This "Sola Scriptura" is a latin word used. It means Scripture alone. The concept of sola scriptura means that the scripture is taken as the primary and absolute norm of doctrine.This theory started by the Reformed theologians, an early Protestants establishes the basic practices and belief of the church that it should be grounded in the Scriptures. It is the foundation of the theological system that is binding on every believer being grounded in Scripture. It must not be taken merely as a textbook but to be read within the context of public worship, meditation and devotion as an individual Christian. The phrase 'sola scriptura' "by Scripture Alone," summarizes this principle called Scriptural principle,the foundation of Christian Theology.
Christian Theology draws its source from where? We need to identify the sources in order to provide it's authenticity and its inerrancy of Scripture. There are four main sources that have been acknowledged within the Christian tradition that is the scripture, reason,tradition and experience. However,scripture was identified as the principle in its foundation and describing doctrinal issues in terms of authority, clarity, and sufficiency in the areas of faith and morals.
The scripture is to be recognised by Christian as an authoritative, the absolute authority of God in its divine origin with the attribute of perfect holiness and without the mixture of error. The authencity of historical record of words, deeds,events and doctrine are fact and it is true. Only truth has authority, thus the Scriptures is describe as being the ultimate authority.
By affirming the inerrancy of the Scriptures, we place ourselves under the authority of all the teaching in the Bible. It is reliable and trustworthy and can conform into reality. Martin Luther, the father of Reformation, greatest contribution to chrisitan history,he was able to transform the whole community of Christian believers, ...not by works but by faith alone in the word of God found in the Bible.
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You sure the Bible is inerrant?
ReplyDeleteThe Bible used by Jesus, his disciples, and the early Christian movement was the Septuagint (a.k.a.
LXX). This was a Greek translation from the original Hebrew. It included a number of books that are commonly called the Apocrypha. These books appear in the translations of the Bible used by Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican churches, but have been deleted in the translations used by Protestants and most Anglicans. One reason for this rejection was a passage which implies the existence of Purgatory. Thus, the range of books in the Bible which are to be considered inerrant is open to debate among Christians.
So which "Bible" is inerrant when different groups claim their "Bible" is inerrant? Which "Bible" is The Scripture? Which "Bible" contains The Ultimate Authority? Even Islam claimed inerrancy of their "Bible".
There are many books in the world which claim to be inerrant. But they teach different and conflicting beliefs. Choosing one over the other cancel off the claim of inerrancy of that "Bible"...you can't claim with certainty that the Bible is without error when the claim itself is debatable. Even the range of books that should be in a "Bible" is debatable.
You cannot prove the inerrancy of the Bible...
Hi Betty,
ReplyDeleteJust a thought. You mentioned that the four main sources that have been acknowledged as the source of Christian Tradition is the scripture, reason,tradition and experience. You also claimed about the truth has to be authoritative and that Scripture is the ultimate authority. Now, I am a little confused here, so would you mind clarifying for me to better understand. You place scripture, reason, tradition and experience on par with one another. Then, you say that scripture is the ultimate authority. Would you not think that that statement is a little contradictory?
Also, if we take your two statements as it is. Now, we know that there are things or matters that are not agreeable among the sources, if not contradictory. For example, reason does not agree that miracles exist in this world, yet scripture says it does. tradition states that indulgences is acceptable yet Scripture says that Christ has borne our sins and taken the place, and paid the price for our sins. Experience can be even more different from the rest as it is subject to individuals. Now with this, which then is the truth? On what basis would you then say that Scripture is the ultimate authority?
hi betty,
ReplyDeleteScriptures does not needs man's proving as the truth. Trying to prove that it is the truth, enters into a long range of debates by different theologians from both spectrum of the divide. What the bible says, we read it and believed what it says is the truth. Archeological and sscientific discoveries in to the facts mentioned in the bible only re-enforces that such events does takes place.
To the man on the street, the key fact is Jesus is the essence of life and truth. The understanding why we exists and the purpose behind it. The empirical authority of the bible is when one applied it with faith and believe what it says is the truth. The is no headway, it one tries to prove the inerrancy of the Scriptures and after that, believes. Scriptures stands alone, not need of defending or proving. what it needs is for more people to read it and the Holy spirit, the author will do his bid.
The theory of "Solar Scriptura" was started by the reformed theologian during the 15th century. The bible was already in existence by then, I'm glad that apologeticLearner had filled in the timeframe gap for me.
ReplyDeleteSo before the reformed period, the theological analysis was based mainly in scripture, reason, tradition and experience and had been acknowledged within the Christian tradition. Martin Luther first conviction was that - salvation was by faith in Christ alone and that the Scripture are the standard for Christian faith and behaviour.
Therefore, faith goes beyond reason, having access to truth and insights of revelation, which reason could not hope to discover. However, reason has the role of building upon what is known by revelation of God. Reason is to help us to explore what the scripture implications might be. We base on this reasoning to help us to discipline ourselves to use this method to build upon and extend what is already known to us by revelation. Reason is the basic human faculty of thinking, based on argument and evidence. It is theological nuetral and will not poses us any threat in our faith, unless we just use reasoning as our only source of knowledge about God. Then it will becomes rationalism, which is reliance upon human reason alone and refusing to allow any weight or other sources to be given to divine revelation. Therefore,enlightenment rationalism maybe said to base upon the belief that unaided human reason can deliver without having to listen to other voices upon their consulted reason, withouteven having to recourse to the idea of "revelation". Christian faith cannot accomodated such enlightenment rationalism. So I'm not claiming two statement but rather I did not make it clear for the recipient to read.
We cannot trace back to the early christian apostles or even Jesus' time unless historical events are the evidence. The tradition is thus the guarantor of faithfulness to the original apostolic teaching etc. Through tradition, the Church, in her doctrine, life, and worship perpetuates and transmits to every generations. It is an living and active process of passing on the Christian faith as a living organism, that is passing down the content of the faith which is based on the scripture to each generation.
Experience should be interpreted as an individual who travels through life, first hand encounter with life. The inner life of the individual becomes aware of their feeling and emotions and able to relate to the inward and the world of experience in the everyday life. Christian is nor simple about ideas but it is about interpretating and able to tranform their inner life. Their existence in life set the mode of believing and being redeemed by the created God and thus trust God who has created mankind. So where do we find all this answer to life unless and until we claims the scripture as the ultimate authority in truth.
Is the Bible inerrant? There is plenty debatable matter on this issue. However, we should look into the definition and meaning of this word closely to what it means to the twentieth-century scholars expressions of their opinion that the Bible is inerrant.
ReplyDeletePaul Feinburg proposes a defintion of this "inerrancy" by saying that:-
Inerrancy means that when all facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything that they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine or morality or with social, physical, or life sciences.
Therefore, the concepts of inerrant in its meaning in today's context will qualify the usage of this word. Inerrancy does not demand strict attachement to the rules of grammar. It does not exclude the use of either figure of speech or literary genre. It does not demand exactness in accuracy or strictly precise in historical. It is not the exact words or the exact voices in the citation of the Old Testament to the New Testament, for example quoting Jesus saying in the gospel written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It does not demand the technical or observational language of modern science.
Therefore, the ultimate authority is actually that we are dealing with God himself as how God would communicate with us or reveal to us through the Scripture. This is our basic authority determine our faith commitment.Why? We know the Person (Jesus Christ) or hear the gospel, throught the book called BIBLE, we take the book to be our primary ultimate authority. Through our faith we believe that this is the way God chose to reveal and communicate....the Scripture.
The very fact that God chose to give his word in ordinary human language, through real people, in real historical settings, it is not just collection of saying but written in a unique and divine language, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Testing
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