Sola Scriptura | FidesDB

What it is: The principle of sola scriptura holds that Scripture possesses supreme normative authority for Christian faith and doctrine.

How the religion understands it: This does not necessarily imply rejection of every tradition, commentary, or confession, but it affirms that none of those authorities is equal or superior to the Bible. Scripture judges the Church, not the other way around.

Context: The principle became one of the classic signs of the Reformation and appears, with variations, in many historic Protestant and evangelical traditions.

Supportive

2 Timothy 3:16-17

bible,sola-scriptura,protestantism,scripture

Classic text on inspiration and the functional sufficiency of Scripture.

Reference: 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
Content: Scripture is presented as inspired by God and useful for teaching, correcting, and preparing for every good work.
Use in debate: It is one of the most used texts in defense of the supreme authority of the Bible.

Acts 17:11

bible,scripture,protestantism,bereans

The Bereans examine the Scriptures daily.

Reference: Acts 17:11.
Content: The text praises the Bereans for examining the Scriptures to verify the teaching they received.
Use in debate: It is often cited in favor of communal and personal biblical examination.

Isaiah 8:20

bible,scripture,authority,reformation

Appeal to return to the law and the testimony.

Reference: Isaiah 8:20.
Content: The text points back to the law and the testimony as the criterion of truth.
Use in debate: It is used in Protestant contexts to defend doctrinal evaluation by written revelation.

Contrary

2 Thessalonians 2:15

bible,new-testament,tradition,authority

Exhortation to hold to traditions received by word of mouth and by letter.

Paul exhorts the faithful to hold fast to the traditions they received, whether by word or by letter. The passage is important for the Catholic argument that apostolic transmission is not limited to written text. In confessional debates, it is one of the classic references against reducing religious authority to Scripture alone.

Dei Verbum 9-10

council,vatican-ii,tradition,scripture,magisterium

Vatican II document on Scripture, Tradition, and the magisterium.

The dogmatic constitution Dei Verbum of the Second Vatican Council teaches that Scripture and Tradition proceed from the same divine source and form one sacred deposit, whose authentic interpretation has been entrusted to the magisterium. It is a central text for the contemporary Catholic formulation of revelation and is frequently cited in ecumenical dialogue.