‍The Fruit of Sola Scriptura

‍If the Bible is so clear, why can’t Protestants agree on what it teaches?

  Gary Hoge  ·  October 14, 2026

‍The Protestant Reformers broke away from the Catholic Church because they believed the Church had corrupted the gospel. They adopted the principle of sola Scriptura (“Scripture alone”), holding that the Bible is the only infallible authority for Christian faith and practice, and that all essential Christian teachings can be established from Scripture.

‍They believed this was possible because they believed that Scripture was sufficiently clear for ordinary Christians to discover and understand its essential teachings. According to Reformed theologian Robert Godfrey, “The Protestant position, and my position, is that all things necessary for salvation and concerning faith and life are taught in the Bible with enough clarity that the ordinary believer can find them there and understand.”¹

‍But if the Bible teaches these things clearly enough for ordinary believers to discover and understand them, why have so many ordinary believers—and some of Protestantism's most distinguished theologians—come to such different conclusions about what it teaches? Why do Christians who agree that Scripture is their supreme authority disagree about baptism, the Eucharist, salvation, church government, and other fundamental matters?

‍These aren't merely disagreements over minor details. Some Protestants believe baptism actually washes away sins; others believe it is only a symbolic testimony of faith. Some believe Christ is truly present in the Eucharist; others regard it as a memorial. Some believe a Christian can lose his salvation; others insist that this is impossible. Some baptize infants; others believe infant baptism is invalid. And all appeal to the same Bible to support their positions.

‍The problem is that the Bible was never intended to be a self-contained “Manual of Christianity.” The New Testament was written within an already existing Church, whose members had received the Christian faith through the preaching and teaching of the apostles. Its authors didn't set out to explain every Christian doctrine and practice from scratch. They wrote within the context of an apostolic faith that their readers already knew.

‍When the Reformers rejected the Catholic Church's teaching authority and made Scripture the final court of appeal, they discovered that they themselves couldn't agree on what Scripture taught.

‍Protestantism fragmented almost immediately into Lutherans, Reformed Christians, Anabaptists, and other groups. Martin Luther himself complained about the proliferation of conflicting beliefs:

‍There are almost as many sects and beliefs as there are heads; this one will not admit baptism; that one rejects the Sacrament of the altar; another places another world between the present one and the day of judgment; some teach that Jesus Christ is not God. There is not an individual, however clownish he may be, who does not claim to be inspired by the Holy Ghost, and who does not put forth as prophecies his ravings and dreams.²

‍And the fragmentation continued. Generation after generation, Christians studying the same Bible discovered new things they believed were clearly taught in its pages. Churches divided, new denominations formed, and splinter groups separated from other splinter groups, often over doctrines that each side considered unmistakably biblical.

‍Of course, not every denominational division represents a doctrinal disagreement. Churches sometimes organize separately for geographical, cultural, or administrative reasons. Nor does the existence of disagreements mean that Protestants agree on nothing. They share many important Christian beliefs.

‍But that only makes the deeper problem more striking. Christians who agree that Scripture is their supreme authority, and who sincerely seek to follow its teachings, have nevertheless reached contradictory conclusions about what Christianity requires them to believe and practice.

‍Consider a courtroom analogy. Scripture is like the evidence presented at a trial. The evidence may be entirely reliable, but it doesn't interpret itself or resolve disagreements about what it means. That's why courtrooms have judges. Two attorneys can examine the same evidence and reach opposite conclusions, but neither attorney gets to declare his interpretation authoritative simply because he appeals to the evidence. The problem with sola Scriptura is that it effectively asks the evidence to do the work of the judge. And when Christians disagree about what Scripture teaches, appealing to Scripture alone cannot settle the dispute, because its meaning is the very thing they're arguing about.

‍Catholics disagree among themselves about many things, too. But the Catholic Church recognizes a common teaching authority capable of resolving doctrinal disputes. Sola Scriptura provides no comparable authority whose interpretation all Protestants are bound to accept. When Christians disagree about what the Bible teaches, each can appeal to Scripture, but Scripture cannot step forward and tell them which interpretation is correct.

‍Whatever its merits in theory, sola Scriptura has failed to produce agreement about what Christianity teaches. Instead, Christians who profess to follow the same Bible have divided into hundreds of denominations, often teaching contradictory doctrines while insisting that their beliefs are clearly supported by Scripture.

‍And this is not merely a historical observation. The evidence is all around us.

‍Behold the fruit of sola Scriptura:

‍Lutheran churches: Apostolic Lutheran Church of America, Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America, Church of the Lutheran Confession, Concordia Lutheran Conference, Evangelical Lutheran Church "Concord", Lutheran Confessional Church, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America, General Lutheran Church, American Association of Lutheran Churches, Gutnius Lutheran Church, Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Lanka Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church–International, Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, Lutheran Evangelical Protestant Church, Lutheran Ministerium and Synod–USA, Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, Arcot Lutheran Church, Batak Christian Protestant Church, Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church, North American Lutheran Church, Old Apostolic Lutheran Church; Reformed and Presbyterian churches: Afrikaans Protestant Church, Canadian and American Reformed Churches, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Christian Reformed Church in Sierra Leone, Christian Reformed Church in South Africa, Christian Reformed Churches, Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, Evangelical Reformed Church of Christ, Free Reformed Churches of North America, Heritage Reformed Congregations, Orthodox Christian Reformed Church, Protestant Reformed Churches in America, Reformed Church in America, Reformed Church in the United States, Restored Reformed Church, United Church of Christ, United Reformed Church, United Reformed Churches in North America, Associated Presbyterian Churches, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, Bible Presbyterian Church, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America, Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Free Presbyterian Church of North America, Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly, Reformed Presbyterian Church–Hanover Presbytery, Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States, Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, United Presbyterian Church of North America, Upper Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States; Congregational and evangelical churches: Congregational Federation, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, Reformed Congregational Churches, Evangelical Covenant Church, Evangelical Free Church of America, Bible Fellowship Church, Evangelical Association of Reformed and Congregational Christian Churches, Kale Heywet Church, Mulu Wongel Church, Meserete Kristos Church, Evangelical Church of the River Plate, Evangelical Free Church, Fellowship of Fundamental Bible Churches, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, Great Commission Association; Anglican and Episcopal churches: Anglican Church in North America, Episcopal Church (United States), Anglican Catholic Church, Anglican Church in America, Anglican Orthodox Church, Anglican Province of America, Anglican Province of Christ the King, Christian Episcopal Church, Communion of Evangelical Episcopal Churches, Continuing Evangelical Episcopal Communion, Diocese of the Great Lakes, Diocese of the Holy Cross, Episcopal Missionary Church, Evangelical Episcopal Communion, Free Protestant Episcopal Church, Orthodox Anglican Church, Reformed Episcopal Church, Southern Episcopal Church, United Episcopal Church of North America; Anabaptist and Brethren churches: Amish Mennonite, Beachy Amish, Kauffman Amish Mennonite, Nebraska Amish, New Order Amish, Old Order Amish, Swartzentruber Amish, Hutterites, Dariusleut, Lehrerleut, Schmiedeleut, Alliance of Mennonite Evangelical Congregations, Biblical Mennonite Alliance, Chortitzer Mennonite Conference, Church of God in Christ, Mennonite, Conference of the Mennonite Brethren Churches in India, Evangelical Mennonite Church, Evangelical Mennonite Conference, Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference, Evangelical Missionary Church, Fellowship of Evangelical Bible Churches, Kleine Gemeinde, Markham-Waterloo Mennonite Conference, Mennonite Brethren Churches, Mennonite Church USA, Missionary Church, Noah Hoover Mennonite, Ohio Wisler Mennonite, Old Order Mennonites, Reformed Mennonite, Rosedale Network of Churches, River Brethren, Brethren in Christ Church, Old Order River Brethren, United Zion Church, Wengerites, The Brethren Church, Church of the Brethren, Conservative Grace Brethren Churches International, Dunkard Brethren, Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, Old Brethren, Old Brethren German Baptist, Old German Baptist Brethren, Old German Baptist Brethren New Conference, Old Order German Baptist Brethren, Apostolic Christian Church, Bruderhof, Charity Christian Fellowship, Church of the United Brethren in Christ, Schwenkfelders; Baptist churches: Alliance of Baptists, American Baptist Association, American Baptist Churches USA, Association of Reformed Baptist Churches of America, Association of Regular Baptist Churches, Baptist Bible Fellowship International, Baptist Church of Christ, Baptist General Convention of Texas, Baptist Missionary Association of America, Central Baptist Association, Christian Unity Baptist Association, Conservative Baptist Association of America, Continental Baptist Churches, Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Free Will Baptist Church, Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship, Fundamental Baptist Fellowship of America, General Association of Baptists, General Association of General Baptists, General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, General Conference of the Evangelical Baptist Church, General Six-Principle Baptists, Independent Baptist Church of America, Independent Baptist Fellowship International, Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America, Interstate & Foreign Landmark Missionary Baptist Association, International Baptist Convention, Liberty Baptist Fellowship, National Association of Free Will Baptists, National Baptist Convention of America, National Baptist Convention USA, National Missionary Baptist Convention of America, National Primitive Baptist Convention of the USA, New England Evangelical Baptist Fellowship, North American Baptist Conference, Old Baptist Union, Old Regular Baptist, Old Time Missionary Baptist, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Separate Baptists in Christ, Southeast Conservative Baptist, Southern Baptist Convention, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, United American Free Will Baptist Church, United American Free Will Baptist Conference, United Baptist Convention of the Atlantic Provinces, United Free Will Baptist, World Baptist Fellowship, Holiness Baptist Association, Seventh Day Baptist General Conference; Methodist and Holiness churches: African Methodist Episcopal Church, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Congregational Methodist Church, Evangelical Methodist Church, First Congregational Methodist Church, Free Methodist Church, Global Methodist Church, Liberation Methodist Connexion, Primitive Methodist Church, Southern Methodist Church, United Methodist Church, Christ's Sanctified Holy Church, Church of Christ (Holiness) USA, Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), Church of God (Holiness), Church of God (Restoration), Church of the Nazarene, The Salvation Army, Wesleyan Methodist Church, Christian and Missionary Alliance, Church of Christ (Holiness), Wesleyan Church; Restorationist and Adventist churches: Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Churches of Christ, Churches of Christ (non-institutional), Independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ, International Christian Church, International Churches of Christ, Advent Christian Church, Church of the Blessed Hope, Church of God General Conference, Church of God (Seventh Day), Seventh-day Adventist Church, Adventist Church of Promise, Creation Seventh Day Adventist Church, Sabbath Rest Advent Church, Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement, International Missionary Society of Seventh-Day Adventist Church Reform Movement, True and Free Seventh-day Adventists, United Sabbath-Day Adventist Church, United Seventh-Day Brethren; Friends and Brethren churches: Conservative Friends, Friends United Meeting, Evangelical Friends Church International, Friends General Conference, New Foundation Fellowship, Exclusive Brethren, Kerala Brethren Assembly, Open Brethren, Gospel Hall Assemblies, Needed Truth Brethren, Cooneyites; Pentecostal and charismatic churches: Apostolic Church, Apostolic Faith Church, Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God, Assemblies of God, Associated Brotherhood of Christians, C3 Church Global, Celestial Church of Christ, Charisma Christian Church, Christ Gospel Churches International, Christian Assemblies International, Christian Church of North America, Christian Congregation in the United States, Christian Open Door Church, Church of God by Faith, Church of God (Charleston, Tennessee), Church of God (Chattanooga), Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), Church of God for All Nations, Church of God House of Prayer, Church of God (Huntsville, Alabama), Church of God in Christ, Church of God (Jerusalem Acres), Church of God Mountain Assembly, Church of God of Prophecy, Church of God of the Original Mountain Assembly, Church of God of the Union Assembly, Church of God with Signs Following, Congregational Holiness Church, CRC Churches International, Deeper Life Bible Church, Destiny Church, Elim Pentecostal Church, Evangelical Pentecostal Church of Besançon, Foursquare Church, Free Apostolic Church of Pentecost, Fire Baptized Holiness Church of God of the Americas, God Is Love Pentecostal Church, Hillsong Church, Independent Assemblies of God International, International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies, International Pentecostal Holiness Church, International Pentecostal Church of Christ, Jesus Is Lord Church Worldwide, Maranatha Christian Church, Mount Sinai Holy Church of America, New Life Churches, Open Bible Churches, Pentecostal Assemblies of God of America, Pentecostal Church of God, Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church, The Pentecostal Mission, Potter's House Christian Fellowship, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Revival Centres International, The Revival Fellowship, Soldiers of the Cross Church, United Gospel Tabernacles, United Holy Church of America, United House of Prayer for All People, Calvary Chapel, Charismatic Episcopal Church, City Harvest Church, Every Nation, International Christian Fellowship, Sovereign Grace Churches, Association of Vineyard Churches, Bible Christian Mission, Christ Embassy, Church on the Rock International, Fullness of God's Throne Apostolic Church, International Grace of God Church, New Life Fellowship Association, Newfrontiers, Reborn in Christ Church, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God; Other Protestant and independent churches: Believers Eastern Church, Brunstad Christian Church, Church of Christ Instrumental, Evangelical Covenant Church of America, Family International, Global United Fellowship, Grace Movement Churches, Metropolitan Community Churches, Remonstrants, Shiloh Youth Revival Centers, The African Church, Christ Apostolic Church, Church of the Lord (Aladura), Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim, Zion Christian Church.

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^‍1 Robert Godfrey, quoted in Deborah Finnemore, “Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, New from Reformation Trust,” Ligonier Ministries. https://www.ligonier.org/posts/sola-scriptura-protestant-position-bible-new-reformation-trust

^‍2 Martin Luther, An die Christen zu Antwerpen (1525), in D. Martin Luthers Werke, Weimar Edition, 18:547. English translation quoted in Leslie Rumble, Bible Quizzes to a Street Preacher (Rockford, IL: TAN Books, 1976), 22.