Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: St_Thomas_Aquinas
Yes. If Luther wasn't infallible, and if Christ's Church doesn't hold this doctrine, then the only justification for Luther's doctrine would be if it was biblical. I don't find the doctrine of Scripture alone, as the sole rule of faith, to be biblical. Scripture is the inspired word of God, yes. But Luther's teaching isn't found in the Bible, either explicitly or implicitly.

There is a VAST difference between SOLO and SOLA Scriptura. Luther and the Reformers taught sola Scriptura. If we agree that the Scriptures are Divinely inspired, which means "God-breathed", and that they are the "ultimate" authority for our faith, then there should be no problem at all with recognizing what Jesus, the Apostles and the early church fathers attested to - the primacy, sufficiency and ultimate authority of Scripture. No one is suggesting that there is or was no need for pastors, teachers, prophets and evangelists in the church and their role is to expound upon the Scriptures so that the body of Christ is edified and built up in the faith of Christ.

If you claim that the doctrine of the Scriptures being the infallible and inerrant word of God and sufficient to lead us into all truth of the faith through the illumination of the Holy Spirit is not to be found in Scripture, then you are not in agreement with the Lord Jesus, the Apostles and the early church fathers. This link http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/search/label/An%20Ancient%20Voice%20For%20The%20Day quotes many of the "ancients" on the source of the rule of our faith. I hope you take a few minutes to see what they believed about God's word.

4,177 posted on 01/03/2013 4:59:06 PM PST by boatbums (God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4089 | View Replies ]


To: boatbums

-— If we agree that the Scriptures are Divinely inspired, which means “God-breathed”, and that they are the “ultimate” authority for our faith, then there should be no problem at all with recognizing what Jesus, the Apostles and the early church fathers attested to - the primacy, sufficiency and ultimate authority of Scripture. ——

Logically, Scripture can’t be the “ultimate authority for our faith,” since Scripture didn’t identity itself. Scripture was written, preserved, and canonized by human beings. If the people who wrote, preserved, and canonized Scripture were fallible in their efforts, then how could we trust Scripture to be inerrant and inspired?

Simply stated, the Church gave us Scripture. Fallible Church, dubious text and canon. Infallible Church, inerrant text and canon.

And of course, Jesus commanded us to take disputes to His Church, rather than Scripture.

None of this is meant to denigrate Scripture, which is indeed inspired by God, but merely to point out the necessary logical hierarchy.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Cyprian of Carthage (251 A.D.)

“The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ he says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.’ . . . On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. So too, all [the apostles] are shepherds, and the flock is shown to be one, fed by all the apostles in single-minded accord. If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?” (The Unity of the Catholic Church 4; 1st edition [A.D. 251]).


4,262 posted on 01/03/2013 9:00:17 PM PST by St_Thomas_Aquinas
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4177 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson