Sola scriptura

(Latin for "by scripture alone") is a foundational theological doctrine held primarily by Protestant Christian denominations. It asserts that the Bible is the supreme, ultimate, and sole infallible authority for Christian faith, doctrine, and practice.

Key Principles of Sola Scriptura

• The Bible as the Ultimate Authority: While Protestants recognize the value of church history, creeds, tradition, reason, and Christian community, sola scriptura teaches that none of these carry the same divine authority as Scripture. If a tradition or teaching contradicts the Bible, the Bible takes precedence.
• Clarity (Perspicuity) of Scripture: The doctrine holds that the core message of the Bible regarding salvation and Christian living is clear enough that an ordinary believer can understand it, without needing an institutional magisterium (like the Roman Catholic Pope or bishops) to exclusively interpret it for them.
• Self-Interpretation: A common corollary phrase during the Reformation was scriptura sui interpres—"Scripture interprets Scripture." Difficult or ambiguous passages should be understood in light of clearer passages elsewhere in the Bible.

What Sola Scriptura Does Not Mean

A common misconception is that the doctrine rejects all history, tradition, or scholarship. In practice, historical Protestantism clarifies that:

• It is not nuda scriptura ("bare scripture"): It does not mean throwing away church history or abandoning the historic Christian creeds (such as the Apostles' or Nicene Creeds). Rather, Protestants view those creeds as helpful summaries of what the Bible teaches, subordinate to the Bible itself.
• The church still has a teaching role: Pastors, theologians, and councils are valued for guiding and instructing the church, but their human teachings are always open to being tested and corrected by the written text of Scripture.

Historical Context

The doctrine became a rallying cry during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin invoked sola scriptura to challenge certain practices and dogmas of the Roman Catholic Church at the time—such as the selling of indulgences, certain views on purgatory, and the exclusive authority of the Papacy—arguing that these lacked biblical support and sometimes directly contradicted Scripture.