Tradition and Scripture

Introduction

The relationship between Scripture and tradition has been a central debate in Christian theology for centuries. Theologians have long wrestled with how these two authorities interact and inform one another in the life of the Church. This paper will explore key arguments in this debate, focusing on a classically Protestant position. In doing so, it will define Scripture’s inspiration, inerrancy, and sufficiency while also examining tradition’s role through extrabiblical sources such as Creeds, Councils, Confessions, Catechisms, and the opinions of biblical scholars.

What is Scripture?

The Protestant understanding of the Christian Bible is that it is sola Scriptura. What does this mean? Matthew Barrett explains it this way: “The authority of Scripture, which is another way of saying sola Scriptura… means that only Scripture, because it is God’s inspired word, is [Christians] inerrant, sufficient, and final authority for the church.”¹ However, what do these words—inspired, inerrant, and sufficient—mean?

First, What does it mean for Scripture to be inspired? Barrett explains inspiration as “refer[ing] to that act whereby the Holy Spirit came upon the authors of Scripture, causing them to write exactly what God intended, while simultaneously preserving each author’s writing style and personality. This supernatural work of the Holy Spirit upon the human authors means that the author’s words are God’s words and therefore are reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative.”² In other words, Scripture is truly God’s Word, yet it involves the personalities, writing styles, and cultural context of the various human writers, not so that they are simply scribes. Scripture is divine and human, “though the former is primary.”³ Another necessary clarification to make regarding Scripture’s inerrancy is that it is both verbal (i.e., the very words, not just the ideas, of Scripture are God-breathed) and plenary (i.e., every single word of Scripture is God-breathed).⁴ Because God is perfect, and indeed, Scripture is God’s word, it makes sense that it would also be perfect without fault.

Second, Scripture is inerrant, and Barrett explains inerrancy in two ways:

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 the social, physical, or life sciences.⁵

The Bible (in its original writings) properly interpreted in light of which culture and communication means had developed by the time of its composition will be completely true (and therefore not false) in all that it affirms, to the degree of precision intended by the author, in all matters relating to God and his creation.⁶

These quotes define inerrancy well and make a necessary point in stating that Scripture is only inerrant in the original autographs or manuscripts. However, while the faithfulness of later manuscripts and modern translations is a conversation for another day, they are mainly reliable. Therefore, it can be said that the truthful God provides His truthful word, which is not only inspired and inerrant but also sufficient.

Third, Barrett says Scripture’s “sufficiency means that all things necessary for God’s glory, salvation, and the Christian Life are provided for God’s people in the Scriptures.”⁷ The Bible itself speaks of this: “[T]he sacred writings… are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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. 3:15-17).⁸ The verse describes Scripture’s sufficiency and says that “All Scripture is breathed out by God,” demonstrating its inspiration plenarily. Again, the logical conclusion is that the Scriptures would also be perfect or inerrant, for God Himself is without error.

What is Tradition?

Tradition, on the other hand, is not inspired, inerrant, or sufficient.⁹ Because tradition is nothing more than the opinions of men, even if they are filled with the Holy Spirit, it cannot be said that it is the word of God, without error, or sufficient for salvation, for no one can be saved without hearing the Word of Christ (Rom. 10:17). With that being said, there are many different forms of tradition, such as creeds and councils, and Protestants still value tradition, although less so than their Catholic and Orthodox counterparts.¹⁰ What does this value look like? This will be examined in the following section. Before, however, a word of insight from the Apostle Paul is essential: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it” (2 Tim. 3:14). In this verse, the passing of sound Christian teaching, or tradition, is demonstrated.

How do Scripture and Tradition Relate?

It has been demonstrated that Scripture is the primary authority for Protestants for only it is inspired, inerrant, and sufficient, but tradition is still an authority, albeit less so. In regards to this, Barrett posits, “Sola Scriptura is not arguing that Scripture is the only authority or the only source from which [Christians] can draw (i.e., nuda Scriptura). It is arguing that while there may be other good sources, these are always fallible and inferior to Scripture, which alone is infallible and supreme, and unlike other sources it alone is divine revelation.”¹¹ Therefore, Scripture is superior to tradition in all things, yet tradition is still valuable. This realization means that Christians must practice two things when reading, studying, and drawing from tradition: 1) no matter how impressive a source it, it is still prone to error. 2) “use of extrabiblical sources can never be done independently of Scripture.”¹² It would be wise to practice these two rules when studying tradition. Moreover, if studied, tradition should be examined in light of the Scriptures, for the Scriptures are superior in every way.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Scripture and tradition are authorities for the Church, but Scripture is the primary authority because it alone is inspired, inerrant, and sufficient for all things on salvation and Christian living. Therefore, Christians must delight in the Scriptures and accept tradition as long as it agrees with God’s Word.

Bibliography

Barrett, Matthew. God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture. The 5 Solas Series: What the Reformers Taught… and Why It Still Matters, edited by Matthew Barrett. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016.

Footnotes

1. Matthew Barrett, God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture, The 5 Solas Series: What the Reformers Taught… and Why It Still Matters, edited by Matthew Barrett (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 23. ↩

2. Ibid., 229. ↩

3. Barrett, 229. ↩

4. Ibid., 236. ↩

5. Paul Feinberg, qtd. in Barrett, 265. ↩

6. David S. Dockery, qtd. in Barrett, 265. ↩

7. Barrett, 335. ↩

8. Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture references are to The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016). ↩

9. Barrett, 244. ↩

10. Ibid., 23-25. ↩

11. Barrett, 343-344. ↩

12. Ibid., 344. ↩