By Scripture Alone
As
Lutherans we cherish the teaching of SCRIPTURE ALONE. Those two
words emphasize how important Scripture is.
1. Scripture is God’s Word. We don’t need to look for God in bizarre faraway places. We don’t need to climb the mountains or cross the distant seas to find God. Where is God found? We know. In SCRIPTURE ALONE. For Scripture is God’s very words. The Bible itself tells us, "All Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). While Paul, Luke, and Moses put the pen to the paper, it was God who delivered the message of Scripture. God inspired the prophets and apostles to write the very words he wanted. Scripture is God’s voice. Martin Luther once wrote, "Let the man who would hear God speak read Holy Scripture" (What Luther Says, p. 61). Are you looking for God? Do you wish to be close to him? Look in the Bible. You will always find him there.
2. Scripture is where God reveals Christ to us. All of Scripture points to Jesus. The Old Testament promised that Jesus would come. The New Testament shows the promise fulfilled. The promise that God gives us in Scripture is the promise of forgiveness and eternal life, purchased by the blood of Christ. Scripture tells us step-by-step how Christ saved us. It tells us that Christ is God and that he became man. It tells us Christ lived a perfect life on our behalf. It tells us Christ gave his life as a payment for our sins. Jesus himself said, "These are the Scriptures that testify about me" (John 5:39). Testimony is what is given in a trial. Scripture is God’s own testimony that, in the great trial known as judgment day, we will be declared "not guilty" because of Jesus.
3. Scripture is how God saves us. God could "zap" faith into us if he wanted to do that. He could create faith while we are sleeping, eating, or playing a round of golf. But God has chosen to work through his SCRIPTURE ALONE. Through the gospel message, the Holy Spirit creates and strengthens saving faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible itself tells us, "By this gospel you are saved" (1 Corinthians 15:2). Scripture is where God speaks to us. It is where God tells us about our Savior. It is the means by which God saves us. What do we need in order to have eternal life? SCRIPTURE ALONE. This is such a beautiful truth. A simple children’s song tells us, "Jesus loves me, this I know." How do I know it? "For the Bible tells me so."
