Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible

by Don Kistler (Editor), W. Robert Godfrey, R.C. Sproul

Sola Scriptura, the formal principle of the Protestant Reformation, is essential to genuine Christianity, for it declares that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, the church's only rule of faith and practice. Yet this doctrine is under assault today as never before, both from outside and and inside the church. In manifold ways, both blatant and subtle, the idea is being put forth that the Bible is inadequate for the needs of modern man. Such suggestions represent an attack on the very foundations of the Christian faith.

In this book, several leading Reformed pastors and scholars, including Joel Beeke, Sinclair Ferguson, Robert Godfrey, Ray Lanning, John MacArthur, R. C. Sproul, Derek W. H. Thomas, and James White, unpack the meaning of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura ("Scripture alone"). They also explain where the attacks on the Bible are coming from and show how those who accept the Bible as God's inspired Word should respond. Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible is a treasure trove of information and a comfort to those who grieve to see the twenty-first-century church wandering away from the safe harbor of the Bible.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Scripture, Religion, Nonfiction, Catholic

280 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1997

Reviews

[Patrick S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a decent book for an introduction into sola scriptura. It doesn't get bogged in too much history or detail or philosophy, but there is enough there for this kind of smaller book to make its point. The chapters by White and MacArthur are probably the best written. White really provides a good historical context of sola scriptura in the early church. R.C. Sproul does a good job backing him up on the establishment of Scripture, although he almost seems underutilized. However, no ones' pride seems to get in the way here. MacArthur's portion on the sufficiency of Scripture is exactly where he feels comfortable writing and he's good about providing both sides of the argument without spite. The biggest negative is Sinclair Ferguson's chapter on Scripture and tradition. I feel Ferguson probably knows his stuff but he tries to include too many sites of Latin and his writing feels really rushed.

This short book does a good job of defining the words, establishing the issues, and starting you on your journey of sola scriptura. This book is not intended to be exhaustive and should not be sought for it. Good authors on a much needed truth in today's Church. Final Grade - A-

[Dom Silla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible read. For its smaller size it packs an over-classed punch. Dealing mainly with the Protestant Position over and against the teaches of the Roman Catholic Church, the book weighs carefully the Protestant conception and what that means practically for both doctrine and practice. Certainly written from an influence that is Reformed in nature, the broad corridors of the evangelical church would do well to hear their Reformed brethren in this most important area of doctrine. Our view of scripture affects and effects everything else we do in the Christian life lived out.

[J. T. K. Tobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Succinct and educational. Packed into just a few pages, Sola Scriptura provides the reader a revealing look into some of the pitfalls of placing tradition over scripture - specifically as it relates to mankind making judgments and proclamations that do not coincide with scripture.

[Andy Febrico Bintoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regarding the authoritative of the Bible and Word of God on Protestant view.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. All the articles in this book are quite effective and deal with Sola Scriptura from many different angles, such as demonstrating the principal in the early church fathers, showing biblical evidence for it, arguing for the completion of the canon, and responding to the common objections/misconceptions of the Protestant doctrine of the unique authority of the Bible. This book is a good resource that I expect to return to again and again.

[David Blankenship · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot of good in this book; the basic premise through the essays is that the Bible is God's infallible and sufficient word, and that adding in other sources (particularly Roman Catholic tradition) is unnecessary. If properly interpreted, the Bible is all-sufficient for the life of a Christian.

The problem with this book is two-fold. First, many of the essays overlap and keep repeating the same scriptures and the same points. But second, it does not answer many questions that cause some to look beyond Scripture. Among them: a. How do you interpret it? Indeed, this is a major roadblock for many. This goes beyond the scope of the book perhaps, but the fact that interpretation is necessary at all (and often a dividing point for many earnest believers) would make one question the sufficiency of the Scripture itself. b. If Scripture is infallible, what about Scriptures that seem to contradict or at least are very difficult for even the most scholarly among us to interpret? Does this question not lead some to find other sources of authority? c. If Scripture is divine and indeed 'God-breathed', how do you explain the humanity of it? Paul might have been inspired, but he wrote as a Jew, a Pharisee, an apostle. Psalms is indeed sacred song, but it bears the mark of humanity crying back to God.

There are many good points to this book, but it was a bit limited in scope for my taste and did not take seriously some of the reasons as to why others have sought out other means of authority.

[Jared Totten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting a defense for Scripture as the inspired word of God, not a defense of the Protestant view of Scripture over the Roman Catholic view. Though, understanding the history behind the term Sola Scriptura (not to mention, the obvious subtitle), I should have guessed. Never the less, a good book.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the Reformation doctrine of sola scriptura, from a variety of contributors. A fairly short, quick read. This would make a great introduction for someone just starting to investigate the subject, but is also meatier enough for those who are somewhat familiar with it also.

[Adam Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a good book on the history of Sola Scriptura in light of the Roman Catholic teaching it was very repetitive. The various contributors provided beneficial information but much of it was overlapping.

[Scott Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of articles by various theologians around the idea that the Bible is the highest court of appeal and the only sufficient source of faith's content.

[Sean McGowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good.

[Austin Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beeke’s article is worth the price of the book… maybe twice the price of the book.

[Ashley Hunt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping this book would give a positive argument for why Protestants believe in Scripture alone. Instead I found this book to mainly explain that A. The Catholic Church is wrong so SS must be right and B. Scripture is powerful and the Word of God so SS must be right. By focusing more on how the Catholic Church is wrong, it leaves the door wide open for Protestants who no longer adhere to SS and see errors in the Catholic Church to just join the Orthodox Church. Second, I don’t believe any of the aforementioned church denies that Scripture is powerful and the Word of God. They would instead argue that the Word of God is also found in sacred tradition.
There was one chapter that seemed to look at the argumentation differently, but overall I highly doubt this book would convince anyone to be Protestant unless they already hated the Catholic Church.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays that develop various aspects of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura, and what a varied group it is. James White's simple and effective argument on the early church's position on the authority of Scripture was one of my favorites. Sinclair Ferguson's essay on Roman Catholic reactions to Sola Scriptura was highly technical and, honestly, hard to read. I found Godfrey's introductory chapter and MacArthur's defense of Sola Scriptura from Scripture to be very helpful. The breadth of essays was interesting and informative.

[Ming Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good. The volume includes some of the best contemporary Protestant theologians covering different facets of the debate around Scripture alone. In terms of stand-out chapters, I found Ferguson's chapter uniquely insightful by showing that the Catholic view of tradition cannot be taken as a mere exegesis or interpretation of Scripture and Beeke's chapter more experiential and pastoral. MacArthur convincingly responds to potential Catholic proof texts. The other chapters were also good though less memorable, but that may be due to me reading late at night.

[Luke Schmeltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

An AMAZING academic treatise on the doctrine of Sola Scriptura! A brilliant, all-star team of writers came together to write a work that convicts, corrects, informs, and inspires. I recommend this book to any Christian going into leadership, especially one called into a teaching role. If Gods Word is not our ultimate spiritual authority, then what assurance can we have? 10/10

[Lizette Vega · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sola Scriptura is a collection of essays from well known and respected pastors who discuss the legitimacy and construction of the Bible. The majority of the essays are written to oppose the Roman Catholics view of tradition vs. the authority of God's Word. The last chapter however, by Joel Beeke, is a practical look on how Scripture is powerless unless it transforms lives. Overall, a good read.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars. Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible edited by Don Kistler (multiple authors) is a good introduction to the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura. The book provides a multi-layered definition of Sola Scriptura and contrasts the differences between Protestant thought and Roman Catholicism concerning infallible authorities. R.C. Sproul’s chapter on “The Establishment of Scripture” and Sinclair Ferguson’s chapter on “Scripture and Tradition” are worth the price of the book. I commend it!

[retroGRAD3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great overview and defense of the reformed doctrine of Sola Scriptura. It explains what it is, the history of it (well before the reformation), why it is necessary, and what enormous errors appear when it is abandoned.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, but the title is misleading. It should be sub-titled the Catholic position on the Bible. Still, I thought it was well written and very helpful, just not the book I thought I was reading.

[En Yi WEI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read review on Amazon

[Richard Ritenbaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a Evangelical diatribe against the Catholic position on Scripture. While it brings up some good points, the only truly helpful teachings are in the last essay.

[Cindy Francey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of essays exploring aspects of of Scripture alone. Very useful. All Christians should read this book. Essential

[Cameron Borders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fundamental

[Victor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Throughout Sola Scriptura the authors expound on what the authors argue is the key principle of The Reformation. The book compares and contrasts the Protestant doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture for faith and life and what the Roman Catholic Church believes regarding Scripture, Tradition, and the role of the Church in the life of Catholic faith.

The Good
Each of the articles provides a clear explanation of Sola Scriptura and why it is important. The author(s) of each of the essays also do a good job of carefully representing the Catholic position by not cherry picking the "worst" examples from the "other side" and then blasting them for being wrong.

The final chapter does a great job challenging pastors/ministers responsible for leading churches to encourage a more bibliocentric approach in the life of the Church and individual believers. Sections pointing to and calling for a more Scripture-centered, gospel-saturated pulpit ministry were particularly challenging and worthy of another reading.

The Bad
At times the arguments were very dense.The comparisons between the two positions became difficult to follow and required a second reading. So, the reader should read carefully. The book is more academic on the whole, so this is less a criticism and more a point of information for those who decide to read it.

[London · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard one to rate because I don’t agree with the doctrine espoused in the book, but I love the way it was done. I wish more doctrines were covered in this manner, with various apologists defending the aspects that they feel most comfortable in defending. For example, James White is a professor in Church History and his chapter is regarding the Church Fathers’ view of Scripture, Tradition and the Church.

Although I disagree with a lot of the logic that was used in this book, I appreciate how many Catholic arguments against Sola Scriptura were addressed. There are also things that I had to look into that I didn’t previously know, which is always helpful.

Also, the last chapter has some gems. Even if you’re not a Protestant I would recommend getting this book just for the last chapter alone.

[Joseph McBee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to prepare for a course I am helping teach at my church on the 5 Solas of the Reformation. I found it to be an excellent resource. Clear, easily accessible to most readers, and it covers the topic well.

[Mike Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and concise. A must-read!

More than anything this book confirmed my suspicions about the misuse of scripture. I won't point fingers, because all are guilty of either adding or using only what they deem pertinent. The writers did not let me down.

[Joel Gass]

Very good, some portions were a bit wordy for me.. I really liked the book though.