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Hi Alden,
You'll need to narrow your question. To answer it would require volumes and volumes of books. You might like to browse the answers we've given to previous inquirers or first peruse the tract section at:
If you want, we can start at 1 Timothy 3:15, which says that the Church (not the bible) is the pillar and foundation of the truth, or, 2 Thessalonians 2:15 which says to hold fast to the traditions which you received, whether by word of mouth or by letter. Or Jude 3, which says that the faith was once for all handed on to the saints.
All three of these verses — and these are only three of many — refute the idea that we should only believe that which is found in Scripture. A careful reading of the New Testament will show that it was largely an oral faith — when the authors uses words such as hear, which they use far more often than read, they indicate that the faith is an oral one. (cf. Matthew 7:24-26, Matthew 10:14, Matthew 10:27, Matthew 13:20, Matthew 18:17, Mark 4:16-23) There are just way too many more to count right now.
Do a search in our Knowledge Base for "sola scriptura" or tradition. Even the verse that most Protestants appeal to prove sola scriptura (The doctrine that we should rely on Scripture alone for our doctrine) in 2 Timothy 3:16 is preceded by an interesting verse that says,
"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it ..." (2 Timothy 3:14)
which means that not only is the faith orally transmitted, it is also important to consider who transmitted it. In other words, you don't just believe any yahoo on the street or just read Scripture and come up with your own conclusions. You need to believe someone who has Apostolic Authority . . . someone who can trace his teachings back to the Apostles.
I recommend a book, if you're really curious:
It is written to Catholics; it's a little sassy. A more irenic book, targeted to non-Catholics, is:
If you want to continue to discuss Sola Scriptura that is fine or if you have a specific question about a specific teaching after consulting our Knowledge Base, feel free to reply-All and ask it.
Eric
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