Sola Scriptura and the Analogy of Faith

Trinity 8| Matthew 7:15-23| Pastor James Preus| Trinity Lutheran Church| August 10, 2025

Jesus warns us to beware of false prophets, who will come to us in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. He tells us that we will recognize them by their fruits. False prophets are those who preach falsely about God’s Word. Jesus says that they will come in sheep’s clothing, because they will look good on the outside. They will look pious and religious. You won’t be able to find fault with how they live their lives. They look like friends of Christians. They call themselves Christians, even pastor and priest. Like the unfaithful prophets and priests of the Old Testament, so they are part of the religious establishment. You won’t easily recognize them by how they look on the outside.

But you must recognize them. This is no idle warning our Lord gives us. He calls these false prophets ravenous wolves. They seek to destroy your faith, to turn you away from Jesus your Savior. With this warning, Jesus is instructing you to learn how to see through the sheep skin, so you can recognize the ravenous wolf on the inside, so that you may flee from him.

But how will you recognize this wolf in sheep’s clothing if he looks so good on the outside? You will recognize him by his fruits. The fruits of a prophet are his prophesies, that is, the words he speaks. Jesus is talking about false doctrine. Doctrine is just another word for teaching. A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit. And so, a faithful preacher preaches pure doctrine and a false prophet preaches false doctrine.

But how can you tell the difference between pure doctrine and false doctrine? Many of these wolves in sheep’s clothing are very educated. They went to seminaries and got degrees. They’ve read books you’ve never heard of and are able to explain their teachings very well. Who are you to judge their doctrine? But Jesus is speaking to you when He tells you to beware of false prophets. And so, Jesus expects you to recognize pure doctrine and false doctrine. And Jesus gives you the resources to discern false doctrine from pure doctrine.

The source of all pure doctrine is Holy Scripture. For a teaching to be considered pure doctrine, it must find its source in the words of the Bible. If a teaching is not found in the Bible, then it cannot bind the consciences of people. If a teaching is contrary to the teaching in the Bible, then it is false doctrine. This teaching is called Sola Scriptura, which is Latin for Scripture alone. Sola Scriptura means that all our teaching regarding faith and good works must find its source in Scripture alone. There are other writings, which teach us about faith and good works such as the Creeds and the Small Catechism, but these themselves find their source in Scripture alone. They teach nothing new.

We hold to Scripture alone, because only Scripture is the inspired Word of God. St. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” ( vss. 16-17) And St. Peter agrees in 2 Peter 1, “knowing first of all that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (vss. 20-21) This is why Jesus asserts that Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35) and why Moses writes in Deuteronomy 4, “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it.”

No one has the authority to change Scripture, to add to it, or to take away from it. The books of the Bible were written by many different men over 1,500 years, but they all have the same Divine Author. The men did not write what they wanted to write, but what God led them to write, so that every word of Scripture is God’s Word. For this reason, even the prophets submitted themselves to Holy Scripture. St. Peter writes that the prophets searched their own writings to learn of the Christ, “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.” (1 Peter 1:10-11) And St. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14 that all prophesies should be subject to the prophecies of Scripture, “and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” (vs 32) So, not even the prophets could change or alter the writing of Scripture.

And, Jesus teaches us that Scripture alone reveals to us our Savior and the way to salvation. Jesus says in John 5, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me.” In Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16, Abraham says to the rich man in hell concerning the repentance of his brothers, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” Moses and the prophets, of course, refer to the writings of the Old Testament. And St. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3, “from childhood you have been acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (vs. 15) The New Testament also is God’s Word and profitable to save, as Jesus says in His prayer in John 17, “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.” He is referring to His disciples and their word is the writings of the New Testament.

Yet, there are those who say that Scripture alone is wrong. They say that Scripture is a product of the Church, and that the Church can teach doctrines outside of Scripture. They say that councils and popes have authority to establish doctrine. This teaching is especially popular among the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox denominations. However, by denying Scripture alone, they conflict with Jesus Himself. Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah when He rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for teaching doctrines not found in Holy Scripture, “In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:9; Is. 29:13) St. Paul also writes in Ephesians 2 that the Church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets (referring to the New and Old Testament), Christ Jesus being the cornerstone (vs. 20).

So, Scripture alone is God’s written Word. And Scripture alone teaches the truth of God’s Word and the way to Salvation. And the Church of Christ must submit to the teaching of Holy Scripture. Yet, you may feel inadequate. “The Bible is a big book. And I don’t understand all of it. How can I be sure of the teaching of the Bible?” Here, you should learn what the analogy or rule of the faith is. St. Paul writes in Romans 12:6, “whether prophecy according to the analogy of the faith,” meaning that prophecies must be in accord with the rule of faith.  But what is the analogy or the rule of the faith? The analogy of the faith is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture. When we read passages in Scripture that are difficult to understand, we interpret them according to the clear passages. While the Bible is a long book, its doctrine can be summarized clearly and succinctly. Jesus says in Luke 24 after opening His disciples’ minds to understand Scripture, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” In one sentence, Jesus summarized the Christian faith. No teaching claiming to be from Scripture can contradict this statement. The analogy of faith means that all Scripture agrees.

Likewise, we have the Apostles’, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. We have our Small Catechism. These writings simply summarize the clear passages of Scripture, even quoting passages of Scripture. The Creeds and the Catechism follow the analogy of faith by articulating the clear teaching of the Bible. So, you do not need to memorize the entire Bible. But you should know the Creeds and your Catechism. Just a few minutes a day of reading your Catechism with your daily prayers, and you will soon know it like the back of your hand. And when you know your Catechism, you know the analogy of the faith and you can judge all doctrine and determine whether it is pure or false.

The Catechism teaches you the analogy of the faith by clearly and succinctly summarizing the doctrine of Holy Scripture. When people claim that sin isn’t sin or that God does not punish sin, you can look at your Ten Commandments and see what the analogy of the faith says about God’s Law. When false prophets deny that God is the creator or that Jesus is true God and true man, who saves us by His death and resurrection, you can look at the Apostles Creed and see what the analogy of faith says about God and the Gospel. When teachers deny that Baptism is God’s work that forgives sins and saves, you can quote the Bible passages in your Catechism to know that Baptism is the work of God that saves you and joins you to Christ Jesus through faith. When false teachers deny that Jesus’ body and blood are present in the Sacrament, your Catechism points you to the clear passages of Scripture where Jesus says, “This is my body,” and “this is my blood.” If you regularly read your Catechism, you will be familiar with the analogy of the faith, and you will be prepared to identify pure and false doctrine, so that you may see through the sheep skins of the false prophets.

The danger of abandoning the analogy of the faith as it is taught in Scripture alone is that you fall prey to false prophets. You cannot rely on your gut to avoid false prophets. St. Paul warns in 2 Timothy 4, “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” The ears of your sinful flesh do not itch for the truth, but for that which flatters your pride. And so, false prophets lead people into sin and keep them from repenting of their sins, so that they do not seek forgiveness from Christ. They lead people to disregard the Word of God, to believe that Jesus is not the only Savior or they teach that you could be saved by your works. They lead people to reject the promises given to them in Baptism and to despise the Lord’s Supper. False doctrine leads people away from Christ, away from His forgiveness, and ultimately to hell.

This is why Scripture Alone and the analogy of the faith are so important. When we hold to Scripture alone and submit our faith to the analogy of the faith, we have certainty of our salvation. When we accept other doctrines, we begin to doubt our salvation. But Scripture is clear that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, so that whoever is in Christ Jesus has peace with God and will not be condemned (1 Tim. 1:15; Romans 5:1; 8:1). Scripture is clear that whoever is baptized into Christ has put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). Scripture is clear that though your sins are like scarlet, Christ Jesus makes them white as snow in His blood, so that whoever believes in Him shall not be put to shame (Is. 1:18; Rev. 7:14; Rom. 9:33).

When Jesus tells you to beware of false prophets, He is telling you to hold fast to His Word found in Holy Scripture, so that you recognize Him as your true Savior from sin and hell, and are not led astray by the deceitful lies of false prophets, which scratch itching ears and tell them what they want to hear. When you hold fast to God’s Word in Holy Scripture, you find endless comfort through Jesus Christ, who lavishes you with His grace by sending His Holy Spirit to comfort you and forgive your sins through Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper all for Christ’s sake. Jesus is calling you to learn the sound of His voice, so that you recognize strangers when they come, and flee to Jesus alone. Amen.