Think About This: “It Is Written” And “Sola Scriptura”

People often use these expressions “It is written” and “Sola scriptura” to make emphasis in theological dialogues such as in the authority of scripture. Mostly, they use it to appeal to the reason of their opponent as having the right pedestal. Today, I would like to draw attention to the fact that these concepts can be misleading, and can also veil the user’s pure reasoning abilities. Concepts are not truth in themselves but a means to sell an idea. In the same way both “It is written” and “Sola scriptura”, though they point to some essential principles to how we value God’s Word, are not in themselves truth—unless they set out their primary divine truth.

“It is written” appears in both the gospels of Mathew and Luke during Jesus’ days of fasting and praying on the desert. After Jesus had been publicly anointed and sanctified by divine testimony, Satan decided to put Him to test. Through malicious schemes, Satan purported to tempt Jesus with evil. Jesus used the phrase “It is written” (three times in the gospel of Mathew, and twice in Luke) to counteract Satan. This is the first instance that Christ began to exalt the authority of God’s Word as a sure weapon against Satan. Jesus also gave an example of how to overcome temptation by relying firmly on God’s Word. Whereas every word of Christ carries an impact, a careful reading reveals that it is not only Jesus who used the phrase “It is written”. Satan at a point used it (Matt. 4: 6; Lk. 4:10) and indeed it was written (Ps. 91: 11, 12). Obviously, Christ never endorsed the principles of Satan, not for the mere fact that Christ never believe in the verse, but because Satan abused scriptural principle. Satan used scripture to manipulate Christ to sin. The plain words of scripture does not mean the whole truth is communicated. The interpretation of the speaker must be subject to investigation. Yes, it may be written, but is the interpretation right?

The phrase “sola scriptura” can be credited to the 16th century protestants and reformers. It is the Christian concept that Scripture is the only authoritative source for all Christian practice and doctrine. If it is not scriptural, it is from the spirit of darkness. The protestants therefore renounced the authority of the papacy and other unscriptural Catholic traditions such as the penance, indulgences, etc. But the protestants themselves in many cases were without scriptural errors. Martin Luther brought about the doctrine of consubstantiation, i.e. the bread and wine of the Eucharist are truly the body and blood of Christ because of Hoc est corpus meum “This is my body” in Lk. 22: 19. The Swiss theologians Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin disagreed with Luther as they saw the sacrament of the Eucharist as symbols of divine truths. Calvin latter on wrote the Short Treatise on the Lord’s Supper to clarify the mystic view of Luther. Calvin also brought about the doctrine of predestination, i.e. some are already predestined to salvation, whiles others are condemned already; probably one of Calvin’s doctrines on salvation that has received heavy criticism. Today, many churches denounce the doctrine of predestination as in Calvinism. Clearly, “Sola scriptura”—no matter how scrupulous the protestant theologians used it, was not without many theological setbacks.

Briefly, we cannot close one eye to accept every doctrine coming as truth because the person said “it is written” or “sola scriptura”. Reading Scripture is unlike looking into a bottle with a closed eye. God’s Word is strictly what it is. It is divinely inspired, unchanging, and absolute. It is always the reader and speaker who confuse scriptural truths with error. Like the Bereans (Acts 17: 11), keen investigation of doctrines and theological issues must be apt. As Ellen White put it, “No true doctrine will lose anything by close investigation.”¹ Jesus did not succumb to Satan’s scriptural meticulosity. He subjected his doctrine to investigation and saw it as presumption.

Every faith and practice should be grounded on God’s eternal Word! Since He is the author of the Word, all must submit to Him because He is the source of all realities. God’s truth is established in Heaven and His Word is the absolute means to all divine revelations for the Church! The next time you use the jargons “It is written” or “Sola scriptura”, just be careful because false prophets and teachers do not quote from the Bhagavad Gita or the Quran. They all quote from the same source, i.e., the Bible.