The Spirit and the Sufficiency of Scripture
One of the key doctrinal principles of the Protestant Reformation was sola Scriptura. This principle emphasized Scripture rather than tradition as the final authority in faith and practice. The Protestant Reformers and their immediate theological heirs affirmed sola Scriptura because they believed that the Bible, as God’s very Word, was sufficient for the doctrine and practice of the Church. They affirmed the sufficiency of Scripture...
Musings on Fatherhood and the Bible
One of my deepest longings in this life is to be a good father to my three boys. And yet I constantly feel like I fall woefully short. It is an unachievable goal, and yet daily it is within my reach. Each morning I wake up, and I have the opportunity to follow the Biblical commands laid before me and to exercise the wisdom of God as I interact with, lead, and guide my children. But I know I miss the mark. In the moments of losing my...
Scripture Consequences
Maybe you’ve had a Jehovah’s Witness show up at your door and, during the course of conversation, they’ve informed you that the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. Hopefully this revelation, while technically true, did not shake the foundations of your faith. Of course, their ultimate goal is to convince you that the doctrine of the Trinity isn’t a biblical concept at all. The word Trinity, after all, does not appear in the...
The Future of the Sufficiency of Scripture
When we think about the future, we can easily get excited or anxious about the newness of all that is involved. For example, think back to your childhood and the excitement and/or anxiety that a new school year brought. A new school year meant new clothes, new shoes, new school supplies, new classrooms, and new teachers. All this change brought a level of excitement about what was to come and also perhaps some anxiety. When we think...
Sola Scriptura?
Sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”) is one of what have become known as the “five solas” of the Protestant Reformation. The meaning of sola Scriptura is essentially that Scripture alone is our supreme guide for Christian faith and practice. Put another way, the church’s doctrine should be in accordance with Scripture and founded upon Scripture rather than on any mere human tradition. Now this is not to say that tradition has no bearing...
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