AUTHORITY: "THE WORD OF GOD IS LIKE A TWO-EDGED SWORD"
I. Scriptural support for Oral Tradition-
"The Word of God is like a Two-Edged Sword (Apoc.1:16)
A. 2 THESS. 2:15
B. 1 PETER 1:25
C. 2 TIM. 2:2
D. 1 COR. 11:2
E. 1 COR. 15:1-2
II. LOGICAL SELF-CONTRADICTION- "Let's be honest and objective.":
The Problem of the Canon in Protestant Theology
A. Where's the list of 27 books found in the N.T.?
B. How do we know what constitutes the Canon?
C. A Book can't authenticate itself to be of Divine Origin
D. What's the Protestant Proof of Inspiration?
III. Infallible Interpretation of Scripture- Isn't it Essential?
A. Perspicuity of Scripture: Is it self-interpreting?
1. 2 PET.3:15-16
2. 2 PET.1:20 (LOCUS CLASSICUS)
3. What about the Apostles Creed?
B. APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY TO PREACH, TEACH, & MAKE DISCIPLES.
1. JOHN 14:26
2. JOHN 16:13
3. MATT.28:16-20
C. Patristic Sources re:revelation & apostolic succession
IV. Ecclesiology- Is the Church a Divine Institution?
& Why is the Magisterium necessary in the Body of Christ?
A. 1 TIM.3:15
B. MATT.16:18-19 (15-20)(LOCUS CLASSICUS)
1. Keys of the Kingdom 16:19 / IS.22:21-22
2. On this Rock 16:18 (UTILIZE JAKI'S WORKS ON THESE)
C. JOHN 21:15-17
D. MATT.28:16-20
E. MATT.18:18
F. MATT.23:1-3
G. JOHN 17:17-23(6-26)
H. LUKE 10:16
V. Testimony of the Early Church Fathers for:
Oral Tradition/Papal Primacy/Apostolic Succession
1. St.Jerome
2. St.Ignatius of Antioch
3. St.Irenaeus
December 1, 1996
Attn: Research Department - CRI.
Re: A response to Dr.Geisler's recent Evangelical critique of
Roman Catholicism on the topic of Authority w/in the Christian Research Journal.
To CRI,
I am an evangelical Catholic who immensely appreciated Dr.Geisler's
charitable scholarship in his preliminary critique of the Roman Catholic view of
authority. Nevertheless, I wish to present three points in defense of the
Catholic view of authority. Of course, as a Catholic, I would accept the Bible
as the inspired, inerrant Word of God. But Is the Bible the only source of God's Word?
My first point is that there are many texts which show us that
Apostolic Oral Tradition, or the preached Word, is a source of God's Word
(2 Thess.2:15, 1 Pet.1:25, 1 Cor.11:2, 1 Cor.15:1-2, & 2 Tim.2:2). The Bible tells
us that both the preached Word & the written Word are sources of divine revelation.
Secondly, nowhere in Scripture is there a single text that would lead us
to the conclusion that the Bible is the only source of God's Word.
2 Timothy 3:16 points out the Bible's inspiration; it does not say that only
Scripture is authoritative and infallible.
My final point is a tough question: How do we know the collection of books
found in the Bible is reliable? R.C. Sproul, a reputable evangelical scholar,
pointed out that the Bible is "a fallible collection of infallible books."
If you don't know for sure all the books in the Bible are from God,
how can you know that any one is from God? In proving the inspiration of Scripture,
it is only logical that Christ gave His Church infallible teaching authority
to decide which books are inspired. As St.Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:15: "the Church
is the pillar and foundation of the truth." Only because Christ has given His own
authority to the Church (John 14:26, Matt.28:18-20), can we be sure about the
infallibility of the canon of Sacred Scripture.
Let us, as Evangelicals & Catholics, continue to dialogue about the important
issue of authority, and continue to pray for the unity of Christians throughout the world.
For Christ's Glory,
JohnD'Arcy