Rubutting a Baptist on Faith and Works

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the Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant

This is what I was trying to bring out to show what the relationship is…

Here is part of a quote from the Constitution from Vatican II Dei Verbum reference by the CCC

This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed.

It is clear, therefore, that sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church, in accord with God’s most wise design, are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others, and that all together and each in its own way under the action of the one Holy Spirit contribute effectively to the salvation of souls.

 

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Which makes sense…Jesus gathered around him twelve men and gave them authority to teach etc…with a particular authority and role to one of them…and with Pentecost …the Church greatly expanded and set off into the world…what they taught etc came from God…the Word of God was handed on… including the inspired writings --what would come to be called the New Testament that was written by the Church under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit …the the books of the Old that the Church recognized-- with the teaching authority of the Church serving the Word of God, guarding it etc…these three hold fast together …like three strands of a cord …(as I thank Von Balthasar put it)

as it was then…it is now

 

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vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20060405_en.html

 

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A great quote from Pope Benedict XVI Address to Synod of Bishops Oct 6 2008 on the reality of the Word of God

Furthermore, the Word of God is the foundation of everything, it is the true reality. And to be realistic, we must rely upon this reality. We must change our idea that matter, solid things, things we can touch, are the more solid, the more certain reality. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount the Lord speaks to us about the two possible foundations for building the house of one’s life: sand and rock. The one who builds on sand builds only on visible and tangible things, on success, on career, on money. Apparently these are the true realities. But all this one day will pass away. We can see this now with the fall of large banks: this money disappears, it is nothing. And thus all things, which seem to be the true realities we can count on, are only realities of a secondary order. The one who builds his life on these realities, on matter, on success, on appearances, builds upon sand. Only the Word of God is the foundation of all reality, it is as stable as the heavens and more than the heavens, it is reality. Therefore, we must change our concept of realism. The realist is the one who recognizes the Word of God, in this apparently weak reality, as the foundation of all things. Realist is the one who builds his life on this foundation, which is permanent….

……exegesis, the true reading of Holy Scripture, is not only a literary phenomenon, not only reading a text. It is the movement of my existence. It is moving towards the Word of God in the human words. Only by conforming ourselves to the Mystery of God, to the Lord who is the Word, can we enter within the Word, can we truly find the Word of God in human words. Let us pray to the Lord that he may help us search the word, not only with our intellect but also with our entire existence.