Religion, Reformation, Protestant, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Council of Trent, Sola scriptura, Bible, Scripture, Church history

1. The Early Church for Today
Reformation 501
Sola Scriptura
Part Two

2. theearlychurchfortoday.wordpress.com

3. REVIEW

4. The Reformers: Martin Luther
“Unless I am convinced by the testimonies of the Holy Scriptures
or evident reason (for I believe neither in the pope nor councils
alone, since it has been established that they have often erred and
contradicted themselves), I am bound by
the Scriptures adduced by me, and my
conscience has been taken captive by the
Word of God, and I am neither able nor
willing to recant, since it is neither safe
nor right to act against conscience. God
help me. Amen.”
Martin Luther
The Debate at Leipzig (1519)

5. The Reformers: Martin Luther
“A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above
a pope or a council without it. As for the pope’s decretal on
indulgences I say that neither the Church nor the pope can
establish articles of faith. These must come from Scripture.”
The Debate at Leipzig (1519)
“... For the sake of Scripture we should
reject pope and councils.”
Martin Luther

6. The Reformers: Martin Luther
“Martin, there is not one of the heresies
which have torn the bosom of the
church, which has not derived its origin
from the various interpretations of the
Scripture.
The Bible itself is the arsenal whence
each innovator has drawn his deceptive
arguments. It was with biblical texts
that Pelagius and Arius maintained
their doctrines...”
John Eck
The Debate at Leipzig (1519)

7. The Reformers: Martin Luther
Luther and Sola Scriptura
“Scripture Alone” is the Ultimate Authority.
1. It is above that of Church Traditions,
Hierarchy, Church Fathers, Elders,
Councils, Commentators, Interpretations...
2. No one (not even the Pope) has the right
to claim to be the Final Interpretive
Authority of the Bible.

8. The Reformers: Martin Luther
The Pope is the
Final Authority.
Case closed!
The Pope is
wrong! I heed
Scripture, not the
pope.
There are many
difficult
passages. Don’t
split over these.

9. The Reformers: Martin Luther
Luther and Sola Scriptura
Inspiration
Unity
Clarity
Sufficiency

10. The Reformers: Ulrich Zwingli
“...to let nothing other than scripture speak.”

11. The Reformers: Ulrich Zwingli
1. Preached from Entire Scripture, not Liturgy.
2. Emphasis on Original Languages.
3. Scripture above Traditions.
4. Scripture is the Basis of Religious Experience.
5. Scripture is God’s Word, it is Powerful.
6. Scripture is Clear & Understandable.
7. The Test of Scripture.

12. The Reformers: The Anabaptists
Scripture is, “the true witness of the Holy
Spirit and criterion of our consciences.”
Menno Simons

13. The Reformers: The Anabaptists
“Since the apostasy first began through human writing and teaching
by means of which the divine Scriptures were darkened, the
Almighty has among us provided that all writings both new and old
which are not biblical should be destroyed, so that we cling only to
the Holy Scriptures….
Bernard Rothman at
Munster, 1534
For he who holds only to the Scriptures
needs no other writings.”

14. The Reformers: The Anabaptists
1. They often had an Individualistic Reading.
2. Not always on the same page.
3. Many accepted the Apocrypha.
4. Some distinguished the Word & the Letter.
5. Suspicious of Scholarship.

15. The Early Church for Today
Reformation 501
Sola Scriptura
Part Two

16. The Reformers: The English Reformation
Thomas Cranmer was “England’s
Reformer par excellence.”

17. The Reformers: The English Reformation
“That the word of God, written and contained
within the canon of the bible, is a true, sound,
perfect, and whole doctrine, containing in
itself fully all things needful for our
salvation.”
Confutation

18. The Reformers: The English Reformation
Christ and the apostles proved all their
doctrines by the law and the prophets. What
an arrogancy is it then in us, to teach any
thing which we can neither prove by the law,
the prophets, the apostles, nor the
evangelists.”
“The old testament was sufficient for the Jews; and why shall not
both the new and the old suffice us?

19. The Reformers: The English Reformation
“Holy Scripture containeth all things
necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is
not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is
not to be required of any man, that it should
be believed as an article of the Faith, or be
thought requisite or necessary to salvation.”
Book of Common Prayer

20. The Reformers: The English Reformation

21. The Reformers: John Calvin
“For Scripture is the school of the Holy
Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that
is both necessary and useful to know, so
nothing is taught but what is expedient to
know.”

22. The Reformers: John Calvin
“Since no daily responses are given from
heaven, and the Scriptures are the only
records in which God has been pleased to
consign his truth to perpetual remembrance,
the full authority which they ought to
possess with the faithful is not recognized,
unless they are believed to have come from
heaven, as directly as if God had been heard
giving utterance to them.”
Institutes

23. The Reformers: John Calvin
“Just as old or bleary-eyed men and those with weak vision, if you
thrust before them a most beautiful volume, even if they recognize it
to be some sort of writing, yet can scarcely construe two words, but
with the aid of spectacles will begin to read distinctly; so
Scripture, gathering up the
otherwise confused knowledge
of God in our minds, having
dispersed our dullness, clearly
shows us the true God.”

24. The Reformers: John Calvin
“The Word of the Lord is the sole way that can lead us in our search
for all that is lawful to hold concerning [God], and is the sole light to
illumine our vision of all that we should see of him...
The moment we exceed the bounds of the
Word, our course is outside the pathway
and... there we must repeatedly wander, slip
and stumble.”
We must speak where the Scripture speaks;
we must keep silent where it is silent.”
Institutes

25. The Reformers: John Calvin
“But, you will say, you degrade everything, so that every man has the
right to accept or reject what the councils decide. Not at all!
But whenever a decree of any council is brought forward, I should
like men first of all diligently to ponder at what time it was held, on
what issue, and with what intention, what sort of men were present;
then to examine by the standard of Scripture what it dealt with—and
to do this in such a way that the definition of the council may have its
weight and be like a provisional judgment, yet not hinder the
examination which I have mentioned.”

26. The Reformers: John Calvin
“But, you will say, you degrade everything, so that every man has the
right to accept or reject what the councils decide. Not at all!
But whenever a decree of any council is brought forward, I should
like men first of all diligently to ponder at what time it was held, on
what issue, and with what intention, what sort of men were present;
then to examine by the standard of Scripture what it dealt with—and
to do this in such a way that the definition of the council may have its
weight and be like a provisional judgment, yet not hinder the
examination which I have mentioned.”

27. The Reformers: John Calvin
Friday Nights in Geneva
“Every week, on Fridays, a conference is held in the largest church
in which all their ministers and
many of the people participate.
Here one of them reads a passage
from Scripture and expounds it
briefly. Another speaks on the
matter what to him is according
to the Spirit. A third person gives
his opinion, and a fourth adds...”

28. The Reformers: John Calvin
1. Scripture is the Ultimate Authority.
2. It is not an Individualistic pursuit.
3. Interpretations are Provisional.

29. The Reformers: The Council of Trent
(1545-1563)
The Catholic Church had been debating and discussing the
relationship between Scripture and Tradition for a long time.
The Reformation pushed them to make an official statement.

30. The Reformers: The Council of Trent
CONCERNING THE CANONICAL SCRIPTURES
FIRST DECREE
“... seeing clearly that this truth and discipline (Gospel) are contained
in the written books, and the unwritten traditions which, received by
the Apostles from the mouth of Christ himself, or from the Apostles
themselves, the Holy Ghost dictating, have come down even unto us,
transmitted as it were from hand to hand...
...(the Synod) following the examples of the orthodox Fathers,
receives and venerates with an equal affection of piety, and reverence,
all the books both of the Old and of the New Testament--seeing that
one God is the author of both --as also the said traditions...”

31. The Reformers: The Council of Trent
CONCERNING THE EDITION & USE OF THE SACRED BOOKS
SECOND DECREE
“...no one, relying on his own skill, shall,--in matters of faith, and of
morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, --wresting the
sacred Scripture to his own senses, presume to interpret the said sacred
Scripture contrary to that sense which holy mother Church,--whose it is
to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy Scriptures...”

32. The Reformers: The Council of Trent
CONCERNING THE EDITION & USE OF THE SACRED BOOKS
SECOND DECREE
“...no one, relying on his own skill, shall,--in matters of faith, and of
morals pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine, --wresting the
sacred Scripture to his own senses, presume to interpret the said sacred
Scripture contrary to that sense which holy mother Church,--whose it is
to judge of the true sense and interpretation of the holy Scriptures...”
Sola Roma

33. The Reformers: The Council of Trent
1. The Bible and Tradition are Equally Inspired.
2. The Church is the Final Interpretive Authority of Scripture.
3. No Individual Interpretations outside the Church.

34. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: Why?

35. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: Why?
Protestants Lost Faith in the Roman
Catholic Church.

36. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: Why?
Protestants Lost Faith in the Roman
Catholic Church.
Holy Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church

37. Their rejection of the authority of Rome, forced the
Reformers to retreat to Scripture Alone in the attempt to
regain the Original Apostolic Tradition.

38. “God's Word shall establish
articles of faith, and no one else,
not even an angel can do so."
“... let nothing other than
scripture speak.”
Their rejection of the authority of Rome, forced the
Reformers to retreat to Scripture Alone in the attempt to
regain the Original Apostolic Tradition.
“We must speak where
the Scripture speaks; we
must keep silent where it
is silent.”

39. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: What does it Mean?

40. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: What does it Mean?
“The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his
own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set
down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be
deduced from scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be
added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of
men.”
Westminster Confession of Faith

41. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: What does it Mean?
“The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to
be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient
writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined,
and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy
Spirit speaking in the Scripture.”
Westminster Confession of Faith

42. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: What does it Mean?
“By sola Scriptura Protestants mean that Scripture alone is the
primary and absolute source for all doctrine and practice (faith and
morals). Sola Scriptura implies several things.”
1. The Bible is a Direct Revelation from God
2. The Sufficiency of Scripture
3. The Authority of Scripture
4. The Clarity of Scripture
5. Scripture interprets Scripture
Christian Research Institute

43. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: What does it Mean?
1. There are different definitions in use.
2. It should NOT be used to defend Individualistic Readings.
3. Scripture is the Highest Authority for Christian Teaching and
Practice.
4. Traditions, Interpretations, Commentaries, Church Leaders,
Councils... are of value, but are not inspired (in the same way); so
they are secondary at best, they are “Provisional”.

44. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: What does it Mean?
“Sola scriptura is the reminder that the church can err.”
Kevin Vanhoozer

45. The Reformers: Summary
Sola Scriptura: How can we live with it?

46. The Ancient Church