Sola Scriptura (Part 3)
These weekly theological tidbits are designed to expand the mind on the Triune God and provoke a moment of worship in the heart. T.T.O.W. (theological term of the week) is not exhaustive, rather it is a leaflet of information that hopefully leads to deeper investigation.
Term: Sola Scriptura
In Part 1 & 2 on this doctrine, Sola Scriptura was identified by its central claim: the Bible is the sole infallible source of authority for Christian faith and practice. This claim was parsed into three main aspects: clarity, sufficiency, and authority. With a clear understanding of what Sola Scriptura is and is not claiming, we can look for its basis in Scripture itself. In this article, the concept of Sola Scriptura will be examined in Jesus’ own teaching. I hope to provide a clear example of Christ’s affirmation that the Scriptures are clearly what he himself pointed all people to submit to:
Have You Not Read What Was Said?
Matthew 22:23-28:
23 The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”
Let’s set the scene; At the beginning of this chapter in Matthew, which took place on the same day (22:23), the Pharisees attempted to entangle Jesus in a PR disaster. They asked Jesus to give his thoughts on an eternal hot button: taxes. Of course, the Son of God leaves them speechless with his response, and the Pharisees go back to the drawing board. His remarks, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's,” (22:21) are words that have impacted taxation debates to this day.
Next up was the Sadducees. This group of academics decided to present Jesus with a theological debacle. Their in-house rivals, the Pharisees, believed there was a resurrection of human beings after death at some point, but the Sadducees, with a limited canon, detested this idea by their interpretation of the Tanak (Old Testament). Hence Jesus was publicly cornered to weigh in on this supposedly foggy issue in hopes he would fumble with his words. An illustration is given about a woman who’s consecutive husbands pass away. The question asks whose wife would she be in this supposed resurrection? Jesus’ answer:
Matthew 22:29-33:
29 But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
First off, Jesus does not play around; he doesn’t say, “well maybe this is a possible interpretation.” The point is clear: “you are wrong” (22:29). Why? “Because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (22:29). Jesus believes the text of Scripture is clear enough to know the right answer, and that Scripture’s answer is the authoritative one. His answer to their illustration is given in verse 30, and finally, he settles the resurrection controversy.
Jesus’ statement in verse 31 is one of the most jaw-dropping sentences in the New Testament: “And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read (ἀνέγνωτε) what was said (λέγοντος) to you by God” (emphasis mine). What in the world? What does Jesus mean when he asks his hearers to “read” what was “said?” It seems he believes what was written down in the Old Testament Scriptures are the literal words of God. The written documents=the words of God. I don’t know how much clearer Christ could be about the Scriptures being the inspired and authoritative voice of God.
With this theological foundation declared, Jesus applies it to the matter of faith in question. Quoting from Exodus 3:6, he says, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (22:32). The point here is that the text says God “is” the God of those OT saints not “was;” They are still present with their Creator and will be forever in the resurrection. Therefore, Jesus concludes, “He is not God of the dead, but of the living” (22:32). The clarity of the answer is found in the words, the grammar, the syntax, and the meaning of the text of Scripture. Jesus seems to hold his hearers accountable to nothing but the words of the text which he acknowledged are the spoken words of God.
Here are some summary conclusions from this passage according to Jesus:
Scripture determines what is right and wrong.
Ignorance of the Scriptures is irresponsible.
What is written down in the Scriptures are the words of God Himself.
Jesus holds people accountable to what the Scriptures say.
The question is: “Have you not read what was said to you by God?”
Reflective Worship
There have always been naive attempts to distance Jesus from the Old Testament. Many have wanted an undefined Jesus, a selective Jesus, a malleable figure who recorded the sermon on the mount but little else. Others have wanted a Christ who respects the Scriptures but does not elevate them to a level of ultimate authority. The penetrating reality when one reads quotes from Jesus himself in the gospels is the fact Christ explicitly upholds and identifies with the Scriptures and points his followers that direction as well.
In John’s gospel, Jesus is quoted saying, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). How do his sheep hear his voice and follow him? Visions? Mystical experiences? Still small voices in their minds? Probably not. It seems Christians hear the voice of Jesus definitively through the words God has spoken in the Scriptures. If Jesus is God incarnate, the second person of the Godhead, then wouldn’t Jesus’ statement in Matthew 22:31, “have you not read what was said to you by God,” be a pronouncement that these were also his words? Absolutely. With the illumination of the Holy Spirit, he has given us the means of Scripture to find him, know him, follow him, and have fellowship with him. Christ even sends us to go explore his witness in the Old Testament (John 5:39; Luke 24:27). If you want to hear the voice of Jesus then read the words he has spoken through Scripture. He has preserved them for you on paper.
Further Study
Books
Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible ed. by Don Kistler
Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bible's Accuracy, Authority and Authenticity by James R. White
God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture—What the Reformers Taught...and Why It Still Matters by Matthew Barrett