Why We're Not Roman Catholic #2 - Sola Scriptura: The Foundation Rome Has Rejected

One of the greatest problems with the Roman Catholic Church is its abandonment and rejection of the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Latin for "Scripture Alone"). And not only do they reject this doctrine, but they also try to use it against Protestantism, attempting to make the case that it is one of the most problematic doctrines we hold to and the cause of many of our problems. So, let's explore this issue and see if their criticism holds up.

First, we need to define Sola Scriptura as understood by the Reformers, because there is a lot of confusion about this doctrine—even among many Protestants and evangelicals. Sola Scriptura is the historic Protestant view that Scripture alone is the ultimate and final authority in all matters of faith and practice. It does not reject tradition but teaches that tradition, councils, creeds, confessions, and any church teaching must be subordinate to and judged by Scripture.

This is very different from what many evangelical and fundamentalist churches practice today, which is known as Nuda Scriptura or Solo Scriptura. Solo Scriptura claims that the Bible alone should be consulted, rejecting creeds, confessions, and theological tradition altogether. It tends to promote individual interpretation detached from the historical church and treats the Christian as a theological island. And we can agree with Romanists that this approach leads to theological chaos, disunity, and doctrinal shallowness. But this is not a problem with Protestantism—nor a problem with Sola Scriptura.

Now, the Roman Catholic alternative is that Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium form a "three-legged stool" of authority. But in practice, the Magisterium (the teaching authority of the church) defines both what counts as Tradition and how Scripture is to be interpreted—meaning Rome is ultimately accountable only to itself. It creates a closed, circular system where God’s Word is subject to human control.

While Roman Catholicism appears more unified and orderly than evangelicalism, the core problem is still present: individual interpretation exists, but it's restricted to a special class of “authorized individuals” (the Magisterium). Instead of every believer interpreting Scripture in light of history, tradition, and the Spirit’s guidance (as Sola Scriptura allows), Rome says only certain men can interpret it rightly, and their interpretations are binding. So the result isn’t a lack of interpretation, but a monopolization of interpretation.

In the same way we see theological chaos and inventions in the evangelical world, we see it in the Roman church. The Romanist tradition has produced doctrines not found in—and even contrary to—Scripture, such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary, her bodily Assumption, her role as Mediatrix, and the claim of papal infallibility. These dogmas have no biblical basis and often contradict clear scriptural teaching. And not only that—they also do not appear in the earliest centuries of church history. They were gradually introduced, debated, and only defined as dogma many centuries later.

For this reason, Sola Scriptura is the God-ordained foundation of the church. Rather than creating chaos, Sola Scriptura binds the church to God's unchanging Word while freeing individual consciences from the tyranny of man-made doctrine. Believers are not subject to arbitrary church rulings but are called to know the Scriptures and test all things by them. It is not the absence of tradition, nor the presence of hierarchy, that guards the truth—it is Sola Scriptura, rightly understood and applied, that frees us from theological chaos, whether Romanist or evangelical.

So, if you are tired of the evangelical chaos, the answer is not Rome. The answer is Sola Scriptura. The answer is trusting that the Bible is clear, sufficient, and trustworthy. We don’t need a human priesthood or Magisterium to unlock its meaning. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s people can read, understand, and live by His Word with full confidence that it is true, authoritative, and enough. Only through Sola Scriptura can we truly honour the tradition and authority of the church—not as rival voices to Scripture, but as servants of it. God never meant for tradition or church leadership to stand above His Word, but beneath it. It’s only when Scripture remains supreme that the church flourishes in her rightful role.

May God help us to keep studying, believing, and trusting God's Word.

Nino Marques