Sola Scriptura: Scriptures alone!
I want reaffirm the basic Christian truth of Scripture,
the Word of God, to be the sole source
of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The 66 books of the Bible
are the only inspired and fully authoritative words that ought to guide
every church and every Christian. The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are
equally and in every part the Word of God, without any error, or inerrant, sufficient, infallible and final
revelation of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. They must be received
as the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. No other writings should
be accepted as Word of God or as having any such authority.
The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary
for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior
must be measured. We deny that any creed, council or individual may bind a
Christian's conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or
contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience,
no matter how extraordinary, can ever be a vehicle of revelation.
Scripture alone
is the inerrant rule of the church's
life, but the evangelical church today has separated Scripture from its authoritative function. In practice,
the church is guided, far too often, by church traditions, culture or emotion.
With the advent of Charismatic movement, commonly called the Word of Faith or
health and wealth gospel or prosperity gospel, extra-biblical experiences have
been elevated too high. Many purport to be prophets as if more divine
revelation is being given or as if the Scripture is not sufficient and final. Miracles
have the biggest role to play among many Christians because many follow those
who purport to perform them even when they don’t! Miracles, even as used by the
Lord, were signs to authenticate both the message and person of Jesus as the
Christ, the Son of the living God, the Saviour of Sinners. They were only signs
pointing to Christ and ceased with the first advent of Christ.
Pastors have
neglected their rightful oversight of worship, including the doctrinal content
of the music. As biblical authority has been abandoned in practice, as its
truths have faded from Christian consciousness, and as its doctrines have lost
their saliency, the church has been increasingly emptied of its integrity,
moral authority, direction and power. The result is ‘worship’ that is sensual
and man-centred. Such worship can neither be pleasing nor acceptable to God.
Worship has to be both truthful (guided and informed by Scriptures alone) and
spiritual, guided and actuated by the Holy Spirit.
Rather than
adapting Christian faith to satisfy the felt needs of consumers, we must proclaim
the law as the only measure of true righteousness and the gospel as the only
announcement of saving truth. Biblical truth is indispensable to the church's
understanding, nurture and discipline.
Scripture must
take us beyond our perceived (physical) needs to our real needs (spiritual) and
liberate us from seeing ourselves through the seductive images, cliché’s,
promises and priorities of mass culture, as in the media. It is only in the
light of God's truth that we understand ourselves aright and see God's
provision for our need. The Bible, therefore, must be taught and preached in
the church. Sermons must be expositions of the Bible and its teachings, not expressions of the preachers’
opinions or the ideas of the age; dreams, visions or subjective revelations; it
must neither be drama nor miracles, but the Word of God that is able to make
people wise for salvation. Preachers are busy selling their dreams for money in
the name of preaching the gospel. Beware of them and shun them – have nothing
to do with them. To the teaching and to
the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because
they have no dawn (Isaiah 8:20). We must settle for nothing less than what
God has given us.
The work of the
Holy Spirit in personal experience cannot be disengaged from Scripture. The
Spirit does not speak in ways that are independent of Scripture, for He is the
One who inspired their writing (2Peter 1:21). Apart from Scripture we would
never have known of God's grace in Christ. The Spirit illuminates Scriptures so
that we are able to understand and believe it. The Spirit was given to lead us
into all truth by teaching and reminding, as the Lord told His disciples. The biblical Word, rather than spiritual
experience, is the test of truth. Scripture alone is the rule of faith and
practice for Christians.
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