Sola Scriptura

[DustyRhodes]

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of
self destruction. A place where back sliding is more
common than growth in holiness. By church leaders'
own admission, people are leaving churches in droves.
Both Jesus and Paul knew that rules and requirements
were just to get you seriously engaged with the need for
grace and mercy; they were never an end in themselves.

Using "Stairway to heaven" as a metaphor, the words of
scripture are meant to inspire us to climb those stairs to
reach oneness with God. To surrender our own will for
the sake of ingesting His will. At this point, we will be
reacting to things in life with an inner commitment to
Him. As is written by Paul, "You show that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Make no mistake, I do not proclaim that God's word is not
important; far from it. I am simply saying that the words
were written for inspiration and not for intellectualization.
Words to be written upon our hearts, not our brains. We
are saved by faith through grace not by knowledge alone.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Faith in the words of God is also faith in the Word of God, as Christ also speaks the words of God.

Matthew 4:4
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

 

[Depleted]

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of
self destruction. A place where back sliding is more
common than growth in holiness. By church leaders'
own admission, people are leaving churches in droves.
Both Jesus and Paul knew that rules and requirements
were just to get you seriously engaged with the need for
grace and mercy; they were never an end in themselves.

Using "Stairway to heaven" as a metaphor, the words of
scripture are meant to inspire us to climb those stairs to
reach oneness with God. To surrender our own will for
the sake of ingesting His will. At this point, we will be
reacting to things in life with an inner commitment to
Him. As is written by Paul, "You show that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Make no mistake, I do not proclaim that God's word is not
important; far from it. I am simply saying that the words
were written for inspiration and not for intellectualization.
Words to be written upon our hearts, not our brains. We
are saved by faith through grace not by knowledge alone.

This is true.

It is also why there are FIVE Solas, not merely one.

Sola Fide
Sola Scriptura
Sola Christus
Sola Gratia
Soli Deo Gloria.

By faith alone.
By scripture alone.
By Christ alone.
By grace alone.
By the glory of God alone!!!

That you think it's merely inspirational is disturbing though, especially after you tried to intellectualize part of slogan.

 

[SovereignGrace]

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of
self destruction.

Words like this have no place on a Christian forum.

 

[stonesoffire]

The scriptures portray the work of Spirit. I kind of agree with the OP. But, it's progressive understanding is it not? Meaning being one with God.

That is what I see as Tabernacles.

 

[SovereignGrace]

A missionary is out witnessing to ppl, when he, or she, asks someone if they have ever heard about the Christ. They say no, but what could they tell them about Him? What do they use? Time magazine? Reader's Digest? Good Housekeeping? The TV Guide? No. The scriptures. Paul reasoned from them, the Bereans searched them daily. Without the scriptures, we know nothing about the Christ.

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of
self destruction. A place where back sliding is more
common than growth in holiness. By church leaders'
own admission, people are leaving churches in droves.
Both Jesus and Paul knew that rules and requirements
were just to get you seriously engaged with the need for
grace and mercy; they were never an end in themselves.

Using "Stairway to heaven" as a metaphor, the words of
scripture are meant to inspire us to climb those stairs to
reach oneness with God. To surrender our own will for
the sake of ingesting His will. At this point, we will be
reacting to things in life with an inner commitment to
Him. As is written by Paul, "You show that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Make no mistake, I do not proclaim that God's word is not
important; far from it. I am simply saying that the words
were written for inspiration and not for intellectualization.
Words to be written upon our hearts, not our brains. We
are saved by faith through grace not by knowledge alone.

 

[Desertsrose]

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of

self destruction. A place where back sliding is more
common than growth in holiness. By church leaders'
own admission, people are leaving churches in droves.
Both Jesus and Paul knew that rules and requirements
were just to get you seriously engaged with the need for
grace and mercy; they were never an end in themselves.

Using "Stairway to heaven" as a metaphor, the words of
scripture are meant to inspire us to climb those stairs to
reach oneness with God. To surrender our own will for
the sake of ingesting His will. At this point, we will be
reacting to things in life with an inner commitment to
Him. As is written by Paul, "You show that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Make no mistake, I do not proclaim that God's word is not
important; far from it. I am simply saying that the words
were written for inspiration and not for intellectualization.
Words to be written upon our hearts, not our brains. We
are saved by faith through grace not by knowledge alone.

Hi Dusty,

I can't say that I really understand that part either. I haven't found that word *alone* after the word scripture in any of the bible versions I've read.

I guess I would agree that more is involved, but I'm not sure what those who use that term really means by it. So I don't know if I'm in disagreement or not.

What I would disagree with what you said is that about reaching oneness with God. The minute I was born again I became one with the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ. And now, through the power of the Holy Spirit, through prayer and through the reading and studying of God's word I'm growing more and more into that oneness, but won't be totally one until His return.

Also, God's words are not written FOR inspiration, THEY ARE inspired words written by the hand of God through His servants. God has us engage our heart, our soul, our MIND and our strength in love and worship of Him.

2 Timothy 3:16,17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Look at that scripture there. What is scripture good for?
- teaching
- rebuking
- correcting
- training in righteous
- to be thoroughly equipped for every good work

 

[John146]

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of
self destruction. A place where back sliding is more
common than growth in holiness. By church leaders'
own admission, people are leaving churches in droves.
Both Jesus and Paul knew that rules and requirements
were just to get you seriously engaged with the need for
grace and mercy; they were never an end in themselves.

Using "Stairway to heaven" as a metaphor, the words of
scripture are meant to inspire us to climb those stairs to
reach oneness with God. To surrender our own will for
the sake of ingesting His will. At this point, we will be
reacting to things in life with an inner commitment to
Him. As is written by Paul, "You show that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Make no mistake, I do not proclaim that God's word is not
important; far from it. I am simply saying that the words
were written for inspiration and not for intellectualization.
Words to be written upon our hearts, not our brains. We
are saved by faith through grace not by knowledge alone.

Trusting in things outside the word of truth leads to destruction. You are promoting a dangerous doctrine not found in Scripture, but hey, if you're not trusting in Scripture alone then it does not matter. Right?

 

[John146]

This is true.

It is also why there are FIVE Solas, not merely one.

Sola Fide
Sola Scriptura
Sola Christus
Sola Gratia
Soli Deo Gloria.

By faith alone.
By scripture alone.
By Christ alone.
By grace alone.
By the glory of God alone!!!

That you think it's merely inspirational is disturbing though, especially after you tried to intellectualize part of slogan.

When you put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you were trusting the Scriptures to be true. They cannot be separated.

 

[DustyRhodes]

As I expected when I made this post; totally misunderstood. You preach with God within you, that way the words matter cuz people see your heart before they listen to your words. Jesus didn't preach the "word" to the crowds, He revealed God to the world through Himself. I do realize brainwashed thinking will continue to exist. To suggest these words have no place in Christianity is nonsense, but truly I expected it.

 

[Depleted]

As I expected when I made this post; totally misunderstood. You preach with God within you, that way the words matter cuz people see your heart before they listen to your words. Jesus didn't preach the "word" to the crowds, He revealed God to the world through Himself. I do realize brainwashed thinking will continue to exist. To suggest these words have no place in Christianity is nonsense, but truly I expected it.

Jesus didn't teach the "Word?" You might want to reread John 1 again. Jesus IS the Word, and he constantly taught about himself and his Father.

That we don't believe you is a totally different matter.

 

[Magenta]

For centuries the Roman Catholic Church had made its traditions superior in authority to the Bible. This resulted in many practices that were in fact contradictory to the Bible. Some examples are prayer to saints and/or Mary, the immaculate conception, transubstantiation, infant baptism, indulgences, and papal authority. Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church and father of the Protestant Reformation, was publicly rebuking the Catholic Church for its unbiblical teachings. The Catholic Church threatened Martin Luther with excommunication (and death) if he did not recant. Martin Luther's reply was, “Unless therefore I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture, or by the clearest reasoning, unless I am persuaded by means of the passages I have quoted, and unless they thus render my conscience bound by the Word of God, I cannot and will not retract, for it is unsafe for a Christian to speak against his conscience. Here I stand, I can do no other; may God help me! Amen!”

The primary Catholic argument against sola scriptura is that the Bible does not explicitly teach sola scriptura. Catholics argue that the Bible nowhere states that it is the only authoritative guide for faith and practice. While this is true, they fail to recognize a crucially important issue. We know that the Bible is the Word of God. The Bible declares itself to be God-breathed, inerrant, and authoritative. We also know that God does not change His mind or contradict Himself. So, while the Bible itself may not explicitly argue for sola scriptura, it most definitely does not allow for traditions that contradict its message. Sola scriptura is not as much of an argument against tradition as it is an argument against unbiblical, extra-biblical and/or anti-biblical doctrines. The only way to know for sure what God expects of us is to stay true to what we know He has revealed—the Bible. We can know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that Scripture is true, authoritative, and reliable. The same cannot be said of tradition.

The Word of God is the only authority for the Christian faith. Traditions are valid only when they are based on Scripture and are in full agreement 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 your spiritual life on the Bible alone and rejecting any tradition or teaching that is not in full agreement with the Bible. Second Timothy 2:15 declares, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

Through the careful study of God’s Word, it is clear that many church traditions which have developed over the centuries are in fact contradictory to the Word of God. This is where sola scriptura applies. Traditions that are based on, and in agreement with, God’s Word can be maintained. Traditions that are not based on, and/or disagree with, God’s Word must be rejected. Sola scriptura points us back to what God has revealed to us in His Word. Sola scriptura ultimately points us back to the God who always speaks the truth, never contradicts Himself, and always proves Himself to be dependable. https://www.gotquestions.org/sola-scriptura.html

 

[Laish]

As I expected when I made this post; totally misunderstood. You preach with God within you, that way the words matter cuz people see your heart before they listen to your words. Jesus didn't preach the "word" to the crowds, He revealed God to the world through Himself. I do realize brainwashed thinking will continue to exist. To suggest these words have no place in Christianity is nonsense, but truly I expected it.

Hello DustyRoads
If you expected this response why post it brother? I read the whole post and agree with parts. It was not until I got to the last paragraph that I saw where you are coming from though . I find most (not all ) folks get a feel for a post in the first sentences . So you may have lost some right there . May I kindly suggest try entering into a dialogue with people. Ask questions and share your solution to what you see as a problem. Engage with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ . See what their suggestions are . Then we all might learn something.
Blessings
Bill

 

[stonesoffire]

A young man that I listen to just recently said this (my words, not exactly his)....that one can minister out of the anointing, but there comes a time when we will minister out of the cloud.

I think this is what this gentle man is saying. I didn't misspell.

It is true that we are one in Spirit initially, but everything in the spiritual is ours given, but then we come to experience.

 

[preacher4truth]

As I expected when I made this post;

Hello DustyRhodes,

Well, there would be what is called a given when posting such things as to how others would respond. That being said, you're taking this Sola out of its context and original intentions then belittling a caricature. So of course people would take issue with it.

totally misunderstood.

I believe total misrepresentation in the OP is the real issue.

You preach with God within you, that way the words matter cuz people see your heart before they listen to your words. Jesus didn't preach the "word" to the crowds, He revealed God to the world through Himself. I do realize brainwashed thinking will continue to exist. To suggest these words have no place in Christianity is nonsense, but truly I expected it.

And the last above, nothing in it being Scriptural, pure emotionalism, some demeaning comments (after telling us all to show a loving heart) and pragmatism. This is generally the ending result of trivializing 2 Timothy 4:3 after misrepresenting a Sola.

 

[posthuman]

perhaps to summarize,

be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
(James 1:22)​

 

[Chester]

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of
self destruction. A place where back sliding is more
common than growth in holiness. By church leaders'
own admission, people are leaving churches in droves.
Both Jesus and Paul knew that rules and requirements
were just to get you seriously engaged with the need for
grace and mercy; they were never an end in themselves.

Using "Stairway to heaven" as a metaphor, the words of
scripture are meant to inspire us to climb those stairs to
reach oneness with God. To surrender our own will for
the sake of ingesting His will. At this point, we will be
reacting to things in life with an inner commitment to
Him. As is written by Paul, "You show that you are a
letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."

Make no mistake, I do not proclaim that God's word is not
important; far from it. I am simply saying that the words
were written for inspiration and not for intellectualization.
Words to be written upon our hearts, not our brains. We
are saved by faith through grace not by knowledge alone.

Interesting OP and I think I mostly agree - at least with the sentiment I think you are trying to express.

Do I believe in Scripture and the truth of Scripture? Absolutely - Yes!

But is there truth only in Scripture? Depends how you view it or what you are trying to say. Jesus himself is truth and He is the Word (logos) - so in one sense it is true to say that there is truth in Scripture only. But sometimes this is taken to the extent that truth becomes a mere intellectual pursuit rather than a relationship! I think this is part of what you are trying to say - and I agree!

Sola Scriptura? There is also The Father, the Son, and the Spirit - and these are three in one!

But Sola Scriptura from a historical viewpoint means that the Bible contains all that is needed to lead us to Christ! It is an all-sufficient and complete revelation from Almighty God! And with that I agree!

 

[DustyRhodes]

yes this was mostly my message...we cannot simply intellectualize scripture....memorize it and by knowing it feel that is all that is necessary to do...i've written this from my experience interacting with other Christians...it seems they've been forced into the attitude that it is all that needs to be done...in my view, Christianity is a 24/7 commitment to the love of our Lord...we must not only be Jesus but also live Jesus...not only spout words..btw it's been criticized that i missed something about the word...i didn't at any point trivialize the word and mislead anyone that it should be thrown out and ignored...simply i was saying Christianity is a verb not a noun.

 

[JimmieD]

Sola scriptura alone leads Christianity to a place of
self destruction.

Do you have data to demonstrate this?

Also, isn't "sola scriptura alone" a little redundant?

By church leaders'
own admission, people are leaving churches in droves.

Assuming this is even true, can you demonstrate it's because of sola scriptura? I doubt it.

Using "Stairway to heaven" as a metaphor,

Proof by metaphor? Not good form.

 

[Chester]

yes this was mostly my message...we cannot simply intellectualize scripture....memorize it and by knowing it feel that is all that is necessary to do...i've written this from my experience interacting with other Christians...it seems they've been forced into the attitude that it is all that needs to be done...in my view, Christianity is a 24/7 commitment to the love of our Lord...we must not only be Jesus but also live Jesus...not only spout words..btw it's been criticized that i missed something about the word...i didn't at any point trivialize the word and mislead anyone that it should be thrown out and ignored...simply i was saying Christianity is a verb not a noun.

Hint: I assume that on post #18 you were referring to post #17. If so, if you hit the "reply with quote" option it will allow others to see what post you are responding to . . .

That is what I did for this post - I hit the "reply with quote" option under your post # 18