509 years ago, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.  The Gospel Coalition’s “Reform­a­tion 500 Statement” comments:  “Wherever we find Scripture alone as the highest and final authority, grace alone as the only hope for resur­recting spiritually dead sinners, faith alone as the only instru­ment by which we are joined to Christ and justified by the imputation of his righteousness, Christ alone as the only atoning sac­rifice for sin, and God alone as the ultimate object of our worship—wherever we find these truths sung, savored, and celebrated, we have reason to rejoice in the Reformation.”

The Bible is the Essential Source to which we appeal as Christians.  If the “material principle” of the Reforma­tion was sola fide (justifi­cation by faith alone), the “formal principle” and bedrock footing was sola Scriptura, meaning Scripture alone is the final authority for mat­ters of faith and life.  Not Bible-plus:  plus pope, plus bishops, plus tradition (Catholicism does this, actually subord­inating the Bible to church author­ities who “infallibly” deliver official, binding interpretations of texts).  

But be careful in the other direction too—sola Scriptura does not appeal to the Bible alone so as to disregard other helpful voices Christ has given to his church; sola Scriptura does not mean, “Just my Bible and me, thank you very much”!  Every thoughtful Christian will want to learn from godly spiritual leaders and previous generations of faithful disciples of Jesus.  

But the key point is that all human voices are subordinate to the inspired, divine truth of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  The church is not over the Word; the Word is over the church.   The Bible is not a parallel authority alongside the Roman Catholic magisterium and church tradition, but the superior and supreme authority over Christ’s church—in light of the beautiful fact that Scripture is the very Word of God.  Give thanks for the awesome good news that God has spoken!