In his paper, Sola Scriptura; Retrieving a Protestant Doctrine, Richard Wilson admirably answers a powerful objection to the Protestant doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture (sola scriptura). The argument goes like this: If the scripture is the sole authority for faith and life, then it is necessary that the doctrine of sola scriptura be found in the Bible. Otherwise, the doctrine would be an extra-biblical truth claim and would thus invalidate itself. Wilson seeks to answer the objection by siding with the magisterial reformers (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc.) rather than the radical reformers, who tended to throw out all extra-biblical tradition. The magisterial reformers seemed to acknowledge that church tradition is necessary to interpret and apply the scripture but argued that the church’s tradition had gone far from the scriptures in some areas and should be corrected to agree with the scriptures, which they argued were supreme.
In his argument, Wilson makes no attempt to prove that sola scriptura is found in the scripture, seemingly conceding that it is not. I agree with him that this doctrine is not directly taught in scripture. Yet I believe that strong arguments can be made from scripture and church history that the 66 books of the bible are sufficient as the church’s sole supremely authoritative and inerrant verbal revelation of God for our age. This does not mean that other verbal statements about God, faith, church life, human nature, etc. (interpreting and applying the scripture) are not also helpful and even necessary for spiritual thriving. The church has always acknowledged the usefulness and necessity of creeds, catechisms, sermons, commentaries, Sunday school materials, and pastoral care resources.1 However, scripture alone reigns supreme in our age as the only inerrant verbal revelation through which the authority of Christ is mediated.
Below are some thoughts on three verses that are sometimes appealed to as scriptural support for the sufficiency of scripture. I will seek to show that these passages do not actually teach the doctrine of sola scriptura. We Protestants might want them to, but honesty compels me to admit that they do not. At a later time, I will give my thoughts on how the sufficiency of scripture can be argued indirectly from scripture and from church history. Of course, my argument will be extra-biblical, but I believe none the less valid as it is founded on scripture, history, and reason.
2 Timothy 3:16
“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17, NASB95)
2 Timothy 3:16 says nothing about the sufficiency of scripture. It speaks to its profitability, but not its sufficiency. The scriptures are profitable to make the man adequate. It does not say that scripture is adequate or all that is needed to make the man adequate and equipped. It says that it is “profitable” to make the man of God (likely referring to a minister of the gospel) adequate and equipped for every good work that God has called him to.
It would be like saying, “My automobile is useful and amazingly fast for transporting me across the country.” But that statement says nothing about the sufficiency of the automobile as though an automobile is all that is needed. Clear roads are also needed. Gasoline is needed. A driver is needed. Food and water for the journey are needed in order to thrive on the way.
Another analogy would be “This exercise machine is profitable to strengthen your muscles, improve your circulation and lower your blood pressure so that you can be in excellent health. No one would conclude from such a statement that the exercise machine was sufficient to maintain good health. Much more is needed, such as eating well, getting enough sleep, and caring for yourself when you get injured or sick. Neither should we conclude that scripture is all that is needed to equip a man of God for every good work.
The Bible is profitable, but not all that is needed. The church is needed (Phil 3:17). The Holy Spirit is needed (1 Cor. 2:12, Eph. 5:18). Prayer is needed (Eph. 6:18). Obedience is needed (James 1:19-25). Circumstantial learning is needed, at least learning from trials (James 1:2-4).
The scripture is sufficient as God’s supremely authoritative and inerrant verbal revelation for our age, but that is not addressed in this verse, or actually by any verses. It is an inference from scripture and from church history.
NOTE ON THE WORD “SCRIPTURE” in 2 Tim. 3:16:
What scripture was Paul speaking of? It was the scripture that Timothy had known from childhood that had led him to Christ (2 Tim 3:15). He may also have been speaking of whatever New Testament scripture Timothy had available to him. It is even possible that Paul and Timothy understood 2 Timothy itself to be inspired scripture, but I think it unlikely that Paul is including his own letter here. He is pointing to the Old Testament scripture and perhaps whatever New Testament scripture Timothy already possessed. These verses not only don’t prove the sufficiency of scripture, they don’t prove that more inspired scripture would not be forthcoming. It’s highly likely that when Paul wrote 2 Timothy, all the books of the New Testament had not yet been written.
2 Peter 1:2-4
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:2–4, NASB95)
Nothing in 2 Peter 1:3 restricts God’s divine power (that has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness) to God’s Word alone. His divine power has surely granted more than the Bible only. His power has granted us His Spirit who writes His laws in our hearts (Heb. 10:15-16) and pours God’s love into our hearts (Rom 5:5). His divine power providentially watches over us. His power gives us life and breath and all things. His precious and magnificent promises are a vital part of what He has granted us, but certainly not all.
Similarly to 2 Timothy 3:16, the fact that we become partakers of the divine nature through His precious and very great promises (2 Peter 1:4) does not mean that these promises are all that is needed in that process. His promises are necessary, but it is unlikely that they are all that is necessary. The working of the Spirit is needed (Rom. 8:2), the example of others in the body of Christ is needed (Phil 3:17), experience, including trials, (James 1:2-3) is needed. Ultimately our final transformation and resurrection that will occur at Christ’s coming, and that is also needed.
1 Corinthians 13:9-13
“For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:9–13, NASB95)
It has been argued from this passage that the gifts of knowledge and prophesy of the New Testament church ceased with when the completion of the cannon of scripture. However, it’s more likely that Paul had the coming of Christ in mind as this better fits seeing “face to face,” “knowing fully,” and “being fully known.” This would imply that the first century church’s gifts of knowledge and prophesy would continue until the coming of the Lord. However, past fulfillment of prophesy teaches us that many prophesies are partially fulfilled at one point and then fully fulfilled decades, centuries, or even millennia later. So, although the imperfect will fully disappear when the perfect comes (Christ’s coming), there is nothing that says that the imperfect (ongoing gifts of knowledge, prophesy and tongues) might not diminish or even disappear prior to the coming of the perfect. Redemptive history shows us that there have been long periods where the prophetic gift has been silent (Ps. 74:9, Lam. 2:9, Ezek. 7:26, Amos 8:11). Church history shows us that this has largely, if not entirely happened since the death of the apostles.
More thoughts on Sufficiency
Here is an interesting quote, trying to define scripture’s sufficiency:
1) The scripture is the sole authoritative revelation concerning what man is to believe about God and what duty God requires of man. “In other words, the scriptures are sufficient for a certain task: they reveal who God is, who man is in relation to him, and how that relationship is to be articulated in terms of worship.” 2) “In some areas, the scriptures are sufficient for teaching principles but not for providing specific details.” — (Carl Trueman, professor of Biblical and Religious Studies, Grove City College, The Sufficiency of Scripture – 9Marks
I am uneasy with Trueman’s limitation of scripture’s tasks to what to believe about God and what duty God requires of man. Scripture speaks authoritatively to much more than that—the nature of man, the history of the world, the future of all creation, practical wisdom for human relations, etc. Rather than limiting the tasks of scripture, it is better to maximize scripture’s authority over all spheres. Scripture does not provide for us all truth about everything, but where it does speak, it speak with utmost authority.
So perhaps it is best to leave it that scripture is sufficient as the supremely authoritative, inerrant, verbal revelation of God for our age. There has been no such supremely authoritative revelation since the closing of the cannon, nor should we expect any more in our age. We should acknowledge that Scripture is not the complete source of knowledge in any area (including knowledge of God — Psalm 19:1-6, Rom. 1:18-21), but it is supremely authoritative in all areas.
- For resources on the history of church pastoral care tradition see Eighteen Resources on the History of Pastoral Counseling, Soul Care, and Biblical Counseling — RPM Ministries ↩︎
Leave a Reply