Is Sola Scriptura in the Bible?

"Scripture alone is my final authority. Show me anything else in the Bible." Let's test sola scriptura the way its defenders ask: with the Bible.

Short answer: No. No verse teaches that Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith. Scripture itself tells Christians to hold fast to apostolic traditions taught "either by an oral statement or by a letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15) and calls the Church "the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).

Key verses on Scripture and Tradition

• "hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours" (2 Thessalonians 2:15)
• "hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you" (1 Corinthians 11:2)
• "the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15)
• "some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction" (2 Peter 3:16)
• "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" (Acts 8:31)

Scripture quotations are from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

What Catholics Actually Teach

First, the fair definition. Classic sola scriptura does not mean "no teachers, no creeds." It means Scripture is the only infallible rule of faith; pastors, creeds, and councils are fallible and answer to it.

The Catholic Church agrees Scripture is inspired: "God is the author of Sacred Scripture" (CCC 105). But God's Word reaches us in two forms. "Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other" (CCC 80). So the Church "does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone" (CCC 82). The authentic interpretation of that Word "has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone" (CCC 85).

What Catholics do not teach:

• That the Church is above the Bible. The Magisterium "is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant" (CCC 86).
• That Tradition adds new revelation. Everything the Church proposes as revealed "is drawn from this single deposit of faith" (CCC 86).
• That every custom is Tradition. Apostolic Tradition is distinct from local customs and devotions, which can change (CCC 83).

The Biblical Case

1. St. Paul commands oral tradition alongside his letters

"Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours." (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

What binds is the apostles' teaching, whether it came by word of mouth or by letter: both carry the same weight, and the Church hands on both. St. Paul praises the Corinthians because they "hold fast to the traditions, just as I handed them on to you" (1 Corinthians 11:2). And he calls his spoken preaching "not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God" (1 Thessalonians 2:13).

2. St. Timothy is told to hand it on by word of mouth

"And what you heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will have the ability to teach others as well" (2 Timothy 2:2). Four generations, passed on by what was heard.

3. The Church is the pillar of truth

St. Paul writes so that St. Timothy will "know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15). St. Paul gives that title to the Church, not to Scripture. (More: Is the Church the Pillar and Foundation of Truth?)

When believers disagree, Jesus did not say "check your Bibles." He said, "tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:17).

4. Scripture says it needs a faithful interpreter

The Ethiopian official was reading Isaiah. St. Philip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone instructs me?" (Acts 8:30–31). St. Peter warns that St. Paul's letters contain things "the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures" (2 Peter 3:16).

5. The apostles settled a doctrinal dispute by council

When Christians split over circumcision, Acts records: "The apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter" (Acts 15:6). Their binding decision opened with: "It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us" (Acts 15:28).

6. The Bible never claims to be the only source

"There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25; compare John 20:30). That doesn't prove any specific unwritten doctrine. But Scripture never claims to be exhaustive, and no verse lists which books belong in the Bible. The Church did not make those books inspired; God did. But she alone recognized and handed on which books are, and every Christian who holds a Bible holds her list (see Why Do Catholic Bibles Have 7 More Books?).

Objections Answered

(a) "2 Timothy 3:16–17 says Scripture makes us complete."

At its strongest: "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:16–17). If Scripture fully equips us, what else do we need?

Answer: Catholics affirm every word. But "useful" is not "alone." Scripture equips; the passage never says only Scripture does. St. Paul says Christ gave apostles, pastors, and teachers "to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:11–12), and no one concludes that pastors replace the Bible. Also, the "sacred scriptures" St. Timothy had known "from infancy" (2 Timothy 3:15) were the Old Testament. Read as "Scripture alone," the verse would prove too much.

(b) "Jesus condemned tradition."

At its strongest: Jesus told the Pharisees, "You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition," and "You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on" (Mark 7:8, 13). Tradition is exactly what He warned against.

Answer: Jesus condemned human tradition that nullifies God's word. St. Paul commands apostolic tradition that is God's word (2 Thessalonians 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The question is not "tradition or no tradition," but "from men, or from Christ through His apostles?"

(c) "The Bereans tested everything by Scripture."

At its strongest: The Bereans "received the word with all willingness and examined the scriptures daily to determine whether these things were so" (Acts 17:11). Good Christians test every teaching by the Bible.

Answer: Agreed, testing by Scripture is good. But the Bereans were hearing an apostle preach in person and checked his message against the Old Testament. They received oral teaching "with all willingness." The verse praises searching Scripture; it never says Scripture is the only infallible authority.

(d) "The Fathers themselves taught Scripture alone."

At its strongest: St. Irenaeus says the apostles' Gospel was "handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith" (Against Heresies 3.1.1). St. Athanasius writes that "the sacred and inspired Scriptures are sufficient to declare the truth" (Against the Heathen I.3). If the Fathers spoke like this, sola scriptura looks ancient, not new.

Answer: Start with Scripture. The Bible gives the title "pillar and foundation of truth" to "the church of the living God" (1 Timothy 3:15), and it commands traditions received "either by an oral statement or by a letter" (2 Thessalonians 2:15). The Fathers held both. The same sentence of St. Irenaeus says the apostles first "did at one time proclaim in public" what they later wrote. A chapter later he asks: "For how should it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary, [in that case,] to follow the course of the tradition which they handed down to those to whom they did commit the Churches?" (3.4.1). St. Athanasius, in the very same breath, adds "other works of our blessed teachers compiled for this purpose." These Fathers prized the fullness of Holy Scripture, exactly as the Church does. But they read it inside the Church and her apostolic Tradition, never against them. Their own words show an authoritative apostolic Tradition, and the Church's teaching as the rule by which Scripture is read. That is the Catholic position, not sola scriptura.

(e) "Then name the unwritten apostolic teachings that survived."

At its strongest: Granted, 2 Thessalonians 2:15 proves St. Paul's oral teaching was authoritative. But which specific unwritten apostolic teachings can you historically show survived as binding doctrine? Name them. If you cannot, only the written New Testament is verifiably apostolic.

Answer: Sacred Tradition is not a hidden list of secret doctrines. It is the apostolic deposit handed on in the Church's life, preaching and worship. St. Timothy is to entrust what he "heard" to others who will teach (2 Timothy 2:2). St. Paul handed on the traditions (1 Corinthians 11:2), the Eucharist among them: "For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you" (1 Corinthians 11:23). St. John had "much to write" but chose "to speak face to face" (2 John 12; 3 John 13).

Now the names, all checkable, each held by millions of Protestants:

• The New Testament canon. No verse lists its twenty-seven books (see Who Decided Which Books Are in the Bible?).
• Sunday worship. Scripture names "the Lord's day" (Revelation 1:10) and records believers gathering "on the first day of the week" (Acts 20:7). Neither verse commands the change from the Sabbath. The practice is received.
• Infant baptism. Acts records whole households baptized (Acts 16:15, 33), but no verse expressly says "baptize infants" (see Should Infants Be Baptized?).
• The Trinitarian and Christological formulas. The Son "consubstantial" with the Father (Nicaea, AD 325) and one Person in two natures (Chalcedon, AD 451) are the Church's precise terms, defined against heretics who also quoted Scripture.

The Fathers saw it the same way. St. Irenaeus (c. AD 180) points the seeker to the apostolic tradition visible "in every Church" through the bishops' succession (Against Heresies 3.3.1), and to believers who had no Scriptures, "having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink, and, carefully preserving the ancient tradition" (3.4.2). St. Basil the Great (c. AD 375): "some we possess derived from written teaching; others we have received delivered to us 'in a mystery' by the tradition of the apostles; and both of these in relation to true religion have the same force." His first example: "who is thence who has taught us in writing to sign with the sign of the cross those who have trusted in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ?" (On the Holy Spirit 27.66).

The first name on the list is the table of contents in your own Bible: no verse supplies it. The Protestant who demands an unwritten apostolic teaching is already holding one.

The Early Church Agrees

• St. Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies, c. AD 180) sends anyone seeking truth to the apostolic churches: "It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world" (3.3.1). And: "it is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth" (3.4.1).
• Tertullian (Prescription Against Heretics, c. AD 200, before his break with the Church) faced heretics who quoted the Bible against the Church. His rule: "Our appeal, therefore, must not be made to the Scriptures" (ch. 19), because "all doctrine which agrees with the apostolic churches— those moulds and original sources of the faith must be reckoned for truth" (ch. 21). Tertullian argued from Scripture constantly. His point is that the Scriptures belong to the Church that received the apostles' faith.
• Origen (On First Principles, c. AD 220–230, approximate; preserved mainly in Rufinus's Latin translation): "that alone is to be accepted as truth which differs in no respect from ecclesiastical and apostolic tradition" (Preface 2).
• St. Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechetical Lectures, c. AD 350): St. Cyril insists "not even a casual statement must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures" (4.17). Yet he also tells catechumens to "acquire and keep that only, which is now delivered to you by the Church, and which has been built up strongly out of all the Scriptures" (5.12). Scripture and the Church, together.
• St. Vincent of Lérins (Commonitory, c. AD 434) imagines someone asking why the Church's interpretation is needed if "the canon of Scripture is complete, and sufficient of itself for everything." His answer: "because, owing to the depth of Holy Scripture, all do not accept it in one and the same sense" (2.5).

Conclusion

Sola scriptura is a doctrine about the Bible that the Bible never teaches. Scripture points beyond itself: to apostolic traditions, to a Church that is "the pillar and foundation of truth," and to shepherds Christ gave authority to teach, including St. Peter (see Is the Papacy in the Bible?).

If you are Protestant, your love for Scripture is a gift. We only ask you to follow Scripture where it leads. Read 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 1 Timothy 3:15 again, and ask who handed you the Bible in the first place.

Come home. The apostolic Tradition and the living teaching office that St. Paul pointed to are still found today in the Catholic Church, the Church that handed you the Bible. Christ did not found many churches. He founded one, on St. Peter and the apostles (Matthew 16:18), and that Church is the Catholic Church. "It is through Christ's Catholic Church alone, which is the universal help toward salvation, that the fullness of the means of salvation can be obtained" (CCC 816). If you are a baptized Christian, you already share "a certain, although imperfect, communion" with her (CCC 838). Every truth you already hold is a call to the rest of the way. Christ is calling you into the Catholic Church.

Your next step: Come to Mass this Sunday at your local Catholic church. You can find one near you at MassTimes.org. Everyone is welcome; if you're not yet Catholic, pray with us but don't receive Communion yet. When you're ready to become Catholic, call the parish office and ask about OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. They will walk you through every step. Read our guide: How Do I Become Catholic? Not ready yet? Get our free pocket guide below and keep learning.

FAQ

Do Catholics believe the Bible is the Word of God? Yes. "God is the author of Sacred Scripture" (CCC 105), and its books teach "without error" the truth God wanted written for our salvation (CCC 107).

What is Sacred Tradition? The apostles' teaching handed on by preaching, example, and the institutions they established (CCC 76). "This living transmission, accomplished in the Holy Spirit, is called Tradition" (CCC 78).

Where did sola scriptura come from? It became a defining principle of the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century.

Sources

Scripture (NABRE, bible.usccb.org): Matthew 16:18; Matthew 18:17; Mark 7:8–13; John 20:30; John 21:25; Acts 8:30–31; Acts 15:6, 28; Acts 16:15, 33; Acts 17:11; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:2, 23; Ephesians 4:11–12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 1 Timothy 3:15; 2 Timothy 2:2; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; 2 Peter 3:16; 2 John 12; 3 John 13; Revelation 1:10.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican.va): 76, 78; 80, 82, 83; 85, 86; 105, 107; 816, 838.

Church Fathers (newadvent.org): Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1, 3.3.1 and 3.4.1–2 (ANF vol. 1); Tertullian, Prescription Against Heretics 19, 21 (ANF vol. 3); Origen, On First Principles, Preface 2 (ANF vol. 4); Athanasius, Against the Heathen I.3 (NPNF2 vol. 4); Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lecture 4.17 and 5.12 (NPNF2 vol. 7); Vincent of Lérins, Commonitory 2.5 (NPNF2 vol. 11); Basil, On the Holy Spirit 27.66 (NPNF2 vol. 8, ccel.org).