St. Paul Demonstrating Sola Scriptura In Scripture

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Rick Otto

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Acts17:[10] And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
[11] 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.

Sola Scriptura is simply searching the scriptures to see if whatever you hear from wherever is true (within context). This passage also shows how the NT gospel Paul was telling them could be verified by the types & shadows as well as the prophecies in the OT scriptures.
 

drjean

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:thumbsup: Perhaps where some become confused is thinking when they read "if it isn't in God's Word=the Bible, I won't believe it" and apply that to everything in life, such as science and maths... it's applicable to God's Word. If it isn't in the Holy Bible (Old Testament/Torah and New Testament) then I won't believe that it's the Word of God.

Another way they may become confused is to assume that our concept of sufficiency denies the work of the Holy Spirit. It speaks to the now written Word of God, sola Scriptura!
 
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childofdust

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Rick Otto said:
Sola Scriptura is simply searching the scriptures to see if whatever you hear from wherever is true (within context). This passage also shows how the NT gospel Paul was telling them could be verified by the types & shadows as well as the prophecies in the OT scriptures.


In order for what you say to be true (that “searched the scriptures daily” means the same thing as Sola Scriptura), you need to provide evidence that the texts Sola Scriptura refers to are the same texts that were being “searched” in Acts 17:11.

So by all means show us what scriptures those were that they were searching through in Acts 17:11. Did those scriptures include Baruch? 1 Enoch? The Community Rule? Herodotus? Plato? Esther? Were their scriptures Hebrew? Aramaic? Greek? Latin? A combination? If a combination, which ones were which?
 
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patience7

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Acts17:[10] And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
[11] 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.

Sola Scriptura is simply searching the scriptures to see if whatever you hear from wherever is true (within context). This passage also shows how the NT gospel Paul was telling them could be verified by the types & shadows as well as the prophecies in the OT scriptures.
ALSO, when Paul entered into Thessalonica he went into the synagogue of the Jews and for "3 sabbath days reasoned with them out of (from) the scriptures". . . . and was considered as "these that have turned the world upside down" teaching "another king, Jesus"! For this is what he taught "from the scriptures" - "Opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ". (Acts 17) Yes, what is in scripture must back up what is tradition.
 
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Publius

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Acts17:[10] And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
[11] 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.

Sola Scriptura is simply searching the scriptures to see if whatever you hear from wherever is true (within context). This passage also shows how the NT gospel Paul was telling them could be verified by the types & shadows as well as the prophecies in the OT scriptures.

Here are a couple more for you:

2nd Kings 22:10-13 - "And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not harkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us."

2nd Timothy 3:16-17 - "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Instruction in Righteousness; that the man of God may be thoroughly Furnished unto all good works."

Matthew 4:3-4 - "And when the tempter came to Him, he said, if Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 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."

Matthew 4:5-11 - Then the Devil taketh Him up into the Holy City, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the Temple, and saith unto Him, if Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee, and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is Written Again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

Matthew 4:8 - "Again, the Devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, all these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan; for it is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."

Matthew 21:42 - "Jesus said unto them, did ye never read in the scriptures, the Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our Eyes!"

Revelation 22:18-19 -"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."

Proverbs 30:5-6 - "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!"

Matthew 12:3-5 -"but He said unto them, have ye not read what David did when he was an hungered, and they that were with Him?"

Matthew 19:4-5 "And He answered and said unto them, have ye not read that He which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, for this reason shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh."

Matthew 22:31-32 - "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying, I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the Living."

Luke 10:26 - "He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?"

Matthew 22:29 -"..Ye do ERR, not knowing THE SCRIPTURES, nor the Power of God!"

Matthew 26:24 -"The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born".

John 5:39 - "Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me."

Isa 8:20 - To the law and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for them.

And since we know how much Catholics and Orthodox love the ECF, here's a little something more for them to chew on:

Augustine of Hippo: "This Mediator (Jesus Christ), having spoken what He judged sufficient first by the prophets, then by His own lips, and afterwards by the apostles, has besides produced the scripture which is called canonical, which has Paramount Authority, and to which we yield assent in all matters of which we ought not to be ignorant, and yet cannot know of ourselves." (Augustine of Hippo, City of God, Book 11, Chapter 3)

Cyril of Jerusalem: This seal have thou ever on thy mind; which now by way of summary has been touched on in its heads, and if the Lord grant, shall hereafter be set forth according to our power, with Scripture-proofs. For concerning the divine and sacred Mysteries of the Faith, we ought not to deliver even the most casual remark without the Holy Scriptures: nor be drawn aside by mere probabilities and the artifices of argument. Do not then believe me because I tell thee these things, unless thou receive from the Holy Scriptures the proof of what is set forth: for this salvation, which is of our faith, is not by ingenious reasonings, but by proof from the Holy Scriptures (A Library of the Fathers of the Holy Catholic Church (Oxford: Parker, 1845), The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril 4.17).

Gregory of Nyssa: "The generality of men still fluctuate in their opinions about this, which are as erroneous as they are numerous. As for ourselves, if the Gentile philosophy, which deals methodically with all these points, were really adequate for a demonstration, it would certainly be superfluous to add a discussion on the soul to those speculations, but while the latter proceeded, on the subject of the soul, as far in the direction of supposed consequences as the thinker pleased, we are not entitled to such license, I mean that of affirming what we please; we make the Holy Scriptures the rule and the measure of every tenet (dogma); we necessarily fix our eyes upon that, and approve that alone which may be made to harmonize with the intention of those writings." (Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (Peabody: Hendrikson, 1995), Second Series: Volume V, Philosophical Works, On the Soul And the Resurrection, p. 439).

Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea: "Enjoying as you do the consolation of the Holy Scriptures, you stand in need neither of my assistance nor of that of anybody else to help you comprehend your duty. You have the all-sufficient counsel and guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead you to what is right" (Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (Peabody: Hendrikson, 1995), Second Series: Volume VIII, Basil: Letters and Select Works, Letter CCLXXXIII, p. 312).
 
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tz620q

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Basil the Great, Bishop of Caesarea: "Enjoying as you do the consolation of the Holy Scriptures, you stand in need neither of my assistance nor of that of anybody else to help you comprehend your duty. You have the all-sufficient counsel and guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead you to what is right" (Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (Peabody: Hendrikson, 1995), Second Series: Volume VIII, Basil: Letters and Select Works, Letter CCLXXXIII, p. 312).

Here is the full letter from Newadvent at CHURCH FATHERS: Letter 283 (St. Basil)

"Letter 283 ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA
To a widow.


I hope to find a suitable day for the conference, after those which I intend to fix for the hill-country. I see no opportunity for our meeting (unless the Lord so order it beyond my expectation), other than at a public conference.


You may imagine my position from your own experience. If in the care of a single household you are beset with such a crowd of anxieties, how many distractions, think you, each day brings to me?


Your dream, I think, reveals more perfectly the necessity of making provision for spiritual contemplation, and cultivating that mental vision by which God is wont to be seen. Enjoying as you do the consolation of the Holy Scriptures, you stand in need neither of my assistance nor of that of anybody else to help you to comprehend your duty. You have the all-sufficient counsel and guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead you to what is right."


So it seems, he was writing to an anxious widow about a dream she had had and how to interpret it. He urged spiritual contemplation (reflection), the consolation of reading the Holy Scriptures (study), and interesting to me "the all-sufficient counsel" of the Holy Spirit (prayer). So in regards to sufficiency, Basil the Great seems to be pointing to the Holy Spirit, not the Holy Scriptures. Please do not think that I am trying to set up a dichotomy between the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. I am merely pointing out the context for the quote you provided and trying to understand better what Basil the Great meant by his comment.
 
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Publius

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tz620 said:
So it seems, he was writing to an anxious widow about a dream she had had and how to interpret it. He urged spiritual contemplation (reflection), the consolation of reading the Holy Scriptures (study), and interesting to me "the all-sufficient counsel" of the Holy Spirit (prayer). So in regards to sufficiency, Basil the Great seems to be pointing to the Holy Spirit, not the Holy Scriptures.

"Enjoying as you do the consolation of the Holy Scriptures, you stand in need neither of my assistance nor of that of anybody else"
 
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Rick Otto

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In order for what you say to be true (that “searched the scriptures daily” means the same thing as Sola Scriptura), you need to provide evidence that the texts Sola Scriptura refers to are the same texts that were being “searched” in Acts 17:11.
Sola Scriptura refers to "scripture", that's all. That they verified information by seeing if it harmonized with scripture is all that is in order for 'what I say to be true'.
Sola Scriptura isn't meant to & doesn't try to define itself, scripture does. No need for that rerdundancy to proove the superiority of documentation to hearsay.
 
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tz620q

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"Enjoying as you do the consolation of the Holy Scriptures, you stand in need neither of my assistance nor of that of anybody else"

Since we don't have the letter that the widow seems to have written to her bishop, we have to read a little into his reply. It seems that the widow was troubled and wanted a personal audience with the bishop about her dream. The bishop reminded her of his pressing schedule and how he did not see an opportunity for them to meet any time soon and steered her to the Holy Scriptures for consolation. This is where a Catholic and a non-Catholic will read this and come away with two different perspectives. The Catholic will limit the letter to a pastoral effort to ameliorate one of his flock's worries, and not see any doctrinal significance to it at all. The Protestant will read this and say, "See, this is early sola scriptura." If by sola scriptura you mean that reading the Holy Scriptures is a good thing for education about God and consolation in times of need, then we agree. If you mean that this proves the complete sufficiency of Scripture in doctrinal matters without any Tradition within which to interpret them, then we must disagree.
 
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drjean

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Yeah, Sola Scriptura assumes belief & therefore His indwelling. Part of context that doesn't rate acknowlegement by the strawman makers.

You know Rick Otto, there's another aspect that is often overlooked regarding what was "scripture" when the apostles were preaching and writing.

The Bible itself tells us that His Word comes to us by the hands of holy men whom the Holy Spirit causes to write...when Paul and Matthew and Mark and Luke, and John wrote, they knew they were being led by the Holy Spirit as to what to write, what to say. They spoke with authority, and accuracy that the average two men couldn't have managed considering the scenarios...and yet none of them contradict the other.

I must believe that those who gave them this authority also knew that it was God, Himself, who led the apostles. (Indeed, not just anyone could be an apostle, but certain requirements were demanded, one being called by Jesus Himself. This is why they questioned Paul's apostleship at first.)
 
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Montalban

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You know Rick Otto, there's another aspect that is often overlooked regarding what was "scripture" when the apostles were preaching and writing.

When they were preaching it wasn't written!

For sola scripturists what Paul said was not an authority till it was written down, or, it was not as authoritative until it was written down. That's the illogic of sola scriptura!

Paul doesn't refer to scripture over tradition. In fact he cites tradition as equally an authority by telling people to follow what he taught whether by epistle, or by word of mouth
 
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Montalban

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Makes me wonder why some hate the Word of God and would rather follow the traditions of men.

Not that there is any thing wrong with tradition, as long as it is backed by scripture. It should never trump scripture!

Funny! It makes me wonder why some adhere to straw-man!
 
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