13) Where does the Bible
claim to be the sole authority for Christians in matters of faith and morals?
God lays claim to being the sole authority for all in covenant with Him in
Deuteronomy 4:1ff. He commanded we obey solely His statutes and judgments
taught us in His Word, and NOT add to that revelation the teachings of men.
KJV Deut 4:1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the
statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may
live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you.
2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish
ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you.
3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor:
for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy
God hath destroyed them from among you.
4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this
day.
God insists His Word not be commingled with the word of man lest His sole
authority over the people be diminished one iota.
Catholics argue the Word of God also exists in their Tradition. Even if that
were true, by their own definition its hopelessly
confused with the word of men and cannot be separated from it by any rational
criteria.
Even Catholic theologians are unable to distinguish what is the Word of
God from what is the word of men:
"…God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is
contained in the deposit of the faith only obscurely and implicitly. This
deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not
to each of the faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the Teaching
Authority of the Church."- Pope Pius XII, Humani
Generis, no. 21
As it is impossible to submit an extract containing only the Word of God to an
ecumenical council for their acceptance, I submit such Tradition must be
spelled with a small "t", it cannot be considered divine revelation.
All in covenant with God are in Suzerain Treaty, as Jesus defined it:
Matthew 22:21 ...Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's;
and unto God the things that are God's.
Man's authority ends where God's begins, the two cannot be commingled, confused
in any way.
Catholic tradition is a heretical monophysite fusion
of human and divine that expressly condemned throughout scripture, explicitly
in Deuteronomy c. 4 (12:32ff; Jos 1:7; Pro 30:6; Ecc 12:13; Mark 7:1-13; Rev 22:18-19; compare Gal. 3:15),
and implicitly via the analogy of the Incarnate Word of God, the very ICON of
God (Heb 1:3) teaching "don't confuse the Word of God with human
elements".
Apostolic doctrine expressly denies "the
living tradition of the church" can be the "word of God:"
1 Corinthians 14:36 What? came
the word of God out from you? or came it unto you
only?
In context this defines all the "living tradition of the
Corinthians", which includes all the prophecy, tongues, interpretation of
tongues, supernatural knowledge, mysteries, psalm, doctrine they did, are NOT
the Word of God.
Therefore Roman Catholic Tradition cannot be the "Word of God."
The Word of God is certain and clear revelation that far surpasses any guidance
or inspiration the body of Christ receives, either from God the Holy Spirit, or
from the indwelling Christ in the body.
Now that the founding apostles and prophets are with the LORD, the canon is
closed. The Faith "once delivered" by the "word of God" is
what we are to earnestly contend for:
Jude 1:3 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common
salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye
should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the
saints.
Any changes to this revelation is diminishing the Word
of God with the word of man, a rebellion against the Word God commanded.
It is written:
1 Samuel 15:22 ...Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee
from being king.
Therefore no rebel will ever be God's Magisterium.
__________________
The times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth
all men every where to repent:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.-kjv