Scripture Alone? What the Bible Really Says About Christian Faith

Many non-Catholic Christians operate under the belief that the Bible alone—Sacred Scripture—is the sole rule of faith, an idea often termed sola scriptura. Interestingly, nowhere in the Bible is this principle explicitly stated or even implied. The historical and scriptural evidence points to a much broader understanding of how God's truth is communicated and preserved: through Sacred Tradition. When Jesus commissioned the apostles in Matthew 28:19–20, he commanded them to "teach them to obey all that I have commanded you," not to write it all down. This instruction inherently requires the faithful transmission of teaching—oral and lived experience—which is the essence of Sacred Tradition. The writings that eventually became the New Testament were themselves a product of this teaching; as St. Luke explains in his Gospel's introduction, he is committing to an orderly account of the things that were "delivered to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word." Thus, the written word flows from and confirms a previously established and continuously taught Tradition.

The writings of St. Paul provide the most explicit biblical support for the crucial role of Sacred Tradition. He commended the Corinthians for maintaining the "traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2) and, more strikingly, commanded the Thessalonians to "stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15). This single verse unequivocally places unwritten, oral Tradition on the same authoritative level as written Tradition. Early Church fathers, such as St. John Chrysostom, recognized this reality, arguing that because the apostles "did not hand down everything by letter," the unwritten parts are just as "worthy of belief." Paul even went so far as to caution the Thessalonians to "keep away" from anyone who was not in "accord with the tradition" they had received (2 Thess. 3:6), demonstrating its essential nature for faithful Christian living.

Far from being a secondary source, Sacred Tradition is presented in Scripture as the ordinary, ongoing method of communicating the Gospel. Near the end of his ministry, Paul instructs his apprentice, Timothy, to "Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me... guard the truth that has been entrusted to you" (2 Tim. 1:13–14). To ensure this apostolic message would continue, Paul clearly lays out the principle of apostolic succession, telling Timothy to "entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:1–2). This demonstrates Paul’s plan for the perpetual, intergenerational passing down of the Christian faith through teaching—a living Tradition that would remain an authoritative means of guidance long after the apostles were gone. Ultimately, the Bible itself, a fruit of this living Tradition, does not argue for its own sufficiency as the sole rule of faith. Instead, it repeatedly mandates that the Christian faith be continuously guarded and passed down through the teaching authority and Sacred Tradition entrusted to the Church.