If there is one Holy Spirit, one Bible, and one set of unchanging, universal truths, how is it that we now have thousands of different Protestant denominations (some estimate well over 30,000), each with very contradictory teachings on some very important doctrines – and all stemming from radically different interpretations of the same Bible. Very few could afford their own private copy, and, either way, most could not read.īut perhaps the most compelling reason to reject sola scriptura is that it simply doesn’t work – and God never intended it to. On top of this, before the printing press in the 1500s, all Bibles were hand copied and prohibitively expensive. To be a “Bible-alone” Christian was an impossibility. For the first four centuries of Christianity, Christians didn’t even have the Bible. It was the Church in the late 300s that discerned by the Holy Spirit which books were truly inspired by God and belonged in Scripture. We cannot possibly know which books belong in the Bible from Scripture alone. It is unscriptural itself, and so it is self refuting!Īdditionally, there is no inspired table of contents in the Bible. Stunningly, this idea of sola scriptura is not even found in Scripture. Following “Scripture alone” through private interpretation of the Bible was unheard of. Paul clearly exhorts us to follow both the spoken (sacred tradition) and written (sacred Scripture) sources of divine revelation God has given to us.Īs the New Testament was written, Christians relied on the Church that Jesus founded to properly interpret it. The early Christian Church absolutely did not follow the Bible alone, but primarily followed the oral teaching of Jesus and the Apostles. He builds his house – his church – on Peter, Petros (Greek for rock), and promises “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”ģ) We Do Not Follow the Bible Alone ( Sola Scriptura)Ģ Thessalonians 2:15: “Stand firm and hold to the traditions you were taught by us, whether by word of mouth or by letter” (similarly, 1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 3:6). Paul tells us that “the house of God” is the church in 1 Timothy 3:15), it will never fall, no matter the storms (Mt 7:24-25). Some claim that Jesus’ Church apostatized at some point. It is a fact of history that this Church is the Catholic Church. But he didn’t found thousands of different denominations.
Jesus didn’t first write the Bible, he first came to found his Church. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 16:16-19: “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Jesus twice calls it “perfect” unity.Ģ) Jesus Builds His Church on Peter and It Will Never Fall This is not piecemeal unity, with thousands of different Christian denominations teaching different things on very important topics like divorce/remarriage, contraception, abortion, homosexuality, baptism, or the Eucharist. Why? Jesus tells us: “that the world may believe that you sent me … and that you loved them.” This is the heart of evangelization, and Christian unity is at the centre of it. The last thing Jesus prays for before being arrested is “perfect” unity in his followers.
There are few things more important than Christian unity. John 17:17-23: “I pray … that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me”. Here are 10 key Bible verses that every Catholic should be able to knowledgeably share, to help work toward the “perfect” Christian unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17 below.ġ) Perfect Christian Unity: How the World Will Know God Sent Jesus When sharing the Catholic faith with other Christians, it is critical that we speak their “language” – Sacred Scripture.Įvery verse of Scripture supports Catholic teaching, but some are particularly clear and powerful.
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