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A Brief Articulation of Sola Scriptura The Biblical Basis for the Sufficiency of Scripture Sam Shamoun
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Sola
Scriptura
is the belief that the Holy Scriptures are the sole, sufficient,
infallible rule of faith. The importance of affirming and defending this
doctrine stems partly from the need to know God personally for salvation
and to know his will in order to carry it out in our lives: �This is what the LORD says: Let not the wise man
boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich
man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he
understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares the
LORD.� Jeremiah 9:23-24 ��If you love me, you will obey what I
command�� Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who
loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love
him and show myself to him�� Jesus replied, �If anyone loves me, he
will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him
and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my
teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father
who sent me.�� John 14:15, 21, 23-24 �Now this is eternal life: that they may know you,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.� John 17:3 The
Holy Bible teaches that there are grave consequences in failing to know
and obey God: �my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your
children.� Hosea 4:6 What Sola
Scriptura does not teach Before
presenting the biblical basis for Sola
Scriptura, we first need to explain what Sola Scriptura does not teach or deny. Sola Scriptura: 1.
Does not deny that God�s Inspired Word was transmitted orally. When
there were inspired prophets and apostles walking this earth, God�s
inspired word was being transmitted both orally and through written
letter: �This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.� 1 Corinthians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you
received the word of God, which you
heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it
actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. 1
Thessalonians 2:13 �But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers
loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved
through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the
truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold
to the teachings we passed on to you, whether
by word of mouth or by letter.� 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 After
the death of the last Apostle, God consummated the revelation of his word
and has preserved it in the inspired Scriptures. 2.
Does not deny the ultimate importance of the Holy Spirit. It
is only by the Holy Spirit�s illumination that a person is able to
understand and believe in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy
Spirit is the one who enables a person to accept the inspiration,
sufficiency, infallibility and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures:
�But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you
of everything I have said to you.� John 14:26 �This is what we speak, not in words taught us by
human wisdom but in words taught by
the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The
man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the
Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot
understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.� 1 Corinthians
2:13-14 �Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking
by the Spirit of God says, �Jesus be cursed,� and no one can say,
�Jesus is Lord,� except by the
Holy Spirit.� 1 Corinthians 12:3 �I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the glorious Father, may
give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him
better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of
his glorious inheritance in the saints,� Ephesians 1:17-18 �But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and
all of you know the truth� I am writing these things to you about those
who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received
from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing
is real, not counterfeit-just as it has taught you, remain in him.�
1 John 2:20, 26-27 3.
Does not deny the use of General Revelation. General
Revelation refers to God revealing himself through creation and
conscience: �The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.�
Psalm 19:1-4 �The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven
against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth
by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world
God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature-have been
clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are
without excuse.� Romans 1:18-20 �(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law,
do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves,
even though they do not have the law, since they show that the
requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences
also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending
them.) This will take place on the day when God will judge men's secrets
through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.� Romans 2:14-16 Yet
General Revelation does not save. God saves through the preaching of the
Gospel: �for, �Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved.� How, then, can they call on the one they have not
believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not
heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how
can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, �How beautiful
are the feet of those who bring good news!� But not all the Israelites
accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, �Lord, who has believed our
message?� Consequently, faith
comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word
of Christ.� Romans 10:13-17 4.
Does not deny the importance of pastors, teachers and evangelists. �And in the church God has appointed first of all
apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also
those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts
of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are
all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?�
1 Corinthians 12:28-29 �But to each one of us grace has been given as
Christ apportioned it� It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to
be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ
may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge
of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and
forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and
by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is
the Head, that is, Christ.� Ephesians 4:7, 11-15 What
Sola Scriptura teaches is that
all pastors, teachers and evangelists are subject to God�s ultimate
authority, the God-breathed Scriptures: �As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul
and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish
synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the
Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and
examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.�
Acts 17:10-11 5.
Does not claim that all its parts are equally clear and understandable. �Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means
salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom
that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in
them of these matters. His letters
contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and
unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own
destruction.� 2 Peter 3:15-16 Rather,
it teaches that the message of salvation is clear enough that the person
empowered by the Spirit is able to understand and accept it. Furthermore,
the Scriptures exhort the man of God to make sure that he carefully and
rightly divides the word of truth: �Do your best to present yourself to God as one
approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly
handles the word of truth.� 2 Timothy 2:15 6.
Does not claim that the Scriptures are exhaustive, that everything God
ever said or did are contained within the Holy Bible. �Jesus did many other things as well. If every one
of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not
have room for the books that would be written.� John 21:25 What Sola
Scriptura does teach It teaches that: 1.
The Holy Scriptures are the sole, infallible rule of faith by
virtue of it being breathed out or inspired by God. As such it is
completely sufficient in and of itself to thoroughly equip Christians in
all things necessary for salvation and sanctification. 2.
The Bible is the only certain norm, since it is the only revelation that
can be demonstrated to have come from inspired men of God. This cannot be
said of oral traditions. 3.
Finally, the central focus of the Scriptures is to reveal and make known
the risen Lord and immortal Savior Jesus Christ, God�s eternally beloved
Son, who alone grants eternal life to all who believe:
The
following citations demonstrate that the foregoing points are thoroughly
scriptural in nature. �You diligently study the Scriptures because you
think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come
to me to have life.� John 5:39-40 �Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these
are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that by believing you may have
life in his name.� John 20:30-31 John
states that not everything Christ did was recorded, and yet what has been
recorded is sufficient to obtain eternal life. If Scriptures are
sufficient to lead a person to eternal life, then nothing else is needed. �And we have the word of the prophets made more
certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light
shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in
your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture
came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its
origin in the will of man, but men
spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.� 2
Peter 1:19-21 Peter
claims that the Holy Scriptures were produced as a result of God�s Holy
Spirit moving men of God to write. Hence, the Scriptures are both divine
and human in origin. In other words, the Bible is God�s Word which is
communicated through human vessels, using human language. �But as for you, continue in what you have learned
and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and
how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which
are ABLE (ta dunamena) to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ
Jesus. All Scripture
is breathed out by God (theopneustos)
and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for
training in righteousness, that
the man of God may be competent (artios),
equipped (exertismenos) for
EVERY GOOD WORK.� 2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV Paul
teaches that: A.
The Scriptures make one wise for salvation through faith in the Lord
Jesus. The word translated here as �able� conveys
the idea that Scriptures have an inherent ability, an inherent sufficiency
to accomplish its purpose. Again, if the Scriptures are capable of leading
one to salvation, what need is there for anything else? B.
The Scriptures are God-breathed or breathed out by God. In other words,
the Scriptures originate from God and not from man. C.
The Scriptures thoroughly, completely furnish or equip the man of God
not just for some or many good works, but for EVERY good work that is
necessary for the Christian life. Exertismenos
is the
participial form of exartizo.
Thayer�s Lexicon defines it as �to complete, finish, to furnish
perfectly.� Louw & Nida,
in their Greek-English Lexicon of
the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, Volume 1, p. 680, write: �� to make someone completely adequate or sufficient for something- �to make adequate to furnish completely, to cause to be fully qualified, adequacy.� Thayer defines artios as �complete, perfect.� Bauer&Gingrich&Danker�s A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christianity Literature, second edition, define it as �complete, capable, proficient=able to meet all demands.� Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A
Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry
Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie, Oxford, Clarendon
Press, 1940, states: artios , a, on (os, on Aristid.Quint.1.25): ( [arti] ):--complete, perfect of its kind, suitable, exactly fitled, a. all�loisi sponduloi Hp.Art.45 ; artia bazein speak to the purpose, Il.14.92, Od.8.240; hoti hoi phresin artia �id� thought things in accordance with him, was of the same mind with him, Il.5.326, Od.19.248; artia m�desthai Pi.O.6.94 ; meet, right, proper, Sol.4.40, Thgn.946; a. eis ti well-suited for . . , IG14.889.7 (Sinuessa); arti�tat�n echein taxinmost perfect, Philostr.VS1.21.3. (http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2315683) This
last point is extremely important and crucial in demonstrating the sole
sufficiency of the Scriptures. If the Scriptures are able to make the man
of God complete or perfect, as well as thoroughly adequate or sufficient
for EVERY GOOD WORK, then what else does he need apart from the
God-breathed revelation? In
fact, can those who deny Sola
Scriptura produce a good work that is necessary for either salvation
or sanctification that are not found in the Scriptures? Obviously not,
since if they could they would be falsifying Paul�s claim here and
attributing error to the inspired Scriptures. 4.
The Holy Bible teaches that what God says the Bible says and what it says
God says. In other words God�s words and the words of Scripture are one
and the same. A.
What God says the Bible says Example
1: �Now the LORD said to Abram,
�Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the
land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I
will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and
by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.�� Genesis 12:1-3 RSV �And the scripture, foreseeing that God
would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to
Abraham, saying, �In you shall all the nations be blessed.��
Galatians 3:8 RSV Example
2: �Then the LORD said to Moses, �Rise up early in
the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, �Thus says the
LORD, the God of the Hebrews, �Let my people go, that they may serve
me� but for this purpose have I let you live,
to show you my power, so that my name may be declared throughout all the
earth.���� Exodus 9:13, 16 RSV �For the scripture says to Pharaoh,
�I have raised you up for the very purpose of showing my power in you,
so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.�� Romans 9:17 RSV B.
What the Bible says God says Example
1: �Then the man said, �This at last is
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because
she was taken out of Man.� Therefore a man leaves his father and his
mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.� Genesis
2:23-24 RSV �He answered, �Have you not read that
HE who made them from the
beginning made them male and female, and said, �For this reason a
man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the
two shall become one flesh�?�� Matthew 19:4-5 RSV Example
2: �Why do the nations conspire, and the
peoples plot in vain?� Psalm 2:1 RSV �And when they heard it, they lifted
their voices together to God and said, �Sovereign Lord, who didst make
the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who by the
mouth of our father David, thy servant, didst say by the Holy Spirit,
�Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine vain
things?��� Acts 4:24-25 RSV Example
3: �For thou dost not give me up to Sheol,
or let thy godly one see the Pit.� Psalm 16:10 RSV �And as for the fact that HE raised
him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, HE spoke in
this way, �I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.�
Therefore he says also in another psalm, �Thou wilt not let thy
Holy One see corruption.�� Acts 13:34-35 RSV SOME OBJECTIONS
CONSIDERED We
next address three main objections often leveled against the sole,
sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures. It is claimed that if 2 Timothy
3:14-17 proves the doctrine of Sola
Scriptura, then it proves too much. It proves that the NT is not
needed since the Scripture that Timothy was familiar with was the OT. This
argument misses the point. Paul is not talking about the canon of
Scripture, but about the origin and purpose of Scripture. Since the Holy
Scriptures originate from God they are able to accomplish God�s purpose
of equipping the saints. In principle, this would apply to EVERY book that
God inspires or breathes out, not just to the OT canon. In fact, Paul
himself provides evidence for this interpretation in his first epistle to
Timothy: �For THE SCRIPTURE says,
�Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain,� and �The
worker deserves his wages.�� 1 Timothy 5:18 Paul quotes
Deuteronomy 25:4 AND LUKE 10:7: �Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for
the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to
house.� Luke 10:7 Here, Paul
calls Luke�s Gospel Scripture and places it on the same level of
Moses� writings! Additional evidence that Paul is citing Luke's Gospel
can be seen from a comparison of the Greek: Luke 10:7 -
... axios
gar ho ergates tou misthou autou. 1 Timothy 5:18 - ... axios ho ergates tou misthou autou.
Paul
also claims that his own writings are inspired: "If anybody thinks he is a prophet or
spiritually gifted, let him acknowledge that
what I am WRITING to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he
himself will be ignored." 1 Corinthians 14:37-38 "Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to
please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the
Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For
you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus."
Therefore, he who rejects THIS
instruction does not reject man
but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2,8 "But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the
Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the
sanctifying work of the Spirit and
through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel,
that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then,
brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught,
whether by word of mouth or by
LETTER from us." 2 Thessalonians 2:13-15 NASB Finally: "If anyone does not obey our
instruction IN THIS LETTER, take special note of him. Do not associate
with him, in order that he may feel ashamed." 2 Thessalonians
3:14 When
we keep in mind that these letters all preceded the writing of 1 and 2
Timothy, we can safely infer that these epistles would have also been
included among the Scriptures that Paul said were breathed out by God; an
inference which the apostle Peter himself makes: �Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means
salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom
that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in
them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to
understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.� 2
Peter 3:15-16 Noted
Evangelical Scholar Douglas J. Moo comments: The implicit point Peter is
making emerges from his claim that the false teachers distort Paul's
letters �as they do the other Scriptures.� The
word �other� (loipos) shows
that Peter considers the letters of Paul to belong to the category of
�Scripture.� Some scholars think that this means no more than that
Peter considered Paul's writings to be authoritative. But
the word �Scriptures� (graphai)
ALWAYS REFERS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT TO THOSE WRITINGS CONSIDERED NOT ONLY
AUTHORITATIVE BUT CANONICAL- in a word, it refers to the Old
Testament� Peter therefore
implies that the letters of Paul have a status EQUIVALENT to that of the
canon of the Old Testament itself. (Moo, The
NIV Application Commentary: 2 Peter, Jude [Zondervan Publishing House,
Grand Rapids MI 1996], p. 212; bold and capital emphasis ours) Therefore,
it becomes rather evident that 2 Timothy 3:16 is not limiting inspiration
to the OT canon but also includes ALL the writings that God would breathe
out, such as the 27 books of the NT. The second argument leveled against the sufficiency of Scriptures is the assertion that the Bible itself refers to other things that are necessary for Christian maturity such as perseverance, purity etc. Cf. James 1:4; 2 Timothy 2:21 Some
go so far as to claim that Ephesians 4:11-15 states that the apostles,
prophets, teachers and evangelists which Christ gave the Church is what
brings about the complete maturity and unity of Christ�s body, not the
Scriptures. Apart
from the fact that none of these passages use the Greek words artios
or exartizo, this actually proves our point. How would a person know
that perseverance, purity and all the different offices that Christ
instituted for the Church are essential for Christian maturity if the
Scriptures hadn�t stated this? In other words, since it is in the
God-breathed Scriptures that we find these qualities listed as necessary
for successful Christian living, this then proves that the Bible contains
everything needed for the Christian life! There is nothing else that needs
to be added to it. The
third and final argument used to undermine Sola
Scriptura is that the Bible supposedly does not teach this doctrine.
It is stated that the Bible exhorts believers to follow traditions which
have been passed on either orally or through letter: �So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the
traditions that you were taught by us, either
by our SPOKEN WORD or by our letter.� 2 Thessalonians 2:15 ESV A
couple of responses are in order. First, the context shows that the
traditions that Paul had in mind weren�t teachings such as the
Immaculate Conception, Purgatory, the Bodily Assumption of Mary etc., but
to the Gospel: �But we ought always to give thanks to God for you,
brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to
be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
To this he called you through
our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.� 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ESV Since the Gospel has been inscripturated within the inspired pages of Scripture, nothing else is needed. Second,
Paul speaks of the traditions which have
been passed on. This means that any tradition claiming to be Apostolic
in nature must be shown to have come from the Apostles and their immediate
companions. The only way to do this is to consult the God-breathed
Scriptures since these are the only records we have that can be shown to
have come from the Apostles and their followers. The Bible on ItselfWe
conclude our short discussion by presenting a list of passages that
highlight some of the many qualities of God�s Word. We are quite aware
that many of these passages do not refer exclusively to God�s written
Word. Nonetheless, these descriptions equally apply to the Holy Bible
since it is indeed the very revealed and inscripturated Word of God. All
citations taken from the English Standard Version: �The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is
sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are
right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;� Psalm 19:7-8 �Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in
the heavens.� Psalm 119:89 �Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my
path.� Psalm 119:105 �I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks
to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have
exalted above all things your name and
your word.� Psalm 138:2 �Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.� Proverbs 30:5-6 �And when they say to you, �Inquire of the
mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,� should not a people
inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the
living? To the teaching
and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this
word, it is because they have no dawn.� Isaiah 8:19-20 �The grass withers, the
flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.� Isaiah 40:8 �For as the rain and the snow come down from
heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth
and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall
my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, �For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout,
�Violence and destruction!� For the
word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day
long. If I say, �I will not mention him, or speak any more in his
name,� there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my
bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.� Jeremiah
20:8-9 �Is not my word like
fire, declares the LORD, and
like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?� Jeremiah 23:29 �Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will
not pass away.� Matthew 24:35 �But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away
than for one dot of the Law to become void.� Luke 16:17 �Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my
word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come
into judgment, but has passed from death to life.� John 5:24 �If he called them gods to whom the word of God
came--and Scripture cannot be
broken-� John 10:35 �If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I
do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the
world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has
a judge; the word that I have
spoken will judge him on the last day.� John 12:47-48 �Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.� John 15:3 �Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.� John 17:17 �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 �that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by
the washing of water with the
word,� Ephesians 5:26 �and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of
God,� Ephesians 6:17 �For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.� Hebrews 4:12 �Of his own will he brought us forth by
the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his
creatures.� James 1:18 �Having purified your souls by your obedience to
the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a
pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable
seed but of imperishable, through
the living and abiding word of God;� 1 Peter 1:22-23 �I warn everyone who hears the words of the
prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the
plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from
the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in
the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this
book.� Revelation 22:18-19 Recommended Reading
The following
books are essential reading: 1. David T.
King, Holy Scripture: The Ground and
Pillar of Our Faith, Volume I: A Biblical Defense of the Reformation
Principle of Sola Scriptura, Christian Resources, Inc., October 2001,
ISBN 1893531023. 2. William
Webster, Holy Scripture: The Ground
and Pillar of Our Faith, Volume II: An Historical Defense of the
Reformation Principle of Sola Scriptura, Christian Resources, Inc.,
October 2001, ISBN 1893531031. 3. William
Webster, David T. King, Holy
Scripture: The Ground and Pillar of Our Faith, Volume III: The Writings of
the Church Fathers Affirming the Reformation Principle of Sola Scriptura,
Christian Resources, Inc., October 2001, ISBN 1893531058. 4. Sola
Scriptura! The Protestant Position on the Bible by Don Kistler,
general editor, Soli Deo Gloria Pubns, June 2003, ISBN: 1573580287.
The
first 3 books can be ordered from here: http://christiantruth.com/books.html The last one can be purchased at this web site: https://aomin.org/bookstore/shop.html?shop=books |