If they are monumental theological constructs, they can hardly be at the same time -- superstitions
If you start -- as you (collectively) do from "Salvation is by faith alone" and the Bible says the exact opposite, then two things will happen: (1) You will have to build terabytes of verbal fluff to create an appearance of legitimacy and (2) the result will remain a superstition no matter how many layers of "good works will result from faith secondarily" meme you repeat.
Similar if you start with "the Bible is the complete rule of faith" when the Bible does not say that, but instead says that the Church is who makes the rules, then again, you will produce very lengthy obfuscatory materials and you will still have created nothing but superstition.
for he did not say that, but was selectively quoted as if he did say that
Right. Because the bottom line is what I said, whether he meant to express it more aerodynamically or not.
“Continuing the fallout from my 1630; I am pinging the original particiants.”
I understood what you were saying. I don’t understand why others don’t!
Your statement must be music to the ears of Satan. He was the first one to deny the sufficiency of God's word. He is the one who attempts to twist God's word by saying it doesn't really mean what it says.
If the Word which was inspired by the Holy Spirit is insufficient when we have so many examples in the Bible of people appealing to the Word, we have Jesus appealing to the Word in His dealings with Satan, then you're going to appeal to man-made "rules" and expect people to believe they are superior to the Holy Inspired Word???
No sir, brother....I'm not buying that false argument of yours.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
I would also point out Psalm 119. In all but three of the 176 verses there is a reference to the Word. The Psalmist uses 10 different terms for the Law or Word of God in this chapter. It is well worth a read to see the importance and reliance upon the Word.
It is also worth noting that in Mary's praise to the Lord in Luke 1:46-55, she quotes the OT at least 15 times. Perhaps the love of God's Word was the reason she was chosen to be the mother of Christ.
John 20:29 (NKJV)
Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” from the wider, entire chapter context here.
Perhaps it would be helpful to remind yet again that concepts & principles expressed as the sola's of the reformation are none of them "solo", but are all of them interdependent & interlocking.
Neither did the expression of that summary distillation of principles, as it were, arise minus compelling reasons, or from a vacuum, but instead as Holcomb (who I found convenient to provide link to, though that man not known to me until moments ago, his presentation/discussion being near top of 'search' result) noted, was formulated by the Reformers who were;" Roused to action by the corruption and abuses they saw in the Roman Catholic church of the time,..."
So much for Sola Ecclesia, eh?
Either that --- or the real and true infallible leading of the Church, by the Spirit of the Lord --- obviously (even painfully so) is not entirely confined or restricted to that ecclesiastical community which falls under identification/heading of being Church of Rome, as if that one ekklesia out of all others is itself immune from need for correction (Hebrews 12, anyone? hey!) if we are to speaking here also as towards superstitious beliefs which may lead to confounding, confusing, and/or subverting the teachings and will of God, as that will, abundantly enough (to my own understanding) evidentially is towards those whom He call unto Himself...
Again, as for the rallying cry slogans of the Reformation, if split apart from one another, sola fide from sola gratia --- makes argument against them something of straw-man form, for having rather by default misrepresented them -- and in this instance, in regards to faith itself, you were in error when then continuing having said;
for within Scriptures the theme of faith (in God) runs throughout the texts --- and is the very underlying substance of all of the most primary traditions.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.faith (ultimately --->in God, mind you) testified and taught by the Apostle Paul as foundational and living element...
Now for this additional tangled supposition which you also brought;
No, the Scriptures do not say "the Church" makes the rules, particularly chiefly or only one portion of the Church alone being able to supersede or be over and above the word-of-God as that can be "heard" (Romans 10:17), this principle exemplified (in two-fold fashion?) by Christ Himself who swore not upon His own authority alone, but again and again relied upon "as it is written" when He came to fulfill even that which had been written to the Jews.
As for the remainder of the tangled up (TUBAR -- tangled up beyond all repair/recognition) collection of assertion which you began in the above, italicised from there; continuing on towards your own manufactured conclusions;
the very same can be said for *most* all that which Romanists repeat again and again in assertions pertaining to their own concepts of SOLO Ecclesia --- with the accumulated efforts over the centuries of "terabytes of verbal fluff to create an appearance of legitimacy" indeed having created an intricate inter-locking set of superstitions laid over what elements of truth be in actuality there, which have grown eventually into becoming dogma which is part-true, but not entirely...to whit; not in it's exclusivity of application, the RCC being correct enough in many regards, erring chiefly when it speaks self-reverentially of itself.
See to it that the sword of truth be let fall upon your own suppositions, before attempting to swing that as if those suppositions were pure and eternal "blade" capable of being wielded in only one direction, for truth itself is a two-edged and mightily powerful sword, even His own...
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.