SOLA SCRIPTURA

365 Days of Thanksliving — Day 149

I might be opening a theological can of worms today, but frankly, I’ve stopped checking the expiration date on my patience. Sometimes a worm-ridden can doesn’t just need to be opened; it needs to be dumped out on the table for everyone to see.

Today, I’m coming right out with it, unfiltered and un-apologetic.

First, foremost, and far above the noise of human opinion, I am thankful for the Word of God. I’m talking about the Holy Scriptures, the Canon, the sixty-six books that—theoretically, at least—every denomination across the globe agreed upon back when we were still capable of agreeing on things.

While I can appreciate the dusty volumes of the post-apostolic fathers, the Nicene stalwarts, and the mountain of creeds and council statements that have turned library shelves into structural hazards, let’s be real: all of those things take a massive, permanent back seat to the Word of God. Can I get an Amen, or at least a spirited nod from the back row?

Now, I realize our Roman Catholic brothers and Orthodox friends might want to pull the emergency brake and shout, "Whoa, back up the truck, mister! Why are you tossing two millennia of church history into the trunk just to give the Bible the driver’s seat?" To which I would politely, sardonically retort: Why aren’t you?

Let’s get a bit salty, shall we? I’m feeling particularly spirited, satirical, and—as I like to say—fat-n-sassy this evening. Let me 'splain it to you without getting bogged down in the minutiae.

We start with the Gospel according to John. You remember John—the Apostle Jesus "loved the most," the one who managed to avoid a violent exit from this world, and the man Christ personally tasked with penning the final "The End" of the biblical record. That guy. He opened his biographical account of the Messiah by declaring, that,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

He tells us that, “All things were created through Him, that in Him was life,” and that this life was a light the darkness couldn't touch, no matter how hard it tried.

John—the same fellow who famously outran Peter, the "First Pope" in the Roman tradition, in a literal footrace to the tomb—later puts a name to this pre-existent Word. He identifies the Word as Jesus.

Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. This is where we "Protesting" Christians stand up and lose our collective minds in applause.

John continues by explaining that the Word became flesh and pitched His tent among us, saying,

“We saw His glory, full of grace and truth.” 

He reminds us that while the law was a gift from Moses, grace and truth are the exclusive domain of Jesus Christ. The one and only Son, who is Himself God, has revealed the Father.

Every Christian ever born has acclaimed these words as Holy Scripture, yet we still seem to struggle with the fact that if Jesus IS the Word, then the ink on the page isn’t just a suggestion—it’s the living embodiment of our Creator.

Today, I was pastorally confronted with a bit of a conundrum. I wasn't doubting my faith, not at all, but rather wondering why the largest religious body on earth so easily trades Christ’s own words for the traditions of fallible men.

I can’t get into the messy specifics for reasons you’d surely understand, but I have to say: this pastor stands on the Word of God first, and human tradition a distant, distant second. God gave us His Word to save us from ourselves.

He didn't die for us only to pause before His ascension and say, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention a few dozen hoops you’ll need to jump through and some extra-biblical red tape you’ll need to clear to actually be saved." He never said anything of the sort.

It turns out that Christ alone, Faith alone, Word alone, and Grace alone is a complete sentence. It doesn't need an appendix or a committee's approval.

Today, I am profoundly thankful for Christ and His Word, for a grace that is wider than our legalism, and for the faith He provides when our own runs dry. Honestly, what more could we possibly need?

What are you thankful for today?