Should the Bible or the Church be the final authority for understanding the teachings of Jesus?

Question

Please support your answer with biblical evidence because the Bible is a common ground for all Christians, whether or not it is the final authority.

Answer 1

The perfect example of the Teaching Church and its binding authority at work is seen in the book of Acts at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:6-30). In the Jerusalem Council, we see Peter and James speaking with authority. This council makes an authoritative pronouncement (citing the Holy Spirit) which was binding on all Christians:

Acts 15:28-29: For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity.

In the next chapter, we read that Paul, Timothy, and Silas were traveling around “through the cities,” and Scripture says that:

… As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. (Acts 16:4)

This is Church authority. They, the Church leaders, simply proclaimed the decree as true and binding – with the sanction of the Holy Spirit Himself! And this is exactly how Jesus taught the disciples in resolving disputes found in Matt 18:15-17 that:

"If your brother sins against you, go to him and show him his fault. But do it privately, just between yourselves. If he listens to you, you have won your brother back. But if he will not listen to you, take one or two other persons with you, so that 'every accusation may be upheld by the testimony of two or more witnesses,' as the scripture says. And if he will not listen to them, then tell the whole thing to the church. Finally, if he will not listen to the church, treat him as though he were a pagan or a tax collector.”

Many will tell you that the church being spoken of here is the local church. Yet how can that single church have any binding authority if all one has to do is go to a different denomination or to simply start himself one with his own differing belief? That’s exactly what happening today with our 30,000 plus denominations in existence. This is tantamount to not having any authority at all. We need a church which has a binding authority for all Christians. The only Church that has been in existence since the time of Christ with a papertrail to prove it is the Catholic Church.

God Bless
Robin

Answer 2

Absolutely not! The Bible is not and was never intended to be our final authority for Christians. The final authority is what the Bible itself states as the "pillar and foundation of truth," (1 Timothy 3:15) which is the Church. The fundamentalist Protestants always make the bogus claim that the Bible is their final authority, but the ironic thing is this: when faced with this question they go running scared and will back-pedal and make nameless excuses, change the subject and perform whatever defensive manuvuers they can get away with to avoid this one question - -"name the one verse in the Bible that states that Scripture is our final authority?" They CAN"T because it is NOT there. There are verses that state that scripture is good and useful, but not our authority. So, if the Bible states that the Church is our final authority, then which of the 36,000+ denominations out there do we submit to. The answer is the only Church that has lasted for 2,000 years and was built on Peter's leadership, with Chirst as the cornerstone, and that is the Holy Catholic Church. The final canon of Scripture, the Bible we know today, wasn't even put together until the 4th century (by the AUTHORITY of the Catholic Church, by the way). So, if the Bible is our one sole authority for Christians, then what authority did the Christians of the first few centuries submit to? The Bible is a very useful tool for Christians and a VERY important part of our life, and yes it is the inerrant and infallible word of God, but it is but one leg of a tri-pod. The other two legs are Tradition and the Magesterium, or leadership, of the Church. Because there are not these totally necessary things in Protestantism, that is why it has failed and why there are an increasing number of denominations worldwide -- caused by lack of leadership leading to doctrinal and theological disputes, leading to church splitting and all-out chaos. Just read the Epistles (without your "Protestant glasses" on, and you will see this plain as day).

Answer 3

the church is called the pillar of truth in the Bible, also if you look at history there was not a set canon of scriptures until the 4th century. Thre books like the shepard of hermis the epeistiles of Saints Clemit and Polycarp that war read in Churches until the 4th century. This is one of the reasons that I am Orthodox as it is only through holy tradtion that you can tell you are reading scripture corectly. Philip the Ethopian said he could not understand the passage of scripture he was reading unti the Aposltes explained it to him. Many protestants will say this shows the "unsaved" don't understand scripture which raises the question how can these so called "saved " protestants fuly know they are reading what they understand- or simply are being fooled by Satan apearing as an angel of light and teaching them a differnt gospel? this comes close to a gnostic understaning.
As the Gnostics claimed to truly under stand writtings you must learn a hiden knowlwege. I don't look at myself for a secert understanding I look towards the Orthodox church for guidance as it has been teaching the Gospel for 2000 years.

Answer 4

The Church


Our Lord founded a Church (Matthew 16:18-19),
not a book,
which was to be the pillar and ground of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
We can know what this Church teaches by looking not only at Sacred Scripture, but into History and by reading what the earliest Christians have written, what those who've sat on the Chair of Peter have spoken consistently with Scripture and Tradition, and what they've solemnly defined.

Answer 5

i forget what verse and how it goes exactly but the bible tells us that if we have a problem with one who refuses to be corrected to take it to tthe church. so i feel the church is the final authority, the church gave us the bible not the other way around. there is more proof, here are the links that will help.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/
http://www.fisheaters.com/
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/
http://www.askmeaboutgod.org/

brother........that would be well and good if you only look at the matter,briefly, for cardinal newman a former protestant also stated that "to be deep into history is to cease to be protestant".

to deny the roman catholic church you must find proof of any manscript that preceeds scripture, to refute the roman catholic church, as you will find the early christians sounded very catholic, reference the link for earlychristianwritings and read the early church fathers, for an example

the fourth bishop of rome st clement wrote letters in the first century, 80 ad, we know that not all of the books in the new testament were completed yet and that the canon was not even defined yet. we also know that the apostle john the beloved was still alive and was a bishop in ephesus, if the early christians were teaching as catholics do today then why is there no writing of complaint or denial from john who was a witness with jesus? and why is he a bishop in the church that is teaching as catholics if the roman catholic church is in error? makes no sense does it. from early documents we find teachings on the real presence in hte eucharist, purgatory, teh blessed mother and other catholic beliefs. the link will prove it to you. the verse you provided says that all scripture is inspired....... yes it is, but it does not say that "ONLY" scripture is to be used, and you ignore many other verses. well presented arguement and very interesting however it is not proof of sola scriptura and is lacking in many ways, i am sure you love christ, if you do you owe it to him and yourself to be in his church, from history and scripture we find his church to be the holy roman catholic and apostolic church. remember history proves this, we in his church have assurance from 2000 years, protestant history and lies only appear in the 16th century, the bible itself only appears as defined in the fourth century. and only in the 18th century is there any mention of things like the rapture and the lie that we are all somehow the spiritual invisible church. this is a lie, and for it to be true the early christians would of had some documents professing this belief, they do not. you seem to be well read, dig deeper and let the truth set you free.

Answer 6

The Church is in trusted with the interpretation of the teachings of Christ. We must trust the Church in all matters of faith.
85 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ." This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.

88 The Church's Magisterium exercises the authority it holds from Christ to the fullest extent when it defines dogmas, that is, when it proposes, in a form obliging the Christian people to an irrevocable adherence of faith, truths contained in divine Revelation or also when it proposes, in a definitive way, truths having a necessary connection with these.

Answer 7

The Holy Spirit is the one who illuminates the word so that we can understand what Jesus taught. Here are the Lord's words about "the Helper."

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:13-15)

The Holy Spirit operates within the church. We are the body of Christ through the work of the Spirit. If we reject the church to rely on individual interpretation, we are deceived, because clearly Christ came to make us one with him as he is one with the Father and the Spirit. When the Church falls into error, as the book of Revelation so clearly tells us about, the Spirit of God purges the Church, to bring us back into harmony with God. The books selected as the sacred scriptures of the Church were chosen by the Church through the Holy Spirit.

So, the final authority must be the Church, in union with the Holy Spirit.

Answer 8

By the end of the first century the Church was formed around the bishop who represented the Church in apostolic succession. The great commission was well underway and had extended to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. In scriptures we see St. Paul in his epistles telling the Church to respect the Sacred Traditions handed to them coming from both written sources and oral ones. Even the written sources were delivered orally as transcripts were very rare and few people were literate. There was not widespread distribution of what we consider today to be inspired Scripture as decided at the African Synods by the Church in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. Throughout the first sixteen centuries of the Church there was never any question that the authority of truth rested in the Church as the “regula fidei” where all teaching was and is measured by Sacred Tradition not by the Bible alone, especially when interpreted outside of its source the Church. To orthodox Christians this would be considered ridiculous as well as arrogant considering the church never wrote the Bible to be a sole source of faith, morals and practice and one author even reminded those who would approach its use in such a way as to consider it the only source that it is incomplete as far as teaching and that Christ taught much more than what it contained. In fact, it warns that it contains only a small part of Christ’s teaching, but the faithful need not fear because the Church was sent the Holy Spirit that leads the Church to all truths.

Obviously, because there are those who have rejected orthodox Christianity some lack the fullness of truth that is contained in the Episcopal structure of Christ’s Church. They lack the fullness of worship by not having the corporeal Christ present in their worship. They lack the fullness of faith by not receiving His Body and Blood that the Bible and Sacred Tradition say is necessary for eternal life. The Church is led by men as the enduring Church and not by a book easily misinterpreted and its teaching turned into the traditions and doctrines of men by those through eisegesis use it to support their desires of the flesh very often exhibited by their hatred for the Church and hatred for the most sacred of gifts to humanity His Body and Blood of the Eucharist. These misinterpretations also cause them to have animosity for each other with the same source, the Bible being used to justify schisms which are usually not so much the result of theological disagreements so much as pridefulness and deceit which are no gifts of the Spirit but attributes of the flesh that inhibit our process of sanctification that leads to final salvation. Perhaps this is why Jesus said as a prophetic statement, that unless we eat of His Body and drink His blood we have no life in us. Perhaps this is why the Bible teaches that it is not enough to cry “Lord, Lord” as some of those who do will hear at their judgment that Christ never knew them and be thrown into the lake of fire.

Christ did not teach that we are to gather around a book of Scriptures to find the truth but that the truth is found in the Church that gathers around the bishop. God was not the author of division as has occurred with those who have abandoned the Church for their private interpretations of Scripture into tens of thousands of exponentially increasing schisms without end. God is a God of unity where He prayed His prayer before His arrest and crucifixion that we all be one. He is not a God that can only be found in the pages of a Book but who is found in His Church and where His corporeal presence is given to His Church as He promised so that we may endure to eternal life and His Church may endure until He comes again. It is His Church where the truth resides and it is the place where we find the ”bulwark and ground of the truth”, there is no other.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 9

The Church built by Christ on the rock of Peter.


Book of Matthew - Chapter 16

15 'But you,' he said, 'who do you say I am?'

16 Then Simon Peter spoke up and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'

17 Jesus replied, 'Simon son of Jonah, you are a blessed man! Because it was no human agency that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven.

18 So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my community. And the gates of the underworld can never overpower it.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.'

Answer 10

The Church is the "pillar and foundation of truth". Right from the Bible. The Bible doesn't say the Bible is the pillar and foundation of truth... it says the Church is.