Scriptura

It would be wrong to deny that there are differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants. It would be even more wrong to deny that there far more similarities between the two. One of the chief differences comes down to authority and I thought I’d say a word on it here.

One of the cornerstones of the Protestant Reformation was the idea of Sola Scriptura (Latin for “by Scripture alone”). The idea being that the Bible alone should be the basis for faith and practice in a believer’s life. In contrast, the Catholic Church believes in Apostolic Succession, the idea that when the 12 Apostles died they passed on the office of apostle and it has since passed down to this very day. Because of this, someone (in this case the Pope) has the same rights as the Apostles to introduce new doctrines and practices. So the Protestant Reformers believe in the Bible alone for faith and practice while the Catholic Church believed in the Bible AND the teachings of the Popes.

In fairness, I must also mention that this issue doesn’t just touch on Protestant and Catholic differences. There are others out there who believe in authorities beyond the Bible. Some believe they have the Apostolic Succession, some that they have modern day prophets and still others that they have other forms of modern day revelation (seers, angelic visitations, etc). How then can those that believe in the Bible alone and those that believe in the Bible plus some other authority ever get along? Should they even try? I believe that in most cases they should, by being generous.

Having been in several and witnessing several other debates on whether the Bible is the only source of authority for believers I’ve come to one inescapable conclusion: the odds other neither side will give in. So the choices then would be to either cut off ties with the other side of the issue or somehow agree to disagree and be generous on this point. I know both Protestants and Catholics that feel that the other side are not really Christians. They choose the former solution, but that leads to ill will and they miss out on opportunities where they could minister together for the good of all. How then can we be generous about this point? By focusing on what we do have in common, the Bible.

All Christians believe that the Bible authority to teach faith and practice in our lives. Some believe in other authorities as well (Pope, seer, prophet, etc) but on the authority of Scripture we all must agree. As I posted before, the best way to handle differences it to focus on what we have in common rather that what we differ on. In this case the authority of the Bible.

What I propose then is that instead of fighting over Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), we instead accept the idea of Prima Scriptura (Scripture first) and agree to disagree on whatever is left that the Bible doesn’t speak to. The idea is that the Bible should come first as the authority for faith and practice. Then if some group wanted to accept some other authority, that’s fine for them, just as long as the other authority doesn’t contradict the Bible. If, however, someone has a “new” authority that contradicts the Bible, then that is a different issue that we cannot be generous about. We know that the Bible is from God. We know that God cannot contradict Himself. Therefore any “revelation” that contradicts the Bible contradicts God and cannot then be from God.

Whether you are a diehard Protestant or a hard-core Roman Catholic or believer in modern-day prophets and/or revelations let’s all agree to the authority of the Bible first. If these other authorities don’t contradict the Bible, let’s agree to disagree. Then, when ministry opportunities arise that are totally within the Bible, we can work side-by-side as brothers and sisters in Christ. When ministry goes beyond the Bible, we must agree to disagree, possibly debating the point, but always with grace and generosity as befits believers in Christ.

There is a catch though. A difference that goes beyond the Bible can be OK, but one that contradicts that Bible is not. The catch is that the only way we can tell the difference is if we know what the Bible really says. You can’t be generous with money when your pockets are empty, nor can you be generous in your faith when your mind is empty. Scriptural generosity requires first that we know what the Bible says. But that is a post for another day.

ybic (Your Brother In Christ)
KevinS

Generous Apologist in training

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Sola Scriptura - Latin for "by Scripture alone". The idea that the Bible should be the sole authority for faith and practice.

Apostolic Succession - The idea that the authority of the 12 Apostles was passed down through the ages to the modern day so that some today hold the same authority as the Apostles did, including creating new doctrines and practice.

Prima Scriptura - Latin for "first by Scripture". The idea that whatever other authority for faith and practice you want to follow, you must first accept the Bible as primary and that all other sources of authority cannot contradict what the Bible says.