R.C. Sproul on Authority of Scripture
Scripture alone is the final, only infallible authority
"There's nothing sola Scriptura eliminates other authorities, but what it says is there's only one authority that can absolutely bind the conscience, and that authority is sacred Scripture and that all controversies over doctrine and theology must be settled in the final analysis by Scripture."
THE POSITION
Sola scriptura understood narrowly and precisely: not the elimination of every other authority (church courts, confessions still bind), but the claim that Scripture alone can bind the conscience absolutely and is the final court of appeal in doctrinal controversy. Argued directly against Rome's Scripture-plus-tradition formula, tracing Trent's shift in language from the earlier partim...partim ("partly...partly") framing to et ("and").
18 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Founder of Ligonier Ministries and teaching elder in the PCA. Chaired the drafting committee for the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy; best known for The Holiness of God and for popularizing Reformed theology — the five solas and TULIP — for a lay audience.
Cite this page
"R.C. Sproul on Authority of Scripture", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/sproul/scripture-authority (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/sproul/scripture-authority).