The Five Solas are in the Bible

[Ivan Hlavanda]

It is true that Catholics are saved by grace. But grace is not the same thing as faith alone.

And what is it then?

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

And what is it then?

Grace is the gift God bestows upon those who are undeserving; nobody earns salvation, and God grants it freely to such individuals. God does not require prior faith or righteousness, nor does He demand sanctification or justification as prerequisites. He gives simply out of His goodness and love for His people. The notion of "faith alone" as a prerequisite for salvation is merely a form of self-justification, where individuals impose conditions on what God offers freely, without the need for merit. It is a type of works-based salvation, albeit cloaked in deception.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Grace is the gift God bestows upon those who are undeserving; nobody earns salvation, and God grants it freely to such individuals. God does not require prior faith or righteousness, nor does He demand sanctification or justification as prerequisites. He gives simply out of His goodness and love for His people. The notion of "faith alone" as a prerequisite for salvation is merely a form of self-justification, where individuals impose conditions on what God offers freely, without the need for merit. It is a type of works-based salvation, albeit cloaked in deception.

You just described why it is called grace alone.

By grace we receive faith, by faith alone are we justified. There's a whole chapter written about it, Hebrews 11.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Believes = faith. Faith is believing God's word and what He has done. By believing you have faith.

Other examples of faith alone. Act 16:31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Romans 4:5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Galatians 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith. - Not by deeds, or anything else, but faith alone. Faith in Jesus. That does not negotiate grace, because by grace we believe.

 

[armchairscholar]

Over the past few years, I heard several arguments about why the Five Solas are not Biblical. One of them was that Protestantism is only few hundreds years old, and the church fathers taught differently. Well, let's look at God's own Word and let's see if the Five Solas are Biblical or not.

Glory to God alone - Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other.
God will not give His glory to another because all glory, honour, and praise belong to Him alone. If someone says that the 'glory to God alone' is false, that person calls God a liar. All the glory belongs to God alone, there is no argument to have here.

Christ alone - John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If anyone tries to get to the Father any other way, they will fail.
Christ alone died on the cross, Christ alone atoned for the sins, Christ alone paid the penalty for sin, no one else had any part on this, no one.
1 Timothy 2 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We see there is only one mediator, and that is Christ alone.
John 17 “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.' Christ alone has the authority all over the flesh to save anyone He pleases. Only He can save you, only He can forgive your sin. No one else can do that. Therefore, Christ alone, there is no argument here.

By grace alone - Ephesians 2 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The grace of God is His undeserved favour bestowed on those He has called to salvation through His love.
We see from Ephesians 2 8 that by only grace alone are we saved, not deeds. We are all sinners, not one deserves the love of God that He shown through His Son on the cross. If someone thinks they can get saved by doing deeds, they reject God's grace. But no one can save them-selves. Therefore, God's grace alone can save you. There is no argument here.

By faith alone - the righteous shall live by his faith Habakuk 2:4
Genesis 15:6 ' Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.'
Romans 3 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
John 5 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
It's all about faith. We are all dead in our sins, unable to save ourselves.
It is not faith + deeds, if it was, what was the point of Jesus' sacrifice?
Romans 4 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
The only thing needed for your salvation is to believe in the perfect work of Christ on the cross. Christ's death and His resurrection are the works that save us. We receive our Saviour by faith. Salvation comes by God’s grace through faith, and that faith is made manifest in good works. The works follow the faith and are a proof of it. Faith alone, there is no argument to have here that faith alone in Christ saves you.

Scripture alone - Bible is the Word of God. The Bible declares itself to be God-breathed, inerrant, and authoritative.
How can man-made traditions be superior to the Word of God as many believe? As Lord say in Mark 7 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
The Word of God is the ultimate and only infallible authority for the Christian faith. Traditions are valid only when they conform with Scripture. Traditions that contradict the Bible are not of God and are not a valid aspect of the Christian faith. Sola scriptura is the only way to avoid subjectivity and keep personal opinion from taking priority over the teachings of the Bible. The essence of sola scriptura is basing one’s spiritual life on the Bible alone and rejecting any tradition or teaching that is not in full agreement with the Bible. Therefore, there is no argument to have here.

I must say that I am deeply concerned by the tendency to reduce the richness and complexity of Christian doctrine to simplistic slogans. The Five Solas, while well-intentioned, can be seen as a form of reductionism that neglects the nuances and depths of our faith.

Take, for example, the sola of "Scripture alone." While the Bible is the inspired Word of God, it is not the only source of divine revelation. Tradition, reason, and the teaching authority of the Church also play a vital role in our understanding of God's will.

Similarly, "Faith alone" can be seen as a neglect of the importance of good works and charity in our spiritual lives. As St. James reminds us, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

And what of "Christ alone"? While it is true that Christ is the sole mediator between God and humanity, it is also true that He has entrusted His mission to the Church, which is His body on earth. To say that Christ alone is the source of our salvation neglects the role of the Church in mediating God's grace to us.

As for "Glory to God alone," I would say that this sola neglects the importance of giving glory to God through our worship, our service to others, and our care for creation.

Finally, "By grace alone" can be seen as a neglect of the importance of human cooperation with God's grace. While it is true that our salvation is a gift from God, it is also true that we must respond to that gift with faith, hope, and charity.

While the Five Solas can be seen as a well-intentioned attempt to summarize the core of Christian doctrine, they can also be seen as a form of reductionism that neglects the richness and complexity of our faith. We must be mindful of the importance of tradition, reason, and the teaching authority of the Church in our understanding of God's will. We must also be mindful of the importance of good works, charity, and human cooperation with God's grace in our spiritual lives.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

by faith alone are we justified.

This is not so, for the reasons I stated in my previous post.

 

[Ain't Zwinglian]

Similarly, "Faith alone" can be seen as a neglect of the importance of good works and charity in our spiritual lives. As St. James reminds us, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

On the other hand, good works and charity can be seen as works righteousness where faith is absolutely necessary for salvation.... as the write of Hebrews state "And without faith it is impossible to please God" Hebrews 11:6

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

As for "Glory to God alone," I would say that this sola neglects the importance of giving glory to God through our worship, our service to others, and our care for creation.

Glory to God alone means that all the glory belongs to God. This includes us giving glory to God. Problem is, we are polluted with sin, all we can do us pray to God to have mercy on us that He glorifies Himself in us, so we can give glory to Him.

Finally, "By grace alone" can be seen as a neglect of the importance of human cooperation with God's grace. While it is true that our salvation is a gift from God, it is also true that we must respond to that gift with faith, hope, and charity.

We are spiritually dead. Even faith is a grace from God. Salvation is us lying dead at the bottom of the ocean, Jesus jumping in and giving us life and saving us. This is the work of God lone. If you add things to grace, it is no longer grace.

To say that Christ alone is the source of our salvation neglects the role of the Church in mediating God's grace to us.

But Christ alone is the source of our salvation. Christ alone atones for the sins on the cross. Christ alone paid the penalty for sin. Christ clone was judged in a believer's place. Christ alone drank the cup of God's wrath. Did the Church do any of this? No. The Church are the people Christ done all for this for. The Church played no part in this.

Similarly, "Faith alone" can be seen as a neglect of the importance of good works and charity in our spiritual lives. As St. James reminds us, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:26).

James 2 is one of the misunderstood chapters of the Bible. It does not talk about faith + works, rather, it talks about the truth faith showing in good deeds. For what good is it to say that I trust Jesus for my salvations, when my deeds say otherwise? That is what James is saying here.
The entire James 2:14–26 passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works Ephesians 2:10. The works are the demonstration and proof of faith James 2:18. A faith without works is useless James 2:20 and dead James 2:17; in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone.

Take, for example, the sola of "Scripture alone." While the Bible is the inspired Word of God, it is not the only source of divine revelation. Tradition, reason, and the teaching authority of the Church also play a vital role in our understanding of God's will.

The Bible is the Word of God. The Word of God has authority. Because the whole Bible is the Word of God, all you have to do is believe and obey.

Take Isaiah 1 for example, where the Lord is tired of Israelites traditions, rituals, new moons etc.
In Isaiah 1 we see how God literally hates what man did with his word. God hates man-made religion it stands in the way of a personal and an intimate relationship with Him. Isaiah 1:12 when you come to appear before me who has required this rom your hand to trample my courts. Bring no more feudal sacrifices incenses and abominations for me the new moons the sabbaths and the calling of the assemblies your holidays your festivals your sabbaths I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meetings your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates. God hates that the the the new moons and the festivals that He Himself self gave to the people of Israel. Why? Because look at what they have turned them into. He says they are a trouble to me, I am weary of bearing them. God basically says religion can never save anyone it's a matter of your
heart you cannot be saved by doing rituals.
God gave us the Bible so we may learn about Him. Bible is sufficient, and the only Word of God, thus Bible alone.

While the Five Solas can be seen as a well-intentioned attempt to summarize the core of Christian doctrine, they can also be seen as a form of reductionism that neglects the richness and complexity of our faith. We must be mindful of the importance of tradition, reason, and the teaching authority of the Church in our understanding of God's will. We must also be mindful of the importance of good works, charity, and human cooperation with God's grace in our spiritual lives.

The Five Solas simply teach to trust Lord Jesus alone for your salvation. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. - that's all there is.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

This is not so, for the reasons I stated in my previous post.

The Bible clearly teaches that by faith is one justified. Romans 3:28 'For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.' This verse also serves as a useful, concise proof that our salvation is not, in any sense, dependent on good deeds, rituals, sacraments, or other behaviors. Prior verses made it clear: we cannot and will not be seen as righteous before God on the basis of our own effort.

Acts 16:31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Or are you going to argue with that as well? Are you going to say 'do not believe'

Romans 4:5 spells it out for you ' And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Abraham believed and God counted to him as righteousness. Or are you going to argue with God? If you want to be righteous before God, you must believe in Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and that is indeed grace from God.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

James 2:24

James 2 is one of the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. James 2:24 does not argue against salvation by faith alone. Rather, it argues against a salvation that is alone, a salvation devoid of good works and obedience to God’s Word. James’s point is that we demonstrate our faith by what we do.

The entire passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works.. The works are the demonstration and proof of faith. A faith without works is useless and dead in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone.

If you want to learn more about this, here is a fantastic sermon from RC Sproul

 

[RileyG]

James 2 is one of the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. James 2:24 does not argue against salvation by faith alone. Rather, it argues against a salvation that is alone, a salvation devoid of good works and obedience to God’s Word. James’s point is that we demonstrate our faith by what we do.

The entire passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works.. The works are the demonstration and proof of faith. A faith without works is useless and dead in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone.

If you want to learn more about this, here is a fantastic sermon from RC Sproul

Oh really? What about Matthew 24 where Jesus separates the sheets and goats based on how they LOVE others? What about 1 Corinthians 13 where St. Paul calls LOVE the greatest?

Seems you are ignoring those parts of the Bible.

 

[The Liturgist]

Over the past few years, I heard several arguments about why the Five Solas are not Biblical. One of them was that Protestantism is only few hundreds years old, and the church fathers taught differently. Well, let's look at God's own Word and let's see if the Five Solas are Biblical or not.

Glory to God alone - Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other.
God will not give His glory to another because all glory, honour, and praise belong to Him alone. If someone says that the 'glory to God alone' is false, that person calls God a liar. All the glory belongs to God alone, there is no argument to have here.

Christ alone - John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If anyone tries to get to the Father any other way, they will fail.
Christ alone died on the cross, Christ alone atoned for the sins, Christ alone paid the penalty for sin, no one else had any part on this, no one.
1 Timothy 2 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. We see there is only one mediator, and that is Christ alone.
John 17 “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.' Christ alone has the authority all over the flesh to save anyone He pleases. Only He can save you, only He can forgive your sin. No one else can do that. Therefore, Christ alone, there is no argument here.

By grace alone - Ephesians 2 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
The grace of God is His undeserved favour bestowed on those He has called to salvation through His love.
We see from Ephesians 2 8 that by only grace alone are we saved, not deeds. We are all sinners, not one deserves the love of God that He shown through His Son on the cross. If someone thinks they can get saved by doing deeds, they reject God's grace. But no one can save them-selves. Therefore, God's grace alone can save you. There is no argument here.

By faith alone - the righteous shall live by his faith Habakuk 2:4
Genesis 15:6 ' Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.'
Romans 3 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
John 5 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
It's all about faith. We are all dead in our sins, unable to save ourselves.
It is not faith + deeds, if it was, what was the point of Jesus' sacrifice?
Romans 4 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
The only thing needed for your salvation is to believe in the perfect work of Christ on the cross. Christ's death and His resurrection are the works that save us. We receive our Saviour by faith. Salvation comes by God’s grace through faith, and that faith is made manifest in good works. The works follow the faith and are a proof of it. Faith alone, there is no argument to have here that faith alone in Christ saves you.

Scripture alone - Bible is the Word of God. The Bible declares itself to be God-breathed, inerrant, and authoritative.
How can man-made traditions be superior to the Word of God as many believe? As Lord say in Mark 7 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”
The Word of God is the ultimate and only infallible authority for the Christian faith. Traditions are valid only when they conform with Scripture. Traditions that contradict the Bible are not of God and are not a valid aspect of the Christian faith. Sola scriptura is the only way to avoid subjectivity and keep personal opinion from taking priority over the teachings of the Bible. The essence of sola scriptura is basing one’s spiritual life on the Bible alone and rejecting any tradition or teaching that is not in full agreement with the Bible. Therefore, there is no argument to have here.

Of these Solas, the idea that we are saved through grace alone, by Christ alone, to whom, together with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit is due all honor, glory and worship, is not controversial.

Sola Scriptura however was not originally understood as rejecting church tradition - Martin Luther expressly retained traditional liturgies, the traditional creeds, the traditional understanding of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, iconography, and the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary - indeed, as @MarkRohfrietsch can confirm, he even prayed the Rosary. Likewise, the Anglicans developed the famed trilateral - Scripture, interpreted according to Tradition, using Reason. John Wesley added Experience to this to form the Wesleyan quadrilateral of Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience.

Thus, the original Protestant idea of Sola Scriptura is not really very different from Eastern and Oriental Orthodox theology in that we regard sacred Scripture as being the heart of Holy Tradition, and we agree that Holy Tradition does not contradict Scripture.

However, the radical idea of Nuda Scriptura, which many people on this forum mistakenly call Sola Scriptura, but which differs from what Martin Luther taught and rather resembles the beliefs of the Radical Reformation movements he so strongly opposed, such as the Zwinglians and the Anabaptists, is not scriptural, but rather is explicitly contradicted by 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 11:2 , and Galatians 1:8–9, among other texts, all of which assign a specific importance to Tradition. Indeed, my pious Lutheran friend @ViaCrucis and I were discussing this in another thread recently.

Furthermore, the idea of Sola Fide is again contradicted except as used by traditional Protestants who acknowledge the Epistle of James, which expressly states that “Faith without works is dead.” The workaround for this, which is acceptable, and which we see in Lutheranism, Anglicanism and traditional Reformed theology, among other places in Protestantism, is that a living faith will produce good works as the fruit of its existence. However, the idea that the Baptism of Infants and the reception of the Eucharist as essential components to the Christian life is somehow works-righteousness or even Pelagian is entirely untenable, not just on the basis of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle James, but also an exegetical reading of Scripture as a whole.

 

[The Liturgist]

Rather, it argues against a salvation that is alone, a salvation devoid of good works and obedience to God’s Word. James’s point is that we demonstrate our faith by what we do.

James 2 is one of the most misunderstood chapters in the Bible. James 2:24 does not argue against salvation by faith alone. Rather, it argues against a salvation that is alone, a salvation devoid of good works and obedience to God’s Word. James’s point is that we demonstrate our faith by what we do.

The entire passage is about proving the genuineness of your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation experience by faith in Jesus Christ will inevitably result in good works.. The works are the demonstration and proof of faith. A faith without works is useless and dead in other words, it is not true faith at all. Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will never be alone.

If you want to learn more about this, here is a fantastic sermon from RC Sproul

Yes, that is a possible interpretation, as I just stated, provided it is not read in an anti-sacramental context, or in opposition to actively doing good works, and to, as St. Paul instructed, work out our salvation through fear and trembling, none of which is Pelagian. Additionally I have seen some people who claim to be Christians reject the idea of, for example, dedicating one’s life to Christ through monastic profession or even certain forms of charity as “works righteousness.”

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Sola Scriptura

The Scripture is God's Word, His authority. Every Word in the scripture was breathed by the Holy Spirit. How can traditions, or anything else, have a greater authority? The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16. Therefore, every pastor must teach what's in the Scripture.
Furthermore, Scripture is not for our own interpretation, but Christians must be lead by the Holy Spirit, as only God can teach you about God.

Sola scriptura is all-but-explicitly indicated in 1 Corinthians 4:6 'I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another'. Paul warns not to “go beyond what is written.”

Jesus Himself criticized those who allowed traditions to override the explicit commands of God in Mark 7:6–9 'And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

The Word of God is the ultimate and only infallible authority for the Christian faith. Traditions are valid only when they conform with Scripture. Traditions that contradict the Bible are not of God and are not a valid aspect of the Christian faith. Sola scriptura is the only way to avoid subjectivity and keep personal opinion from taking priority over the teachings of the Bible.

I for example did not go to church for months after being saved (health reasons, hospital, multiple surgeries etc.). All I had was the Bible, which no one interpreted for me, but Holy Spirit alone, as it's His Word, and it was all who I needed to understood that I am a wicked sinner deserving God's wrath, but He in His mercy sent His Son, who was judged in my place; He drank the cup of God’s wrath to the dregs. In Christ I was reconciled to God, because He fully paid and atoned for my sins. Bible alone.

 

[The Liturgist]

How can traditions, or anything else, have a greater authority?

Strawman. I never said “Greater authority.” Holy Tradition has authority, according to 1 Corinthians 11:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15, and Galatians 1:8-9, and related verses. However, I expressly stated that, both within the context of traditional Protestant understandings of Sola Scriptura, and within the Orthodox concept of Scripture as the center of Holy Tradition, that tradition does not contradict Scripture, and therefore cannot be said to have greater authority.

The Scripture is God's Word, His authority.

Not quite. Scripture is the written Word that describes the Incarnate Word, our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ (John 1:1-18). As such it is a verbal icon of our Lord, but it derives its authority from being a prophecy of him (see the concluding portions of Luke 24:44-49) and from being an account of the Good News he brought to us (Mark 1:1) and an interpretation of that, and a history of the early church in its formative state (the Acts of the Apostles) and also containing additional eschatological prophecy (in the Apocalypse, also known as Revelation). Scripture is authoritative provided it is accurately interpreted.

The idea of the perspicuity of Scripture is specifically contradicted by Galatians 1:9-9 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 11:2 , since they clearly establish that there was an Apostolic interpretation of the Scripture that existed at the time, which was the Old Testament, and that which was being composed, namely the Gospels and Epistles and inspired writings of the New Testament.

One example of an authoritative tradition is our 27 book New Testament canon, which was first introduced in its present form by St. Athanasius, the same fourth century Christian bishop who had earlier, as protodeacon to his predecessor in Alexandria, refuted Arius and the heresy of Arianism at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. His influence was such that his canon was quickly looked at by the other independent churches and adopted. This finally setlted the matter about whether several books which were disputed would be included or not included. 1 Barnabas was out, along with other apocrypha, 1 Clement and the Shepherd of Hermas were regarded as Patristic but not Apostolic and therefore not part of the New Testament itself, while Revelation, 2 John, 3 John, Hebrews, Jude, James and 2 Peter and the Pastoral Epistles ( 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon) were in, definitively.

Another example of an authoritative tradition is the Nicene Creed itself, which remains the gold standard for differentiating between Christian churches and heterodox churches which reject, for example, the very scriptural doctrines of the Trinity or the Incarnation.

 

[The Liturgist]

Jesus Himself criticized those who allowed traditions to override the explicit commands of God in Mark 7:6–9 'And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!

Mark 7 is clearly addressed to the Scribes and Pharisees - it refers to the traditions of the Rabbis, the Oral Torah, which were later codified into the Mishnah, and this became the basis for Rabbinical Judaism, which unlike the faith of the traditional Protestant and Orthodox Churches, actually does contradict the Old Testament as written.

Applying Mark 7 to the shared Holy Tradition of the Orthodox, and the traditional Protestants and Catholics, is itself a violation of the principle of Sola Scriptura as defined by Martin Luther, Thomas Cranmer, et al, since it requires one to disobey the instructions of the Holy Apostle Paul to follow the traditions provided by himself and the other Apostles. And thus it represents the same basic error as that made in Rabbinical Judaism.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

The Catholic Church says:

It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God's most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.​

​

Hence there exists a close connection and communication between sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture. For both of them, flowing from the same divine wellspring, in a certain way merge into a unity and tend toward the same end. For Sacred Scripture is the word of God inasmuch as it is consigned to writing under the inspiration of the divine Spirit, while sacred tradition takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity, so that led by the light of the Spirit of truth, they may in proclaiming it preserve this word of God faithfully, explain it, and make it more widely known. Consequently, it is not from Sacred Scripture alone that the Church draws her certainty about everything which has been revealed. Therefore, both sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence.​

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Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church. Holding fast to this deposit the entire holy people united with their shepherds remain always steadfast in the teaching of the Apostles, in the common life, in the breaking of the bread and in prayers (see Acts 2, 42, Greek text), so that holding to, practicing and professing the heritage of the faith, it becomes on the part of the bishops and faithful a single common effort.​

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Those divinely revealed realities which are contained and presented in Sacred Scripture have been committed to writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For holy mother Church, relying on the belief of the Apostles (see John 20:31; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-20, 3:15-16), holds that the books of both the Old and New Testaments in their entirety, with all their parts, are sacred and canonical because written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.(1) In composing the sacred books, God chose men and while employed by Him (2) they made use of their powers and abilities, so that with Him acting in them and through them, (3) they, as true authors, consigned to writing everything and only those things which He wanted.​

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However, since God speaks in Sacred Scripture through men in human fashion, (6) the interpreter of Sacred Scripture, in order to see clearly what God wanted to communicate to us, should carefully investigate what meaning the sacred writers really intended, and what God wanted to manifest by means of their words.​

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Sacred theology rests on the written word of God, together with sacred tradition, as its primary and perpetual foundation. By scrutinizing in the light of faith all truth stored up in the mystery of Christ, theology is most powerfully strengthened and constantly rejuvenated by that word. For the Sacred Scriptures contain the word of God and since they are inspired, really are the word of God; and so, the study of the sacred page is, as it were, the soul of sacred theology. (3) By the same word of Scripture, the ministry of the word also, that is, pastoral preaching, catechetics and all Christian instruction, in which the liturgical homily must hold the foremost place, is nourished in a healthy way and flourishes in a holy way.​

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Therefore, all the clergy must hold fast to the Sacred Scriptures through diligent sacred reading and careful study, especially the priests of Christ and others, such as deacons and catechists who are legitimately active in the ministry of the word. This is to be done so that none of them will become "an empty preacher of the word of God outwardly, who is not a listener to it inwardly" (4) since they must share the abundant wealth of the divine word with the faithful committed to them, especially in the sacred liturgy. The sacred synod also earnestly and especially urges all the Christian faithful, especially Religious, to learn by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the "excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:8). "For ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."(5) Therefore, they should gladly put themselves in touch with the sacred text itself, whether it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other aids which, in our time, with approval and active support of the shepherds of the Church, are commendably spread everywhere. And let them remember that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that God and man may talk together; for "we speak to Him when we pray; we hear Him when we read the divine saying."​

[Dei Verbum]

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Not quite

In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul states, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” This is the only use in the Bible of the Greek word theopneustos, which means “God-breathed, inspired by God, due to the inspiration of God,” but other scriptural passages support the basic premise of Scripture being inspired by God.

In 2 Peter 1:21 we are told that “prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Here we see the truths of Scripture described as coming directly from God, not from the will of the writers He used to record them.

Scripture comes from the Holy Spirit, who gives it to us “in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words” 1 Corinthians 2:13.

So not 'not quite' but the Bible is Word of God.

Even the reformation leaders grasped the fact that there was a single authority in terms of the spiritual world and the revelation of God, and that was Holy Scripture, as over against the Roman Catholic dual authority: the Bible on one hand, and tradition and the magisterium drawn out of experiences and councils and popes, and all of that. So they were rejecting tradition as a parallel source of divine authority and coming back to Scripture alone.

Scripture is authoritative provided it is accurately interpreted.

The only one who can accurately interpret the Scripture is the Holy Spirit. Therefore I examine all my teachers whether they have the Holy Spirit in them. Scripture is authoritative no matter what human is interpreting it. If a human interprets in inaccurately, is still does not change the authority of the Scripture. Do not depend on your teachers for interpretation, but on the Holy Spirit alone.

Another example of an authoritative tradition is the Nicene Creed itself, which remains the gold standard for differentiating between Christian churches and heterodox churches which reject, for example, the very scriptural doctrines of the Trinity or the Incarnation.

Erm I know plenty of churches and Christians who don't have creeds, some don't even know what they are. So no, it's not a gold standard. All Christians have to do is trust God's Word and obey His commandments. Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please him.

All truth necessary for life and godliness, to borrow Peter’s phrase, is contained in Scripture. There is truth is Scripture about God, about His glory, about His nature, about His majesty, about His purposes; there’s more. I mean, God is infinite; and the Scripture is not everything that could be said about God, everything that could be said about His mind, and His work, and His purpose, and all of that. But it is the complete, sufficient revelation of God for life and godliness, to bring the truth before sinners about them and their condition and their destiny, and bring the remedy, the gospel, sufficiently, so that they can be saved and sanctified and headed toward eternal glory.

Psalm 19, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” So you have enough to be saved and enough to become wise. And then he goes on in Psalm 19 to cover every other aspect of life. The Word of God is completely sufficient.

Mark 7 is clearly addressed to the Scribes and Pharisees - it refers to the traditions of the Rabbis, the Oral Torah, which were later codified into the Mishnah, and this became the basis for Rabbinical Judaism, which unlike the faith of the traditional Protestant and Orthodox Churches, actually does contradict the Old Testament as written.

Mark 7 is addressed to everyone who allows traditions to override the explicit commands of God.

 

[Ivan Hlavanda]

Oh really? What about Matthew 24 where Jesus separates the sheets and goats based on how they LOVE others? What about 1 Corinthians 13 where St. Paul calls LOVE the greatest?

Seems you are ignoring those parts of the Bible.

Can your deeds atone for your sins? No.

Faith alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 'It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
We are saved solely by the work of Christ on our behalf. His death and His resurrection are the works that save us. We receive our Savior by faith John 1:12. Faith, not deeds
Acts 16:31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Again, believe, no deeds.
Abraham believed and God counted to him as righteousness. Why? Because without faith, there is no pleasing God, Hebrews 11:16

The Bible clearly teaches that by faith is one justified. Romans 3:28 'For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.' This verse also serves as a useful, concise proof that our salvation is not, in any sense, dependent on good deeds, rituals, sacraments, or other behaviors.

Romans 4:5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

The thief on the cross believed in Jesus and was saved, He did not do any good deeds.

 

[The Liturgist]

So not 'not quite' but the Bible is Word of God.

John 1:1-18 expressly identifies the Word of God as being Jesus Christ. The Scriptures you provided do not contradict John 1:1-18 in any way, or refer to the Word (the Greek Logos), rather, they attest to the divine inspiration of Scripture, which I agree with, since furthermore I have expressly stated that the Scriptures are the written Word, that describes the only begotten Son and Word of God: a verbal icon of our Lord, as it were. So it is not the case that scriptures are not the words of God, but rather that the Word of God is Himself Jesus Christ, and the authority of Scripture is based on it being an inspired prophecy of Him (Luke 24) and accounting of His Gospel (Mark 1:1) and other guidance as deemed necessary.

The only one who can accurately interpret the Scripture is the Holy Spirit.

If one accepts that, one should also accept the early church Fathers, since they were interpreting the Scriptures in accordance withe the Holy Spirit, which is a fact demonstrated by their refutation of the Arian heresy in 325 and the Pneumatomacchian heresy in 381 (a related anti-Trinitarian heresy which denied the existence of God the Holy Spirit).

Erm I know plenty of churches and Christians who don't have creeds, some don't even know what they are.

The Nicene Creed is a part of the Christian Forums.com Statement of Faith however. And I did not say that a Church needs to have or use a Creed, for example, the Stone/Campbell movement is notorious for not using one, but they are still demonstrably Christian, and the reason for that is that their doctrine, for example, their professed believe in the Holy Spirit, the Incarnation of God, et cetera, agrees with the content of the Nicene Creed.

Thus on CF.com, churches which expressly teach against the Nicene Creed, or a few other related points, for example, churches that deny that the Holy Apostle Paul was a legitimate Apostle whose writings are inspired Scripture, are not considered Christian, and this has been very helpful, because every time we have had someone appear who rejected the Statement of Faith, it became very apparent that they were not Christian in terms of how they interacted with other members.

Indeed we had someone wanting to found a church restricted to Irish people last week, and it turned out he was non-Trinitarian and anti-Semitic (he did not believe the Jews of today are among the descendants of the Jews in the New Testament), and of course he rejected the Nicene Creed, and it was deeply disturbing, but it was an example of the Nicene Creed proving itself a reliable way of determining whether or not someone is Christian. They don’t have to profess the Creed liturgically, but if they contradict it, that is indicative of a fundamental misunderstanding of Scripture.

 

[The Liturgist]

Mark 7 is addressed to everyone who allows traditions to override the explicit commands of God.

Since God has commanded that we follow the apostolic tradition in His inspired written word, in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 11:2 and elsewhere, it is certainly the case that Mark 7 would apply by implication to such people who ignore Holy Tradition, for example, who reject the 27 canonical books of the New Testament.