Posted on 02/12/2015 2:17:57 PM PST by NYer
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Do you know how to answer a non Catholic Christian who challenges you about the Bible?
Knowing how everybody loves lists, here are ten things every Catholic should know about Sola Scriptura:
1. Sola Scriptura means “only Scripture”. It is the Protestant belief that the Bible is the only source for teaching on doctrine and morality.
2. Sola Scriptura was one of three “solos” the other two being Sola Fide (Faith Alone) and Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)
3. Sola Scriptura which means “Scripture Alone” cannot be found in the Bible. The closest proof text is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” While this verse says Scripture is useful for these things it doesn’t say Scripture is the only source for “teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
4. While Protestants claim to follow Sola Scriptura, in practice they interpret the Bible according to their own denominational traditions. Presbyterians have the Bible plus Calvinism. Baptists have the Bible plus their theological opinions. Lutherans have the Bible plus the teaching of Luther etc.
5. Jesus commanded and prophesied that he would establish a church, but he nowhere commanded or prophesied that a book would be written recording his words and works. This is why Catholics say the Church came first. The Bible came second. Jesus passed his authority on through the apostles–not through a book.
6. How could sola Scriptura be the only way for people to know God when, for most of history, the majority of people could neither read nor have access to books?
7. Protestants blame Catholics for believing late, man made doctrines that the early church had never heard of, but Sola Scriptura had never been heard of before the sixteenth century. Not only can it not be proved from the Bible, but there is no trace of the doctrine of sola Scriptura anywhere in the writings of the early church. The entire edifice of Protestantism, however, is based on the foundation of sola Scriptura.
8. If the only source for teaching and moral instruction comes from the Bible how are we supposed to answer the questions that arise about things that were never heard of in Bible times? How can the Bible instruct us about important current problems like nuclear war, artificial contraception, in vitro fertilization, euthanasia, gender re-assignment or genetic modification, cloning or a whole range of other modern issues. Only a living and dynamic, Spirit filled authority can sift the facts and come up with the right teaching.
9. Sola Scriptura is linked with the idea of that the Bible is easy enough for any simple person to understand. While the basic teachings seem easy to understand it is clear that the Bible is an extremely complex document which requires the insights of theologians, Bible scholars and linguists to understand clearly. Why else would Protestant pastors be required to go to seminary before being qualified to be pastors?
10. Sola Scriptura has led to the thousands of divisions within Protestantism. Because they couldn’t agree, even from the beginning, the Protestant leaders began to split and form their own sects. How could sola Scriptura be the foundation for the church when it leads to such division? How could this division be part of Jesus command and prayer that there be “one flock and one shepherd”?
In general, I agree. It's just that in this case we have the Scriptural cross-references ("Cephas") that very much takes this out of the realm of speculation as to the underlying Aramaic.
And the Holy Spirit still had the words recorded in Greek.
This seems largely a repeat of your earlier "instead of" question I answered at Post 232.
That's a classic response to a gaffe like raising Vatican I when you're trying to argue against the Papacy -- quickly change the topic.
I believe, rather, that Mary is alive in Christ.
Christ established a Church. Not a Bible.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church."; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat 6:18
Christ established His Church as The pillar and foundation of Truth - “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” 1Tim 3:15
Christ wants us to be one, not many.
“I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. 1Cor 1:10-17
You could easily read the above as “One of you says, "I follow Luther"; another, "I follow Calvin"; another, "I follow Wesley"; still another, "I follow Christ."
Christians cannot be “perfectly united in mind and thought” when they have different beliefs on, say, the necessity of water baptism, while others believe “This is my Body” means “This is a cookie”
Christ gave many powers to His Church. Christ gave authority to the Church.
“"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Mat 18:18. So, seriously, if the Church establishes a Magisterium or a Catechism, it is bound in Heaven. And we know this because Christ PROMISED that HIS Church would always teach the Truth.: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” John 16:12-13
God bless in your journey to the truth.
Skiing? A self professed hockey junky went skiing? Isn't that sacrilege or something?
Affirmative sir. After I joined the USAF, I couldn't play hockey anymore. I was a catholic, and one of the Christian guys kept badgering me to go skiing with him, so I went skiing with him, just to get him off my back, and I got bit by the ski bug and never stopped. I thought of him as an interloper, a disturber of the catholic peace, but skiing is what he used as a tool, to get close to me, to tell me the truth about Jesus Christ, which I hadn't heard before. After I couldn't ski anymore, I went back to the ice, but I have always been a hockey junkie, but now I am a saved one. 😄😇😃
Right. And about 55 A.D. when things started getting written, Peter had had his vision (later recorded in Acts), the Council of Jerusalem had been held, and it was very clear the future of the church lay within the Gentile nations. Those nations closet to Jerusalem were largely Greek-speaking. Latin was the other contender, but I've not seen anything that says Latin was a language much known by natives of first century Palestine.
And the majority of Bible and linguistic scholars still say that two decades before then it's most likely Jesus spoke Aramaic to the disciples.
I'm not sure what your point is.
Neither are any of these phrases, so if sola Scriptura is to be disqualified as legitimate because the phrase is not found in the Bible the way Catholics would like it to be, then so would these doctrines and teachings of Catholicism.
trinity
catholic
pope
eucharist
sacraments
annulment
assumption
immaculate conception
mass
purgatory
magisterium
infallible
confirmation
crucifix
rosary
mortal sin
venial sin
perpetual virginity
apostolic succession
indulgences
hyperdulia
catechism
real presence
transubstantiation
liturgy
free will
holy water
monstrance
sacred tradition
apostolic succession
Benefactress
Mediatrix
Queen of Heaven
Mother of God
beatific vision
To do otherwise would be hypocritical, applying a double standard for some teachings and not others.
Why not an answer to the question?
Except Christ wanted a different way.
… So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." John 20-21:23
Here, Christ established the Sacrament of Confession. Note, this is the only other place in Scripture where God breathed on Man. A very significant event. And you wouldn't know what sin to forgive or retain unless you heard it!
I found the Truth.
He lives in me.
And it isn’t from participating in a religious system of works.
Jesus told us that HE is the Truth and the WORD is the Truth.
Jesus never said the church was the truth.
Except where He did.
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” 1Tim 3:15
Where did Jesus ever mention a Bible?
My point is that it's immaterial what language Jesus spoke. The Holy Spirit used Greek to record and preserve His words. We can be assured the the Holy Spirit understood the intent of Jesus words whatever He spoke them in. Therefore it's the meaning of the Greek words we need to understand.
LOL I hear ya. My nephew was a professional hockey player. My son and his family live in Denver and love to ski.
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
and this....
1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
No priest died for me and nobody needs to go through one to get to God.
The church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, not the truth itself.
Jesus Himself said that He and God’s word were truth. Jesus mentioned Scripture plenty of times. He quoted it and appealed to it to verify His message and His claims.
Are you disputing the very words of Jesus?
Oh, I get it now, you were commenting about my post to Elsie. It helps when asking a question to first put the portion of the prior post you're addressing.
Why not? Because that sequence of verses (15, 16, 17) all entail Jesus addressing Peter and making comments directed to Peter. Jesus isn't there referring to himself.
But why not want Jesus to be the rock your church is built on?
Why pick something inferior?
And *Jesus said so* doesn’t cut it because the interpretation of that passage is not as clear cut as RC’s would like to present it as.
Even the RCC’s CCC states that the rock that the church is built on is Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Messiah.
It’s Jesus’ body that HE died to redeem. Not Peter’s.
Many Martyrs died for you.
"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Christ tells us to take our sins to the Church.
Yes. And the truth is found in the Church Christ established. He said so.
Where did Christ say His Truth would be found in a book?
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