Scripture Alone

Sola Scriptura

The Bible is our supreme authority for faith and life— inspired, inerrant, sufficient, and clear.

📜 "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 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

What We Believe

At Teaching Bridge Fellowship, we believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, sufficient, and authoritative Word of God. It is not merely a collection of human reflections on the divine—it is God's own self-revelation, breathed out by the Spirit, written through human authors, and preserved for His people across all generations.

Scripture is our final court of appeal in all matters of faith, doctrine, and practice. No tradition, no church council, no human authority—no matter how ancient or respected—can overrule what God has spoken in His Word. This conviction, known as Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), was a rallying cry of the Reformation, and it remains the foundation of all we teach and believe.

But we don't just believe the Bible is true—we believe it is sufficient. You don't need secret knowledge, additional revelation, or human tradition to know God and live faithfully before Him. Everything necessary for salvation, godliness, and the life of the church is contained in the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. The Bible is enough.

And here's the greatest truth of all: Jesus Christ is the interpretive center of all Scripture. Every promise, shadow, type, and covenant finds its fulfillment in Him. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is one unified story of God's redemptive plan in Christ. As Jesus Himself said, "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me" (John 5:39). Scripture doesn't just point to truth—it points to a Person: the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why It Matters

If Scripture is not our ultimate authority, then we are left adrift—at the mercy of shifting opinions, cultural trends, and personal preferences. But because God has spoken clearly and sufficiently in His Word, we can stand with confidence, knowing that what we believe is not based on human wisdom but on the unchanging revelation of God.

This conviction shapes everything we do at TBF. It determines how we interpret the Bible (through the literal-grammatical-historical method, with Christ as the center). It guards us from adding to or subtracting from God's Word. It humbles us, because we submit to Scripture rather than bending it to fit our desires. And it gives us boldness, because when we speak what God has spoken, we speak with His authority.

When you open the Bible, you're not just reading ancient literature—you're hearing the voice of the living God. And that changes everything.

What Scripture Says

2 Timothy 3:16-17

"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."

The Bible is God-breathed (θεόπνευστος, theopneustos)—it is the product of God's own Spirit, not merely human effort. And it is profitable—useful, sufficient, and powerful to equip believers for every aspect of life and godliness.

2 Peter 1:20-21

"Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

Scripture didn't originate with human will or wisdom. The Holy Spirit carried along the biblical authors, ensuring that what they wrote was exactly what God intended. This is the doctrine of inspiration—God superintended the writing process so that the Bible is fully His Word and fully free from error.

Psalm 19:7-9

"The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether."

God's Word is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true, and righteous. It revives, makes wise, brings joy, and enlightens. This is not the language of a flawed, outdated book—this is the language of divine perfection.

Luke 24:27

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."

On the road to Emmaus, the risen Christ walked His disciples through the entire Old Testament, showing them that it all pointed to Him. This is the key to understanding Scripture: Christ is the lens through which we read every page. The Law, the Prophets, the Writings—all of it testifies to Jesus.

Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

The Bible is not a static, dead letter—it is living and active. It penetrates, exposes, convicts, and transforms. When you read Scripture, you encounter the living God, and His Word does its work in your soul.

Historical & Confessional Grounding

The doctrine of Sola Scriptura was one of the five great solas of the Protestant Reformation. When Martin Luther stood before the Diet of Worms in 1521 and declared, "My conscience is captive to the Word of God," he was affirming that Scripture—not popes, councils, or tradition—has the final say.

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith beautifully summarizes this conviction in Chapter 1:

"The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience." (1689 LBCF 1.1)

The Confession goes on to affirm that the Bible is self-authenticating (it proves itself to be God's Word by the testimony of the Spirit), clear in all things necessary for salvation, and sufficient for all matters of faith and practice. We don't need additional revelation or tradition to supplement what God has already spoken.

This is our confession. This is our foundation. Scripture alone.

Common Misunderstandings

"Doesn't Sola Scriptura mean we ignore church history and tradition?"

Not at all. We honor the wisdom of faithful teachers throughout church history, and we gratefully receive insights from creeds, confessions, and the writings of godly men and women. But tradition is a servant, not a master. Tradition must always be tested by Scripture—and where tradition contradicts Scripture, Scripture wins.

"The Bible is full of contradictions and errors."

This claim doesn't hold up under careful examination. What often appear to be contradictions are resolved through proper exegesis, understanding of genre, historical context, and recognition of the Bible's divine-human authorship. The Bible is inerrant in its original manuscripts—it is wholly true and free from error in all that it affirms.

"How can we trust the Bible when it was written by fallible humans?"

Yes, the Bible was written by humans—but it was breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16). God sovereignly superintended the process of inspiration, ensuring that what was written was exactly what He intended. The human authors were not mere scribes mindlessly copying dictation—they wrote in their own styles, with their own personalities and contexts—but the Holy Spirit carried them along so that the result is the very Word of God.

A Word of Application

If you believe the Bible is God's Word, then read it. Don't just own it—open it. Don't just respect it—obey it. Let Scripture shape your thinking, your desires, your decisions, and your worship.

And when you read, read with Christ in view. Every page of Scripture is meant to lead you to Him—the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Bible is not an end in itself; it is the means by which God reveals His Son and draws you into saving relationship with Him.

So trust the Word. Submit to the Word. Delight in the Word. And let it do its work in your soul.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the gift of Your written Word. Thank You that You have not left us to grope in darkness, but have spoken clearly and powerfully through Scripture. Give us hearts that love Your Word, minds that understand it rightly, and lives that obey it faithfully. Help us to see Christ on every page, and to treasure Him above all. In Jesus' name, amen. 🙏

Related Resources:

📖 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 1 – "Of the Holy Scriptures"
📘 How We Interpret Scripture (TBF Page 12)
🎙️ Recommended Playlist: R.C. Sproul – "Can I Trust the Bible?"
📚 Recommended Book: Can I Trust the Bible by R.C. Sproul
📚 Recommended Book: Scripture Alone by James R. White

Next: The Triune God →

In Sum:

TBF believes the Bible is our supreme authority for faith and life—inspired, inerrant, sufficient, and clear. Learn what we believe about Scripture and why it matters.