First, when you say, “I just go by what the Word says: no less and no more…”, this in itself is a doctrinal statement – well, more of a creed if you will. Is it man-made? Sure – not in a bad way, though – it’s a statement made by you, and you are part of mankind. Doctrinal statements and creeds (I recognize that I’m bringing up the subject of creeds here, and that creeds may not have been mention previous to this post in this thread), are an organized presentation of what men and women before us have put together as they studied the scriptures themselves. As you study the scriptures, you’ll come up with your own doctrinal statements. For example, “Salvation through faith alone” is a doctrinal statement.
Yeah, of course you are right - so I did make a doctrinal statement - OK - now what? LOL!
Second, and I hope this doesn’t open a whole can of worms, so I’ll not say what I believe regarding the rapture, but do you hold to the teaching that Christ will rapture the church from the earth prior to a time of great tribulation? Did you know that the word “rapture” never occurs in the Bible, nor is it ever explicitly taught in the Bible to occur? It’s assumed – whether right or wrong – because of the perceived absence of the church after a certain point in Revelation.
My point isn’t to say whether or not this doctrine is right or wrong, but rather to present a possible doctrine that you may agree with that may find its place in the category that you place the 5 Solas in.
Also, what are our pastors doing on Sunday mornings except sharing with us what they’ve come away from the Scriptures with? It’s doctrine, Lord willing, sound doctrine, but doctrine none-the-less.
On the "rapture": everything you say I agree with - My opinion leans toward a rapture, but I do not begin with that or state it as something I believe. The Scriptures need to be our starting point - not a statement like: "I believe in a midtrib rapture, etc."
You mention the "Trinity" doctrine later here: I have no squabbles with the "doctrine of the Trinity" - but I do not post it on my door or quote it when I preach. If I want to speak about the Godhead, I will use the Bible and not church doctrine.
You mention that we won’t find the 5 Solas mentioned anywhere in Scripture. Do you mean that we won’t find them as an explicit list in the Scriptures, or that they have no support in the Scriptures? I want to make sure I’m answering your response adequately, and not making a false assumption on what is meant.
Any cry of a creed or doctrinal statement without fully understanding what is meant by it, and without living out what is taught by it certainly can and does lead to lukewarmness and passivity. I agree with you on this point.
At the same time, we shouldn’t toss the baby out with the bathwater. There are many who know what is meant by “Faith Alone”, and hold to that truth without hypocrisy. Should they be discouraged from holding that as one of their doctrinal statements? Should we leave off with using “Faith Alone” because some got it wrong – and discourage the proper use of it by others who hold to its truth?
On the 5 Solas - Of course you won't find the list in Scripture - and your question "or that they have no support in the Scriptures"? I won't even go there because the approach is backward. The question assumes starting with the 5 solas and finding evidence for them. Of course you will find "evidence" for them and you will argue it. I much prefer to discuss the Scripture verses instead of trying to defend a doctrinal statement!.
If you write out for me what the 5 solas mean to you, I will likely agree with most of it. But I will likely respond by saying that it is missing key thoughts of Scripture.
Our starting point must be the Scriptural text.
The "faith alone" statement is a classic example of this quandary. At its core the emphasis is that we are saved by faith, and not by works. 100% true and I agree. But we are not saved by "faith alone" - in fact a faith alone is a dead faith according to James. Hence I start with Scripture . . . (My view of course!)
At the same time, we shouldn’t toss the baby out with the bathwater. There are many who know what is meant by “Faith Alone”, and hold to that truth without hypocrisy. Should they be discouraged from holding that as one of their doctrinal statements? Should we leave off with using “Faith Alone” because some got it wrong – and discourage the proper use of it by others who hold to its truth?
LOL! With the "faith alone" I have thrown the baby out with the bath water - and I am not bringing either back in - LOL!
In some settings and places for some people, maybe using that phrase is helpful: but for me where I am it has been detrimental and devastating!
I’ve included the quotes from your post, not to pick what you said apart, but to show where various parts of my response is addressing what you said. I’m not sure if that’s standard practice on CC, but I know it can be perceived as nit-picky. My intent is sincere.
Also, I appreciate your thoughtful interaction here! Thank you. I hope we can continue to dialogue together on these matters. If I’ve omitted anything in my response that you wanted me to address, please let me know. I’ll be glad to revisit and respond to anything I might have missed.
It is an accepted practice and often helpful to do as you did. But don't pick a quote from someone apart to make it say what they did not intend - that will get you in hot water on CC very quickly. I don't know that you have omitted anything: and the "normal" here on CC is that you do not have to and are not necessarily expected to respond to every detail someone might ask. You can just politely respond with an overall response to a longer text. We all know we have other things other than CC in our lives! (except for a few folks around here . . .
) And with that I am out until at least Monday . . .