Reforming the Family: Part 1—Sola Scriptura
This month marks the 505th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. In honor of the Reformation’s impact upon the life of believers, today, it’s important for us to begin by being reminded of the five solas. For the sake of clarity, the word “sola” is a Latin word, which means “alone” or “only”, and the five solas are phrases that help articulate the major theological principles that emerged from the Protestant Reformation:
Sola Scriptura: Upon Scripture alone
Sola Gratia: By Grace alone
Sola Fide: Through Faith alone
Solus Christus: In Christ alone
Soli Deo Gloria: To the glory of God alone
Focusing first on sola Scriptura, the famous words of Martin Luther serve as a fitting introduction. Standing before the Diet of Worms, Luther declared:
“My conscience is a prisoner of God’s Word. I cannot and will not recant, for to disobey one’s conscience is neither just nor safe. God help me. Amen.”[1]
The Reformers, which is the name given to those men who were instrumental in bringing about the Protestant Reformation, held to a firm belief that Scripture alone has been inspired by God, that it is the only perfect and flawless source of divine revelation, and therefore, that it is the final and ultimate authority in all matters pertaining to faith and practice. This wasn’t some revolutionary belief. Not only is it the teaching of Scripture, but it was also the unanimous affirmation of the early church. The Reformers were simply reclaiming an essential and foundational truth, which had been neglected and corrupted by the Roman Catholic Church.
So, what does sola Scriptura have to do with the family, the home, and parenting? Well, when it comes to raising our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4), it’s vitally important that we do so according to the ultimate authority of God’s Word. In the same way that our heavenly Father uses His Word to sanctify us (Jn. 17:17), we must seek to make disciples of our children by means of Scripture. As Paul writes to his young son in the faith, Timothy, saying:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Therefore, as we seek to carry out the good work of parenting upon the authority of Scripture alone, it’s crucial that we do so with four key aspects in mind:
1. The Inspiration of Scripture: Our Father Speaks with Authority
The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith says:
“The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, depends not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.”[2]
As parents, the only reason we can teach our children with authority is because of the authority God has entrusted to us. It’s because of the special position where God has providentially placed us and the special revelation He has provided to us. We must not take either our position or God’s special revelation lightly. At the same time, we must not allow other sources of so-called parenting advice or instruction to take precedence over the God-breathed wisdom of our heavenly Father. If you want your children to hear from God, then read the Bible to them and instruct them according to the authority of Scripture. This is where a reformation of the family begins.
2. The Inerrancy of Scripture: Our Father Speaks Truthfully
A second crucial aspect of sola Scriptura is biblical inerrancy. What does it mean to say that the Bible is inerrant? Flowing from the inspiration of Scripture, biblical inerrancy means that,
“When all facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine, or morality, or with social, physical, or life sciences.”[3]
God’s Word is absolutely truthful in everything it affirms. Therefore, as we are ministering to our children with the Word of God, we can do so with complete confidence. We can trust that the daily instruction we are providing to our children from Scripture is a good and perfect gift, “coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (Jam. 1:17).
3. The Perspicuity of Scripture: Our Father Speaks with Clarity
In Isaiah 55, verses 10-11, God says:
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
Our Father has a divine purpose for communicating to His people, and He is a perfect communicator. Thus, what God has declared in Scripture has been communicated clearly. The problem, of course, is that the natural person is both unable and unwilling to understand and accept the truths of God’s Word (1 Cor. 2:14). What we need, then, in addition to the regeneration of God’s Spirit, is the illumination of God’s Word.
“If you want your children to hear from God, then read the Bible to them and instruct them according to the authority of Scripture.”
From a practical perspective, as we seek to read and teach God’s Word to our children, we need to begin by expressing our dependence upon the Lord. We need to pray, with the Psalmist, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law” (Ps. 119:18). As we do, we can minister God’s Word to our children with confidence knowing that, by its very nature, Scripture has clarity.
4. The Sufficiency of Scripture: Our Father Speaks Adequately
If we truly want to see a reformation in our homes, the fourth key aspect of sola Scriptura we must affirm is the sufficiency of Scripture. To say that Scripture is sufficient means that all things necessary for salvation and Christian living are given to us in God’s Word. Do we need to teach our children how they can be saved from the wrath of God and be made right before Him? We discover the good news of the gospel in the Scriptures. Do we need to help our children know how to live out their faith in the midst of the surrounding culture? We can find those instructions and principles for godly living in the Scriptures.
This, of course, doesn’t mean that there aren’t other available resources that are good and helpful. Whether we’re talking about books, creeds, confessions, or statements of faith, those can all be good and helpful in various ways. But, for the knowledge of saving faith and practice, the Bible is our only sufficient source. Scripture is preeminent, and everything else is inferior.
This month, as we celebrate the Protestant Reformation, let us do so in both word and deed. May we not only be a people who affirm sola Scriptura with our lips, but let us also be a people who declare it with our lives. As we minister to our children daily with the clarity and authority of the inspired, inerrant, sufficient Word, we will begin to witness a reformation of the family, by God’s grace and for God’s glory.
References:
[1] Gonzalez, Justo L.. The Story of Christianity: Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day. United Kingdom: HarperCollins, 2010. 35.
[2] 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith & the Baptist Catechism. Solid Ground Christian Books, 2018.
[3] Paul Feinberg, “The Meaning of Inerrancy”, ed. Norman L. Geisler, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1980. 293-294.