Chances are you embrace the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (i.e., “scripture alone”), even if you’re not familiar with that phrase. After all, isn’t the Bible the only essential thing a Christian needs, and hasn’t it been that way since the earliest days of the church?

Haven't most Christians throughout time had their own copy of the Bible?

  • The Bible as we know it didn't exist until hundreds of years after the birth of the church.
  • It took several centuries to finalize exactly what would be included in the New Testament (i.e., its "canon").
  • Even after the New Testament canon was unofficially settled in 367 C.E., every copy of the Bible had to be handwritten, so almost all Bibles were confined to churches and monasteries.
  • It would take more than a thousand additional years for regular people to obtain a Bible for themselves.

Even so, didn't God intend for all Christians to eventually interpret the Bible by themselves?

  • Widespread Bible availability created a new problem: Ordinary people could suddenly use scripture to create their own personal doctrines and dogmas.
  • The New Testament does not contain a systematic process for resolving textual disputes; there are no modern apostles, binding councils, courts, or judges.
  • Complicated and confusing scriptures + personal interpretation = a fractured religion

But didn't all of the New Testament authors write exactly what God inspired them to?

  • Actually, the New Testament's most prolific writer had a chronic credibility problem:
    • The apostle Paul explicitly asserted he would be alive for Jesus' return.
    • Paul's radical doctrine of "righteousness by faith alone" was directly refuted by James, Jesus' own brother and the leader of the original church in Jerusalem.
    • Paul said he publicly confronted Peter in front of the church in Antioch, but also had to admit that even his closest ally Barnabas sided with Peter.

Bottom line:

  • For the first ~70% of Christian history, Sola Scriptura was impossible.
  • It has caused Christianity to splinter into countless denominations (and sub-denominations), each claiming scriptural authority.
  • A large portion of the New Testament was written by a false prophet (according to Deut. 18:17-22) – a man who was also in conflict with the original apostles throughout his entire ministry.

See more in the PDF, and add your comments below.

Three Arguments Against Sola Scriptura thumbnail

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