On Sola Scriptura, Scripture & Tradition

While I deeply respect the principle of Sola Scriptura, I have come to realize that it is not what the Bible itself teaches. The early Church operated with a living synergy of Scripture, apostolic tradition, and the authority of the Church. The teachings of the apostles were transmitted both in writing and orally, and the early Christians relied on both for guidance.

In fact, Scripture never claims to be the sole authority for Christian life and doctrine. If the doctrine of Sola Scriptura were true, then the Scriptura would boldly make that claim. Instead, the Bible consistently points beyond itself, to the Church, to apostolic tradition, and to the guidance of the Holy Spirit working through the Body of Christ.

Take 1 Timothy 3:15, where Paul writes that the Church is “the pillar and foundation of the truth.” Or 2 Thessalonians 2:15, where he commands believers to “stand firm and hold fast to the traditions you were taught by us, whether by word of mouth or by our letter.” Scripture affirms that both oral and written teachings of the apostles were binding and authoritative.

This is not a contradiction. It is a clarification. The Bible is inspired by God, but it was recognized, preserved, and interpreted within the Church. The canon of Scripture was not handed down by a divine table of contents but discerned by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Councils such as Carthage (397 AD) started to formally affirm the New Testament canon, which had already been safeguarded for centuries in the Church’s liturgical and sacramental life.

As Orthodox theologian Pomazansky explains:

“The Church recognizes the books of Scripture as inspired, but it is through the Church’s authority that their authenticity is confirmed. The same Tradition that preserved the faith also safeguarded the canon.”

Scripture acknowledges the importance of tradition alongside the written Word in many passages:

John 21:25 - And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.

1 Corinthians 11:2 - Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 - For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 - Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

1 Timothy 3:15 - But in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

2 Timothy 2:2 - The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Tradition is not extra-biblical. It is the context in which Scripture was written, received, interpreted, and preserved. The same Spirit that inspired the Scriptures continues to guide the Church “into all truth” (John 16:13). Even essential doctrines like the Trinity and the canon of Scripture itself were not developed by Scripture alone, but through the Church’s liturgical, conciliar, and sacramental life.

Sola Scriptura assumes an authority that the Bible never gives itself. The Orthodox Church receives Scripture as the Word of God, but within the life of the Church, which has always been guided by the living Tradition of the apostles and the Holy Spirit.

The Importance of Sacred Tradition: The Homoousios vs. Homoiousios Debate

A profound example of why Sacred Tradition is necessary, comes from the Arian Controversy. The entire Christian faith hinged on a single Greek letter, the iota (ι). Arians claimed that Christ was homoiousios (ὁμοιούσιος) with the Father, meaning “of similar essence,” while Orthodox Christians, led by St. Athanasius, defended that Christ is homoousios (ὁμοούσιος), “of the same essence.” One letter made the difference between true Christianity and heresy.

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) was necessary to resolve this issue, showing that Scripture alone was insufficient to preserve correct doctrine. The Church, through Holy Tradition and conciliar authority, safeguarded the true faith from distortion.

This underscores why private interpretation is dangerous. If one letter can change the meaning of doctrine, how much more can thousands of modern interpretations divide the Church?

Other examples show how words matter in eternity-shaping ways:

In the Garden of Eden, Satan did not deny God’s word — he simply twisted it. When God said, “You shall surely die,” Satan said, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). One word changed the direction of human history.

In the West, the addition of a single Latin word — Filioque (“and the Son”), to the Nicene Creed without ecumenical agreement helped rupture the unity of the Church. The original Creed said the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. The Western Church unilaterally changed it to say He proceeds from the Father and the Son, altering the balance of Trinitarian theology and contributing to the Great Schism.

In modern times, the Jehovah’s Witnesses mistranslate John 1:1 as “the Word was a god,” instead of “the Word was God.” This single article turns Christ from divine into a creature, a revival of the Arian heresy the Church condemned at Nicaea.

Each of these examples shows that words, even small ones, even a single letter, can shape theology, and theology shapes doctrine, worship, and salvation. Without the living Tradition of the Church, the same Tradition that defined the canon, guided the councils, and preserved right doctrine, Christianity becomes vulnerable to fragmentation and error.

My Realization: The Limits of Private Interpretation

Through my studies, I have come to realize that I don’t need to figure it all out on my own anymore. Or that somehow my interpretation is the right one. I’d rather submit to the Church Christ established, where there is no disunity, rather than trying to piece together my own interpretation.

Scripture was not given to individuals to interpret in isolation, it was given to the Church as a whole. This is why the Bible itself calls the Church “the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). The same Holy Tradition that safeguarded the canon of Scripture also ensures its correct interpretation.

A Crucial Question: Where Does the Bible Say, “Faith Alone” Saves?

A fundamental question remains: Where in the entire Bible does it say that we are saved by faith alone? Yet another example of how words matter which is a fundamental point in the Orthodox faith. It does not appear in Romans 3:28, 4:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16, 3:11; Titus 3:5; or Philippians 3:9.

The only place where Scripture explicitly says “faith alone” is in the book of James, and it communicates the exact opposite of Sola Fide:

“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith ALONE.”

This verse understandably caused deep discomfort during the time of the Reformation. Martin Luther, who deeply loved the Scriptures, wrestled with James’ epistle. At one point, he referred to it as a “straw epistle” and placed it, along with Hebrews, Jude, and Revelation, in a separate section of his German Bible, the Antilegomena (disputed books). He also translated Romans 3:28 with the phrase “faith alone,” even though the word “alone” is not found in the original Greek, a direct violation of biblical warnings (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32, Proverbs 30:5-6, Revelation 22:18-19).

To be clear, Luther likely meant to highlight a theological truth as he understood it, that we are saved not by works of the Law but by faith in Christ. But his translation choice opens a serious question: What happens when individual interpretation overrides the actual words of Scripture?

This brings us back to a deeper issue, the danger of subtle shifts in language. Like the serpent’s “not” in the Garden, the added Filioque in the Creed, or the Arian controversy over homoousios versus homoiousios, a single word can reshape doctrine and divide believers.

This isn’t said to criticize, but to reflect. If even one word can affect how we understand salvation, how much more important is it that we interpret Scripture within the heart of the Church, alongside the apostolic Tradition that has preserved the faith from the beginning?

Rather than relying on Scripture alone, as beautiful and essential as it is, the Orthodox Church believes we must receive the Scriptures within the living Tradition of the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit. Only then can we remain anchored in “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3), without drifting into individual interpretations, however well-meaning.

Faith and Works in Salvation

The Orthodox Church teaches that faith and works are not opposing forces but inseparable realities within the one mystery of salvation. Faith alone has never been sufficient; we must consider the totality of Scripture, not isolated verses. True faith must be accompanied by repentance, trust, obedience, and concrete acts of love.

St. Paul himself affirms:

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”

Here, Paul does not oppose faith and works but declares that faith must be alive and active, expressing itself through love. This synergy between divine grace and human cooperation is woven throughout the New Testament:

Matthew 7:21 – “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 25:31-46 – (Parable of the Sheep and the Goats) – Jesus describes the final judgment based on acts of mercy and charity, not just professed faith.

Romans 2:6-7 – “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”

Philippians 2:12 – “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”

Revelation 20:12–13 – “And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done… each one of them according to what they had done.”
Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.”

Even in his defense before King Agrippa, Paul summarizes his entire apostolic preaching with these three pillars:

“…that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

Thus, Scripture consistently teaches that salvation involves faith, repentance, transformation, and works of love.

As Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky explains:

“In Orthodoxy, salvation is not a momentary decision, but a process of transformation, a participation in divine life that requires both faith and cooperation with God’s grace.”

In Orthodox theology, grace enables believers to live out their faith in concrete ways, through acts of mercy, obedience to Christ’s commands, and participation in the sacramental life of the Church. Faith is the foundation, but it must be perfected by love, just as a tree must bear fruit to live. Thus, faith and works are not two separate paths but two sides of the same coin: Faith is the root; works are the fruit. Without both, the Christian life is incomplete.

Orthodoxy understands salvation not as fragmented stages, but as a single, living mystery, just as God is one in essence, yet three in Persons. Justification, sanctification, and glorification are distinct, yet inseparably united, like the Trinity itself. To divide them is to misunderstand the very life of God and the very life of salvation. This brings us naturally to the question of authority: How do we know these truths? It is to Scripture and Holy Tradition that we now turn.

Scripture and Tradition: The Foundation of the Church’s Authority

I have come to appreciate the role of Holy Tradition in the life of the Church. Holy Tradition can be summed up as the Life of the Holy Spirit in the Church. It is through this living tradition that the canon of Scripture was discerned, the Ecumenical Councils convened, and the faith preserved.

The Role of the Church in Preserving Scripture

The Ecumenical Councils played a decisive role in defining the faith, especially in articulating the doctrine of the Trinity and affirming the Church’s understanding of Scripture and Christology:

The First Council of Nicaea (1st Ecumenical Council, 325 AD) – Affirmed Christ’s full divinity against Arianism and introduced the foundational Nicene Creed.

The First Council of Constantinople (2nd Ecumenical Council, 381 AD) – Confirmed the full divinity of the Holy Spirit and finalized the Creed used in Orthodox worship.

The Council of Carthage (397 AD) – A regional synod in North Africa, not an Ecumenical Council, but significant for listing a New Testament canon consistent with Orthodox usage. While not definitive on its own, it reflects the Church’s developing consensus on Scripture.

The Council of Ephesus (3rd Ecumenical Council, 431 AD) – Proclaimed that Christ is one Person with two natures (divine and human) and affirmed Mary as Theotokos (God-bearer), countering the Nestorian heresy.

These councils, guided by the Holy Spirit, ensured that the faith was preserved without distortion or innovation. Orthodox Dogmatic Theology affirms:

“The Ecumenical Councils bear witness to the unity of the Church’s mind in preserving the truths of faith. The same Spirit that inspired the Scriptures guided the Church in defining its doctrines.”

Scripture was never intended to function apart from the Church. The very canon of Scripture was received within the life of the Church, through her Tradition, her Liturgy, and her Holy Councils. It is this living Tradition, the same that preserved and interprets Scripture, that continues to safeguard the Faith in every generation. As Jude 1:3 reminds us:

“The faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

This “once-for-all” deposit is held in trust by the Orthodox Church through Faith and Tradition working in harmony, enabling believers to enter more fully into the life of God, this is the Orthodox mind (phronema).

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