What is the basis for Sola Scriptura?

[Rising_Suns]

Brethren in Christ, peace be with you.

At the request of Tigersnare, I made this question a new post. Please keep in mind that I am not here to debate, but rather, only to find out exactly how the reformers came up with this concept.

So my question is; on what authority/basis did the reformers use to conclude that the Bible is the sole and exclusive authority of God?

Thank you.

-Davide

 

[St. Worm2]

Hey R_S, I have to get up particularly early for church tomorrow so I had better wait until tomorrow afternoon to start discussing Sola Scriptura with you, but I was wondering if you could tell me who the priest is in your avatar?

Thanks! Talk with you tomorrow ..

--David
p.s. - I will leave you with a Scripture passage that concerns Sola Scriptura. Here you go:

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"Continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:14-17)​

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[Rising_Suns]

Hey R_S, I have to get up particularly early for church tomorrow so I had better wait until tomorrow afternoon to start discussing Sola Scriptura with you, but I was wondering if you could tell me who the priest is in your avatar?

Hi St. Worm,

Thank you. Yes, the person in my avatar is Fr. Solanus Casey.

With regards to the passage, it says Scripture is a usefull tool for salvation, and to that I completely agree with. But it does not say that Scripture is the sole authority of God.

Is this the passage the reformers used to base their decision on?

Thank you.

-Davide

 

[Reformationist]

So my question is; on what authority/basis did the reformers use to conclude that the Bible is the sole and exclusive authority of God?

Thank you.

-Davide

I'll be following the thread but I just wanted to tell you that the reformed doctrine of Sola Scriptura is that Holy Scripture alone is the divine written revelation of God and It alone has the authority to bind the consciences of believers because It alone is infallible.

Additionally, and I say this only to preempt any misconceptions that the reformers were revolutionaries bent on doing away with proper authority, the reformers never espoused the need to do away with an ecclesiastical government. In fact, the authority granted to church government is essential to the harmony of a church body.

God bless

 

[Reformationist]

With regards to the passage, it says Scripture is a usefull tool for salvation, and to that I completely agree with. But it does not say that Scripture is the sole authority of God.

The issue at hand with regard to Sola Scriptura is not that it is the only revelation of God but that it is the final authority on issues of the Christian faith. God reveals Himself in manifold ways but Scripture alone is His divinely expired written revelation of Himself and it, alone, is infallible.

God bless

 

[Rising_Suns]

The issue at hand with regard to Sola Scriptura is not that it is the only revelation of God but that it is the final authority on issues of the Christian faith. God reveals Himself in manifold ways but Scripture alone is His divinely expired written revelation of Himself and it, alone, is infallible.

God bless

I understand that Scripture is the infallible word of God, and to that I agree. But my question is; how does one know that it is the "final" and only infallible authoritative source of God? What basis do you or the reformers have to draw this conclusion?

Thank you.

-Davide

 

[CalvinOwen]

So my question is; on what authority/basis did the reformers use to conclude that the Bible is the sole and exclusive authority of God? -Davide

We believe that the Word of God whether it is contained in traditions or orally spoken has all been written down and are contained in the Scriptures. That is why the Apostle Paul says all godly tradition can be found by word of mouth or in his letters. All godly tradition is in either place, not some in one "and" some in another, but it is all in Paul's oral lessons "or" in his letters. That is why Paul uses the word "or" in this exhortation:

2TH 2:15 So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

In other words if you heard Paul you got the traditions "or" if you read Paul you got the traditions either/or you got them all.

And of course we know Paul's letters were Scripture as Peter confirmed:

2PE 3:15-16... just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

And of course the Apostle Paul boldly proclaimed all that he spoke or wrote was the Word of God:

1TH 2:13 ¶ For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

Therefore when we read the famous verse used by Christians when referring to Sola Scriptura where Paul refers to the sacred writings (and not oral tradition) that the these writings or Scriptures that Paul is referring to also includes his very own letters (and all the Apostle's letters) as Peter strongly exhorts us to include and as Paul boldly proclaims is also the Word of God:

2TI 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2TI 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

2TI 3:17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Therefore since we don't have cassette tapes of Paul's or the other Apostles sermons how do we know when we are hearing "another gospel" other than what the Apostles originally preached that Paul warned us to beware of in this verse?

GAL 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

Simple, we take the Apostles word for it that we can also go to his letters which contain all the traditions and the Word of God necessary so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

We can't hear the Apostles sermons orally anymore so the only other option we have today is to go to Pauls "OR" and that is his letters!!!

 

[rmwilliamsll]

Mathison's _The Shape of Sola Scriptura_ is really good and you can read the 3rd chapter on Martin Luther and John Calvin and chapter 8 _The Critique of the Evangelical Doctrine3 of Solo Scriptura_ in less than an hour. It ought to be in larger bookstores.

 

[Rising_Suns]

CalvinOwen,
Thank you for your detailed response. I understand your interpretations of those passages, and they seem like they could make sense. But again, how does this prove that Scripture is the only authoritative source of God? Where does it say that Scriputre alone is infallible?

Mathison's _The Shape of Sola Scriptura_ is really good and you can read the 3rd chapter on Martin Luther and John Calvin and chapter 8 _The Critique of the Evangelical Doctrine3 of Solo Scriptura_ in less than an hour. It ought to be in larger bookstores.

Thank you for the referal. Does this book explain the basis by which Sola Scriputra was determined? If so, could you paraphrase it for me?

Thank you.

-Davide

 

[HiredGoon]

The doctrine of sola scriptura is based on the implications of Scripture and supported by the writings of many of the apostolic and early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, Hippolytus, Athanasius, Hilary of Poitiers, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom and Augustine. The classical reformers were very familiar with the writings of early Christian leaders, and consulted these fathers' writings to make sure they were not inventing strange new doctrines. The doctrine of sola scriptura summarized is that Scripture is the sole, final, and infallible norm of faith and practice, and that Scripture is to be interpreted in and by the communion of saints within the theological context of the apostolic rule of faith. "The voice of the Bible could be plainly heard only if its text were interpreted broadly and rationally, in accordance with the apostolic creed and the evidence of the historical practice of Christendom."

 

[Rising_Suns]

The doctrine of sola scriptura is based on the implications of Scripture and supported by the writings of many of the apostolic and early church fathers, including Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, Hippolytus, Athanasius, Hilary of Poitiers, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom and Augustine. The classical reformers were very familiar with the writings of early Christian leaders, and consulted these fathers' writings to make sure they were not inventing strange new doctrines. The doctrine of sola scriptura summarized is that Scripture is the sole, final, and infallible norm of faith and practice, and that Scripture is to be interpreted in and by the communion of saints within the theological context of the apostolic rule of faith. "The voice of the Bible could be plainly heard only if its text were interpreted broadly and rationally, in accordance with the apostolic creed and the evidence of the historical practice of Christendom."

Thank you. I am familar with the wrtings of the Early Church fathers and I have not once read where they believed Scriputre alone is the only authoirty of God. Could you please substantiate your claim with exact referecnes?

Thank you.

 

[CalvinOwen]

CalvinOwen,
Thank you for your detailed response. I understand your interpretations of those passages, and they seem like they could make sense. But again, how does this prove that Scripture is the only authoritative source of God? Where does it say that Scriputre alone is infallible?
Thank you.

-Davide

Rising,

The Bible doesn't say the word trinity but we can infer from the Father, Son and Holy Ghost references in Scripture that there definitely is a Trinity. We must let the Scriptures speak and we need to learn how to listen.

 

[Rising_Suns]

Rising,

The Bible doesn't say the word trinity but we can infer from the Father, Son and Holy Ghost references in Scripture that there definitely is a Trinity. We must let the Scriptures speak and we need to learn how to listen.

Calvin,
Thank you for your insight. Yes, I agree with you that the Trinity can be inferred from Scipture. If you think Sola Scriptura can also be inferred from Scripture, could you be so kind as to show me what passages paint this picture for us?

Thank you.

-davide

 

[CalvinOwen]

I'm sorry Rising, I thought that is what I did. But in addition to the Apostle Paul saying all tradition is in Scripture and Scripture alone is what equips us to be Christians, lets see if we can infer anything from how the Prophets, Christ and the Apostles rely on Scripture alone.

DEU 8:3 "He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'"

JOS 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

JOS 23:6 "Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,

MAT 4:6 and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning You'; and 'On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.'"

MAT 4:7 Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

MAT 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'"

MAT 11:10 "This is the one about whom it is written, 'Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.'

MAT 21:13 And He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer'; but you are making it a robbers' den."

MAT 26:24 "The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

MAT 26:31 ¶ Then Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, 'I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered.'

MAR 1:2 ¶ As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way;

MAR 7:6 And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me.

MAR 9:12 And He said to them, "Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

MAR 9:13 "But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him."

MAR 11:17 And He began to teach and say to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But you have made it a robbers' den."

MAR 14:21 "For the Son of Man is to go just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."

MAR 14:27 ¶ And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written, 'I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.'
LUK 2:23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord"),

LUK 3:4 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 'Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight.

LUK 4:4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'"

LUK 4:8 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.'"

LUK 4:10 for it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,'

LUK 7:27 "This is the one about whom it is written, 'Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.'

LUK 10:26 And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"

LUK 19:46 saying to them, "It is written, 'And My house shall be a house of prayer,' but you have made it a robbers' den."

LUK 24:46 and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,

JOH 6:31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'"

JOH 6:45 "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.

JOH 8:17 "Even in your law it has been written that the testimony of two men is true.

JOH 12:14 Jesus, finding a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written,

ACT 1:20 "For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his homestead be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it'; and, 'Let another man take his office.'

ACT 7:42 "But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, 'It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel?

ACT 13:33 that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'You are My Son; today have begotten You.'

ACT 15:15 "With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written,

ACT 23:5 And Paul said, "I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

ROM 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "But the righteous man shall live by faith."
ROM 2:24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it is written.
ROM 3:4 May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, "That You may be justified in Your words, And prevail when You are judged."

ROM 3:10 as it is written, "There is none righteous, not even one;

ROM 4:17 (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.

ROM 8:36 Just as it is written, "For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

ROM 9:13 Just as it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

ROM 9:33 just as it is written, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."

ROM 10:15 How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!"

ROM 11:8 just as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, Eyes to see not and ears to hear not, Down to this very day."

ROM 11:26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob."

ROM 12:19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

ROM 14:11 For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God."

ROM 15:3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me."

ROM 15:9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "Therefore I will give praise to You among the Gentiles, And I will sing to Your name."

ROM 15:21 but as it is written, "They who had no news of Him shall see, And they who have not heard shall understand."

1CO 1:19 For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside."

1CO 1:31 so that, just as it is written, "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord."

1CO 2:9 but just as it is written, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him."

1CO 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God. For it is written, "He is the one who catches the wise in their craftiness";

1CO 9:9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing." God is not concerned about oxen, is He?

1CO 9:10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.

1CO 10:7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play."

1CO 14:21 In the Law it is written, "By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me," says the Lord.

1CO 15:45 So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

2CO 8:15 as it is written, "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack."

2CO 9:9 as it is written, "He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever."

GAL 3:10 ¶ For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them."

GAL 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us -- for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" --

GAL 4:22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the bondwoman and one by the free woman.

GAL 4:27 For it is written, "Rejoice, barren woman who does not bear; Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; For more numerous are the children of the desolate Than of the one who has a husband."

HEB 10:7 "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.'"

1PE 1:16 because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

 

[Rising_Suns]

CalvinOwen,

Thank you for your detailed reply. I see you put some time into your post, and I appreciate that.

From what I can gather, you have essentially proved to me that Scripture tells us we should live by everything that God tells us, and that Old Testament Scripture was referred to alot to prove Jesus' fullfillment to the Jews.

But, may I ask how this proves Sola Scriptura? Perhpas you see something that I don't see?

Thank you.

-Davide

 

[HiredGoon]

Thank you. I am familar with the wrtings of the Early Church fathers and I have not once read where they believed Scriputre alone is the only authoirty of God. Could you please substantiate your claim with exact referecnes?

Thank you.

Here are a few, but I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Mathison's "The Shape of Sola Scriptura" to fully understand this doctrine and its origins.

Hippolytus (CA. 170-236)

"There is, brethren, one God, the knowledge of whom we gain from the Holy Scriptures, and from no other source. For just as a man, if he wishes to be skilled in the wisdom of this world, will find himself unable to get at it in any other way than by mastering the dogmas of philosophers, so all of us who wish to practice piety will be unable to learn its practice from any other quarter than the oracles of God. Whatever things, then, the Holy Scriptures declare, at these let us look; and whatsoever things they teach, these let us learn; and as the Father wills our belief to be, let us believe; and as He wills the Son to be glorified, let us glorify Him; and as He wills the Holy Spirit to be bestowed, let us receive Him. Not according to our own will, nor according to our own mind, nor yet as using violently those things which are given by God, but even as He has chosen to teach them by the Holy Scriptures, so let us discern them."

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (CA. 200-258)

"Let nothing be innovated....nothing maintained, except what has been handed down. Whence is that tradition? Whether does it descend from the authority of the Lord and of the Gospel, or does it come from the commands and epistles of the apostles? For that those things which are written must be done, God witnesses and admonishes, saying to Joshua the son of Nun: 'The book of this law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate in it day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein."

"What obstinancy is that, or what presumption, to prefer human tradition to divine ordinance, and not observe that God is indignant and angry as often as human tradition relaxes and passes by the divine precepts."

Cyril of Jerusalem (CA. 315-384)

"For concerning the divine and holy mysteries of the Faith, not even a casual statement must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures; nor must we be drawn aside by mere plausibility and artifices of speech. Even to me, who tell thee these things, give not absolute credence, unless thou receive proof of the things which I announce from the Divine Scriptures. For this salvation which we believe depends not ob ingenious reasoning, but on demonstration of the Holy Scriptures."

 

[Sola Gratia]

CalvinOwen,
Thank you for your detailed response. I understand your interpretations of those passages, and they seem like they could make sense. But again, how does this prove that Scripture is the only authoritative source of God? Where does it say that Scriputre alone is infallible?


Thank you for the referal. Does this book explain the basis by which Sola Scriputra was determined? If so, could you paraphrase it for me?

Thank you.

-Davide

Do you know that you can not debate here ? I have reported you to the monitors.
The place for this discussion is in a general theology area i believe .

 

[Rising_Suns]

Here are a few, but I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Mathison's "The Shape of Sola Scriptura" to fully understand this doctrine and its origins.

Hippolytus (CA. 170-236)

"There is, brethren, one God, the knowledge of whom we gain from the Holy Scriptures, and from no other source. For just as a man, if he wishes to be skilled in the wisdom of this world, will find himself unable to get at it in any other way than by mastering the dogmas of philosophers, so all of us who wish to practice piety will be unable to learn its practice from any other quarter than the oracles of God. Whatever things, then, the Holy Scriptures declare, at these let us look; and whatsoever things they teach, these let us learn; and as the Father wills our belief to be, let us believe; and as He wills the Son to be glorified, let us glorify Him; and as He wills the Holy Spirit to be bestowed, let us receive Him. Not according to our own will, nor according to our own mind, nor yet as using violently those things which are given by God, but even as He has chosen to teach them by the Holy Scriptures, so let us discern them."

Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (CA. 200-258)

"Let nothing be innovated....nothing maintained, except what has been handed down. Whence is that tradition? Whether does it descend from the authority of the Lord and of the Gospel, or does it come from the commands and epistles of the apostles? For that those things which are written must be done, God witnesses and admonishes, saying to Joshua the son of Nun: 'The book of this law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate in it day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein."

"What obstinancy is that, or what presumption, to prefer human tradition to divine ordinance, and not observe that God is indignant and angry as often as human tradition relaxes and passes by the divine precepts."

Cyril of Jerusalem (CA. 315-384)

"For concerning the divine and holy mysteries of the Faith, not even a casual statement must be delivered without the Holy Scriptures; nor must we be drawn aside by mere plausibility and artifices of speech. Even to me, who tell thee these things, give not absolute credence, unless thou receive proof of the things which I announce from the Divine Scriptures. For this salvation which we believe depends not ob ingenious reasoning, but on demonstration of the Holy Scriptures."

Thank you for posting those quotes. They are inteesting and I would have to study them further in context. Perhaps I will buy a copy of Mathison's book. Also, if you would like, PM me and I can tell you other things these fathers said as well.

Thank you.

Do you know that you can not debate here ? I have reported you to the monitors.
The place for this discussion is in a general theology area i believe .

You are most welcomed to report me if you think I am infracting on the rules. That is certainly your right. But I can assure you that it is not my intent to debate in this thread. To get to the very root of my question, requires alot of wading through the loose common responses to pluck out deeper nuggets of knowledge.

Thank you.

 

[CalvinOwen]

CalvinOwen,

Thank you for your detailed reply. I see you put some time into your post, and I appreciate that.

From what I can gather, you have essentially proved to me that Scripture tells us we should live by everything that God tells us, and that Old Testament Scripture was referred to alot to prove Jesus' fullfillment to the Jews.

But, may I ask how this proves Sola Scriptura? Perhpas you see something that I don't see?

Thank you.

-Davide

Yes, I am seeing a lot. I hope you are taking the time to read all that I have taken the time to prepare for you. To summerize, I am seeing that:

• All tradition can be found in Scripture
• The Apostles letters are given status of Scripture
• Every Word of God to us is written in the Scriptures alone
• We are to live by Scripture alone even over and above food
• Scripture alone is given to us for our correction and good
• The Prophets required Scripture alone to be read continually
• Jesus Christ lived by Scripture alone, "it is written," "read the Scriptures," "the Scripture was fulfilled," "has not the Scripture said," etc. etc.
• The Apostles lived by Scripture alone, "it is written," "the Scripture says," "according to the Scripture," etc. etc.
• Truths to be found in the Scriptures alone can be inferred from obvious plain statements, i.e. The Trinity

It seems like any reasonable person would infer from this high priority given to Scripture alone, even over and above our daily food, that the Prophets, Jesus Christ and the Apostles placed on Scripture alone as the entire Word of God to live by, that we should also place the same priority on Scripture alone to live by.

Do you see something else besides Scripture alone that we should be living by?

Here are some more examples of the priority placed on Scripture alone by Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

MAR 12:10 "Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone;

MAR 15:28 [And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with transgressors."]

LUK 4:21 And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

JOH 2:22 So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken.

JOH 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"

JOH 7:42 "Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"

JOH 10:35 "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

JOH 13:18 "I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.'

JOH 17:12 "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.

JOH 19:24 So they said to one another, "Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be"; this was to fulfill the Scripture:, "They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."

JOH 19:28 ¶ After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, "I am thirsty."

JOH 19:36 For these things came to pass to fulfill the Scripture, "Not a bone of Him shall be broken."

JOH 19:37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced."

JOH 20:9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.

ACT 1:16 "Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.

ACT 8:32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was reading was this: "He was led as a sheep to slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He does not open His mouth.

ACT 8:35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.

ROM 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

ROM 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth."

ROM 10:11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed."

ROM 11:2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

GAL 3:8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations will be blessed in you."

GAL 3:22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

GAL 4:30 But what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, For the son of the bondwoman shall not be an heir with the son of the free woman."

1TI 4:13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

1TI 5:18 For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing," and "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

2TI 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

JAM 2:8 ¶ If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

JAM 2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God.

JAM 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"?

1PE 2:6 For this is contained in Scripture: "Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed."

2PE 1:20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,

MAT 21:42 ¶ Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone; This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

MAT 22:29 ¶ But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.

MAT 26:54 "How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?"

MAT 26:56 "But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets." Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

MAR 12:24 Jesus said to them, "Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?

MAR 14:49 "Every day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize Me; but this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures."

LUK 24:27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

LUK 24:32 They said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?"

LUK 24:45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

JOH 5:39 "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;

ACT 17:2 And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

ACT 17:11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

ACT 18:24 ¶ Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures.

ACT 18:28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

ROM 1:2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

ROM 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

ROM 16:26 but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith;

1CO 15:3 ¶ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

1CO 15:4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
2PE 3:16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

 

[Rising_Suns]

CalvinOwen,
I certainly understand that Scripture is the infallible word of God, and what you posted helps to paint this picture very well. But I am sorry, I just am not seeing anywhere that gives light to the Bible being the only infallible authority of God. I suppose I just don't see what you are seeing. I understand that what comes from the mouth of God is truth, but I do not see where this must be limited to the Bible alone. But thank you for taking the time to post the passages; they are very compelling.

Thank you.

Do you see something else besides Scripture alone that we should be living by

?

I really do not want to enter into a debate, but in all honesty, yes, I do. It's what the Bible calls "the pillar and foundation of truth"; its what composed the Bible in the first place. I could speak further on this, but I really should remove myself from this thread so as to avoid a debate.

Thank you for taking the time to reply in detail.

-Davide