For Sola Scriptura
Believers Only.
Bye bye, Sola Scriptura!
Is it the Bible or is it the Church?
It appears to be a question of either/or, which means one or
the other for non-Catholic Christians.
Non-Catholic Christians have chosen the Bible, since they rejected the Church which Jesus Christ
founded.
Well, now in regards to itself, just what does the Bible have
to say about the Church that Jesus Christ founded?
1. Did Jesus Christ found the Bible
or the Church?
Does the Bible say it was the Bible? No, it says He
founded His Church, Matthew 16:18.
2. What is the pillar
and foundation of the truth?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible? No, it says it is the
Church, 1Timothy 3:15.
This verse also tells us that the Church was already in
existence before 1Timothy was written.
3. Who or what is the
final authority?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible? No, it says it is the
Church, Matthew 18:15-18.
4. Who is the teacher of
all the wisdom of GOD?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible? No, it says it is the
Church, Ephesians 3:10.
5. Who is to be saved?
Does the Bible say that all who believe in Sola Scriptura,
(the 'Bible only'), will be saved?
No, it says those who are attached to His Church will be
saved.
"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be
saved", Acts 2:47, King James Bible.
Note the singular, "the church".
6. What are we commanded
to edify?
Does the Bible say that we are to edify the Bible?
No, it says we are to edify the Church, 1Corinthians 14:12.
7. Who or what rules the
Church of GOD?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible?
No, the Bible says it is the Bishops that the Holy Spirit has
appointed that rule the Church of GOD, Acts 20:28.
8. What is it that Jesus
purchased with His own blood?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible?
No, the Bible says
that Jesus purchased the Church of GOD with His own blood,
Acts 20:28, King James Bible.
9. For what did Christ give
Himself up?
Does the Bible say it was the Bible?
No, the Bible says that Christ gave Himself up for the
Church, Ephesians 5:25.
10. What is it that
Jesus nourishes and cherishes?
Does the Bible say it is
the Bible?
No, the Bible says that
Jesus nourishes and cherishes His Church, Ephesians 5:29.
11. For what is Jesus
the savior?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible?
No, the Bible says Jesus is the savior of His Body which is
the Church that He founded, Ephesians 1:22-23, and 5:23.
12. What has neither
spot nor wrinkle?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible?
No, the Bible says it is the Church that Jesus Christ founded,
Ephesians 5:27.
The Church is not holy because of us. The Church is holy
because of Him.
13. To whom or to what is the
Church subject?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible?
No, the Bible says the Church is subject to Christ, Ephesians
5:24.
14. What are we commanded not to
offend?
Does the Bible say it is the Bible?
No, the Bible says we are to give no offence to the Church of
GOD, 1Corinthians 10:32.
Do you give offence to the Church of GOD that Jesus
Christ founded?
15. What came first, the New
Testament part of the Bible or the Church?
Does the Bible say it was the Bible?
No, but it tells us that the Church was already in existence
for years before any New Testament books were even written.
How do we know this?
Because it is the Church which is mentioned in these books:
Matthew 16:18 and 18:17,
Acts 5:11, for one and many more times in Acts,
Romans 16:23, and many more verses,
1Corinthians 1:2, and many more verses,
2Corinthians 1:1,
Galatians 1:13,
Ephesians 1:22, and many more verses,
Philippians 3:6 and 4:15,
Colossians 1:18, and many more verses,
1Thessalonians 1:1. 1Thessalonians is considered to be the
first New Testament book written, in about 51 A.D..
2Thessalonians 1:1,
1Timothy 3:5, 3:15 and 5:16,
Titus 3:15, per added note in the King James Version,
Philemon 1:2,
Hebrews 2:12 and 12:23,
James 5:14,
1Peter 5:13,
3John 1:6 and 1:9-10,
Revelation 2:1, plus six more in the same book.
Since all of these books mention the word Church, the Church
had to have been in existence already for years before they
were written.
If that is true, then how was the teaching accomplished
without a New Testament of Jesus Christ?
Simply by the same way that Jesus Christ taught, orally. Oral
teaching is Tradition.
Tradition (capital 'T') is Apostolic oral teaching handed down
to their successors and to others.
The Bible is oral Tradition written down.
There was no such thing as Sola Scriptura even then.
There was not any New Testament scripture for the
first twenty years of the existence of the Church.
What does the Bible say about itself?
1. The Bible clearly
says that it is inspired by GOD, 2Timothy 3:16.
This can only refer to the Old Testament,
since there was no New Testament at the time that St.
Paul wrote 2Timothy.
Scores of spurious 'gospels' were written
by Gnostics and others and were later declared by the
Church to be not inspired.
The new testament canon
was not finalized until hundreds of years later in the fourth
century and by the Church.
2. The Bible clearly
says it is useful for teaching, 2Timothy 3:16.
Useful means just that, and it does not
mean all encompassing or Bible only.
3. The Bible clearly
says that everything is not within it, John 20:30,
John 21:25.
Bye bye, Sola Scriptura.
4. The Bible clearly
says that there are many things to say to you but you cannot
bear them now, John 16:12.
That implies future teaching, and again
that everything is not in the Bible. Bye bye, Sola Scriptura.
5. The Bible clearly
says you are being fed with milk (as with a baby)
because you cannot eat meat as yet,
1Corinthians 3:2, Hebrews 5:12-13.
Again we see implied future teaching which
comes over time. Bye bye, Sola Scriptura.
6. The Bible clearly
says when the Spirit of Truth has come, He will teach you all
the truth,
and the THINGS THAT ARE TO COME He will
declare to you, John 16:13.
In this verse there can be no doubt that everything
is not in the Bible,
and that things that are to come will be
revealed over time by the Spirit of Truth through His Church.
Here is but one of many prime examples of the fulfillment of
this verse, and it is the word "trinity".
Sola Scriptura believers, please show me the word "trinity" in
the Bible?
It is not there. It is not mentioned even once. Yet, most SS
believers do believe in the Trinity and they use the word
extensively.
Isn't that being hypocritical to say that you believe in
Sola Scriptura and also in the Trinity?
Is not that the practice of "Doublethink"?
The Trinity was not formally defined until the year 381 by
the Catholic first Council of Constantinople.
That was well over 270 years after the last book of the Bible,
Revelation, was written.
Remember Ephesians 3:10, as listed above? It said it is the
Church that is the teacher.
John 16:13 all by itself is the death knell of
the false man made doctrine of Sola
Scriptura, which means 'Bible only',
or 'if I cannot find it in the Bible,
then I choose not to believe it simply because it does
not exist or it never happened'.
Bye bye, Sola Scriptura.
7. The Bible clearly
says that you cannot interpret the Bible on an individual
basis, Acts 8:30-35, 2Peter 1:20-21.
Why then do so many non-Catholics do it
when Holy Scripture says they cannot?
Who obeys the teaching of Holy Scripture,
and who does not?
8. The Bible clearly says that we
are not to use 'eisegesis' to interpret Holy Scripture.
"I have applied all this to myself and Apollos for your
benefit, brethren, 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." 1Corinthians 4:6
The meaning of 'eisegesis' is, an interpretation of
Scripture that expresses one's own ideas or
bias, rather than the true meaning of the text.
In other words, reading something into Scripture that simply
is not there.
What does the Bible say regarding the eternal existence
of the one Church founded by Christ?
1. The Bible clearly
says that if it is man made it will be overthrown,
but if it is from GOD, you will not be able
to overthrow it, Acts 5:38-39.
After almost 2000 years the Catholic Church
is still here despite the many
attempts to overthrow it.
What does that tell you?
What do those verses tell you about man made churches?
2. The Bible clearly
says if you try to overthrow it you may find yourself fighting
even against GOD, Acts 5:39.
Do you think maybe that is the reason
why you cannot not find any of those who have tried to
overthrow it for the last 2000 years?
For those who tried to bury the Catholic
Church, the Church ended up burying them instead.
3. The Bible clearly
says, not to offend the Church of GOD, 1Corinthians 10:32.
Do you make it a practice to offend the
Church of GOD?
4. The Bible clearly
says the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church
which Jesus Christ founded, Matthew 16:18.
Did Jesus Christ lie in this verse?
Do you say that the Church that Jesus
Christ founded apostatized
early on and therefore the gates of hell did prevail against
it?
Then why do you bother to quote the Bible
at all since you reject so much of it?
5. The Bible clearly
says that Jesus Christ will be with His Church every day in
every century until the end of time, Matthew 28:20.
Again, did Jesus Christ lie in this verse?
Do you preach to anyone who will listen,
that the Church which Jesus Christ founded did indeed
apostatize,
and that He did leave it at some unknown,
unwitnessed, and undocumented time?
Again, why do you even bother to quote the
Bible at all since you reject so much of it?
6. The Bible clearly says that
there shall be no end to the Kingdom
which Jesus Christ will found, Luke 1:32-33.
Did the angel Gabriel lie to the
Blessed Virgin Mary in these verses? Can an angel of GOD lie?
Do you believe that His Kingdom did in fact end?
7. The Bible clearly
says that the Church which Jesus Christ founded will last for
all time without end, Ephesians 3:21.
Did St. Paul lie in this verse?
Do you preach that the Church which Jesus
Christ founded did not last for all time without end?
Again then, why do you even bother to quote the
Bible at all since you reject so much of it?
8. The Bible clearly has
a lot to say in the Old Testament, about the fact that
the Church which Jesus Christ will found will last forever.
Isaiah 9:6-7,
"For a CHILD IS BORN to us, and a son is given to us, and the
government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world
to come, the Prince of Peace. His empire shall be multiplied,
and there shall be no end of peace: he shall sit upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom; to establish it and
strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from
henceforth and for ever: the zeal of the Lord of hosts will
perform this."
Isaiah 41:10-11,
"Fear not, for I am with thee: turn not aside, for I am thy
God: I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the
right hand of my just one hath upheld thee. Behold all
that fight against thee shall be confounded and ashamed,
they shall be as nothing, and the men shall perish that
strive against thee."
Isaiah 54:11-17,
"O poor little one, tossed with tempest, without all
comfort, behold I will lay thy stones in order, and will
lay thy foundations with sapphires,
And I will make thy bulwarks of jasper: and thy gates of
graven stones, and all thy borders of desirable stones.
All thy children shall be taught of the Lord: and great shall
be the peace of thy children.
And thou shalt be founded in justice: depart far from
oppression, for thou shalt not fear; and from terror, for it
shall not come near thee.
Behold, an inhabitant shall come, who was not with me, he that
was a stranger to thee before, shall be joined to thee.
Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the
fire, and bringeth forth an instrument for his work, and I
have created the killer to destroy. No weapon that is
formed against thee shall prosper: and every tongue that
resisteth thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is
the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their justice
with me, saith the Lord."
Isaiah 59:20-21,
"And there shall come a redeemer to Sion, and to them that
return from iniquity in Jacob, saith the Lord.
This is my covenant with them, saith the Lord: My spirit
that is in thee, and my words that I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of
thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the
Lord, from henceforth and for ever."
Daniel 2:44,
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to
other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever."
'Break in pieces'? How prophetic!
Today, we have 38,000+ non-Catholic Christian sects. Aren't
they 38,000+ 'pieces'.
What is the meaning of, "and the kingdom shall
not be left to other people"?
Daniel 7:13-14,
"I beheld, therefore, in the vision of the night, and lo, one
like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and he
came even to the ancient of days: and they presented him
before him. And he gave him power, and glory, and a kingdom: and all peoples, tribes,
and tongues shall serve him: his power is an everlasting
power that shall not be taken away: and his kingdom that
shall not be destroyed."
9. The Bible clearly
says that the Church which Jesus Christ founded will be spread
around the whole world,
to all peoples and for all time, Matthew
28:19-20, Acts 1:8.
All teaching, in all
the world, for all time. Those three 'alls' are
the definition of Katholicos, the Greek word for Catholic.
10. The Bible clearly
says that only GOD can build His house,
and others that try to build another house
of GOD are laboring in vain, Psalms 127:1
Why then do some continue to labor in vain
since the Bible clearly states that they are laboring in vain?
11. The Bible
clearly says that no one can lay a foundation other than
what was laid already by Jesus Christ, 1Corinthians 3:11.
Why then, do others still lay
unauthorized foundations
and continue splitting the Body of Christ into more and more
pieces?
12. The Bible clearly
says that the Church which Jesus Christ founded is His Body,
Ephesians 1:22-23.
13. The Bible
clearly says that Jesus Christ is the savior of His Body which
is the Church, Ephesians 5:23.
14. The Bible clearly
says that Saul persecuted and ravaged the Church which Jesus
Christ founded, Acts 8:3.
Do you walk in the footsteps of Saul?
15. The Bible clearly
says that Jesus Christ said to Saul, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?", Acts
9:4.
Saul was persecuting
the Church that Jesus Christ founded (Acts 8:3), so why
didn't Jesus say,
"why do you persecute My Church?", instead of, "why do you persecute me?"?
It is because His Church truly is His Body, Ephesians
1:22-23.
Now, isn't it true that since
Saul persecuted the Church before his conversion,
that the book of Acts had to have been written many years
after the Church was founded?
Isn't it fair to say that those who today persecute that
same Church which Jesus Christ founded could very
well have their own names substituted for Saul's
in Acts 9:4?
Since every church on earth had a founder
with a name, I would strongly suggest that those who
persecute the Catholic Church had better find out who is
the founder of the Catholic Church.
If they say it was not Jesus Christ, then the onus is upon
them to name the person who did,
and to provide genuine historical documents to prove what
they say.
"What is gratuitously asserted can be gratuitously denied."
In other words, statements made without proof can be denied
without proof.
If you persecute the Catholic Church, aren't you really
persecuting its founder, just as Jesus said to Saul in Acts
9:4?
What does the Bible NOT say about the Church which
Jesus Christ founded?
1. The Bible does not
say that Jesus Christ founded more than one Church.
2. The Bible does not
say that the Bible is elevated higher than the Church that
Jesus Christ founded.
3. The Bible does not
say that it is the final authority over the Church that Jesus
Christ founded.
4. The Bible does not
say that the Church which Jesus Christ founded is an
'invisible Church' but is a highly visible one.
"And God hath set some in the church,
first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,
after that miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."
1Corinthians 12:28, King James Bible.
Governments? How could anyone possibly
govern an invisible church?
5. The Bible does not
say that anyone has the authority to found
another church
other than the one which
Jesus Christ founded.
There is no verse in all of Holy Scripture
which gave authority for anyone to do so.
In fact there is one verse in particular
that says anyone who
does so is laboring in vain, Psalms 127:1.
What does the Bible say about persons mentioned in the Bible?
1. The Bible most
clearly commands every person who has ever lived in the past
almost two thousand years
to call the Mother
of GOD "Blessed".
"Henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed", Luke 1:48.
Do you call her blessed? If you do not, and if you
claim to follow Bible teaching,
then please explain why you do not obey the clear command of
Luke 1:48?
2. Who is to rule the
Church of GOD after the Apostles have died off?
Does the Bible say it is the ministers of 38,000+ non-Catholic
sects, with all teaching something different?
No, the Bible clearly says it is the Bishops, Acts 20:28.
3. The Bible clearly
tells us how the Bishops are chosen through Apostolic Succession.
4. The Bible
clearly shows the Primacy of Peter
over the other Apostles.
5. The Bible clearly
tells us that the only persons who have the authority to
preach are those who are called
by GOD.
"Neither does any man take the honour to himself, but he that
is called by GOD, as Aaron was."
Hebrews 5:4
Can just anyone stand on a soap box and claim that he or she
was called by GOD?
If so, whatever happened to Ephesians 3:10 mentioned earlier?
By what authority can they claim that
they were sent by GOD?
If they claim that the Bible is their authority, then ask them
to show you the verse giving them that authority.
If they cannot find the verse then aren't they in fact,
"taking the honor to themselves" which is forbidden as read in
Hebrews 5:4?
6. The Bible clearly
addresses what happens to those who rebel against the Authority of GOD's "Father Figure".
7. The Bible clearly
tells us what the end result will be for liars, Revelation
21:8.
What does the Bible say about other topics that non-Catholic
Christians reject?
1. The Bible clearly
prefigured the Papacy,
proving that those are wrong who say that the papacy is
an invention of the Catholic Church.
2. The Bible clearly
addresses Purgatory.
Just because Sola Scriptura believers present a blind eye to
the verses does not mean that they are not there.
3. The Bible
clearly revealed that Inquisitions
were to be held.
The Bible clearly says there will be wrath visited upon
those who refuse to submit to the truth, Romans 2:8.
I have previously shown that the Bible says that the pillar
and foundation of the truth is not the Bible but it is the
Church which Jesus Christ founded, 1Timothy 3:15. So to what
teaching source would Romans 2:8 apply?
The Bible clearly says there will be the wrath of GOD upon
those who hold back the truth of GOD, Romans 1:18.
Since I have already pointed out that it is the Church which
is the teacher of all the wisdom of GOD in Ephesians 3:10,
then isn't it obvious that those who hold back the teaching of
His Church,
are risking their salvation since the wrath of GOD
is upon them, as stated in Romans 1:18?
At the beginning of this page, the question was, "Is it the Bible, or is it the Church?"
Non-Catholic Christians say, "It is the Bible
Only", Sola Scriptura, either/or, is their choice.
They sit upon a wobbly one legged stool called Bible only.
The correct answer for Catholics is both, not either/or but
'AND'. It is certainly not 'only the Bible'.
However, the Catholic Church does not sit upon an unstable two
legged stool, but upon a sturdy three
legged stool.
For Catholics it is the Bible 'AND' the Church 'AND'
the Magisterium, each of which is
dependent upon the other two.
The Church existed for many years from the time of
the death of Jesus on the cross in about 30 A.D.,
until the first book of the New Testament was written in about
51 A.D..
The New Testament teaching during those years was none other
than Tradition.
By the time that the last book of the New Testament was
written around 100 A.D., the Church
which Jesus Christ founded was already on its fifth successor of Peter.
©
Written by Bob Stanley, April 28, 2007
Updated September 28, 2007
"Have I then become your enemy, because I told you the truth?"
Galatians 4:16
"What is gratuitously asserted can be
gratuitously denied."
In other words, statements made without proof can be denied
without proof.
Do not forget towear your glasses!
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