I have a friend that reads a lot. Every time we chat he has two or three more books he is currently reading through. I believe he has read upwards of 40+ books in 2021 so far. And it’s only November. I aspire to be like him. I set goals every year to read more books than the last year. In the last two years, I have accomplished that. But the struggle I have is one I see prevalent in others…there are so many books to read. This reality presents other problems.

Not only are there too many books to read in a lifetime, but there are also countless articles, essays, and blogs written every single day. Researchers and sociologists have noted how too much information can cause information overload. Information overload has many negative side effects including confusion and frustration, but there is another one I am seeing on a personal interaction level. With the rise of accessibility to information, there appears to be an inverse correlation to confidence in authority. In other words, the more information we have, the less confident we are in any authority for life. But that doesn’t mean people are not living without authority in their lives, especially Christians, which seems odd given the conviction of Sola Scripture.

“Sola Scriptura is designed simply to prevent these other authorities from ruling the Christian and to keep God’s Word rightly as our ultimate guide.”

Michael J. Kruger

Sola Scripture is a 16th century Protestant Reformation foundational conviction. In an era when the printing press released a hurricane-sized storm of information, the Reformers held firmly to Scripture as the only infallible authority for faith and life. But this principle was not just useful to fight the corrupt Catholic church of the day, it is relevant to today’s battles as well. Michael Kruger outlines 3 examples of other authorities people could be seeking to live under rather than Scripture in his article “What Exactly is “Sola Scriptura” Protecting Us Against?“. I believe he is on to something and the plethora of information and the problem of trusting any authority, especially Scripture, is addressed with the Reformer’s conviction.

READ THE ARTICLE

I still like reading often, widely, and deeply. I’ve read everything from sociological work to children’s storybooks this year. But one thing has allowed me to remain grounded – having only one infallible source of authority for my life and faith. God’s Word has and I pray will remain that foundation in my life and reading. How about you? What is your foundation? Your standardizing standard for truth? As always I’d love to hear from my readers. Leave me a comment below and be with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day.

Until Next Time…

Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash