The claim that reading the Bible saves you is false. If that were true how then can you those who cannot read be saved? Through images, orally preachings… so yes reading the Bible cannot save you, and the Bible is not easily read. Remember the words of St. Peter.
Manny, I advise you to look over the logic of this
reductio ad absurdum.
p= reading the Bible saves you
q= people who cannot read cannot be saved.
If reading the Bible saves you, then people who cannot read cannot be saved.
But, not “people who cannot read cannot be saved.” (Equivalent to: people who cannot read
can be saved.)
Therefore, not, “reading the Bible saves you.” (Equivalent to: reading the Bible
does not save you.)
If p then q.
Not q.
Therefore not p.
But, there is a slight problem with this-- it is not that case that, “if reading the Bible saves you,” that only those who read it can be saved. To be more precise, “if reading the Bible saves you,” then, “people who cannot read cannot be saved
by reading the Bible.” Now, this is obviously much reduced in scope. Perhaps they can be saved in other ways. Perhaps people who
hear the Bible preached can be saved. The truth of the proposition, ‘reading the Bible saves you,’ does not contradict the truth of the proposition, ‘listening to the gospel saves you,’ or indeed, the truth of the proposition, ‘baptism saves you,’ and, ‘God saves you.’
The exclusive sense of your proposition is
only the case if we word the proposition tihs way:
if and only if reading the Bible saves you. This would exclude other routes of salvation as well. But, as long as we examine the proposition, “reading the Bible saves you”-- although honestly, most people would modify it with a modality like this: “reading the Bible can save you” then there is no reason to reject it
on this reason. Why? Again, because the proposition as such, “reading the Bible saves you” does not exclude the truth of other things saving you. Any Protestant would recognize at least this much in addition: “faith saves you.” As a Catholic I do agree as well with that, and these in addition: “baptism saves you,” and, “God saves you.”
Apologists on these boards have a favorite saying: it’s not either/or, it’s both/and. Make sure you have the both/and mindset Manny! God bless! Keep the faith!
rr1213:
First, let’s get this right from the start. We are saved by God’s grace, not by simply reading the bible. Still, what did Jesus tell us to do? To be both hearers and doers of the Word. We hear the Gospel by, among other things, reading the Bible and learning about God’s love. I firmly believe that if you had a tribe of people somewhere the Church had not yet arrived, who were somehow able to obtain copies of just the Bible, that these people have in their hands all that is materially sufficient for salvation. If they were to read and follow the Word set forth in the Scriptures, they would be saved even if a Catholic priest never set forth on their lands.
And quite honestly rr1213, I agree with you. This is entirely consistent with the Catholic Church’s teaching both in the CCC and in the Second Vatican Council. I think the problem with trying to reject the proposition, “the Bible saves you,” is that there are too many ways we can interact with this proposition. That truth is clearly subordinate to the truth that, “God saves you,” but indeed not contradictory. If we try to deny it then we might as well deny all intermediate causes-- when James tells us that (James 5:19-20):
My brothers, if anyone among you should stray from the truth and someone bring him back. he should know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Then for the sinner who has been brought from his error, it might possibly be true that many different things saved him. Let us suppose, to maximize our example, that the sinner was saved from his error, by someone who gave the sinner a Bible verse to show him his error. For instance, he did not care for the widows and orphans as James advocates, and for the poor and needy as Jesus advocates (i.e., Matt 25). Headed as he is to eternal perdition, a good Christian points the epistle of James and the 25th chapter of Matthew to this Christian.
In this case the sinner has been saved 1. By God. 2. By his brother. 3. By reading the Bible. 4. By his faith. etc., etc., etc.
