he desired to visit or instruct the community but was unable to visit them at that moment. Or he simply wrote to remind the community about some of the things that he had taught them earlier, since he had been away from them for a long time. Read Romans 1:11-13; Romans 15:22-33; 1 Corinthians 4:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:34; 2 Corinthians 2:1-3; Philippians 2:24; 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18; 1 Timothy 3:14-15. What this means is that if Paul had the opportunity to be with the people at that moment, he would not write. Where then would we get these records for reference?
Meanwhile all these letters were scattered among various communities and we did not have the NT the way we have it today. In fact, the canon of the NT was only declared in 397 AD. Until then, what was the complete source of instruction for the Christians of all those years?
It is abundantly clear that the apostles did not write the books of the NT with the intention of producing a reference book which is the final authority. They only wrote to specific communities when the need arose.
Instead, they taught, instructed and appointed elders based on the authority given them by Jesus. By writing, they did not take away this authority from their successors. It is ignorance of this fact that has caused many Christians to rebel against the legitimate authority in the Church.
How was the New Testament compiled?
It seems many people don’t have any idea how the New Testament was compiled. One basic fact is that there are many books that were found that could have made their way into the final canon of the NT but did not.
Who determined which books qualified to be part of the NT? Was it the Bible? No, it was the leaders of the Church.
So for one to say that he believes in the Bible but does not trust the leaders of the Church (the very people who told them what should and should not belong in the Bible, especially the NT) is pure craziness! They would believe different if they knew how we got the Bible!
I met one non-Catholic who had no idea how we got the Bible and yet was not interested in how we got it. She was simply content that she had the Bible and the Holy Spirit. Can someone point to me a verse in the Bible which says anyone can take the Bible and by the guidance of the Holy Spirit interpret it for any purpose? If you can’t, then that’s “unbiblical”. You know my response to her? “It’s like having a headache, going to buy paracetamol from the pharmacy and telling the pharmacist that you are not interested in the dosage; that you know how much you are suffering and how many tablets you need to relieve you of your pain!”
This person even said she does not care what her pastors preach. If they preach anything she feels is not in line with the Bible, she will simply ignore them and go by what is in the bible (which is nothing more than her own understanding of the bible, which may be right or wrong). I guess this is typical thinking of “Bible-believing” Christians.
What is the use of the apostolic and teaching offices of the Church if everyone should go by what they “feel”? Was that what Jesus or the apostles taught or practiced? Far from it.
Let us also examine the following passages of scripture: Acts 15:1-26; Galatians 1:6-9; Romans 6:17; 1 Corinthians 11:23; 1 Corinthians 12:28-30; Ephesians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:8; 1 Timothy 1:3; 1 Timothy 4:6; 1 Timothy 4:13; 1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 2:16-18; Titus 1:9-11; etc. The above passages teach us at least four lessons:
1) that the early Christians recognized true teaching and false teaching;
2) they did not allow people to go out and teach anything at all they believed;
3) the apostles handed down their teachings and expected everyone to go by them;
4) they had the teaching office, so it was not expected that everyone should be their own teacher.
With such evidence, how could the apostles have been practicing “Sola Scriptura” or “the Bible is the final authority”?
Are “Sola Scriptura” and “The Bible is the final authority” biblical?
What the proponents of “Sola Scriptura” and “The Bible is the final authority” are saying is that anything that one cannot open the Bible and point to a verse which contains those words cannot be accepted as Christian. I would like one of those people to point me to a verse in the Bible that says, “Anything that one cannot open the Bible and point to a verse which contains those words cannot be accepted as Christian,” or something even remotely similar. If you cannot point to a verse in the Bible containing the above statement, then it is not the word of God. Anyone who believes in and practices it is practicing unbiblical beliefs. Rather, we have evidence to the contrary in the scriptures – John 20:30, John 21:25 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Accepting “Sola scriptura” and “the Bible is the final authority” will be tantamount to saying that those things Jesus said and did that are not written were never said or done; that those things the apostles said and did that are not written were never said or done. So, saying that anything one says that he cannot point to a verse in the Bible is unchristian is totally unbiblical and unchristian. In fact, the Bible and common sense point to the contrary. If we cannot find “Sola Scriptura” and “The Bible is the final authority” in the Bible, it means that your belief in them is based NOT on the Bible but on your own authority, making you the final authority and thus defeating both “Sola Scriptura” and “the Bible is the final authority”.
Again, can someone point out a verse in the Bible which says that God would not give any new revelations or that he would cease to guide His Church after all the apostles had died? So those who believe in “Sola scriptura” cannot accept any new revelations from God. It would therefore mean that any pastor who comes out to say that he had received any message from God would be an outright liar. But I believe my dear reader believers in revelations. Or is it only the revelations in the Catholic Church that are lies?
There are a lot of revelations that people outside the Catholic Church cannot accept simply because they were given after biblical times. How could they have found their way into the Bible when they were given after biblical times? Besides, there are a lot of Catholic beliefs and practices that are deeply enshrined in the Bible but people are blind to them. Instead of learning the facts from knowledgeable Catholics, they argue and condemn the Catholic Church blindly.
What if the leaders are wrong?
At this point the question you may be asking is, “Even if the leaders are wrong and are misleading the people of God, should we still follow them?” I believe that even if the leaders are wrong, they will never be wrong to the extent that their wrong will be salvation-threatening to the people of God. Yes, they are human beings and will make mistakes, but in their capacity as shepherds, God will not allow them to make salvation-threatening errors.
Don’t forget that God made promises concerning them (unless you do not believe the promises of God). Mathew 16:18, “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.” Don’t you think that the powers of hell would have conquered the congregation (Church) of God if her leaders made salvation-threatening errors?
Also, Matthew 28:18-20 – “Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’’’ Since when did Jesus cease to be with His Church, and if He has ceased, whom did he give that message to? Also note that He told the apostles to go and teach and not to go and write a book for believers to read and reference. Jesus knew that such a move would create unnecessary confusion, so He did not instruct His disciples to do that. Jesus' disciples, knowing what He wanted, did not write a book for reference. However, some Christians are trying to use the writings of the apostles as a complete reference.
“However, when the Spirit of truth comes he will lead you to the complete truth, since he will not be speaking of his own accord, but will say only what he has been told; and he will reveal to you the things to come.” – John 16: 13. Has the Spirit of Truth suddenly become the spirit of lies? Also note that the verse says, “Things that are to come”. How long is this “to come”? – Food for thought. Are we to rely on a "Spirit of Truth" or a book of truth to guide the Church?
Believing in the Bible is believing in people
You can’t believe in the Bible unless you believe in people. Believing in the Bible is believing in the witness of other people about the bible, which is what you are at the same time rejecting by insisting on “the Bible alone” and “the Bible is the final authority”.
Anyone who says that the Bible is the final authority is actually saying that he himself is the final authority. Why?
The Bible has to be interpreted, and the notions of “sola scriptura” and “the Bible is the final authority” mean that anyone can interpret the Bible on their own. Yet people come out with different (and often contradictory) interpretations of the Bible, each person claiming to be right, everyone claiming to have interpreted it under the guidance of the (same) Holy Spirit! If relying on the Bible alone creates such confusion, God must have a more definitive way of letting His people know His truth. Isn't it true that God gave that way to us but many people just lost it? Continue to read and you will probably get the answer. Don't forget what you have read above. All the information in this article have to be connected to get the whole message.
How do you know that the Bible, and not for example the Qur’an, is the true word of God? It is because someone, maybe your father, your mother or your pastor, told you so. Without your belief in that person, you cannot believe in the Bible. How do you know that the words that are in the Bible are the true words of God? It is because (the people of) the Catholic Church told you that they are, because the NT was put together by the Catholic Church from among many writings purporting to be authentic Christian teachings. So how can you accept the Bible without accepting (the people of) the Catholic Church?
“Martin Luther had genuine reasons for breaking away”
People will also point out the reasons why Luther and co broke away. Whether they were right or wrong, there is no genuine reason for a Christian to break the unity that Christ established.
Unity is something that was so dear to Jesus that He devoted a big chunk of His prayer in John 17 to it. Read the whole of John chapter 17. Notice the number of times Jesus used the word “one” (or probably united or some other word in your Bible version) referring to unity. Note verse 21(John 17:21): “May they all be one, just as, Father, you are in me and I am in you, so that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.”
A big part of our success in letting people know that Jesus came from God and is the son of God and is God depends on our unity. The devil, knowing this has tried his best to disrupt this unity, and has succeeded in using some people to accomplish it to some extent.
We have been admonished throughout the scriptures, especially by Paul, to remain united and never allow anything to touch that unity. Read these passages: 1 Timothy 6:2-5; 1 Timothy 1:3-4; Jude 18-19; 1 Corinthians 1:10-17; Ephesians 4:1-6; Philippians 1:27; Philippians 2:2; Acts 4:32; Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 3:2-9; 1 Corinthians 12:3-27; 2 Corinthians 13:11; etc.
We can learn more from John 17 than unity. In verse 11 (John 17:11) Jesus said “…Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name ….” Then in verse 12 (John 17:12), He said “…I have watched over them and not one is lost except one who was destined to be lost ….”
The one who was destined for destruction was the only one who separated himself from the group (de-united)!
Also note in verse 20 that Jesus made this prayer not only for the apostles of that time, but also for all generations of Christians. We expect that the efficacy of that prayer will extend to the church for all ages.
Characteristics of a matured Christian
Three main characteristics every Christian should possess are first obedience, second faith and third prayer. The level of these graces in a Christian will show how matured a Christian really is. The action of Luther and co makes me doubt whether they were matured in these areas.
If Jesus taught nothing at all, He taught obedience. First, it was by His obedience to the Father’s will that He came to earth, suffered and died on the cross. Without this obedience, you and I would have no hope of salvation. Our hope of salvation began with Jesus’ obedience. – Philippians 2:5-11. Second, Jesus demonstrated this obedience after He was found in the temple. “He went down with them then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. ...” - Luke 2:51.
To make it amply clear, Jesus taught what He lived. “Then Jesus told the crowds and his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So do whatever they tell you and follow it, but stop doing what they do, because they don’t do what they say.” - Mathew 23:1-3. There wasn’t a pretty relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees. These were the same Pharisees that Jesus often condemned. In fact, He had just finished “debates” with them where they tried to catch Him with the law. Many times the Pharisees even tried to arrest and kill Jesus. Yet Jesus did not ask the people to disobey them. He rather categorically asked the people to obey them. These are some of the unpalatable things Jesus said about the Pharisees:
- Jesus calls them whitewashed tombs – Matthew 23:25-28
- Jesus told his disciples to guard against the teaching of the Pharisees – Matthew 16:6-12.
- Jesus said, “For I tell you, if your righteousness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:20.
- Jesus said the Pharisees prevent people from entering heaven but do not enter themselves – Matthew 23:13.
- The Pharisees make converts more deserving of hell – Matthew 23:15.
- The Pharisees neglect to practice justice, mercy and honesty – Matthew 23:23-24.
It was after Jesus had instructed the people to obey the Pharisees that He said all the hash things about the Pharisees in Matthew 23. These are the “kinds” of people Jesus instructed the Jews to obey. Many Christians today have the wrong notion that they must only obey leaders who are holy. What a deception!
Paul understood this command very well and so even though he believed that in Christ the Jewish law was no longer necessary for salvation, in Acts 21:17-26 he showed his obedience by participating in the ceremony of purification, when some people were peddling rumours that he was preaching against such practices. Mathew 5:38- 42 – This teaching is about revenge but you also see in it a clear teaching about obedience. Verse 39 (Mathew 5:39): “But I say this to you: offer no resistance to the wicked. On the contrary, if anyone hits you on the right cheek, offer him the other as well.” Verse 40 (Mathew 5:40): “If someone wishes to go to law with you to get your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” Verse 41 (Mathew 5:41): “And if anyone requires you to go one mile, go two miles with him.”
In these verses, Jesus has even asked us to obey people we have a legitimate right to resist, oppose, fight or disobey.
Paul too made it abundantly clear in Romans 13:1-7, “Everyone is to obey the governing authorities, because there is no authority except from God and so whatever authorities exist have been appointed by God.” – Verse 1 (Romans 13:1).
Enough on obedience. Let’s move to faith and prayer.