M
michaelgazin
Guest
This is a common protestant belief. The Church is some sort of invisible unity of all believers regardless of denominations. It is no particular denomination.
Why is this incorrect according to sola Scriptura?
It is an unbiblical belief. Baptists officially teach that baptism is purely symbolic, while Lutherans officially teach that baptism is purely regenerative. What is the problem? There is no place in the Bible where two different Churches have conflicting official teaching, while the believers of both are considered to be part of the one true Church.
Everywhere Christ’s one true Church is discussed in the Bible, it always has identical official teachings within it. Therefore, according to sola Scriptura, Christ’s one true Church, whichever or wherever that may be, must have identical teachings within it.
Another example of the problem is a form of John Martignoni’s apology:
The Bible gives instructions on solving disputations:
Matthew 18:15-17 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
The problem comes in verse 17 when Jesus places the Church as the final court of appeals, figuratively speaking. The Church has the binding decision on the issue, by which any person disagreeing with the Church is to be treated as a non-Christian essentially.
Consider the following hypothetical scenario:
My wife becomes pregnant. I am elated, however she wants to have an abortion. I tell her it is unbiblical and sinful to have an abortion and I show her the Bible verses that say so. She refuses to listen to me and disregards my interpretation of the Bible verses. My next step then, according to verse 16 above, is to bring two or three people along to confirm my Biblical recommendations to her. Two friends come over and confirm my claims to her that it is sinful and unbiblical to have an abortion. She still refuses to listen to them! My last step according to verse 17 is to take her to the Church and allow the Church to tell her. I go down to my Catholic Church with her where the priest agrees and tells her that it is sinful and unbiblical to have an abortion. Well, she refuses to listen even to the Church, so then what? Well, she takes me down to her Presbyterian Church USA in Lincoln, Nebraska where a deacon there is an abortionist doctor (this church really has an abortionist as a deacon)! Needless to say, the deacon of her church tells her it is entirely acceptable and Biblically coherent to have an abortion!
Well, both Churches cannot be right. Christ says the Church is the final judge on the issue in Matt. 18, yet these two churches came to different conclusions? Which one then is Christ’s Church? They cannot both be.
To take it a step farther, what if, for confirmation, she goes down to a United Methodist Church pastor in Peoria, Illinois who said in the local newspaper up there that, “Sometimes abortion is the redemptive thing to do.” The redemptive thing to do?! Then I take her to a reformed Baptist Church that says it is a despicable and sinful thing to do!
The idea of multiple doctrinal faiths forming Christ’s one true Church does not fit well at all with Christ’s Church in Matt. 18.
Just wanted to post that, thought it may help in discussions with protestants on this issue.
Peace,
Michael
Why is this incorrect according to sola Scriptura?
It is an unbiblical belief. Baptists officially teach that baptism is purely symbolic, while Lutherans officially teach that baptism is purely regenerative. What is the problem? There is no place in the Bible where two different Churches have conflicting official teaching, while the believers of both are considered to be part of the one true Church.
Everywhere Christ’s one true Church is discussed in the Bible, it always has identical official teachings within it. Therefore, according to sola Scriptura, Christ’s one true Church, whichever or wherever that may be, must have identical teachings within it.
Another example of the problem is a form of John Martignoni’s apology:
The Bible gives instructions on solving disputations:
Matthew 18:15-17 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
The problem comes in verse 17 when Jesus places the Church as the final court of appeals, figuratively speaking. The Church has the binding decision on the issue, by which any person disagreeing with the Church is to be treated as a non-Christian essentially.
Consider the following hypothetical scenario:
My wife becomes pregnant. I am elated, however she wants to have an abortion. I tell her it is unbiblical and sinful to have an abortion and I show her the Bible verses that say so. She refuses to listen to me and disregards my interpretation of the Bible verses. My next step then, according to verse 16 above, is to bring two or three people along to confirm my Biblical recommendations to her. Two friends come over and confirm my claims to her that it is sinful and unbiblical to have an abortion. She still refuses to listen to them! My last step according to verse 17 is to take her to the Church and allow the Church to tell her. I go down to my Catholic Church with her where the priest agrees and tells her that it is sinful and unbiblical to have an abortion. Well, she refuses to listen even to the Church, so then what? Well, she takes me down to her Presbyterian Church USA in Lincoln, Nebraska where a deacon there is an abortionist doctor (this church really has an abortionist as a deacon)! Needless to say, the deacon of her church tells her it is entirely acceptable and Biblically coherent to have an abortion!
Well, both Churches cannot be right. Christ says the Church is the final judge on the issue in Matt. 18, yet these two churches came to different conclusions? Which one then is Christ’s Church? They cannot both be.
To take it a step farther, what if, for confirmation, she goes down to a United Methodist Church pastor in Peoria, Illinois who said in the local newspaper up there that, “Sometimes abortion is the redemptive thing to do.” The redemptive thing to do?! Then I take her to a reformed Baptist Church that says it is a despicable and sinful thing to do!
The idea of multiple doctrinal faiths forming Christ’s one true Church does not fit well at all with Christ’s Church in Matt. 18.
Just wanted to post that, thought it may help in discussions with protestants on this issue.
Peace,
Michael