Does 2nd Thessalonians 2:15 "Refute" Sola Scriptura?
Roman Catholics have the tendency to say that it's not Sola Scriptura and that there's the need for tradition. They quote 2 Thessalonians 2:15 to justify Scripture plus tradition or its equality. As a Roman Catholic turned Baptist - I could testify that the problem of Rome is to weigh tradition equal to Scripture rather than tradition that came out of Scripture.
Here are the translations of 2 Thessalonians 2:15 which I selected as a reference from Roman Catholic Bibles:
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter. (New Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition)
So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter. (Revised Standard Version - Catholic Edition)
However, the Good News Translation (GNT) doesn't include the word "tradition:
So then, our friends, stand firm and hold on to those truths which we taught you, both in our preaching and in our letter.
While the Protestant translations such as the King James Version (KJV), English Standard Version (ESV), and the New International Version (NIV) use the word "tradition" as something to hold on to - the GNT uses the word "truths" to hold on to.
Where is the source of tradition? Notice that Paul appeals to the sources of tradition as:
- Which was taught by the apostles
- The preaching of the apostles
- The letter of the apostles
I can imagine that the Apostles had several sermons and that Acts 2 is a summary of Peter's sermon. I think Luke left out some minor details that we didn't need to hear and gave us a direct summary. Paul would've preached several messages but not all of them are recorded. He preached from city to city so was there even time for Luke to write them all down in the Book of Acts? Paul wrote several letters but didn't write down every sermon. The letters would've sufficed as summaries of sermons Paul had preached or as a reminder to those whom he preached. They were preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ in all the places that they went.
The born again Christian view of tradition is to take tradition from the Bible. Sola Scriptura means to have Scripture as the final authority in doctrines and practices. The Reformers didn't want to be called Reformers - they just wanted to the biblical or stick to what the Bible says. Sticking to what the Bible says is tradition. Preaching the Gospel is tradition. Reading the Bible for spiritual growth is tradition. Going to church on Sundays is tradition. Doing good to others and loving one's enemies are parts of the Christian tradition. The Christian life is a tradition that came out of the Bible. It's because the Bible is the rulebook of the Christian tradition.