>>I will leave it to others who have read our exchanges to determine whether I have shown Sola Fide is NOT biblical.<<
We've both made our cases... I willing to let others decide for themselves as well...
>>Your understanding of Scripture is based on the findings of men of today's culture and their own ideas,<<
You don't have a clue how I've arrived at my "understanding of Scriptures"... So let me tell you... As I've said before... I have no axe to grind... I've looked at every view point, read numerous commentators, including RCC and compared them with Scripture... That is how I've come to my conclusions...
>> while mine is based on the Tradition passed down from 2000 years, <<
That is obvious... :-)
>>so I suppose I have an advantage - <<
Advantage? I think not considering the real source of your "traditions"...
>>access to the Truth given to the Apostles...<<
All truth is found in the Bible alone... Any man made interpretations of what the Apostles believed and practiced is invalid if it is not backed up by Scripture... Error is error no matter how many times it is believed, taught, or practiced...
You are merely confirming what I already had assumed. Have you considered reading the writings of the first Christians? Those closest chronologically to Christ and the Apostles? Wouldn't you think they'd have gotten it right? Perhaps if you would read St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin the Martyr, St. Irenaeus, the Didache, St. Clement of Rome, and so forth, writings of the first 200 years, I sincerely think you would have a better handle on what was meant by the teachings of the Apostles, rather than men from 1600 who had ulterior motives for inventing their own theological ideas so as to separate from the Catholic Church.
I challenge YOU to read these writings and see what THEY believed regarding faith/works and so forth. While not inerrant, taken as a whole, it is difficult to ignore their unity of thought on such issues.
I wrote: while mine is based on the Tradition passed down from 2000 years, <<
You replied: That is obvious... :-)
I will take that as a compliment. The Scripture clearly tells us that we are to hold onto the Traditions taught to us by the Apostles, not make up our own. In the later writings, such as Peter, John, Jude and the Pastorals, there is an overwhelming sense that the Apostles clearly wanted to ensure that this deposit of teachings given was to be passed on without change. Is Christianity a revealed religion, or a philosophy of the culture we live in at the time?
Advantage? I think not considering the real source of your "traditions"...
What is the source of my "traditions"? What "traditions" are you speaking of? Before I consider this another attack, I will await your response...
All truth is found in the Bible alone...
LOL! No, it's not. The Bible never mentions anything about the Mayan Indians. Does this mean that they didn't exist? In the exact same way, if the Church records at a later date that Mary is truly the Mother of God - rather than being explicitly in Scriptures, does this mean it is not so? Again, everything that Christians practiced or believed is not recorded in Scriptures. Scripture is only PART of the Word of God presented to mankind.
Any man made interpretations of what the Apostles believed and practiced is invalid if it is not backed up by Scripture...
I believe that a "tradition" cannot go AGAINST what is found in Scripture. Otherwise, it is not a valid tradition. Jesus did not condemn ALL traditions, only those that separated man from God. He also followed traditions.
I have problems with people who tell me that faith alone saves, when clearly, in James 2, it tells us EXPLICITLY that it does NOT save by itself. These same people then have the audacity to make accusations against the Church that WE don't follow Scriptures! Thus, you are making yourself to be a hypocrite, from my point of view. Being saved for heaven by Faith alone is NOT found in Scriptures, thus, you follow a man-made tradition. If you don't believe me, give me some examples of the Church following such beliefs the first 1500 years before Luther's invention...
Error is error no matter how many times it is believed, taught, or practiced...
Outside the pillar and foundation of the truth, I would agree with that.
Regards