In my debate against Kelly Powers on Sola Scriptura (June 9, 2026), I discussed some of the constitutive elements of Sola Scriptura, such as (1) the necessity of the cessation of public revealtion at the end of the New Testament era and (2) the right to private interpretation. In a recent work defending Sola Scriptura, we find the following which shows the importance of these vis-a-vis sola scriptura:
The final revelation of God is
Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh (Hebrews 1:1-2), who finally and
authoritatively exegeted, explained, the Father (John 1:18). The New Testament
writers were the last to write any inspired books that are to be in the canon
of Scripture. Any and all claims to additional special revelation, such as The
Book of Mormon or the writings of Ellen G. White, are to be rejected. (Erik
F. Wait, “Because Rome Says So”: A Presuppositional Defense of Sola
Scriptura [Meadville, Pa.: Christian Faith Publishing, 2026], 3)
Second, the doctrine of Sola
Scriptura does not teach that the church has no authority to discipline or
excommunicate. Sola Scriptura does teach that each and every believer may
challenge the church to defend what it teaches and may, through a subsequent
ecclesiastical court of appeals, seek to correct the church. (Erik F. Wait, “Because
Rome Says So”: A Presuppositional Defense of Sola Scriptura [Meadville,
Pa.: Christian Faith Publishing, 2026], 6)
