Scripture Alone

The reformers made Scripture alone one of their battle cries. They wrote over and over and over again about the sufficiency of Scripture. Their battle was against the Roman Catholics. The Papists (as John Calvin liked to call them) believe that their authority comes from many sources. The Roman Catholics believe that there is authority found in church history, councils, the Pope, and the Scripture. The reformers stood on Scripture as the sole authority.

I believe the doctrine of Scripture alone is desperately needed once again in the Church. I teach this often in my Church. I fear that many pastors do not. The onslaught of the Charismatic movement has done great damage to this historic doctrine. Many people are relying on prophesy and visions as statements of authority. This is dangerous.

We need to teach once again that the canon is closed. The Bible is God's complete and final revelation to man. It is sufficient. It needs no help. I believe that most Christian pastors believe this, however, they do apply it. If they did, it would end a lot of the nonsense I see in the local church.

There is nothing that gets under my skin more than to hear the words "God told me". I will say with complete confidence, "if it is not mentioned in the Bible, then someone other than God told you whatever you are about to say." The Bible is God's final revelation to man. It is complete. It is exactly what God wants us to know. It does not need any help. It is sufficient.

When people claim visions and prophesy that are not specifically written in Scripture, they basically are saying that the Bible is not good enough. That the Bible is only part of what God wants us to know.

The truth is, if a person believes that God is giving specific visions and prophesies then those visions and prophesies are just as valid as Scripture. If God is speaking today through prophesy and visions, then we need to add chapters and verses to the Holy Bible. For if God said it, then it is inerrant.

My desire is that Sola Scriptura becomes a battle cry again. My hope is that people would spend more time studying the Bible than listening to voices that often are contrary to Scripture. The Bible is so deep and great it needs no help. I plan on studying the Bible my entire life. I am convinced I will never learn all there is to learn about it. I see no need for modern prophesy and visions. I believe the Bible is good enough.