Sola Scriptura — Formalized during the Reformation (1517)
Jamie: I brought the Bible. That means I win, right?
Moderator: Win what, exactly?
Jamie: The debate. The doctrine. The denomination. Everything.
Moderator: That depends. Where did you get it?
Jamie: Lifeway. Half off.
Moderator: No, I mean how did you get it? Who decided which books belonged in there?
Jamie: Um... the disciples?
Moderator: Try Church councils. In the fourth century.
Moderator: Sola Scriptura means 'Scripture alone.' It was a Reformation idea: that the Bible is the final authority in matters of faith.
Jamie: Sounds fair.
Moderator: But not everything in Christianity was written down. Some things were lived first. Taught. Passed on.
Jamie: You mean like oral tradition?
Moderator: Exactly. The early Church had the Gospel before it had the Gospels.
Jamie: Wait—so the first Christians didn’t have a Bible?
Moderator: Not as you know it. They had the Hebrew Scriptures, a few circulating letters, and the Eucharist.
Jamie: So when did the Bible get... canonized?
Moderator: The canon was gradually recognized through usage, liturgy, and eventually formalized by councils—centuries after Christ.
Jamie: So the Church made the Bible?
Moderator: The Church received the Scriptures and recognized what was already sacred. But yes, the Church preserved and protected the list.
Jamie: So what’s wrong with just reading the Bible and doing what it says?
Moderator: Nothing wrong with reading it. But without Tradition, who decides what it means?
Jamie: Me?
Moderator: Exactly. And so now we have 40,000+ interpretations. The Bible was never meant to be solo. It was meant to be read in harmony with the Church that lived it.
Jamie: So Scripture isn’t a solo act. It’s... the melody the Church kept singing?
Moderator: Beautifully said.
Moderator: The Church isn’t a group of people who read the Bible. It’s the community from which the Bible emerged.
Jamie: So without the Church, I wouldn’t even have the Bible?
Moderator: Right. The Bible didn’t fall from the sky. It came from the heart of a believing, worshiping, teaching community.
Jamie: So Sola Scriptura kind of... skips the prequel.
Moderator: Yes. And the soundtrack. And the elders who handed it down.
Moderator: Sacred Scripture. Sacred Tradition. And Sacred Community. The three aren’t rivals. They’re companions.
Jamie: Like Peter, Paul, and Mary.
Moderator: Almost.
*Jamie holds the Bible to his heart with new reverence.*
Next time on The TheoLounge: “How We Worship”