Is Sola Scriptura Biblical? Exploring the Fundamental Divide Between Protestants and Catholics - by Kevin DeYoung

Found here. Our comments in bold.

-------------------------

Although this article is about the way Catholics approach Scripture, we are redacting that material in favor of examining the author's explanation of Sola Scriptura.

The author, for all his advocacy of Sola Scriptura, only manages to quote snippets of Scripture.

In view of this irony, we must deem this Bad Bible Teaching.

--------------------------

The doctrine of sola scriptura is the conviction that Scripture alone is infallible and should be given the final say in all matters of faith and practice. (True.)

Here is how the Westminster Confession of Faith explains the doctrine:

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 whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other than the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture. (WCF 1.10) (This is a rather peculiar and unconventional definition, and it differs from the author's.  

 

The Bible is the definitive standard for doctrine and practice, it is not a judge or an arbiter.)

Notice, the Confession does not say Scripture is the only witness to which we can appeal. (This, however, is the way cessationists approach Sola Scriptura when challenging the idea of contemporary prophecy.)

We can bring many authors, writings, traditions, creeds, and confessions forward as witnesses to defend and support the truth. The “alone” in sola scriptura does not mean that we have the Bible and nothing but the Bible. Rather, sola scriptura maintains that the Bible is the supreme judge—the final, ultimate, absolute, decisive arbiter in all controversies of religion.

The Confession then lists four kinds of testimony that are not final judges but sit under the judgment of Scripture: 

• councils,
• ancient writers,
• human doctrines, and
• private spirits (feelings, experiences, claims of divine prompting or revelation).

All of these must be examined by Scripture, tested against Scripture, and in every matter of faith and practice Scripture gets the last word.

(...)

As Protestants, we believe that the Bible is the norma normans (“the rule that rules”) while creeds and councils and church fathers ought to be considered the norma normata (“the rule that is ruled”). We do not believe the Scriptures are the only source of knowledge, the only witness to the truth, or the only book we can consult when doing theology. What we do believe is that 

• Scripture alone is unerring,
• Scripture alone has the final word, and
• Scripture alone rules all other rules and is ruled by nothing else.

Scriptural Argument

(...)

...let me give five reasons the Bible supports sola scriptura.

 
Reason #1: The perfection of Scripture

Second Timothy 3:15–17 is the classic text on the inspiration of Scripture, (Let's quote it: 

2Ti. 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Now with the Scripture before us, let's see what the author has to say.)

but the reason for mentioning it here is not because of the line “breathed out by God” (v. 16). The key phrases, as far as sola scriptura is concerned, are “able to make you wise for salvation” (v. 15) and “equipped for every good work” (v. 17). Yes, Paul is referring most immediately to the Old Testament, but we know that the early church counted the apostolic writings as Scripture (1 Pet. 3:16), so we can fairly apply 2 Timothy 3 to all of Scripture. The important point is this: Paul considers Scripture perfect, (Actually, "useful.")

lacking in nothing, (This is not mentioned here.)

able by itself to save us (This is not mentioned here.)

and to make us competent for every good deed. In other words, with the Bible alone we have what we need for life and godliness. Hmmm. The author is paraphrasing another Scripture: 

2Pe. 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Notice that Peter does not mention Scripture, he attributes these benefits to "his divine power." 

The author lies to us.)

Reason #2: The example of God’s people in the Old Testament

The constant refrain in the Old Testament is that God’s people must do all things according to what is written. When God’s people prepared to enter the Promised Land in Joshua’s day, they were told to commit themselves not to any tradition but to the Book of the Law and that they should be careful to do according to all that is written in it (Josh. 1:8). They were reminded of this throughout the conquest and again once they entered the land. When God’s people fell away, it was because they disregarded what was written. When Josiah sought to reform God’s people, it was according to the book of the law that they rediscovered. When the exiles returned, the book of Ezra recounts over and over that they were to do everything as it is written in the law of Moses.

There were scribes and priests to teach the law and interpret the word of God, and there were prophets to correct the people when they disobeyed the word of God, but the final standard by which the people were measured—and by which the prophets, the priests, and the kings were measured—was whether they had been careful to do according to all that was written. (This all is true, but Israel relied on the Scriptures and the prophets, while we have the indwelling Holy Spirit.)

Reason #3: The example of Jesus and the apostles in the New Testament

Like the Jews of the Old Testament, Jesus and the apostles appeal to Scripture as the final arbiter in controversies of faith. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to the devil, believing that “it is written” was all that was needed to establish what was true and what was false (Matt. 4:4, 6, 7). Jesus told the Sadducees they were wrong because they did not know the Scriptures, implying that the Scriptures would never lead them astray even when their own traditions might (Matt. 22:29). When Paul preached Christ, he refuted the Jews by turning to the Scriptures (Acts 18:28). The Jews in Berea were considered more noble than the Jews in Thessalonica because they tested everything against the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). (These incidents tie in to our observation above. Notice how every claim is related to the Jews and the Scriptures.)

(...)

Reason #4: The way Jesus talks about Scripture and tradition

It’s true that the New Testament can speak positively about tradition. Paul passes on to the Corinthians what he received from the Lord (1 Cor. 11:23). He reminds the Corinthians of the gospel they received and in which they stand (1 Cor. 15:1). He tells Timothy to guard the good deposit entrusted to him (2 Tim. 1:14). Protestants should not be anti-tradition. We want to pass along what we have learned from the Bible and even what we have learned from the saints who have gone before us (2 Tim. 2:1–2). But tradition is authoritative only insofar as it accords with Scripture.

The example we see in Jesus is that Scripture sits in judgment over tradition. Jesus said the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35), but he often criticized the traditions of the Jews. We see this most famously in the Sermon on the Mount (“you have heard it said, but I say to you . . . ”). If we want an example of appealing to tradition as an equal authority to Scripture we can find it not from Jesus but from his opponents. “For the sake of your tradition,” Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, “you have made void the word of God” (Matt. 15:6). This was the perennial mistake Jesus found in many of the Jewish leaders, that they were “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9). For Jesus, the written word of God always took precedence over the traditions of men.

Reason #5: The covenantal nature of Scripture

Covenants (Undefined terminology.)

come with stipulations and warnings, with blessings and curses. By their very nature, they cannot be added to or subtracted from (Deut. 4:2). Once they are written in full, they become the norm against which everything else is normed. Even if the Apostle John did not think “I’m writing the last book of the Bible,” he understood that with the close of the apostolic age, the time of new covenant documents was also coming to an end. So it’s not surprising that the book of Revelation echoes the language of Deuteronomy:

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. (Rev. 22:18–19). (John was referring to his writing, not the whole of Scripture. Regardless, no true Christian one wants to add to the Bible.)

 

(...)

Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church (PCA) in Matthews, North Carolina and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary.

This article is based on a lecture given at the Faithful Conference at Christ Covenant Church on November 16, 2025.

Kevin DeYoung (PhD, University of Leicester) is the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina, and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte. He has written books for children, adults, and academics, including Just Do Something, The Hole in Our Holiness, Daily Doctrine, and The Biggest Story Bible Storybook. Kevin and his wife, Trisha, have nine children.