The silence of Scripture on sola scriptura is deafening. But when it comes to the true authority of Scripture and Tradition and to the teaching and governing authority of the Church, the text is clear:
If your brother sins against you go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. . . . But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you. . . . If he refuses to listen . . . tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. (Matt. 18:15-17)
According to Scripture, the Church is the final court of appeal for the people of God in matters of faith, morals, and discipline. It is telling that since the Reformation of almost 500 years ago—a Reformation claiming sola scriptura as its formal principle—there are now over 33,000 Protestant denominations. In John 10:16, Jesus prophesied there would be “one flock, one shepherd.” Reliance on sola scriptura has not been effective in establishing doctrine or authority.
Sola scripture has brought God’s word to more people in places all over the world in their own languages than anything else.
Sola scripture has expanded the knowledge of Christ and salvation of more people than anything else.
Just historical fact.
The body of Christ is a body with all sorts of parts and different functions and roles.
“The silence of Scripture on sola scriptura is deafening.”
The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119, and it is all about the primacy of scripture. Jesus spoke on it in Mark 7:6-12 and Matthew 15:3-9. See also Deut. 4:2, 12:32, Prov. 30:6, Jer. 26:2, and Rev 22:18.
Now, the silence of scripture on the papacy, that is deafening.
“According to Scripture, the Church is the final court of appeal for the people of God in matters of faith, morals, and discipline.”
Court, yes. Legislature, no. The example that you cited in Matthew 18 does not indicate a reliance on scripture plus tradition, it is a commandment for men to use scripture to discipline others within the church. “If your brother sins” means “if your brother violates God’s Word”, not some tradition.
“In John 10:16, Jesus prophesied there would be “one flock, one shepherd.””
That’s not exactly what He said there, and to teach that this verse indicates anything like the Catholic church structure is a major reach. There is one flock and one Shepherd, but that Shepherd is Christ, not some imaginary vicar of Christ.
“Reliance on sola scriptura has not been effective in establishing doctrine or authority.” It has been very effective at establishing both, when it has been put into practice. When it’s not practiced, then there are problems (and there are MANY groups that you would call Protestant that don’t practice it. Some might give it lip service, but some don’t even bother.) If you think the scripture + tradition method produces great uniformity of doctrine and practice, you haven’t talked doctrine with many Catholics.
Please enlighten us with such scriptures.