I don't know because
Sola Scriptura is not a term found in the Bible. I neither believe nor disbelieve Sola Scriptura. I prefer to stick to the wording of the Bible in my thinking. I know the following:
Matthew 23:
Listen to the scribes and the Pharisees.
2 Thessalonians 2:
Listen to Paul's teachings.
At the time of the apostles, in addition to the recognized Scripture, followers also paid attention to the spoken words of their contemporary authorities. They should check whatever the authorities said against the Scriptures. Jesus scolded the authorities in Mark 7:
See also
How to hear God
Hello Tony,
Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am hoping and did pray that you read my note to you in the spirit it is written. As my brother in Christ, only to discuss His beautiful Word and sharpen iron against iron, see
Proverbs 27:17. It is given with hope in my heart that you will read with joy, as the hope and joy only Christ can give us. Also, it's a bit long because I truly love the Word of God. So, please be comfortable when you read. Thank you for your indulgence for a little while.
I understand your reasoning, but tell me, what else do we have now, but God's Word to go by and to learn about him? Only the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete) within us can help us beyond the Word of God.
Listen to Paul's teachings:
2 Thessalonians 2:14-15
To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word
or by our letter.
We also no longer have Paul with us physically, but we can confirm God's Word through his teachings as they are cannonized.
I like what you said here:
"
I don't know because Sola Scriptura is not a term found in the Bible. I neither believe
nor disbelieve Sola Scriptura. I prefer to stick to the wording of the Bible in my thinking."
At least you are open that Sola Scriptura is something you can believe as you confirmed it in your second sentence there (underlined). Now you do know.
What the reformation brought about was a
parting from Catholicism and the traditions of man listening to man. What it meant was:
The five solas of the Reformation, which distinguished the Reformers from the teachings of Rome, include sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).
I am sure you would agree as a 24/7 Christian that we will only truly know the true Lord God by His guide to life, which is His Word. Sure, we can and should discuss His Word and sharpen iron with iron with each other (also from clear teachings of Pastors too dividing God's Word correctly or exegesis, if you will), but
it still needs to be coming from His Word.
We do not have the scribes and the Pharisees with us, but they were as wrong as Catholicism is today. We do not have Jesus physically here with us today but only through the Holy Spirit. However, one day, we will hear Him audibly when He comes into His kingdom:
John 14:25-26
“These things I have spoken to you
while I am still with you. But
the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Acts 2:1-4
When
the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from Heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
We also do not physically have Christ's Apostles here with us today, unlike some false cults that would like to believe they do. Some even have
at least 358 Apostles, and more and more being deemed such every so often as The New Apostlic Church International, which is a cult like no other with false teachers everywhere prowling around like lions dooming souls to hell for the wrong beliefs in their system; yet they use the Holy Bible as pepper in food and say Scripture references as they see fit. Anyway, I digress.
We should not receive the word of God in our hearts (from anyone, not even me or you), unless we
reference His Word for ourselves. Hence, sola scriptura (Scripture alone). We should not read commentaries, concordances, or other older Scripture references from great scholars or Apostles not cannonized,
unless we compare them to God's Word for clarity and truth. We are to
look at everything through the eyes of God's Word alone as
confirmation of everything. I'm sure you would agree, no?
1 Thessalonians 5:19-23
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but
test them all;
hold on to what is good,
reject every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace,
sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 5:16-40 (right after Christ healed the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda):
So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute Him. In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even
calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. Yes, and He will show Him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent Him.
“Very truly I tell you,
whoever hears My Word and
believes Him Who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and
has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will
hear His voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. By Myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him Who sent Me.
“If I testify about Myself, My testimony is not true. There is Another Who testifies in My favor, and I know that His testimony about Me is true.
“You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth.
Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.
“I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish—the very works that I am doing—testify that the Father has sent Me. And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified concerning Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one He sent. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.
These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.
As I am sure you know, Christ was speaking to the Jewish folks there at the end.
I'm sure you would also agree that the only way we can hear Christ's words today is to learn (study) them through His Word, correct? We do not hear Him audibly, in other words, we can't hear Him in our ears, we can know Him in our minds unless by His very words in the Holy Scriptures through the Holy Spirit. I say again, the only way to really hear Christ is in His Word through the Holy Spirit. To read them and He will come through the Holy Spirit within us to tell our subconscious what to do
if we're blessed with it. However, we don't actually audibly "hear" the Holy Spirit;
we feel the Holy Spirit.
I'm sure you would agree that the word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible, but the concept is there. In fact the word "Bible" is not found in the Bible, but it exists.
I'm sure that you would also agree that salvation is only found in Christ alone (solus Christus) by faith alone (sola fide), by His
and only His grace alone (sola gratia), and that this amazing
glory be only to God alone (soli Deo gloria). I believe in the Trinity, which means that Jesus is God, as well as the Holy Spirit and the Father is head of the Trinity.
Do you?
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Colossians 1:15-17
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
John 10:27-30
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. "
I and the Father are one.”
Ephesians 3:1-13
For this reason I,
Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then,
you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of His power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery,
which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Him and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence. I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Again, as I'm sure you know, that Scripture says that the Jewish are heirs, but they need to become Christians through Christ as they are heirs, but will not partake in salvation, unless it's within Christ. Reference back to
John 5:39-40 above.
I, myself
came about the fact that Calvinism was right in a little sort of
backwards way. I studied the Scriptures (which I still do) like a hungry person who could not get enough of God's Word, then I started listening to what Calvin was all about, and realized that what he was saying was right about the 5 solas.
I am not what I would consider a Calvinist, but I guess that I could be seen as one. I know I am a conservative Reformer. I really consider myself a Christ follower in a relationship with Him through His Word alone (in other words, I do not follow man's religion), but if Calvin was right, so be it.
