Sola Scriptura is a Latin expression which means ‘by Scripture alone’
- It is a theory that is specially associated with the Reformation theologians such as Martin Luther and Calvin where the belief and the practice of the churches should be grounded in Scripture.
- It is a doctrine that the Bible is the only infallible and inerrant authority for Christian faith. The days of Reformation were partly birth because the church was relying more on tradition rather than the Scriptures.
- In terms of interpreting Scriptures, Sola Scriptura is where Scripture interprets Scripture.
Inerrancy of Scriptures
Definition of Inerrancy:
There are many definitions for inerrancy such as:
1. Inerrancy pertains to what is affirmed or asserted rather than what is reported.
2. Inerrancy could be judged in terms of truthfulness of Scriptures in terms of what the statement meant to the particular culture during that time
3. Inerrancy could be judged based on the focus of the purpose it is trying to achieve
4. Inerrancy could be judged based on historical and scientific matters are in phenomenal rather than technical language.
5. Inerrancy could only be judged when the data is readily available for us to judge through time
My stand on inerrancy would be of all the above. We have to understand firstly that the Bible was written to preach the message of God and not to be read as a history or science book therefore it is what is affirmed or asserted that matters most, not what is reported.
Secondly, we have to focus on the purpose it is trying to achieve to see its inerrancy rather than the minute details.
Thirdly, we have to understand that the Bible was written for the people during that time and not to us specifically. We have to understand its accuracy through their time and culture.
Fourthly, we have to understand the historical and scientific matters from the phenomenal rather than the technical because we have to first understand that the Bible is full of supernatural matters and miracles which are beyond the measure of science or empirical studies.
Lastly, due to the distance in time and culture we may have lost the understanding of what the Scriptures meant to the original audience. But through archaeological, scientific and historical studies we would be able to understand the inerrancy of the Scriptures.
My conclusion is:
“Only truth has authority, and because the Scriptures are completely true they command ultimate authority.”
(Understanding Christian Theology, ed., Charles R. Swindoll & Roy B. Zuck (Nashville: Nelson, 2003, p.87)
