Clip: What Authority Does Church Tradition Have?

Sola Scriptura and the Proper Place of Church Tradition

Okay, so here's a question here, so how does sola scriptura relate to Church tradition? Alright, okay, so again, like I said before, so sola scriptura does not reject tradition outright, okay? But rather it subjects all traditions to the authority of Scripture, okay?

Think of the Bereans in Acts chapter 17, verse 11. These are a perfect example, right? It says here in Acts 17, 11, now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica. They received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

And so even the teachings of the Apostle Paul were evaluated against what? The standard of Scripture, right? So tradition has a role in helping believers understand and apply Scripture, I don't deny that at all, but it must always be secondary and subservient to the Word of God, right?

Jesus’ Warning Against Elevating Human Tradition

Jesus warns us against elevating human tradition above God's Word when you see something like Mark chapter 7, verses 8 through 9. Jesus says, you leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men, you have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition.

Again, that was a misuse of tradition, okay? They were going outside the confines of the words of God, and they were elevating traditions of men over the words of God. And so while Church history, again, provides wisdom and insight, we don't reject that at all, okay?

Scripture as God-Breathed and Authoritative

It is Scripture alone that is, what? Theanistos, breathed out by God, 2 Timothy 3 .16, and authoritative for all matters of faith and practice. That's a great question, super important question, I hope that my answer makes sense.