THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES In addition, we believe that the thirty-nine canonical books of the Old Testament, and the twenty-seven canonical books of the New Testament, are Gods only Holy Scriptures for all mankind. We believe that the Bible is infallible, inerrant, complete, authoritative, sufficient, effective, and determinative. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures are incapable of error: “The law of the Lord is perfect.” (Psa. 19:7). Indeed, we believe that the Word of God is tested and is proven infallible: “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Prov. 30:5). The Bible is a complete Book and nothing needs to be added to Its text: “Do not add to His words, or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.” (Proverbs 30:6). Therefore, the formula, “Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth, for the Lord speaks,” (Isaiah 1:2) indicates that God’s Word is the last Word, the final authority. We also believe that all things essential to faith and practice are clearly revealed in the Bible, and that the Christian is bound by them. Being the product of the creative breath of God, the Holy Scriptures in their precise verbal form in the original languages, embody and comprise the written Word of God whose character is legal and authoritative, the singular court of appeal for faith and life, in all that It affirms and enjoins. Likewise, we believe that many portions of the Holy Scriptures are didactic in their nature, possessing a normative authority. They must be adhered to as the basis for faith and practice. We also believe that other portions of Scripture are informative in their nature, carrying a historical authority. They are written for our edification, and are not necessarily intended to be normative for faith or practice. Thus, we believe that the teachings of the Bible cannot be countermanded, nor qualified, nor subordinated to ecclesiastical authorities, be that of persons or of documents. Accordingly, we believe that the Holy Scriptures, being The Written Word of God, ought to be received joyfully, believed readily, revered deeply, and obeyed promptly, in all aspects of life. Furthermore, we believe that reason, experience and tradition have their proper place in subordination toe infallible Holy Scriptures: Reason may receive Gods Word, may apply its teachings to life, and may communicate its truths to others; but reason has no right to sit in judgment upon the inspired Scriptures. Experience may grant the interpreter some personal insights; but such insights must never be read into or added to the Biblical Text. Because experience can be produced and reproduced by psychological, physiological, or demonic phenomena, experience must be judged and interpreted in the light of Gods Word, and must not be used as a test of revealed Truth or as a foundation for Christian Doctrines. Likewise is the case with Church Tradition: The history of the Church, the history of doctrines, and the writings of the Church Fathers — all must be judged by the written Word of God, interpreted grammatically, historically, and contextually. Moreover, we condemn the arrogant claims and the false practices of certain ecclesiastical bodies, including but not limited to the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches, which clearly have usurped to themselves doctrinal and administrative authorities above and beyond the absolute authority of the Holy Scriptures. We also condemn the practice of selective obedience which characterizes the lifestyles and the ministries of many who claim the label “Bible believer” and the label “born-again Christian.” Concurrently, we believe that Conservative Protestantism differs from Catholicism in claiming no other authority than canonical Scripture as the Voice of the Holy Spirit. The sola scriptura, the Scriptures alone, asserted by the German Reformer Martin Luther is indeed our silver trumpet, our resounding and constant cry. For us the Bible is sola fidei regula, and not just prima fidei regula, as the latter is asserted by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Oriental Church. Both the Roman and the Eastern churches accept the Bible as the first or primary authority among other authorities, such as the supposed moral unanimity of the Church Fathers, the ancient Creeds, the decisions of the ecumenical councils, and oral tradition. However, we believe that there is no secondary means of making clear the meaning of the Bible. Therefore, we look at these sources as mere helps produced apart from Divine inspiration. We see them as human and fallible, not as divine infallible authorities. We know what the Lord God has said only by the faithful and accurate interpretation of the canonical Holy Scriptures, not filtered through a corrupt human agency. However, during the Middle Ages the Roman Church experienced a movement that culminated in the decree of Papal Infallibility of 1870 C.E. which claims that “the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, has that infallibility with which the Divine Redeemer endowed his church, in defining a doctrine of faith or morals.” We strongly disagree with the Roman Church lording it over God’s people, and we declare this teaching a heresy we readily reject. Indeed, we reject the office of the Pope over the church at large, along with his councils of cardinals and bishops, and we deny them any Christian authority. [1] We reject them fully, entirely and emphatically as unscriptural, as not from God, and as demonically undermining the authority of the written Word of God. To us, their pronouncements, although may have an informative value, they have no binding authority on the Christian, not in any aspect of faith or practice. Obviously, we reserve infallibility and absolute authority to the Holy Scriptures alone. ________________________________________ [1] The Lord Jesus reports that Father Abraham said that even a resurrected saint’s message would have no higher persuasive power than the written Word of God (Luke 16:29-31). The Apostle Paul declares that even an angel from Heaven does not have the authority to alter the message of his epistle (Galatians 1:3). In the Epistle to the Romans, the Apostle introduces important problems of belief for which the solution is introduced frequently by such formulae as “what does the Scripture say?” (4:3; 10:8), and “the Scripture says” (9:17; 10:11; 11:2). In each case, the Old Testament passage is cited as the final authority on the matter. Thus, the Bible’s testimony to its own inspiration and inerrant authority is of enormous and decisive value. Your Friend for the Word of God and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ, Dr. Habib J. Khoury, B.A., M.A., M.DIV., TH.D. P. S. To register for my free Bible-teaching BAMI ONLINE NEWSLETTER, please follow this link ► app.expressemailmarketing/Survey.aspx?SFID=171290 then go to your email inbox and confirm your registration. Confirmation is necessary for subscription. Newsletter will resume once the number of subscribers reaches 150. To order my Bible-teaching publications and/or my counseling services securely online, including quantity discounts, please follow this link: bamicounseling.org To visit my Facebook Page, the Biblical Counseling & Literature Center, please follow this link: facebook/drkhourycounseling Please note that some of my publications can be ordered on Amazon RECOMMENDED READING (All are my articles posted on my Facebook Notes and Timeline): 1. MY EXTENDED ANALYSIS OF ISLAM & MUSLIMS 2. WHY WE MUST ATTACK ISLAM 3. DID MOSES PREDICT THE COMING OF MUHAMMAD? 4. WAS MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF JOHN 1? 5. WAS MUHAMMAD THE HOLY SPIRIT PROMISED BY THE LORD JESUS? 6. THE HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF THE ARABIC QUR’AN 7. WHAT WAS MUHAMMAD REALLY LIKE? 8. SIX REASONS WHY THE MUSLIM ALLAH CANNOT BE THE CREATOR 9. CHRISTIANS MUST CAST RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS 10. BIBLE ON OPPOSING FALSE TEACHERS & FALSE TEACHINGS 11. THE BLESSED TRINITY: THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT 12. WHO DID JESUS SAY THAT HE IS? 13. GOD CANNOT EXIST IF NOT A TRINITY 14. HOW DO I KNOW THE BIBLE IS TRUE? 15. ALLEGED BIBLE CONTRADICTIONS
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 04:03:24 +0000
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