Showing posts with label trap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trap. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
“BY WHAT AUTHORITY...?”
…and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” (Luke 20:2)
After observing the many miraculous signs that Jesus had done in public, the chief priests, scribes, and elders of Jerusalem approached Him while He was teaching in the temple. They then asked Him by what authority He was doing all these things. But Jesus detected their trickery, and He masterfully thwarted their question and asked one of His own. The end result is that they could not answer His question (without either causing a riot or humiliating themselves), so they backed off (Luke 20:1-8).
You see, these people were working closely with the Pharisees, and Nicodemus, the Pharisee, had previously revealed their dirty little secret – that they already knew that Jesus was from God (John 3:1-2), and therefore, had God’s authority. But their purpose here was to trick Him and to turn the crowd against Him. But of course, they failed to do so.
A Loaded Question
But we want to point out in this article that Catholics often use this same phrase, “By what authority…”, when confronting Protestants. Taking their cue from the enemies of Jesus, they use this same question on us concerning Bible interpretation, thinking that this is an effective argument.
Aside from the fact that the priests, scribes and elders were questioning the very authority of God, the Son, and aside from the fact that they were corrupt in their hearts and only wanted to start trouble… at least they applied the question (“By what authority…”) to a more proper object, i.e., Jesus’ miracles and His great wisdom. But Catholics wrongly apply this same question to Bible interpretation. That is to say, they are wrong to ask, “By what authority do you Protestants interpret Scripture?”
You see, this is a loaded question. It’s sort of like asking, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” With this question, whether you answer “yes” or “no,” you are implying guilt even if you are not guilty. This is because of the way the question is phrased. It forces you to buy into the false assumption built into it. So it cannot be answered directly without incriminating yourself. Asking “by what authority do you interpret…” is similar in that way.
This is because Catholics start off with a false premise, a wrong assumption, and that assumption is that one needs some kind of “special authority” to be able to interpret Scripture. But that’s not true at all.
No one in the Old or New Testament was ever rebuked for (or discouraged from) attempting to interpret Scripture. While it is certainly possible for someone to misinterpret a particular passage, no one in the Bible is ever told that they should not interpret – even when they got it wrong (John 5:39-40)! While Jesus and the apostles often pointed the people to the Scriptures, they never tried to ban anyone from interpreting them because of possible abuse, misunderstanding, or “lack of authority.” They never said, “No, you need the church’s authority to interpret this!” This seems to be a Catholic concept, and it is a false one.
Only the Leaders?
So, being able to interpret Scripture has nothing to do with AUTHORITY on our part. It’s simply something that God expects us to do. He tells us to interpret (rightly divide) His Word in 2 Timothy 2:15:
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
But someone may try to argue that in 2 Timothy 2:15, the apostle Paul’s command to “rightly divide” was not to the “laity,” but only to Timothy, who was a pastor / bishop. But notice that in this same chapter from which we first quoted under the title of this article (Luke 20), Jesus tells a parable to “the people” (Luke 20:9), that is, “the laity,” and He expects them, if their hearts are right, to understand (rightly divide) what He is saying. And it is absolutely clear that this group of people is separate and distinct from the leaders, i.e., the elders, scribes and priests (v. 1, 6, 19). So, yes, God does expect the common man, who comes to Him humbly and trusting, to be able to interpret the Scriptures. So, no special “gift” or “authority” is required for that. And there are many other passages that confirm this truth. See a few of them here:
http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2013/07/quick-notes-on-sola-scriptura-part-6.html
Caught in Their Own Trap
Many Catholics believe that any interpretation apart from the Catholic Church’s Magisterium is “private interpretation,” and that this is somehow a bad thing. But they misunderstand the meaning of the term. We all have to use our private judgment to interpret and understand Scripture. NO ONE can avoid private interpretation. See this link:
http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2014/07/private-interpretation.html
Catholics are setting a trap for themselves that they can’t escape. At no point in this process do we stop using private interpretation. Either, everyone must interpret any and all communication that we encounter, or we can’t make any determinations or conclusions about anything. Are we devolving into solipsism (the belief that we can’t really know anything except that our minds exist)? But if that’s the case, then no one at all can use Scripture!
It seems that the problem stems from an unhealthy Catholic concept that says that unless you have a sufficient authority, you cannot be sure what you really believe. But here is what it all boils down to: Catholics want “infallible certainty” concerning Scripture reading and interpretation, but that is an impossible request for the post-apostolic church. See this link:
http://answeringcatholicclaims.blogspot.com/2009/12/dialogue-on-bible-interpretation.html
Conclusion
Although we deny that we can have infallible certainty in our interpretations, this is not an excuse for anyone to interpret the Bible sloppily or carelessly. Interpretation of Scripture should be done prayerfully, and with reverence and humility toward God (James 1:21). We all have to start with the right attitude, and use basic hermeneutics (principles of Bible interpretation), context, etc., but the question is this: Is the resulting interpretation a reasonable and consistent one? Note that God has not abandoned common sense.
The “by what authority” argument is simply a diversion. And unfortunately, many times unsuspecting Protestants have unnecessarily fallen victim to this, not knowing how to answer. But rest assured, we need not be shaken by this false argument. Trust God’s Word and incline your heart to understand it, and God will not let you down (Psalms 111:10; 119:99-100, 130).
Sunday, December 27, 2015
NO SALVATION OUTSIDE THE CHURCH?
When
discussing salvation, the Catholic Church sometimes uses the term “extra
ecclesiam nulla salus.” This is a Latin
phrase meaning “outside the Church there is no salvation.” In Scripture, the word “church” means “called
out ones,” and it refers to believers / saints (Acts 2:47), i.e., all
those who are saved, throughout the world
(Ephesians
5:23; Colossians 1:17-18), and sometimes it refers to the local assembly of believers (1
Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:2; Revelation chapters 1 and 2).
If the biblical definition of “the church” is what
is meant in this Latin slogan, then it is somewhat redundant. It is like saying that there are no Christians
outside Christianity. But that is
self-evident. But what does the Catholic
Church mean by “the Church” in this context?
Are they referring to all true
believers, no matter what denomination or group you belong to? No, when they say “the Church” here, they
mean only the Catholic Church, the
organization / institution headed by the Vatican in Rome, the supposed “One
True Church.” They are claiming that no
one outside the Catholic Church can
be saved. If there is any doubt about
this definition, here are just a few official Catholic sources to prove the
point:
- In the Lateran Council (A.D. 1215), Pope Innocent III wrote about the Catholic Church: “One indeed is the universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved…” (Emphasis added)
- On November 18, 1302, Pope Boniface VIII wrote in a papal encyclical / bull called “Unam Sanctam”: “Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff [the pope].” (Emphasis added)
- In 1441, at the Council of Florence, Pope Eugene IV, in the papal bull, “Cantate Domino,” wrote: “It [the Catholic Church] firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart ‘into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels’ (Matt. 25:41), unless before the end of life the same have been added to the flock… ”
- The Catechism of the Catholic Church, teaches the same concept, but in a softer, less abrasive, more ecumenical language, “reformulated positively.” CCC #846, quoting the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium (LG 14), says: “Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council [Vatican II] teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation…” (Emphasis added)
In the past,
the Catholic Church has hurled many anathemas (declarations of condemnation)
toward Protestants and other non-Catholics.
But it seems that today it is not as blunt as it used to be, but is more
concerned now about using ecumenical, “separated brethren” language that is not
as offensive. However, the point
remains. They are clearly telling us
that one needs to be a member of the Catholic Church to make it into Heaven. They’re not saying that all Catholics are saved, but that only faithful Catholics are.
However, in
all fairness, the Catholic Church does also teach that a non-Catholic can still possibly be saved, if he is
“invincibly ignorant” about the Church, “through no fault of his own” (CCC
#847). We can agree with the concept
that a person who has never heard of Jesus Christ (and perhaps never will) can
still be saved if he reaches out for God (Acts 17:26-27; Romans 1:18-20). But these people are the exceptions to the
rule. We don’t have a problem with these
exceptions. But we do have a problem
with the Catholic Church claiming that the
norm is that no one is saved apart from the Catholic Church. That’s an extraordinary claim, and as we’ve
said many times before, extraordinary
claims require extraordinary proof. But biblical proof of this teaching is not to
be found.
Catholicism’s
concept of “extra ecclesiam nulla salus” exists because of their belief that
they are the “One True Church,” as mentioned earlier. And why do they say this? Mainly because they believe:
- The Catholic Church has all the right sacraments.
- The Catholic Church has “Sacred Tradition.”
- The Catholic Church has a leader in the pope who unifies its people, backed by apostolic succession.
- The Catholic Church has the “four marks of the true church,” and therefore, the fullness of the truth.
But we would
respond in this way:
1) Concerning the sacraments, it is
(supposedly) through these that one can obtain and maintain eternal life,
especially baptism, the Eucharist, and confession to a priest. For the Catholic, the sacraments are
inseparably tied into salvation (CCC #1129).
But there are some major problems with this system of salvation by
works. See here:
2) Concerning “Sacred Tradition,” not
only does this teaching have some special problems, it has an identity crisis,
as well. See here:
3) Concerning the concept of a pope,
there is nothing in Scripture that teaches there is such a person or such a
position in the church. Furthermore, the
Catholic Church’s concept of “apostolic succession” is not scriptural either,
and it is morally and historically unsustainable. See here:
4) Concerning the “four marks of the true church,”
the Catholic Church cannot claim either the fullness of the truth, nor can it
claim all four marks. Actually, they
cannot even claim one of the marks in
the way they define them. See here for a
four-part series of articles addressing this topic:
In
conclusion, this idea that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church is
a trap; it is just as much a trap as Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden (Genesis
3:1-6). The temptations may not
be the same, but the end result is: spiritual death (Genesis 2:16-17).
When a
person joins the Catholic Church, he is hoping to obtain eternal life, but if
he is faithful to the Church’s teachings, he will only have a system which
attempts to gain salvation through faith plus
works - a network of bondage that enslaves its members from cradle to
grave. It is a method in which there is
no power to save. It is precisely the
type of system that the Apostle Paul warned us about in Galatians 1:8-9, one
which condemns the individual because it attempts to add our pitiful, imperfect
works to the perfect, complete, and absolutely sufficient work that Jesus did
on the cross (Romans 5:9; Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:16-20).
The bottom
line is that “No Salvation outside the Catholic Church” is an arrogant and
unscriptural concept that has burdened and entangled millions of souls. So, dear friend, what will you do? Will you give in to the many unproven claims
of the Catholic Church… or will you submit to the simple gospel of Jesus
Christ, which is the power of God unto
salvation (Romans 1:16)?
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