Second Vatican
Council
Response to
comment [from a Catholic]: "...[G]ood to know that there is salvation outside
the visible borders of the Catholic Church..."
Gee thanks (Gal. 1:6–8).
"The Canons and Decrees of Trent are not merely the archaic opinion of some
medieval Bishops. They represent the official position of the Church to this
day.All subsequent Catholic councils have uniformly reaffirmed Trent's
pronouncements. In fact, the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s declared these
doctrines "irreformable." All faithful Catholics are commanded to receive them
as infallible truth. Therefore, to understand Roman Catholic doctrine on
justification, we must go back to the Council of Trent.
Trent did not overtly deny that believers are saved by divine grace. In fact,
the Council specifically stated that "God justifies sinners by his grace,
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." That, of course, is an echo of
Romans 3:24. But Scripture goes a step further than Trent was willing to go.
Romans 11:6 says, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works,
otherwise grace is no longer grace" (emphasis added). Trent took a position that
made works an essential part of justification. In doing so, they were left with
a grace that is "no longer grace." So although Trent started with an affirmation
of divine grace, the doctrine of justification they described is actually "a
different gospel" that corrupts the grace of God..." Full text:
Scripture, Tradition, and Rome, Part 5 by John
MacArthur
"Protestants (separated brethren)"
Truth divides (2
Pet. 2:14,
15). Your church has been
corrupted by greed (Isa
56:10,
11).
Trace back your departure from historical, biblical Christianity.
See:
Catholic Traditions
[Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Adapted from: Master's Seminary Journal
Volume 6 (6:7-37) Grace to You]
"Sola Scriptura— the Formal Principle
...But the actual issue under debate in the Reformation was the sufficiency, not
the infallibility, of Scripture. From the beginning of the Reformation,
Catholics and Protestants have agreed on the questions of biblical inspiration
and infallibility. Even in Luther’s day, church officials “were in perfect
agreement with him” on biblical infallibility. What the papists objected to was
Luther’s doctrine of sola Scriptura. In Luther’s own words, sola Scriptura means
that “what is asserted without the Scriptures or proven revelation may be held
as an opinion, but need not be believed.”
Catholicism flatly rejects that principle, adding a host of traditions and
Church teachings and declaring them binding on all true believers—with the
threat of eternal damnation to those who hold contradictory opinions. In Roman
Catholicism, “the Word of God” encompasses not only the Bible, but also the
Apocrypha, the Magisterium (the Church’s authority to teach and interpret divine
truth), the Pope’s ex cathedra pronouncements, and an indefinite body of church
tradition, some formalized in canon law and some not yet committed to writing.
Whereas evangelical Protestants believe the Bible is the ultimate test of all
truth, Roman Catholics believe the Church determines what is true and what is
not. In effect, this makes the Church a higher authority than Scripture.
The documents of the Second Vatican Council affirm that “it is not from sacred
Scripture alone that the [Catholic] Church draws her certainty about everything
which has been revealed,” but “sacred tradition [transmits] in its full purity
God’s word which was entrusted to the apostles.” “Therefore both sacred
tradition and sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same
sense of devotion and reverence.”
How does “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” address the issue of biblical
authority? As Christianity Today pointed out, the document expressly affirms
“that Christians are to teach and live in obedience to the divinely inspired
Scriptures, which are the infallible Word of God”. But the document lists the
question of the Bible’s sufficiency as one of the disputed issues: “The sole
authority of Scripture (sola scriptura) or Scripture as authoritatively
interpreted in the church”.
The manner of framing that statement implies that the difference between
evangelicals and Catholics has to do with the question of who is authorized to
interpret Scripture. It implies that evangelicals allow for individuals to
interpret the Bible according to their personal preferences while Catholics
insist on following the hierarchy of Church authority. But that is a gross
misstatement of the issue.
Evangelicals certainly believe in interpreting Scripture correctly. That is why
they have creeds and doctrinal statements. But evangelicals believe that creeds,
decisions of church councils, all doctrine, and even the church itself must be
judged by Scripture—not vice versa. Scripture is to be interpreted accurately in
its context by comparing it to Scripture (1
Cor 2:13;
Isa 28:9–13)—certainly
not according to anyone’s personal whims. Scripture itself is thus the sole
binding rule of faith and practice for all Christians. Protestant creeds and
doctrinal statements simply express the churches’ collective understanding of
the proper interpretation of Scripture. In no sense do the creeds or
pronouncements of the churches constitute an authority equal to or higher than
Scripture. Scripture always takes priority over the church in the rank of
authority.
Catholics, on the other hand, believe the infallible touchstone of truth is the
Church itself..." Full text:
Evangelicals and Catholics Together: Adapted from: Master's Seminary Journal
Volume 6 (6:7-37) Grace to You
Second
Vatican Council