Posted on 04/23/2017 2:27:13 PM PDT by vladimir998
One of the biggest complaints against Pulpit & Pen we get consistently is that we somehow dont have all our facts, or are misrepresenting someone or something. I received countless emails claiming that I misrepresented Greek Orthodoxy in my recent posts regarding Hank Hanegraaff and that I should do more research. Well, what better way to research than to go straight to the source in person? Saturday, April 15, known as Holy Saturday in the Orthodox tradition, I along with a couple of friends went to visit St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Church in Charlotte, NCthe church that Hanegraaff was recently chrismated in. The service began at 11:30 pm, and was still going strong showing no signs of slowing down when we decided to leave at around 2:00 am. While we hoped to have the opportunity to confront Hanegraaff in person, being that we all had to get up early the next morning to worship the living God on Easter morning, we decided to call it a night early. However, there are quite a few things that we can take away from this experience in this church.
(Excerpt) Read more at pulpitandpen.org ...
I think there is something to that. I had never heard it P&P before now, but I have seen other sites that do the same thing.
Well, since nowhere in the 27 books that make up the New Testament canon of Scripture is there a list that authenticates them to be inspired, their legitimacy cannot be distinguished with certainty except by some other infallible source.
Here, I'll answer the question for you: you decide what it means for you, and only you decide, in the final analysis. There is no possible authoritative interpreter beyond the individual. That is what Luther demanded when he said "Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders!" And he was shocked -- shocked, I tell you -- to discover that then other people insisted on interpreting the Scriptures for themselves, entirely apart from what he thought those Scriptures meant. Unforeseen consequences and all that ...
And so the atomization of Christianity began.
BINGO! Winning post of the day!
If ignorance were a virtue, he’d be a saint.
Hostility just oozes from that opening paragraph ...
How did the prophets of the Old Testament Scriptures demonstrate their authenticity and legitimacy? How did God expect His revelation to be received - take it or leave it or obedience? The same rules applied. Scripture - because it is Divinely-inspired - is SELF-authenticating. The early Christian assemblies received the writings AS the word of God because they knew from whom they came. There is no need for some human "infallible" authority to sit in judgment over what God has said. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved/carried along by the Holy Spirit:
We also have the message of the prophets, which has been confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to this message, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophets own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever brought about through human initiative, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:19-21)
This link is an excellent explanation for how we got the New Testament: The Formation of the New Testament Canon. In it we read:
Here's a clue...the Bible is God's word and its truth is something that is spiritually discerned. The "natural" man doesn't receive the things of God and he cannot even know them - he has no indwelling Holy Spirit who leads him to the truth. Another clue...the Bible is not written in some kind of "code" that only a magic decoder can interpret. I hold to the Biblical view that the words, in context, mean what they say.
There have ALWAYS been disputes over doctrines and since the start of the Christian communities, God has gifted to them through the Holy Spirit those who are able to teach and lead. Peter recognized Paul's writings to the churches as Divine in origin, he stated:
Those who are unlearned, ignorant and unstable stumble over God's word and it is usually the reason why there are disputes on the major tenets of the Christian faith. It takes study, prayer and a desire to know the deep things of God so that one may be able to give an answer to everyone that asks of the hope within us. Biblical hermeneutics is a study of Scripture using not only context but target audience, word meanings, customs, etc. to understand the things God's word teaches. Certainly Pastors, teachers, elders and others are gifted with not only the ability to understand the truths of the faith but be able to teach others so that the faith once delivered unto the saints is preserved and passed down.
When you ask, "Who gets to decide what the Scripture means under sola scriptura?", you miss the point of what sola Scriptura IS. The heresies that crept into the early churches were disputed BY Scripture. Athanasius of Alexandria, for example, disputed with the Gnostics and Docetists of his day who denied Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. He had the better argument from Scripture and helped to formulate creeds that outlined the Apostolic doctrines as they had been taught through the written word. I hope you would agree that there cannot be diametrically opposite doctrines that can be proved through the Divine word. There is only the truth - and that truth IS spelled out for us in God's word. The Apostolic letters were meant to do that spelling out. Spiritually gifted teachers - those who put in the work - are able to teach others also. Because God's word is powerful and able to make one wise unto salvation, is why Scripture, alone, is the authority over and above any human.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.