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To: vladimir998
MANY Protestants, including James White, have difficulty understanding the Catholic distinction between the material and the formal sufficiency of Scripture. For Scripture to be materially sufficient, it would have to contain or imply all that is needed for salvation. For it to be formally sufficient, it would not only have to contain all of this data, but it would have to be so clear that it does not need any outside information to interpret it.

Joh_20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

1Jn_5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Well that covers the material and formal sufficiency...What was the next question???

In order to prove sola scriptura a Protestant must prove the different and much stronger claim that Scripture is so clear that no outside information or authority is needed in order to interpret it.

2Pe_1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

God says his scripture is materially and formally sufficient and any outside interpretation is not acceptable...That's good enough for millions upon millions of Christians who read and believe God...But to put a cap on it,

Joh 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

That's where you learn of God...Not outside of the scriptures but inside...

459 posted on 06/26/2014 3:35:01 PM PDT by Iscool
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To: Iscool
Well that covers the material and formal sufficiency...


483 posted on 06/26/2014 5:40:36 PM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith....)
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