The whole idea of canon involves a fallacy which is obvious upon consideration of John 10 "My sheep hear my voice," and the prophetic dynamic in the Bible. Also "sacred tradition" is a bogus concept.
That is an example of a rather famous RCC apologetic:
The claim seems to be that the Bible was invented by the RCC;
they canonized it. There was no Bible for 3 centuries until some old ecclesiastical fogies in long ecclesiastical robes, with beards, determined what was the Bible.
Of course the papists seem prone to forget their theory & then argue from isolated passages in the Bible to support the validity of the RCC (A because of B; B because of A -- circular reasoning).
I have yet to see any proof of the following:
1) The old ecclesiastical geezers who listed canonical documents, were papists.
2) Any pope actually existed at the time (does someone have a quote where "papa" is limited to the Bishop of Rome & his special title?) during the geezer era?
3) The sheep did not recognize the Shepherd's Word from the getgo.
John 10 indicates that believers have an innate ability to recognize God's Word. All through the Bible we find prophets uttering God's word & people being responsible at once, without any ecclesiastical canon process.
1 Chron 20:
"35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. 36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him."
There was no possible defense like, "Hol' on there; I gots to consult with the authorities at Jerusalem who will study your prophecy & tell me if it beez CANNONical or merely BB GUNical.
John 10
I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. . . . I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father;
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
1 John 2
And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
1 Thes 1-2
And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit;
. . .
And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe.
The idea that everyone had to wait 3 centuries to know what was God's Word is absurd. First of all, the Lord Jesus endorsed the entire OT using inclusive formula. And He never quoted the apocrypha as Scripture. Then He endorsed His apostles who would be giving God's word after He ascended. It is absurd to think that when the Corinthians received letters from Paul they were not at once responsible to obey them as God's Word. It is absurd to think that once the 7 churches of Asia Minor received the Revelation from John, they were not at once responsible to regard it as God's word & obey it.
The Lord never intended that the people to whom He gave His word in the NT would be sitting around for 3 centuries without knowing they had His Word.
So the idea of canon is bogus.
Moreover, the papal organization did not give us God's Word. And the papal organization is no where in God's word. What is distinctive to the papal RCC is foreign to the NT. There is no praying to idols & Mary; no worship of saints, no robes, no monarchal bishops, no RCC priests (all believers are priests).
The Lord Jesus specifically rebuked those who made religious tradition their authority. The only tradition endorsed in the NT is material that came from prophets/apostles, nothing about anything to come in the future as tradition is endorsed. No future tradition of church fathers to come is ever endorsed. It is an endorsement of past material, God's Word. The RCC term "sacred tradition" is bogus.
That is an example of a rather famous RCC apologetic:
The claim seems to be that the Bible was invented by the RCC;
they canonized it. There was no Bible for 3 centuries until some old ecclesiastical fogies in long ecclesiastical robes, with beards, determined what was the Bible.
Of course the papists seem prone to forget their theory & then argue from isolated passages in the Bible to support the validity of the RCC (A because of B; B because of A -- circular reasoning).
I have yet to see any proof of the following:
1) The old ecclesiastical geezers who listed canonical documents, were papists.
2) Any pope actually existed at the time (does someone have a quote where "papa" is limited to the Bishop of Rome & his special title?) during the geezer era?
3) The sheep did not recognize the Shepherd's Word from the getgo.
John 10 indicates that believers have an innate ability to recognize God's Word. All through the Bible we find prophets uttering God's word & people being responsible at once, without any ecclesiastical canon process.
1 Chron 20:
"35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. 36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him."
There was no possible defense like, "Hol' on there; I gots to consult with the authorities at Jerusalem who will study your prophecy & tell me if it beez CANNONical or merely BB GUNical.
John 10
I am the door of the sheep. All that came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and go out, and shall find pasture. . . . I am the good shepherd; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father;
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish,
1 John 2
And ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and ye know all the things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and because no lie is of the truth.
1 Thes 1-2
And ye became imitators of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit;
. . .
And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe.
The idea that everyone had to wait 3 centuries to know what was God's Word is absurd. First of all, the Lord Jesus endorsed the entire OT using inclusive formula. And He never quoted the apocrypha as Scripture. Then He endorsed His apostles who would be giving God's word after He ascended. It is absurd to think that when the Corinthians received letters from Paul they were not at once responsible to obey them as God's Word. It is absurd to think that once the 7 churches of Asia Minor received the Revelation from John, they were not at once responsible to regard it as God's word & obey it.
The Lord never intended that the people to whom He gave His word in the NT would be sitting around for 3 centuries without knowing they had His Word.
So the idea of canon is bogus.
Moreover, the papal organization did not give us God's Word. And the papal organization is no where in God's word. What is distinctive to the papal RCC is foreign to the NT. There is no praying to idols & Mary; no worship of saints, no robes, no monarchal bishops, no RCC priests (all believers are priests).
The Lord Jesus specifically rebuked those who made religious tradition their authority. The only tradition endorsed in the NT is material that came from prophets/apostles, nothing about anything to come in the future as tradition is endorsed. No future tradition of church fathers to come is ever endorsed. It is an endorsement of past material, God's Word. The RCC term "sacred tradition" is bogus.
