# Is Sola Scriptura Biblical? > Westminster says nothing may be added to Scripture by traditions of men. The Catechism says the Church does not draw all revealed truth from Scripture alone. Anglican and Baptist texts and an Orthodox Church in America chapter state their own accounts. This page does not decide. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/is-sola-scriptura-biblical - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: sola scriptura, tradition, canon - Updated: 2026-10-12 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Christians disagree about whether Scripture is the only rule for revealed truth. The Westminster Confession says the whole counsel of God is set down in Scripture or deduced from it, and that nothing is to be added by traditions of men. The Catechism says the Church does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. This page quotes those texts and does not decide. ## Key Points - [Westminster 1.6](https://opc.org/wcf.html) [(1)](#ref-1): the whole counsel of God “is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.” - [Westminster 1.10](https://opc.org/wcf.html) [(1)](#ref-1) says the supreme judge of religious controversies “can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.” - The [Baptist Faith and Message, Article I](https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/) [(2)](#ref-2), says Scripture “is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.” - [Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) [(3)](#ref-3): “Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith.” - [Catechism 82](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_one/chapter_two/artcile_2/ii_the_relationship_between_tradition_and_sacred_scripture.html) [(4)](#ref-4) says the Church “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone.” ## What Westminster Says The confession the Orthodox Presbyterian Church publishes at this address is the Westminster Confession. Chapter 1, section 6: > The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. The same paragraph says the Spirit’s inward illumination is necessary for a saving understanding, and that some circumstances of worship and church government are ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, “according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.” Section 9 says “the infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself.” Section 10 says decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits are examined by “the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.” The [Reformed](/reformed) hub lists that tradition’s pages. [What Is Reformed Theology?](/reformed/what-is-reformed-theology) quotes more of the confession. ## What Baptists and Anglicans Say Baptist Faith and Message, Article I: “The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man.” “Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.” It “is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried.” The [Baptist](/baptist) hub is that shelf. Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles, on the Church of England’s site: > Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. The article then lists the canonical books and says the other books, “as Hierome saith,” the Church reads “for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine.” The [Anglican](/anglican) hub lists that church’s texts. [What Do Protestants Believe?](/christianity/what-do-protestants-believe) sets these standards beside the Augsburg Confession. ## What the Catholic Church Says > As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.” Paragraph 80 says Tradition and Scripture flow from the same divine well-spring and “come together in some fashion to form one thing.” Paragraph 81 calls Scripture “the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit,” and says Tradition transmits the Word of God entrusted to the apostles. Paragraph 83 distinguishes that apostolic Tradition from later local customs, which “can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church’s Magisterium.” Paragraph 120: “It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books.” [What Bible Do Catholics Use?](/christianity/what-bible-do-catholics-use) is that list. The [Catholic](/catholic) hub links the Church’s own pages. [Catholic vs Protestant](/christianity/catholic-vs-protestant) puts paragraph 82 beside Westminster. The Council of Trent, session 4, in the English hosted at papalencyclicals.net, says saving truth and moral discipline “are contained in the written books, and the unwritten traditions,” and that the synod “receives and venerates with an equal affection of piety, and reverence, all the books both of the Old and of the New Testament… as also the said traditions.” That host is a third-party transcription, not the Holy See’s own page. The sentence is the council’s decree as that transcription prints it. ## What the Orthodox Church in America Publishes The Orthodox Church in America publishes a catechetical chapter, “Tradition,” in *The Orthodox Faith*. It is not a synod’s decree. It says: “Among the elements which make up the Holy Tradition of the Church, the Bible holds the first place.” Next come liturgy, dogmatic decisions, the fathers, the saints, the canons, and iconography. “None of them stands alone. None may be separated or isolated from the other or from the wholeness of the life of the Church.” > Holy Tradition is, therefore, that which is passed on and given over within the Church from the time of Christ’s apostles right down to the present day. The chapter says Tradition “is not merely a body of literature” and “is not at all limited to what is written.” It also says not everything in the Church belongs to Holy Tradition. The [Eastern Orthodox](/eastern-orthodox) hub lists that church’s pages. [What Does the Eastern Orthodox Church Believe?](/christianity/what-does-the-eastern-orthodox-church-believe) is the wider confession. ## What the Verses Say [2 Timothy 3:16–17](/bible/2-timothy/3) [(7)](#ref-7): “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” The verses say Scripture is inspired and enough to furnish the man of God. They do not use the phrase sola scriptura. [2 Thessalonians 2:15](/bible/2-thessalonians/2/15) [(8)](#ref-8): “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.” The verse names traditions taught by word and by letter. Churches that teach Scripture alone read “traditions” as the apostolic gospel already agreeing with Scripture. Churches that teach Scripture and Tradition read the spoken word as a second mode. The verse is the text both sides cite. [What Are the Problems With Church of Christ Doctrine?](/christianity/church-of-christ) quotes a congregation that says it has no creed book except the Bible. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is Sola Scriptura Debunked? Westminster, the Baptist Faith and Message, and Article VI say Scripture is the rule, the supreme standard, or the sufficient source of what must be believed for salvation. The Catechism, Trent’s decree, and the Orthodox Church in America chapter say the Bible is not the only element of the faith once for all delivered. A page that quotes both has not debunked either. The reader has the sentences. ### What Does the Bible Say About Tradition? [2 Thessalonians 2:15](/bible/2-thessalonians/2/15) [(8)](#ref-8) says to hold the traditions taught by word or by epistle. [2 Timothy 3:16](/bible/2-timothy/3/16) says all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable. [Mark 7:8](/bible/mark/7/8) is Jesus’ charge against laying aside the commandment of God for the tradition of men. That verse is about a tradition set against the commandment. It is not a sentence about the Council of Trent. ### Do All Protestants Say the Same Thing? The three Protestant texts quoted here all refuse a second source that can bind the conscience beside Scripture. They do not list the same books in the same way. Article VI reads the other books for example of life and not to establish doctrine. [What Is the Apocrypha?](/christianity/what-is-the-apocrypha) is that difference. ## The Churches on This Site - [Christianity](/christianity) - [Catholic](/catholic) - [Eastern Orthodox](/eastern-orthodox) - [Reformed](/reformed) - [Anglican](/anglican) - [Baptist](/baptist) - [Common Arguments](/common-arguments/christianity#is-sola-scriptura-biblical) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Mark 7:8 King James Version. > For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Westminster Confession of Faith, 1.6 and 1.10](https://opc.org/wcf.html) (The confession as published by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.) 2. [Baptist Faith and Message, Article I, 2000](https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/) (Southern Baptist Convention.) 3. [Articles of Religion, Article VI](https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion) (The Thirty-Nine Articles in the Book of Common Prayer on the Church of England’s website.) 4. [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 80–82 and 120](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_one/section_one/chapter_two/artcile_2/ii_the_relationship_between_tradition_and_sacred_scripture.html) (Paragraph 120 is on the canon page. The tradition path uses the Holy See’s spelling artcile.) 5. [Council of Trent, Session 4, 8 April 1546](https://www.papalencyclicals.net/councils/trent/fourth-session.htm) (English of the decree on the canonical Scriptures, hosted at papalencyclicals.net, a third-party transcription of the council.) 6. [The Orthodox Faith: Tradition](https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/doctrine-scripture/sources-of-christian-doctrine/tradition) (A catechetical chapter published by the Orthodox Church in America. It is not a synod decree.) 7. [Second Letter to Timothy, 3:16–17](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/2-timothy/3). King James Version 8. [Second Letter to the Thessalonians, 2:15](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/2-thessalonians/2/15). King James Version ## See Also - [Eastern Orthodox vs Protestant: What's the Difference?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/eastern-orthodox-vs-protestant) — Both confess the Nicene faith. Their texts differ on Scripture and Tradition, justification, Mary and the saints, icons, and the filioque. - [How Was the Bible Canon Decided, and What Is the Apocrypha?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-is-the-apocrypha) — Trent receives the longer Old Testament and anathematizes refusal. Westminster says the books called Apocrypha are no part of the canon. The Catechism says the Church discerned the list by Tradition. - [What Bible Do Catholics Use?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-bible-do-catholics-use) — The Catechism’s canon has 46 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books. Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and the books of Maccabees are in that Old Testament. - [What Bible Do Eastern Orthodox Christians Use?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-bible-do-eastern-orthodox-christians-use) — An Orthodox clergy answer says the longer canon, not the Apocrypha, includes Tobit, Judith, more of Esther and Daniel, Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and the Prayer of Manasseh, from the Septuagint. The Catholic list is similar and does not count the Prayer of Manasseh. - [What Does the Eastern Orthodox Church Believe?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-does-the-eastern-orthodox-church-believe) — Eastern Orthodox churches confess the Nicene faith. A Greek Orthodox Archdiocese teaching and the Orthodox Church in America catechism state Tradition, the mysteries, Mary, icons, and what they reject.