mtr01:
… In Acts 20:35 Paul states …Nowhere in the Bible will you find Jesus …
I think you meant to say, nowhere in the Gospels is it written that Jesus says… (oh, and didn’t Luke write Acts)
This particular teaching is originally taught in scripture in Sirach 4: 31 “Let not your hand be open to receive and clenched when it is time to give.”
But I think this simple example of Luke’s teaching is an excellent opportunity for us to consider the question of Sola Scriptura. Christ said something, we know this to be true because the Bible tells us so. Catholics and Protestants can all agree on this. If the bible says it, it must be true.
ALL scripture is profitable for teaching reproof, etc (2 Tim, 3:16), and yet we must not self interpret, for the Holy Spirit is necessary (2 Peter 1:20-21). Shibboleth, this second quotation seems to me a case against Sola Scriptura, for if we are not to self interpret, than how do we know for certain if the Holy Spirit is guiding? Are we each infallible, as long as we request the assistance of the Holy Spirit? Have you never been present when two apparently Holy, God Fearing individuals have disagreed as to what a particular passage meant, or what passage to apply to a given circumstance and question for how to proceed in life?
I am humble enough to accept that as much as I love God, and I assure you, I Love Him greatly and accept Him wholeheartedly as my personal Lord and Savior, I also acknowledge that I am merely a mortal human being. Even as I marvel at the Truth that we have been created in His image and I stand in awe of the knowledge that we, through our baptism, are adopted heirs of His, and members of his family, I know that I am not God, nor would I deign to be seen as a God (help here, I know there is a new Testament passage that quotes that Jesus did not deign to be seen as God, before his death and resurrection, even though he was the Only Son of God).
As much as I love God, accept God, pray to God, follow God, I AM NOT GOD, therefore, I must and do accept my need to be humble before God, to accept authority, as even Christ accepted authority when he returned to Nazareth with Mary and Joseph when he was a 12 year old boy, found in the Temple.
I accept that I need to be open to the Holy Spirit in others, even though I know that through my baptism the Holy Spirit dwells within me.
I know that I am capable of error, even as I strive for the Truth. I have prayed to do right and have found myself doing wrong, just as Paul himself did. And I pray that I too can finish the race with my eye on the goal.
Oh and one simple request. Please guys, remember to teach with Love, lest we all come across sounding like a Gong.
Ah yes, and getting back to the point Luke was making. He shares with us a quote of Christ’s that we’ve not heard previously in the Gospels (where we typically turn to hear the Good News of Christ’s words). Luke shares with us the the true, more complete meaning of Sirach 4:31, as taught by Christ. Would you immediately understand “Let not … and …” to be the same as “It is better to … than to …”? Here we have an excellent example of how a teaching of Christ’s is clarified for later generations by those who have followed.
Christ created his Church (not his churches) and it is this church which is the Pillar and Bulwarks (or foundation) of his Truth. Bulwarks means protective wall. Foundation, well you know what a foundation is. It is stands beneath all that comes after when creating a structure. The strength of the foundation determines the worthiness of the building to withstand the tests of time. Certainly 2000 years of infallible teaching are quite a testament to the ability of Christ to follow in Joseph’s footsteps as an incredible carpenter. He definitely qualifies as an architect extraordinaire.
May the Lord be with you all,
CARose