Protestants typically respond to
this verse in one of two ways. Some argue that the oral tradition Paul refers
to were later written down in the New Testament, and therefore we now have
everything we need in Scripture. But this is pure speculation. Paul does not
say that his oral teaching will eventually be committed to writing. He does not
tell the Thessalonians, “Hold to these oral traditions for now, but once they
are written down, you can discard the oral component.” He simply commands them
to hold fast to both.
. . . Paul refers to teachings and practices that
he delivered orally but that are not found in his letters. For example, in 1
Corinthians 11:34, Paul says, “And when I come I will give further directions,”
indicating that some of his instructions were reserved for face-to-face
communication. The New Testament is selective, not exhaustive. It contains what
the apostles chose to write, but it does not contain everything they taught.
Other Protestants argue that the “traditions”
Paul refers to are simply the content of the Gospel, and that this content is
now available to us in Scripture. Therefore, we are indeed holding fast to the
apostolic traditions by adhering to the Bible. This interpretation is more sophisticated,
but it still misses the point. Paul is making a distinction between two modes
of transmission—oral and written—and he is affirming that both carry apostolic authority.
He is not saying that the traditions are valuable only because they were
eventually written down. He is saying that the oral teaching of the apostles is
authoritative in its own right. (Adrian Cross, Unraveling Sola Scriptura: An
Eastern Orthodox Examination of a Modern Foundation [2025], 216)
