Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles: Holy Scripture Sufficient for Salvation

Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.
By Rev. C•D•F• Warrington, M.Div.

Ordained Minister, M.Div.

May 23, 2026

2 min read

Oil painting of an open Bible as the sufficient rule of salvation in an Anglican church setting with warm natural light

Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles states: Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. This is the Anglican sola scriptura: a careful, measured formulation that has proved both durable and debated.

What Sufficient Means

Article VI does not claim that Scripture contains everything about every subject. It claims that Scripture contains everything necessary for salvation. This is a targeted sufficiency: the Bible gives us everything we need to know and believe to be saved. Other sources of knowledge, tradition, and reason are not excluded from church life, but none of them can be required for salvation if they are not in Scripture.

The Canon

Article VI also addresses the biblical canon. It names the books of the Old and New Testaments as canonical Scripture and then lists the Apocrypha separately. The Apocrypha may be read for instruction in life and manners, but it is not used to establish any doctrine. This is a mediating position: the Articles acknowledge the Apocrypha's value without granting it canonical authority, distinguishing Anglicanism from both Roman Catholicism and from traditions that exclude the Apocrypha entirely.

Article VI's formulation has served as the basis for Anglican engagement with biblical scholarship, tradition, and the via media. Its careful limitation of what can be required for salvation has allowed Anglicanism to hold together diverse theological perspectives within a single communion held together by this scriptural center.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles teach about Scripture?

Article VI states that Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation. Whatever is not found in Scripture, nor can be proved from it, is not required as an article of faith or necessary for salvation. This establishes Scripture's sufficiency as the rule and standard for Christian doctrine and practice.

What does 'sufficient for salvation' mean in Article VI?

It means that everything God requires a person to believe for eternal salvation is found in Scripture. The church may not add new requirements for salvation beyond what Scripture teaches. This was directed against Rome's claim that tradition and church authority could add binding requirements to what Scripture alone contained.

How does Article VI define the canon of Scripture?

Article VI lists the books of the Old and New Testaments as canonical Scripture. It also acknowledges the Apocrypha (deuterocanonical books) as useful for instruction in life and manners but not for establishing doctrine. This distinction between canonical and deuterocanonical Scripture reflects the typical Protestant position on the canon.

How does Article VI relate to the Anglican understanding of tradition?

Anglicanism holds a three-legged stool of Scripture, tradition, and reason. Article VI establishes Scripture's primacy: tradition and reason are valuable but cannot add binding requirements beyond Scripture. Tradition illuminates and applies Scripture; it does not supplement or override it. This balance has made Anglicanism a broad church that values tradition without being enslaved to it.

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