Sunday Sermons
Sola Scriptura
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13). This promise was given by Jesus to His apostles on the night of His betrayal and the same basic promise is also found in John 14:26 “He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you”. These verses plainly teach that the Holy Spirit would reveal all truth through the apostles. Yet religious groups today that deny this surround us.
Catholicism and Scripture
The Catholic Church denies that Scripture, the writings of the prophets and apostles, is the final authority, rather it argues that the official church is actually over Scripture. Catholics are taught that we could not have an infallible Bible if we did not have an infallible church, but this is based upon the erroneous idea that the Catholic Church gave us the Bible.
· The Bible teaches that Scripture comes from an infallible God inspiring men to write (2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God”; 2 Peter 1:21).
· The Old Testament was already fixed and determined long before the Catholic Church came into being (Matthew 5:18-19; Acts 17:11). The same is truth in reference to the New Testament. Before the First Century even ends, the New Testament books are being accepted as the Word of God by Christians (2 Thessalonians 2:15; 2 Peter 3:15-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:27; Colossians 4:16). It is clear that Paul’s letters were immediately accepted as Scripture. This recognition is so quick that Paul even cites Luke 10:7 and refers to it as “Scripture” (1 Timothy 5:18). History records the twenty-seven books of our New Testament as being ratified by the Council of Hippo (A.D. 393) and the Council of Carthage (A.D. 397), yet these councils only confirmed the books that Christians had already accepted as the word of God more than two hundred years prior to that time.
· The church did not determine which books were inspired, and thus the church is not an authority over Scripture, rather the church is actually under the authority of Scripture (1 Corinthians 14:37). It is clear that the church does not have the right to determine what is and what is not the Word of God (2 John 9; Revelation 22:18-19). Remember, all these admonitions were written to churches.
· Look again at 1 Corinthians 14:37 “Let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord’s commandment”. If the members of the church in Corinth failed to recognize that what Paul wrote to them was Scripture, that decision by a congregation did not mean that the First Corinthian letter was not inspired. “If a book were inspired by God, it would be authoritative even if Israel in the Old Testament and the church in the New failed to recognize it as such. And if it were not inspired, it would not matter how sincerely we believed it was of divine authorship. In other words, we must distinguish between the authority of a particular book and the recognition of that authority” (Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible, Erwin W. Lutzer, p. 178).
Scripture and Oral Tradition
Vatican II in 1967 summarized the official position of the Catholic Church on the issue of Scripture and church traditions: “It is clear therefore, that sacred tradition, sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the church are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in his own way under the action of the Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls”. In fact, tradition is viewed as so sacred that when Johann Eck debated Luther, he argued, “The Scriptures are not authentic, except by the authority of the church”. The argument is often made that the Bible alone cannot be our authority because the Bible does not tell us what books should be in the Bible. Yet such an argument completely ignores the fact that the Old Testament came into being without the existence of any church or church councils. Secondly, the idea that the “church is infallible” is an argument that must simply ignore both the New Testament and history. When one opens up the Scriptures, one will find very fallible congregations (1 Corinthians 1:10-12; 5:1ff; Revelation 2:5; 3:16; Galatians 4:11). And when one turns to religious history, one finds that the infallible Catholic Church often ends up contracting itself: The tradition of the Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Pope is the head of the church, a bishop over all bishops. But Gregory the Great, pope and saint, said that such teaching came from “a spirit of anti-Christ”. Pope Pius in 1559 A.D. said that if a person had a Bible of his own without written permission, he “cannot be absolved from His sins until he has turned in these Bibles”. In contrast, Vatican II says that Christians should have easy access to Bibles”.
2 Thessalonians 2:15
“So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us”
Catholicism here argues that the Church has a right to its traditions because Paul exhorted the early church to follow the traditions of the apostles. This, it is said, gives justification for church tradition. Carefully note the above verse. The “traditions” that Paul mentions were not oral tradition verses what is written in Scripture, rather, the term “traditions” in the above verse applies to everything that Paul taught, “whether by word of mouth or by letter from us”. What Paul taught by “word of mouth”, was inspired teaching that eventually ended up in his letters. What is written has just as much authority as hearing Jesus or the apostles speak in person (1 Corinthians 14:37). Carefully note: The oral traditions of the above verse refer to what Paul taught these Christians while with them, whether in public or private classes, teaching that was incorporated into his letters (2:5). Hence, Paul is saying, “Hold to what I have taught you, whether you heard that teaching in a sermon I delivered or whether you read it in my letter”. The reason that the teaching of the apostles is termed “traditions” is because the word “tradition” simply means that which has been handed down. Here the term applies to what has been handed down by God through the apostles(John 16:13).
Christians are to accept the views handed down by the apostles: “He exhorts the readers to stick to what he had actually said and written and not to accept other views” (Marshall p. 210). This is especially true in light of the context of this letter that warns these Christians about accepting spurious letters (2:2), and notes that Paul’s letters have his own personal signature at the end(3:19). The Catholic Church misapplies this passage when it argues that the writings of those who lived after the apostles, the decrees of various Church Councils, and the decisions of the Pope, comprise a body of truth that is equal in weight to Scripture.
In contrast, Jesus did not look favorably upon religious tradition, even religious tradition that came from “official” and established religious groups. In fact He argued that such official traditions actually end up violating and ignoring Scripture (Mark 7:7 “But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men”; 7:8 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men”). “Tradition is seldom neutral. Almost always it obscures the message of the Scriptures, often distorting its message” (Lutzer, p. 180). “What makes the Roman Catholic position more confusing is that the church has differing views of tradition. Some think that all binding tradition was taught by the apostles, while others believe that tradition evolves and develops through the centuries of the church. Either way, tradition, which is often in conflict with the Scriptures, is widely accepted. We see the danger in the words of Pope Pius IX given at the first Vatican Council in 1870: ‘I am tradition’. In other words, the pronouncements, whether they be the granting of special indulgences or the assumption of Mary into heaven, are all authoritative” (p. 180).
Scripture and Protestant Churches
“Since the Reformation, Protestants have affirmed the Latin words sola scriptura, which mean ‘the Scriptures alone’. Augustine noted, ‘In those teachings which are clearly based on the Scriptures are found all that concerns faith and the conduct of life’”(Lutzer p. 182). Actually, we do not need Augustine to be our authority, the Bible itself argues that it is the sole authority in faith and practice (John 16:13; 2 Peter 1:3; Jude 3). The same truth can be seen when God condemns any addition or subtraction to what has been recorded in Scripture (Deuteronomy 4:2; Galatians 1:6-9; 2 John 9; Revelation 22:18-19).
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Doctrine, that we might know what is right
Reproof, that we might be able to get right
Correction, that we might be able to say right
Training, that we might be able to model what is right (Lutzer p. 184).
Yet many Protestant Churches no longer view the Bible as the final revelation of God to man. Some claim to have “words of knowledge” or “prophecies” that reveal truth from God not found in the Bible. Some argue that we need additional revelations for additional guidance, but this contradicts the above verse, especially in light of the fact that all spiritual gifts would cease when the perfect and complete revelation of the New Testament was completed (1 Corinthians 13:10).
Respecting the authority of Scripture
Many of the passages that we have already cited stress the need to follow what has been written (Revelation 22:18-19). Paul noted that the Thessalonians had truly accepted the fact that what Paul spoke and wrote was the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13). If more people today really accepted that what the apostles wrote was the Word of God, then all these religious bodies would not exist today.
· No one would believe someone who claimed that an angel appeared to them with the gospel message (Galatians 1:6-9).
· No one would believe someone who taught that Jesus is not God (John 1:1).
· No one would follow someone who says that baptism does not save (1 Peter 3:21).
· No one would advocate women elders and preachers (1 Timothy 3:2; 1 Timothy 2:12)
· No one would worship Mary or any other mere mortal (Matthew 4:10).
· No one would argue that we are saved by faith alone (James 2:24).
For all practical purposes, every denominational today, in order to exist, must claim an authority in addition to the Bible, whether it is tradition, modern day revelations, the views of scholars, the dictates of culture, or creed books. In contrast, let us return to the Scriptures and respect them for what they really are, the very words of God (Isaiah 8:20).
