our minds and hearts

are darkened (Ephesians 4:18; Romans 1:21), and we need someone to raise us from the dead

being spiritually dead and make us spiritually alive (Ephesians 5:14). Since Scripture is sufficient

to make us wise for salvation faith and life in Christ, then Scripture alone must be our guide for

walking with God. Everything else is useless and ineffective.

Still, we must be born again of God the Holy Spirit to be saved and transferred from the domain

of darkness and into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Colossians 1:13-14; John 3:5). Only

through the Spirit working by and with the Scriptures in our hearts can we walk in the light with

the God who is light (1 John 1:7).