Sola Scriptura?

Question

If one believes that God is all powerful and all knowing - seeing both past, present and future - wouldnt He know what to put into the Bible and what to leave out for all of human kind - creating 2 separate sources of His will doesnt make sense (scripture and tradition) tradition seems much less defined and lacking historical evidence, as compared to the Bible in which we know, for the most part, who wrote what, when they wrote it and to who they were writing to - which gives us a greater ability to understand what the writer was trying to say (what God was trying to say)
anyway my point is one cannot use the excuse that tradition did not make it into the Bible b/c of the limited minds of the writers or people putting the Bible together b/c the people are not the ulitimate source of the Bible - God is and therefore could not have made a mistake by leaving certain things out....
any comments...

Answer 1

Catholic doctrine puts oral tradition on the same level as Scripture. After a careful study of 20 centuries of christian and church history I refuse to believe that oral tradition should have any validity. I agree with you 100%, besides, we are to "test the spirits", and the only way to do that is to subject them to a comparison with what was written in the scriptures.

Answer 2

If by "creating 2 separate sources of His will" you mean the old and new testaments, then yes.

The OT was before the savior came and created a blood covenant between God and mankind to establish a whole new oppurtunity to go to heaven and dwell with the father, which is in the NT.

God's spirit (the holy spirit) is what wrote the Bible, which dwells in every man or woman of God, who is saved by his Grace.

God tells us in the Bible what we need to know, not would like to. Besides, I have learned personally that when you do have faith in all of it, all of it proves true. A good example is giving tithes to God. He gives back. A lot more too.

Answer 3

Jesus gave us only oral Tradition. He preached. He did not write anything, at least as far as we know. This oral Tradition was the Word of God from the moment it was spoken, because it was God Who was speaking it. If none of it ever got written down, it would still be the Word of God. As it happens, some of it did get included in the Apostles' correspondence and other writings, and of course it was still the Word of God once it was written down by men. But it didn't become the Word of God because it was written down. It was already the Word of God for many years before that happened. The Bible itself however tells us that a great many things Jesus taught and did were not written down. This part of the beliefs of the Christian Church are of course also the Word of God, since they came from the same source. This part of the early Church's beliefs and teachings is called Apostolic Tradition (not mere "traditions", which every church has). So you see, it is not two separate sources. It is one source - the oral Tradition which Christ imparted to His Church, the complete Word of God, including but not limited to those portions which were written down at some later date. There is never any conflict between Apostolic Tradition and Scripture, because they are one and the same thing, the Word of God as received from Christ and as believed and practiced by the original Christian Church. Truth cannot conflict with truth. The Word of God, whether written or unwritten, cannot conflict with the Word of God, whether written or unwritten.
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Answer 4

On the flip side, using the same argument, knowing all things, God may have realized that the early Christians could not handle ALL of the truth at once and therefore saw to it to plant the seeds that would grow through tradition into the fullest expression of the Truth.

Answer 5

Paul tells the Corinthians, "I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I have delivered them to you" (1 Cor. 11:2), and he commands the Thessalonians, "So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15). He even goes so far as to order, "Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us" (2 Thess. 3:6).

To make sure that the apostolic tradition would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, "[W]hat you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2).

Answer 6

Gen. to Rev. - Scripture never says that Scripture is the sole infallible authority for God's Word. Scripture also mandates the use of tradition. This fact alone disproves sola Scriptura.

Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15 - those that preached the Gospel to all creation but did not write the Gospel were not less obedient to Jesus, or their teachings less important.

Matt. 28:20 - "observe ALL I have commanded," but, as we see in John 20:30; 21:25, not ALL Jesus taught is in Scripture. So there must be things outside of Scripture that we must observe. This disproves "Bible alone" theology.

Mark 16:15 - Jesus commands the apostles to "preach," not write, and only three apostles wrote. The others who did not write were not less faithful to Jesus, because Jesus gave them no directive to write. There is no evidence in the Bible or elsewhere that Jesus intended the Bible to be sole authority of the Christian faith.

Luke 1:1-4 - Luke acknowledges that the faithful have already received the teachings of Christ, and is writing his Gospel only so that they "realize the certainty of the teachings you have received." Luke writes to verify the oral tradition they already received.

John 20:30; 21:25 - Jesus did many other things not written in the Scriptures. These have been preserved through the oral apostolic tradition and they are equally a part of the Deposit of Faith.

Acts 8:30-31; Heb. 5:12 - these verses show that we need help in interpreting the Scriptures. We cannot interpret them infallibly on our own. We need divinely appointed leadership within the Church to teach us.

Acts 15:1-14 – Peter resolves the Church’s first doctrinal issue regarding circumcision without referring to Scriptures.

Acts 17:28 – Paul quotes the writings of the pagan poets when he taught at the Aeropagus. Thus, Paul appeals to sources outside of Scripture to teach about God.

1 Cor. 5:9-11 - this verse shows that a prior letter written to Corinth is equally authoritative but not part of the New Testament canon. Paul is again appealing to a source outside of Scripture to teach the Corinthians. This disproves Scripture alone.
If the Bible canon is necessary for our salvation, but Christ did not reveal it to His apostles, then Christ must have established an authority that would guarantee the early Christians' determination of the Bible canon after He ascended into heaven. This authority is the Holy Catholic Church.

There was no Bible as you know it for 400 years after Christ's death, and it wasn't even distributed for 1500 years after His death. If the Bible is the only way to get us to heaven, then what happened to those millions of poor souls who never had a Bible during the 1500 year period? Eric, you need to get familiar with basic history. Jesus Christ established a Church to proclaim the good news. He never intended on having the Bible be the sole infallible guide for the Christian faith. This is why the Catholic Church is one, and your Protestant denominations are 30,000.

The Catholic Church wrote, translated, copied, and preserved God's written word throughout the ages. That is the only reason you even have a Bible. Quit trying to interpret the Scriptures without the Church, because it is the Bible in the Church, the Church before the Bible, the Bible and the Church (both or neither).

The Old and New Testament Scriptures are the divinely-revealed, written Word of God, Catholics venerate the Scriptures as they venerate the Lord's body. But Catholics do not believe that God has given us His divine Revelation in Christ exclusively through Scripture. Catholics also believe that God's Revelation comes to us through the Apostolic Tradition and teaching authority of the Church.

What Church? Scripture reveals this Church to be the one Jesus Christ built upon the rock of Saint Peter (Matt. 16:18). By giving Peter the keys of authority (Matt. 16:19), Jesus appointed Peter as the chief steward over His earthly kingdom (cf. Isaiah. 22:19-22). Jesus also charged Peter to be the source of strength for the rest of the apostles (Luke 22:32) and the earthly shepherd of Jesus' flock (John 21:15-17). Jesus further gave Peter, and the apostles and elders in union with him, the power to bind and loose in heaven what they bound and loosed on earth. (Matt. 16:19; 18:18). This teaching authority did not die with Peter and the apostles, but was transferred to future bishops through the laying on of hands (e.g., Acts 1:20; 6:6; 13:3; 8:18; 9:17; 1 Tim. 4:14; 5:22; 2 Tim. 1:6).

By virtue of this divinely-appointed authority, the Catholic Church determined the canon of Scripture (what books belong in the Bible) at the end of the fourth century. We therefore believe in the Scriptures on the authority of the Catholic Church. After all, nothing in Scripture tells us what Scriptures are inspired, what books belong in the Bible, or that Scripture is the final authority on questions concerning the Christian faith. Instead, the Bible says that the Church, not the Scriptures, is the pinnacle and foundation of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15) and the final arbiter on questions of the Christian faith (Matt. 18:17). It is through the teaching authority and Apostolic Tradition (2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6; 1 Cor. 11:2) of this Church, who is guided by the Holy Spirit (John 14:16,26; 16:13), that we know of the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, and the manifold wisdom of God. (cf. Ephesians 3:10).

Answer 7

somewhat an countless majority of Christians do no longer believe in Sola Scriptura. Catholics, eastern Orthodox, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists all believe in interpretation of scripture. As for Christmas and Easter, no Pope determined at the same time as to rejoice those holidays. the famous custom of Christmas and Easter starts contained in the 4th Century contained in the midst of Christian persecution. The Pope replaced into purely the Bishop of Rome on the instantaneous and did not wield any particular authority right now. the holidays were given their dates to compare with pagan holidays to ward off suspicion and persecution. in case you probably did not rejoice on pagan holidays and helf feasts on non pagan holidays you've been we no longer being area of the community, thes were persecuted for being a Christian. It had no longer something to do with the Pope. The Pope had no authority on the time. till the 11th century, interior of which their replaced right into a Pope, the Greeks celebrated easter on a unique day than the Latin Church, the Pope did not care. His place of work did not create or standardize holidays. at the same time as the Greeks rejected the Papacy, they kept their origional gadget for figuring out at the same time as Easter replaced into to be held this continues for use to good away. The baptists and evangelicals inherited eu subculture which states that Christmas is on the twenty fifth of December, so thats at the same time as they rejoice it. I somewhat ought to admit, Im no longer particular why they kept the Catholic frame of mind to figuring out Easter, yet is easily one of an same reason, they're area of western subculture. .

Answer 8

What is written by inspiration is worth thousands of sermons.

God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God's witness to Himself.

Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms: obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises.

The Holy Spirit, Scripture's divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives.

The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible's own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

http://www.bible-researcher.com/chicago1.html

Answer 9

When you ponder the stories 'loving' also gets called into question....for instance, is it loving for an omnisscient deity to create a non-believer and create a place of eternal suffering (Hell) for them to go to?...Etc.
A lot of traditions have other roots and can be adapted to the current philosophy/religion.

Answer 10

We believe that the Bible, in its entirety, is divine revelation and we submit to the authority of Holy Scripture, acknowledging it to be inerrantly inspired by God and carrying the full weight of His authority

Amen