Issue
Sola Scriptura
Vol. 19, No. 6 • Nov/Dec 2010
The Christian…finds in the Bible the very Word of God. Let it not be said that dependence upon a book is a dead or an artificial thing. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was founded upon the authority of the Bible, yet it set the world aflame. Dependence upon a word of man would be […]
All Articles (13)
The “Magna Carta” of Christian Liberty
The Christian…finds in the Bible the very Word of God. Let it not be said that dependence upon a book is a dead or an artificial thing. The Reformation of the sixteenth century was founded upon the authority of the Bible, yet it set the world aflame. Dependence upon a word of man would be […]
The Gospel and the Sufficiency of Scripture
John Calvin complained of being assailed by “two sects”—”the Pope and the Anabaptists.” Obviously quite different from each other, both nevertheless “boast extravagantly of the Spirit” and in so doing “bury the Word of God under their own falsehoods.” (1) Both separate the Spirit from the Word by advocating the living voice of God with […]
Sola Scriptura, Etc.
Quo warranto: “By what authority?” Posed to Jesus in Mark 11:28, this question became the driving impetus of the Protestant Reformation. By what authority should theology, spirituality, and ministry be judged? For nearly half a millennium, Protestants have answered this question by declaring sola scriptura. From Puritan pulpits in Britain to “Big Tent” revivals in […]
The Spirit, the Spirits, and the Letter
In the theology of Martin Luther, the Holy Spirit (contending for his position among other spirits) cannot be separated from the external Word in the fixed and stable form we know as the Holy Scriptures. These Holy Scriptures belong to a broader matrix of instruments through which the Holy Spirit deals with people mediately rather […]
The Roaring of Christ through Lectio Continua Preaching
One Lord’s Day as Robert Bruce (1554-1631) ascended the elevated pulpit at St. Giles Kirk in Edinburgh, King James VI was comfortably perched in his royal gallery overlooking the congregation from the rear. The relationship between Bruce and the Stewart king, though once amicable, became strained due to Bruce’s unwillingness to negotiate the truth in […]
In This Issue
The doctrine of sola scriptura was recovered for the church universal at the famous Leipzig Disputation in 1519. Against Johannes Eck, Luther returned every quotation from council or canon law with Scripture passages from memory. Biblical truth and the clarity of the gospel were then and are now the foundation of the church. Every modern […]
The Bible
Explore All
What Did Jesus Write in the Ground? The Controversy and Mystery in John 8
“The Pharisees were guilty of the same kind of sin they wanted to see this woman executed for. And that’s why they walk away from the scene with their tails between their legs. The story ends with Jesus showing mercy to the woman and calling her to repentance, highlighting the fact that contrite sinners make […]
How God’s Promise to Abram Is Fulfilled in Christ
There is more to the Abrahamic covenant than just this family and just that land. As will become clear from the rest of Genesis and from the New Testament, Abram knew that the earthly land of Canaan was just a picture of heaven itself (Heb 11:10). Likewise, he came to understand that the key to becoming a vast nation was a single son. From the one, special boy of Abram, the blessings would flow to the nations, who is Jesus Christ (Gal 3:7–9). By faith in Christ, we become the heirs of these ancient promises.
Our Victory Is Between the Flags of Sound Doctrine
Following sound doctrine requires our eyes to remain fixed on Jesus. It also requires that our faith rests in him. Faith opens the door to God’s plan and allows us to accomplish his will for our lives. It does so chiefly because it fosters a heart that yields to the counsel and leading of God. In this way, we remain on the road of truth.
Four Tips for Reading the Bible’s Prophetical Books
The Prophets are not just abstract apocalyptic literature, included in the canon of Scripture because of their audience or subject matter. No, they—like the rest of Scripture—are the divinely inspired word of God. They are included in the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan and written within the covenant context of God and his people for a theological purpose, reflecting a specific historical and geographical context.
