Lutheran View on Sola Scriptura and Scripture Testing

The Lutheran understanding of sola Scriptura asserts that the Bible is the sole infallible rule for faith and practice, a principle shared with other Protestant traditions ^[6]. This doctrine emphasizes that the Scriptures are inspired by God and are the Word of God ^[1]. However, the application and implications of sola Scriptura in Lutheran theology reveal distinct characteristics, particularly concerning the role of reason and the interpretation of certain doctrines.

Lutherans, like other Protestants, believe that the authority of Scripture does not derive from tradition or the Church, but from its divine origin ^[4]. The Bible is considered a "plain book," intelligible to ordinary people, who have the right and duty to read and interpret it for themselves, so that their faith rests on the testimony of Scripture rather than on the Church ^[6]. While acknowledging that some parts of Scripture are difficult to understand and require diligent study and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the fundamental perspicuity of the Bible is maintained ^[6].

A key aspect of the Lutheran view, as observed by Reformed theologians like Charles Hodge, is the relationship between reason and faith. Lutherans distinguish between reason as it existed before the Fall and reason as it is now, corrupted by sin ^[8]. They contend that while no truth of revelation can contradict reason in its uncorrupted state, it may contradict fallen human reason ^[8]. This perspective leads to the belief that one may be bound to believe what, "at the bar of reason," appears false ^[9]. Martin Luther himself asserted that when reason attempts to speculate on divine matters, it becomes foolish, echoing Paul's sentiments in Romans 1:22 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 ^[8]. This stance suggests a willingness to accept biblical truths even when they seem to defy human logic, attributing any perceived conflict to the limitations and corruption of human reason rather than to a flaw in divine revelation ^[9].

This approach to reason and Scripture has implications for how Lutherans interpret specific doctrines. For instance, in the doctrine of the Lord's Supper, Lutherans hold to the real presence of Christ's body and blood "in, with, and under" the bread and wine ^[3]. Luther explicitly stated that despite rational objections, the bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ, emphasizing that "all spirits and all learned men put together have not as much intelligence as is contained in this single word of Christ" ^[3]. This position is seen by some Reformed theologians as an attempt to explain the inscrutable and is linked to Luther's peculiar views on the Lord's Supper ^[7].

The Lutheran emphasis on the inherent efficacy of the sacraments also distinguishes it from some Reformed views ^{[2, 5]}. While both traditions agree on the necessity of faith for saving or sanctifying effects, Lutherans hold that the efficacy of the sacraments is due to their own inherent virtue or power, independent of the attendant influences of the Spirit or the faith of the recipient ^{[2, 10]}. This contrasts with the Reformed view, which attributes efficacy to the accompanying operation of the Spirit and conditions it on the presence of faith in the recipient ^[5].

Sources

Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Scriptures, The — Given by inspiration of God -- 2Ti 3:16. Given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit -- Ac 1:16; Heb 3:7; 2Pe 1:21. Christ sanctioned, by appealing to them -- Mt 4:4; Mr 12:10; Joh 7:42. Christ taught out of -- Lu 24:27. Are called the Word. -- Jas 1:21-23; 1Pe 2:2. Word of God. -- Lu 11:28; Heb 4:12. Word of Christ. -- Col 3:16. Word of truth. -- Jas 1:18. Holy Scriptures. -- Ro 1:2; 2Ti 3:15. Scripture of truth. -- Da 10:21. Book. -- Ps 40:7; Re 22:19. Book of the Lord. -- Isa 34:16. Book of the law. -- Ne 8:3; Ga 3:10. Law of the Lord. -- Ps 1:2; Isa”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 57: doctrine of Lutherans in regard to the efficacy of the sacraments is one in which they differ from the Reformed, and as Guerike, himself a strenuous Lutheran, correctly says, approximate to the Romanists. They hold that the efficacy of the sacraments is due to their own inherent virtue or power; a power independent, on the one hand, of the attendant influences of the Spirit ( extrinsecus accidens ), and, on the other hand, of the faith of the recipient. Faith, indeed, is necessary to any saving or sanctifying effect, but that is only a su”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 71: taken and broken; and therefore it was the bread which He affirmed was, either literally or figuratively, his body. Lutherans themselves cannot avoid saying and admitting that the bread in the Lord’s Supper is the body of Christ. Thus Luther ( Larger Catechism , v. 12, 13; Hase, Libri Symbolici , p. 554) tells his catechumen to say, “Though infinite myriads of devils and all fanatics should impudently demand, How bread and wine can be the body and blood of Christ? I know that all spirits and all learned men put together have not as much i”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 37: authority of Scripture, Protestants believe to be anti-scriptural; and therefore they need no other evidence to prove that tradition is not to be trusted either in matters of faith or practice. The Scriptures not received on the Authority of Tradition. 8. Romanists argue that Protestants concede the authority of tradition, because it is on that authority they receive the New Testament as the word of God. This is not correct. We do not believe the New Testament to be divine on the ground of the testimony of the Church. We receive the books”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 57: sunt, ant vacua: nec ad nos decipiendos aut frustrandos instituta. ” These symbols of the Reformed Churches on the continent of Europe agree with those of our own Church, not only in representing the sacraments as real means of grace, but also in denying that their efficacy is due to their inherent virtue, or to him who administers them, and in affirming that it is due to the attending operation of the Spirit, and is conditioned on the presence of faith in the recipient. This is plain from the quotations already made, which might be multi”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 44: § 5. Perspicuity of the Scriptures. The Right of Private Judgment. The Bible is a plain book. It is intelligible by the people. And they have the right, and are bound to read and interpret it for themselves; so that their faith may rest on the testimony of the Scriptures, and not on that of the Church. Such is the doctrine of Protestants on this subject. It is not denied that the Scriptures contain many things hard to be understood; that they require diligent study; that all men need the guidance of the Holy Spirit in order to right knowl”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 83: that two natures or substances, soul and body, are united in the one person in man, without pretending to explain the essential nature of the union. Why then can they not receive the fact that two natures are united in Christ without philosophizing about it? The first objection, therefore, is that the Lutheran doctrine is an attempt to explain the inscrutable. 2. A second objection is that the character of the explanation was determined by the peculiar views of Luther as to the Lord’s Supper. He believed that the body and blood of Christ ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 12: explains or concludes is as certainly false and wrong as that God lives.” 108 108 Ibid. vol. xii. pp. 399, 400. In another place he says that reason, when she attempts to speculate about divine things, becomes a fool; which, indeed, is very much what Paul says. ( Rom. i. 22 , 1 Cor. i. 18-31 .) The Lutheran theologians made a distinction between reason in the abstract, or reason as it was in man before the fall, and reason as it now is. They admit that no truth of revelation can contradict reason as such; but it may contradict the reason ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 12: taken by the Lutherans. They agree, indeed, in this, that we are bound to believe what (at the bar of reason) we can prove to be false, but they differ entirely as to the cause and nature of this conflict between reason and faith. According to the Lutherans, it arises from the corruption and deterioration of our nature by the fall. It is removed in part in this world by regeneration, and entirely hereafter by the perfection of our sanctification. According to Hamilton, this conflict arises from the necessary limitation of human thought. G”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 57: the grace or spiritual benefits received by believers in the use of the sacraments, may be attained without their use. This, however may perhaps be more properly considered, when the necessity of the sacraments comes under consideration. The Lutheran Doctrine. There are two points specially insisted upon by Lutherans in reference to the efficacy of the sacraments. The first is, the absolute necessity of faith in order to any real sanctifying or saving benefit being derived from the use of those ordinances. On this point they are in perfec”

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