Posted on 02/22/2010 10:17:55 AM PST by Between the Lines
Question: How can all these denominations claim to follow the bible yet all come to different conclusions? How can I possibly know which one of those above teach the truth when they can't even agree on what the Bible says? Protestants believe a variety of doctrines and all claim to take their doctrines from the Bible. That doesn't really sound like perspicuity to me. 'Bible alone' has created so much havoc in this world.
Answer: You rashly attribute the differences of opinions among Christians to 'Sola Sciptura' - namely, the Protestant belief that the Holy Scripture is the only infallible rule of Christian doctrine.
The fault is not in the Scripture but in the human heart. We need to distinguish between two basic facts. Firstly, the Bible is perspicuous (clear, understandable) - it is not some mysterious book that cannot be understood by common ordinary Christians. Otherwise why would the apostles address their epistles to them rather than the magisterium? Secondly, the human nature is such that people can misunderstand even the simplest of matters. This is true of Christians -- even the apostles were hard to understand! -- and it is even more so in the case of unregenerate people whose hearts are darkened.
So, it is unfair to say that since Christians have disagreements between themselves, and since they study the same Bible, the Bible is not clear. The problem is not with the Bible but with us.
The apparent unity of the Roman Catholic Church is illusory, as any informed Catholic would know. The unity is structural and organizational, but there are serious divisions at all levels, especially between the more liberal and conservative Catholics. Take the charismatic movement for an example. In Protestant circles, Charismatics form separate denominations (and so the distinction from other denominations is obvious). Whereas in the Catholic church, the charismatic groups remain under the Roman umbrella. Their differences from non-charismatic Catholics are hidden though they are just as real as in Protestant churches.
So, what is the cause of the differences among Christians? First of all, Christians are disciples (students); we are still learning and we have not yet arrived to a full and mature understanding of the Scriptures (see Ephesians 4:13). Therefore one expects to find differences among God's children. Secondly, Christians are not immune to error or the the deceptions introduced by false teachers. The apostle Paul had to correct the believers in Corinth, Galatia and Colosse for various errors. It is not any different today. Thirdly, and most importantly, the sin remaining in the Christian heart opposes the plain teaching of God's Word. Sometimes we find it hard to accept the teaching of the Bible because of practical implications we don't like or simply because it humiliates our natural pride. Many people did not receive the words of Jesus because of fear of the Jewish leaders and social isolation. Sometimes we do not receive the teaching of the Bible, not because we don't understand it, but because we are not willing to do so. There are differences because our beliefs and practices are not always consistent with our basic presupposition, namely, Sola Scriptura. We assert that the Bible is our only infallible rule of faith, and yet we sometimes misunderstand the Bible, or add, or take away, from the teaching of Scripture.
There is an analogous problem in the Roman Catholic Church. We find a similar constellation of opinions on any subject among the Catholic faithful, despite their 'infallible' magisterium and their rejection of sola Scriptura. For example, in a nationwide survey of fifteen hundred American Catholics,
The survey found significant gaps between individual values and the Roman Catholic Church's structure and teachings. When asked to make a moral decision on several issues, 50% said in vitro fertilization procedures are not wrong, and 61% would not condemn artificial birth control. The church opposes both. Although the church also opposes the death penalty, Catholics were evenly split on the issue. However, 61% agreed with their church's stand against stem-cell research that 'entails destruction of human embryos'; 68% agreed, 'that abortion is morally wrong under virtually all circumstances'; and 61% said 'homosexual behavior' is wrong. Nonetheless, 83% said it is wrong 'to discriminate against homosexuals. Most would let priests marry (54%), allow women to be ordained (53%), give the laity more leadership roles (72%) and make the church more democratic in its decision-making (62%) (Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY 11/16/2001).
The problem is not limited to the laity. There are serious differences of opinion among priests and theologians. For example, a Catholic lady wrote to me saying, 'I just visited your website, and couldn't believe that you would quote Richard McBrien as your source for a Catholic theologian. He is well known to be a dissenter.' When I asked whether he is censored or excommunicated, she replied, 'As far as him being excommunicated, right now, if every priest who dissented from Church teaching was ex-communicated, I guess it would be the majority, especially the older ones.' Another Catholic lady was frank enough to admit: 'Among Catholic theologians right now they are trying to interpret the meaning of the Vatican II documents. People who were there have disagreements on what Vatican II said!'
Evangelicals consider the Bible as their highest authority while Catholics submit to the magisterium. In theory there is a unifying principle in both camps. In practice, we find an assortment of opinions and beliefs within both groups.
You might respond that the disagreements and discord among Catholics is not the fault of the Catholic authority since the teaching of the magisterium is plain enough. You might add that there is a need to teach Catholics more clearly to correct their misunderstanding of Catholic doctrine. You might also say that some Catholics are willingly disobedient to the teaching of the Church. In principle, the same is true for evangelical Christians. The doctrinal differences among Christians are not due to our authority (the Bible) but due to the limitations and sinfulness of the human heart.
“The fault is not in the Scripture but in the human heart.”
Oh, so it isn’t that sola scriptura is just unscriptural. It’s UNWORKABLE AND USELESS. Gee, that should make Protestants feel soooo much better.
Its a human thing. You and I are never going to agree on everything all the time.
So, we cooperate where we can. Agree to disagree where we can’t. Love each other in all seasons.
God directs the orchestra.
Beautifully put.
Even Satan quotes scripture. Out of context and not in it’s entirety, just as those who Satan might use do.
Excellent analogy.
You rashly attribute the differences of opinions among Christians to 'Sola Sciptura' - namely, the Protestant belief that the Holy Scripture is the only infallible rule of Christian doctrine. The fault is not in the Scripture but in the human heart.
Amen. And it is God alone who exchanges the heart of stone for a heart of flesh.
"A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps." -- Proverbs 16:9
Just use your definition and run with that.
That was the gospel reading at Mass yesterday:
Gospel
Lk 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
Martin Luther advocated that the Roman Catholic Church utilize the conceot of the five solas the five fundamentalbeliefs of what became the Protestant reformation
To say the protestants focused only on Sola Scriptura - by scripture alone is a misnomer the usage of sola (adjective) and the scriptura (noun) are in the ablative case rather than the nominative case - it indicates that the Bible does not stand alone apart from God, but rather that it is the instrument of God whiche he reveals hinself through the faith in Christ
solo Christus christ alone - christ is the mediator, not Mary or the sacraments as administered by the pope (sacerdotalism) - Luther advocated the priesthood of all believers
sola fide by faith alone - salvation by faith alone doctrine by which the church stands or falls (articulus stantis et cadentitis ecclesiae
sola gratia - by grace alone salvation is an unearned gift from God for Jesus’ sake God acts alone to save the sinner unlike modern evangelicalism - synergism Armininaism is that the person has a free will choice to either acceot or reject Gods grace
Soli Deo Gloria glory to God Alone all glory is to god alone.
yes there are problems within the protestant churches, similar to the problems within the Catholic Church
clarifying that Protestant utilize all five pillars of faith. but many church denominations have rejected these pillars. The Protestant Reformation allowed the Catholc Church to correct many of its faults too.
Thank you so much for that beautiful Scripture, dear sister in Christ, and thanks for the ping!
The scriptures are the final authority on matters of faith and morals...my definition :)
The question is where is where do we find the music ?
The reason I ask, is because many folks do not understand the difference between sola scriptura and solo scriptura.
Notice how Christ responded...with scripture, not the traditions of the Pharisees
You wrote:
“Notice how Christ responded...with scripture, not the traditions of the Pharisees”
Yes. And yet He told His disciples to obey the Pharisees when they sat in the seat of Moses - which is when they would use tradition to explain the observance of the law.
lol. Yep.
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." -- Isaiah 55:11-12"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
I just posted this a few minutes ago on another Sola Scriptura thread:
Not directly related, but for me, the greatest proof of the concept of Sola Scriptura has always been when Christ was tempted. Remember, now, Jesus had known Lucifer personally from virtually the beginning of eternity. Christ was there when Lucifer rebelled and was kicked out of Heaven. There's history between the two. Yet, when tempted, Christ responded with Scriptures that were less than a thousand years old - an eyeblink compared to how long the two had known each other. Christ didn't say anything like "You remember back when the Father created Michael...." or anything like that. Christ Himself responded with Scripture, and Scripture alone, three times. That's a HUGE argument in favor of the sufficiency of Scripture.
Why, do you think? Was it because what they were teaching was correct, or to simply avoid a fight in the middle of the Temple?
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