Who is The Final Authorit?

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Mar 17, 2009
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[SIZE=+2]Who is The Final Authority?[/SIZE]

copied from http://www.chick.com/reading/books/160/160auth.asp


Before we begin our examination of specific Roman Catholic doctrines, we must determine who will be the final authority.
Here we encounter our first major discrepancy. The Bible maintains that itis the one and only final authority, while Catholicism teaches that three final authorities exist. The 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church declares:
"It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls." (Pg. 29, #95)​
According to this passage, the Scriptures, church tradition (teachings handed down through the ages), and the Magisterium (the task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God) are all equal in importance. (See also Pg. 25, #82.)
According to Catholic doctrine, church tradition and the magisterium are just as much the Word of God as are the written Scriptures:
"Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And (Holy) Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. " (Pg. 26, #81)​
The obvious question is, what happens when these three "final authorities" disagree with each other? The Catechism gives this answer:
"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church alone. This means that the task of interpretation has been entruste d to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome." (Pg. 27, #85)​
It is important to note that when the Catechism explains that the task of interpreting the Word of God was entrusted to the "Church," it is referring exclusively to the Roman Catholic church. Such is the case throughout the Catechism. "The Church" always refers to the Roman Catholic church.
The Catechism repeats the same doctrine using different words:
"For, of course, all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and m inistry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God." (Pg. 34, #119)​
Therefore, the Catechism concludes that the one final authority is not the Bible, but the current teaching of the Catholic church, since she is the only one qualified to provide an "authentic in-terpretation" of God's Word.
Does the Bible agree?
If the Bible, tradition and the teachings of the Catholic church are all, in fact, the Word of God, then the Bible will concur with this teaching. Unfortunately for Catholicism, it does not . In fact, quite the contrary is true. God declares in the Bible that His written Word always has been, and always will be - perfect:
"Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever." Psalm 119: 160"The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Psalm 12:6-7
The Bible boldly declares that it is the only final authority:
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."John 17:17​
In the book of Revelation, God delivers this blistering warning about tampering with His written Word:
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Revelation 22:18-19​
The Apostle Paul advises Bible readers how they should react to those who teach doctrines contrary to God's written Word:
"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." Romans 16:17-18​
Paul admonishes true believers to avoid anyone who teaches doctrines contrary to the written Scriptures. He also reveals the consequences of believing such false teachings:
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach anyother gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:8​
Then Paul immediately repeats himself:
"As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:9​
Thus, when Catholic doctrine contradicts God's written Word, those who side against the Holy Scriptures will be "accursed."
The writer of Proverbs delivers the same stern warning to anyone who would dare change the written Word of God:
"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Proverbs 30:5-6
God's Word is settled forever
God pronounces that His Word was written once and has been forever settled:
"For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven." Psalm 119:89"But the word of the Lord endureth for ever..." 1 Peter 1:25
"... the word of our God shall stand for ever." Isaiah 40:8
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Peter 1:23

God's Word is perfect
God's Word can't change because it's perfect just the way it is:
"The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul..." Psalm 19:7​
Catholicism claims that only the leadership of the Catholic church can properly interpret the written Word, but the Bible disagrees:
"... no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:21​
Where does God want people to obtain their doctrine... from a priest - or from the Bible?
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" 2 Timothy 3:16​
Paul is not alluding to the magisterium or church tradition here because the previous verse reads:
"And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Timothy 3:15​
Since the Catholic church was not yet in existence when Paul penned these words, he could not have been referring to the teachings of Catholicism.
Did God give away His authority?
As these and hundreds of other scripture verses make plain, God never gave anyone the authority to add to or change His Word. It's perfect and complete, just as He wrote it.
One of the first questions you must answer for yourself is, "Did God violate all these Scriptures by giving the pope and the Catholic church the right to change His Word, though He said He never would?"
The Pharisees
While Jesus walked the earth, He publicly rebuked the Pharisees, the religious leaders of his day:
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men..." Mark 7:7-8​
Jesus was upset that the Pharisees had elevated their tradition above God's Word because He knows that the Word of God leads people to eternal life, while the traditions of men lead people to eternal destruction.
Though these religious leaders obeyed all the rules of their religion, look what Jesus said awaited them:
"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the ****ation of hell?" Matthew 23:33​
When the Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples transgressed the traditions of the elders, Jesus answered them with a question of His own:
"Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Matthew 15:3​
Jesus always elevated the Scriptures above traditions:
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." Matthew 22:29​
God's unchanging Word has always been the final authority, never the traditions of men:
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."Colossians 2:8​
Christians in New Testament times knew what the final authority was:
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11​
To determine if what they had heard was true, these people went to the final authority, the written Scriptures. Jesus says of His Words:
"... If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings..." John 14:23-24​
Consider these words from the Apostle Paul:
"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God..." 1 Thessalonians 2:13​
When Paul preached the Word of God to these people, it was not Catholic doctrine because Catholicism didn't exist yet.
Conclusion
God doesn't change (Malachi 3:6) because He is perfect. His Son, Jesus, doesn't change (Hebrews 13:8) because He is perfect. Why, then, should God's perfect Word keep changing?
As you read the remainder of this book, you will be forced to decide which you believe is the final authority: God's written Word, or the teachings and traditions of the Catholic church.
Your decision will become critical as you discover that God's Word and the teachings of Catholicism are diametrically opposed on every doctrine we will examine.
Will you side with the words of God or the traditions of men?
"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my wordsshall not pass away." Matthew 24:35​
Note: Since the written Scriptures plainly state that they alone are the Word of God, for the remainder of this book, all references to the Word of God or God's Word will refer to the written Scriptures only, not the traditions of the Catholic church or the magisterium.


copied from http://www.chick.com/reading/books/160/160auth.asp
Table of Contents http://www.chick.com/reading/books/160/160cont.asp
 
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leapfrogger

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#3
You lose credibility the moment you use Jack Chick as a source. He's a hack even to fellow protestants.
 
Mar 17, 2009
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Correction, I lost credibility with "you" the moment I used Jack Chick's web site. That being said, the information is hosted on Jack Chick's web site but is actually from an author named Rick Jones.

Also, a classic sign that someone is losing an argument is when they use ad hominem, appeal to majority oppinion, or guilt by association responses. They are closely related yet distinct responses. Ad hominem is an attack against the person presenting an argument rather than the facts of the argument. Appeal to majority opinion accuses someone of being wrong because everyone else. Guilt by association is saying someone is wrong because someone else you don't like agreed with them.

In this case you have engaged in all of the above. You attempt to, at the very least, cast doubt in the minds of the reader simply because you and people you prefer to listen to don't like the source or in this case the middle-man. You made no attempt to refute the information or provide any specifics.

So by all means, go ahead and respond to the scriptures presented by Rick Jones and tell us why he is wrong, but please do not insult my intelligence and that of every reader of this thread by dismissing them outright simply because Jack Chick got permission to re-print the information on his website. And, please, don't waste time using this thread to tell us all why Jack Chick is wrong. If you had information about Rick Jones you might have grounds to present that information, but this threat is about the question of "Who is The Final Authority?" in the Christian life. If you want to start a separate thread to rant about why you disagree with Jack Chick, by all means, start one. But please, respect the readers that might check this thread to think about the topic title and don't hijack this thread for your own ad hominem rabbit trails.
 
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leapfrogger

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#5
Haha, I got a good chuckle out of your response. Your history is dead. I'm not even Catholic try harder. I won't refute this garbage because it's been dismantled by better men and women than I. Who gave you the Scriptures?
 
Mar 17, 2009
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#6
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Timothy 3:16

We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 1:19-21
 
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swat4christ

Guest
#7
Haha, I got a good chuckle out of your response. Your history is dead. I'm not even Catholic try harder. I won't refute this garbage because it's been dismantled by better men and women than I. Who gave you the Scriptures?
No, the real truth is that YOU WOULD refute it IF YOU COULD. Because of your obvious unfounded arrogance, you would be quick to try and save face if you had it in you - apparently you don't. If I'm wrong, then prove it by dealing with the texts given. Or at least provide the refutations of those "better men and women" you say have already "dismantled this garbage." Having been raised Roman Catholic and having gone through extensive pre-seminary indoctrination as a youth, I would like to see what refutations you have. By the way, I no longer trust that INSTITUTION for my salvation - rather I solely place my faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and rely on the Scriptures as my source of truth. Understand, I may not be a fan of Jack Chick either, or a hundred other Christian authors, but what does that have to do with the truth of Scripture?
 
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sweetlybroken1

Guest
#8
Wow a couple of the replies seem a bit harsh. Leapfrogger was correct in his statement- Jack Chick is not the most trusted individual because he has been known to rewrite historical things to prove a point. But having read this article by Rick Jones it seems as if there is no false information presented (other than perhaps a few misinterpretations).

I believe Leapfrogger was asking who compiled the scriptures, not who gave the scriptures. Is it not the church that determined which of the new testament books were to be a part of sacred scriptures?

I'd also like to ask you about tradition. From the article I've gathered that the traditions of men are wrong. What about God given traditions?

I'll be looking forward to your replies. And just to clarify, I am not a Roman Catholic (just an interested Protestant looking to learn more about the unknown).
 
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leapfrogger

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#9
No, the real truth is that YOU WOULD refute it IF YOU COULD. Because of your obvious unfounded arrogance, you would be quick to try and save face if you had it in you - apparently you don't. If I'm wrong, then prove it by dealing with the texts given. Or at least provide the refutations of those "better men and women" you say have already "dismantled this garbage." Having been raised Roman Catholic and having gone through extensive pre-seminary indoctrination as a youth, I would like to see what refutations you have. By the way, I no longer trust that INSTITUTION for my salvation - rather I solely place my faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior and rely on the Scriptures as my source of truth. Understand, I may not be a fan of Jack Chick either, or a hundred other Christian authors, but what does that have to do with the truth of Scripture?

Your love is shining through so much it's blinding me. You have already made up your mind on the matter so what would be the point of posting links and paragraph after paragraph of information? Just so we can have division upon division. Just go to the Catholic Answers website. Or Catholicbridge.com search around like I have. If you really want me to post all of that here just so we can argue some more I"ll do it. But, like I said, you have already made up your own mind. I'm not an apologists but the random attacks here are both sickening and sad. I also appreciate what you consider what I "have in me" or not. You actually remind me of me about five years ago. I do not one to go down the bitter angry road again.
 
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swat4christ

Guest
#10
Your love is shining through so much it's blinding me. You have already made up your mind on the matter so what would be the point of posting links and paragraph after paragraph of information? Just so we can have division upon division. Just go to the Catholic Answers website. Or Catholicbridge.com search around like I have. If you really want me to post all of that here just so we can argue some more I"ll do it. But, like I said, you have already made up your own mind. I'm not an apologists but the random attacks here are both sickening and sad. I also appreciate what you consider what I "have in me" or not. You actually remind me of me about five years ago. I do not one to go down the bitter angry road again.
I agree. You have definitely been blinded. 2Corinthians 4:3-4
 
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