Bridge of Reason

The cry of the Reformation is sola gratia, sola fida, solus Christus, sola scriptura, soli Deo Gloria . We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, to the glory of God alone. That fourth sola, sola scriptura , is under attack as much as it has ever been. The doctrine of sola scriptura , Latin for 'Scripture alone,' is the theological principle that the Bible is the sole infallible rule of faith and practice for the Christian. It does not argue that Scripture is the only authority, but rather the ultimate and supreme authority, against which all other sources—such as tradition, reason, or prophetic claims—must be judged. This principle did not emerge in a vacuum, but arose in the sixteenth century as a direct challenge to the late medieval Roman Catholic Church, which held that authority rested in a combination of Scripture and ecclesiastical tradition, interpreted by the Magisterium. The Reformers, led by figures like Ma...