The
viewpoint from which the present dogmatic treatise is written is that Holy
Scripture is the only source and norm of Christian faith and life, for the
simple reason that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, which is
absolutely infallible and inerrant, both as a whole and in each individual
passage. . . . The fact that this viewpoint is the only correct one
is proved by the statements and the attitude of both Christ and His inspired apostles.
Our divine Savior accepted no other norm than Holy Scripture and He invariably
rejected the traditions of the Pharisees and the “reasonings” of the Sadducees.
When He declared His divine doctrines and refuted errors, He constantly based His
teachings on the immovable foundation of the written Word of God. Thus at the beginning
of His ministry He met the temptations of Satan with the emphatic assertion “It
is written,” Matt. 4, 4, and He adhered to this principle throughout His ministry.
Cp. John 5, 39; Matt 5, 17-19; John 8, 31. 32; etc.
Also
the apostles regarded Holy Scriptures, including their own inspired teachings,
both oral and written, as the sole source and norm of faith. Cf. Gal. 1, 8; 2
Tim. 3, 15-17; Titus 1, 9; 1 Cor. 14, 37; 2 Pet. 1, 29-21; etc. (John Theodore Mueller,
Christian Dogmatics: A Handbook of Doctrinal Theology for Pastors, Teachers,
and Laymen [St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934], 2)
.
. . the Christian religion is absolute, that is, perfect and unsurpassable,
because its source and norm is not the fallible word of erring men, but the
infallible Word of the inerrant God, as this is set forth in Holy Scripture, John
10, 35; 2 Tim 3, 15-17; 1 Pet. 1, 10-12; Eph 2, 20. Since Holy Scripture is divinely
inspired, it is the absolute divine truth, John 17, 17; and the Christian
religion which is drawn from this absolute truth, is the only true religion,
whereas all other religions falsely so called, are in fact not religions at
all. This fact must be given emphasis to-day; for at present unionistic and syncretistic
tendencies are very strong even in Christian circles, and norms outside of, and
contrary to, Holy Scripture are to readily adopted. Holy Scripture is the
only norm of faith, and only that is true religion which is true
Scripture-teaching. (Ibid., 27)
As
we study Holy Scripture, we find that, in agreement with its scope and purpose,
it does not answer every question which men may desire to have answered. For instance,
it does not explain how sin originated or could originate since all creatures
were originally created “very good.” Nor does Holy Scripture answer the
question whether the soul of a child comes into being either by creation or
traduction (creationism; traducianism). Questions on which the God of God is
silent we call theological problems, or open questions. . . . Since God’s Word does
not answer these questions, the theologian should not endeavor to do so. All attempts
to do so are both anti-Scriptural because the theologian is to speak
only as the oracles of God, 1 Pet. 4, 11, and unscientific, since he who
takes it upon himself to answer such questions presumes to know what we cannot
know. (Ibid., 58-59)
The
Christian Church, which has for its source of faith only the infallible Word of
God (Eph. 2.20), must under no condition acknowledge as right and legitimate
any dogmas, or doctrines, which is not a clear teaching of Holy Scripture. Or
we may say: The dogma of the Christian Church is the doctrine of the Holy Bible.
Whatever the written Word of God declares and teaches is eo ipso a
church dogma, no matter whether it is especially formulated or not. (Ibid.,
61-62)
With
the revelations of Christ and His holy apostles the Scriptural canon is now
complete, and the Christian Church is to look for no more revelations from God (John
17, 20; Eph. 2, 20; Heb. 1, 1-3). . . . If the question is asked where the New Testament Church may
unerringly find the word of the apostles, they themselves point us to their
holy writings and tell us that what they proclaimed orally is the same as that
which they recorded in their sacred Scriptures, 1 John 1, 3, 4; 2 Thess. 2, 15.
Though the apostles did not pure into writing everything that they
taught orally, nevertheless in their writings, since they record with great
diligence God’s counsel of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, John 21,
25; Phil. 3, 1. In addition, the holy apostles insisted upon their written word
as the only source and norm of faith against all errorists of their time,
demanding that all who regarded themselves as prophets must follow the Lord’s
commands as these are laid down in their writings, 1 Cor. 14, 37, 38; 2 Thess.
2, 2. St. Paul especially put his own signature to his epistles in order that
these might be distinguished from spurious apostolic epistles, 2 Thess. 3, 17. Both
the prophets and the apostles thus attest that Holy Scriptures, or the written Word
of God, is the only source and norm of faith, or the true principum
cognoscendi (Schriftprinzip). (Ibid., 90, 91)
For a refutation of the biblical texts Mueller appealed to (e.g., Heb 1:1-2), see:
Not By Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura
