• North Luzon Highland District
• North Luzon Lowland District
• South Luzon District
• Mindanao District
• 20th LCP General Convention's Highlights
• 2008 New Dawn Visits To The Philippines
• MDD Camp Mizpah 2008
• 2008 LTS Graduation
• NLHD Youth Camp 2008
• 2008 Seminary Graduation and NLHD Pictures

Lat. Scripture alone). Term referring to the formal principle of the Luth. Church. FC SD Rule and Norm 3: We pledge ourselves to the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments as the pure and clear fountain of Israel, which is the only true norm according to which all teachers and. teachings are to be judged and evaluated. See also Grace, Means of; Holy Scripture; Inspiration, Doctrine of; Norma normans.

J. T. Mueller, The Sola Scriptura and Its Modern Antithesis, CTM, XVI (1945), 524.  Adopted

The theology of Lutheranism is first a theology of the Word. Its principle of sola Scriptura affirms the Bible as the only norm of Christian doctrine. The Scripture is the causa media by which man learns to know God and his will; the Word is the one and the only source of theology. Lutheranism pledges itself "to the prophetic and apostolic writings of the Old and New Testaments as the pure and clear fountain of Israel, which is the only norm according to which all teachers and teachings are to be judged and evaluated" (Formula of Concord, Epitome).To be sure, the authority of Scripture had been emphasized prior to Luther and the Reformation. However, when Lutheranism referred to the Bible as the divine Word, brought to man through the apostles and prophets, it spoke with a new conviction regarding the primacy of the Word. Luther recognized that the authority of Scripture was valid even where it was opposed by pope, council, or tradition.
The Lutheran understanding of this principle should be distinguished from bibliolatry. Historic Lutheranism viewed Scripture as the organic foundation of faith. It is the source of theology in an instrumental sense. It is not the cause of the being of theology; that would truly be a deification or worship of a book. Rather, God is the first cause of theology; he is the principium essendi, its foundation, its beginning, and its end. The Scripture is the principium cognoscendi, for from Scripture theology is known and understood. Furthermore, the Lutheran view of the Bible is to be distinguished from a legalistic orientation. Christ is at the center of the Bible. Essential to understanding the Word of God is accepting the promises of the gospel by faith. If this faith is lacking, the Scriptures cannot be correctly understood.