“Because I said so.”
This may not come as a surprise to you, but I was an opinionated child. If I had to do something, I wanted a good reason for it. If I couldn’t do something, I especially wanted a good reason for that. If you’re a parent of an opinionated child, you know how exasperating that can be. Sometimes you just don’t have time to argue with a six-year-old. So what do you say? “Because I told you so.”
This week we come to the fourth week of our series on the Five Solas, a series of distinct theological commitments that came out of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Our distinction this week is Sola Scriptura or, in plain English, “Scripture Alone.” By saying that we learn how to be saved from Scripture alone, what we’re really saying is that no pastor or elder will ever get up and say, “Because I told you so.” The reason that matters is, “Because the Bible says so.” That has a couple of implications:
1. We Need to Know the Bible
The Bible is how we learn about salvation because the Bible is a book like no other. Though it was written by human authors, it was written by divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16-17). That means every word in the Bible is God’s Word, not just the word of the human author who wrote it down. If the Bible is that important and contains what we need to know for our salvation, we must study what it says!
2. No One Can Add to It
Can you imagine the arrogance if I tried to rewrite the ending of Macbeth? I’ve never written a play, let alone one so enduring. I’m no playwright. In the same way, it takes incredible arrogance to try to rewrite the Bible. Who would be so bold? Well…all of us. It’s so easy to add to what God has said that many of us don’t even notice we do it. The Bible says salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Period. Full stop. However, we often add more to it. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and the right denominational membership. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ and voting the right way. No one, no matter their office or status, has the right to add to what God has said. Since God is the one saves us, he gets to set the terms.
3. Human Authority Isn’t Absolute
I’m going to open a can of worms here: you can disagree with your church leadership. Because the Bible is our authority, pastors have to back up what they say from the Bible. It isn’t true because I say it; it’s only true if God says it. Sometimes it might be an obvious teaching from a clear verse. Other times it might be an application or implication of a biblical principle. Whatever the case, spiritual authority in your life only has authority in so much as it holds to the Bible.
The Bible is a diamond vein we’ll mine for the rest of our lives. It’s a diamond vein because it’s valuable – holding a treasure of great price. We’ll mine it forever – spending our entire lives coming to understand, believe, and practice what it teaches us. When is the last time you really sat down and spent some time in your Bible? What’s stopping you today?