Theological Word of the Day

(Latin, “the Scripture alone”)

Belief of Protestants that Christian Scripture is the final and only infallible authority for the Christian in matters of faith and practice. Sola Scriptura was coined during the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century, but according to Protestants, is found throughout Christian history. The belief in Sola Scriptura contrasts both the Catholic, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, and Eastern Orthodox belief that along with Scripture there necessarily exists an infallible authority which either interprets the Scripture with ultimate authority or adds new revelations to supplement the Scripture. Hence, in these traditions, the Scripture is not the final, ultimate, or only infallible authority as there are other authorities equal to that of Scripture. Protestants, on the other hand, while respecting the existence of other authorities (tradition, experience, reason, creation, etc.), do not believe that these are equal to that of Scripture and therefore must always be tested by, and submitted to, Scripture.