If Scriptura Wasn't Sola

I believe God’s word is true. I don’t believe its current form is untouched. We live in a fallen world and that wouldn’t exempt the bible (or any religious text) from tampering.

If that were proven true my faith would be unshaken. My knowing isn’t based on the written word but Who lives within.

Yours in His Service,

~bella

Albion said:

What that is saying is "No. No matter what evidence comes forth that tends to cast doubt upon the origins of Scripture...I will respond to it by saying it's impossible."

This is in line with what I was thinking when I read your Original Post. For some people, the answer will always and under any circumstances be "no change." If there is something that turns up and raises a question, the response will just be "not going to hear of it...because God."

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It's about the convincing power of the evidence.

What it is saying is that the presented evidence of its untruth is so weak in comparison to the internal evidence of its truth.

thecolorsblend said:

If that's true, why did otherwise faithful Christians contend (for centuries) that non-inspired texts were inspired until they were overruled by Church councils?

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Even now the Canon is not identical for all Christians.

SigurdReginson said:

I love your response! Thank you so much for taking the time to relay your thoughts.

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You’re welcome. We’re frequently on the same page. Have you noticed?

SigurdReginson said:

I love your response! Thank you so much for taking the time to relay your thoughts.

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That speaks volumes too.

thecolorsblend said:

If that's true, why did otherwise faithful Christians contend (for centuries) that non-inspired texts were inspired until they were overruled by Church councils?

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In some instances, it wasn't even the councils but printers marketing to specific segments within Christendom.
As an example, the 1611 Authorized Version KJV has books that most modern KJV only adherents would reject as inspired. The truncated versions are marketed for specific groups, some of which (at least one I'm certain of), do not rely on councils for decision making.

Dave L said:

It tells me a lot that an Atheist, Catholics, and Pentecostals stick together when it comes to Sola-Scriptura.

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Very early on, it became obvious to Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin that Sola Scriptura doesn't work. Only the Radical / Anabaptist Reformers continued to advocate for Sola Scriptura while Luther and others changed their mind during the Peasants' Revolt of 1525,

"During the 1530's, the 'Magisterial Reformation' which followed Luther and Zwingli decreed that only those Christians who were fluent in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin could read the Bible. The rest must acquire biblical teachings through such 'filters' as Luther's Lesser Catechism (1529). Later, the French reformer John Calvin (1509-64) agreed that most Christians were incapable of reading scripture, and his Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559) became the standard Protestant guide to the Bible."

German Peasants' War - Wikipedia

Andrewn said:

Very early on, it became obvious to Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin that Sola Scriptura doesn't work. Only the Radical / Anabaptist Reformers continued to advocate for Sola Scriptura while Luther and others changed their mind during the Peasants' Revolt of 1525,

"During the 1530's, the 'Magisterial Reformation' which followed Luther and Zwingli decreed that only those Christians who were fluent in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin could read the Bible. The rest must acquire biblical teachings through such 'filters' as Luther's Lesser Catechism (1529). Later, the French reformer John Calvin (1509-64) agreed that most Christians were incapable of reading scripture, and his Institutes of the Christian Religion (1559) became the standard Protestant guide to the Bible."

German Peasants' War - Wikipedia

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If you cannot trust scripture, you cannot have saving faith. Scripture proclaims sola scriptura itself.

FenderTL5 said:

In some instances, it wasn't even the councils but printers marketing to specific segments within Christendom.
As an example, the 1611 Authorized Version KJV has books that most modern KJV only adherents would reject as inspired. The truncated versions are marketed for specific groups, some of which (at least one I'm certain of), do not rely on councils for decision making.

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Those books were INCLUDED in the publication because the Church asserts that these books are worth reading for instruction in morals and manners BUT that they are not to be used to determine any doctrine. In other words, they were not represented as additional books of the Bible. Later, publishers dropped the Apocryphal books from their editions.

That's all there is to this. No "as inspired," no "truncated," and no special "groups."

I believe scripture is divinely inspired and will complete the task God intended it to, God all the while knowing it would be written, taught and passed down by infallible men. Some more fallible than others.

SigurdReginson said:

I have!

I think you're someone with a good heart. I wish more christians with your mindset would speak up... I feel folks would appreciate what they had to say.

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Thank you. You’re very kind.

No two people have the same starting point, talents, challenges, or blessings. Our conception of God is influenced by our experiences. As are our beliefs about church. We bring ourselves into the process and can’t be rid of it.

You’ll always have biases, insecurities, and expectations intermingled with the rest. When you understand the human component you can detect the difference between the spirit man and your flesh.

There’s little need for hyper-spiritualization or onewayism. You see the dichotomy and understand sanctification is a process. You give yourself grace and extend the same to others. You don’t spend the day wagging your fingers.

Yours in His Service,

~bella

Dave L said:

If you cannot trust scripture, you cannot have saving faith.

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Are we talking about inerrancy or sola scriptura?

Dave L said:

Scripture proclaims sola scriptura itself.

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I'm sure you cannot prove this.