16) If the meaning of the
Bible is so clear—so easily interpreted—and if the Holy Spirit leads every
Christian to interpret it for themselves, then why are there over 33,000
Protestant denominations, and millions of individual Protestants, all
interpreting the Bible differently?
A straw man whose premises are inconsistent with objective
fact.
1)Formal sufficiency" does not mean
all of scripture is easy to understand nor that all of it can be understood
now. Scripture was very clear to the generation to whom it was written. God's
Word came to men in a historical context, and where the writer's context isn't
known, its possible we
misunderstand what is dependent upon their culture. But the number of such
texts is small, and never do these affect salvation or even a person being
fully equipped, knowing all instruction relevant to being wise unto salvation
(2 Tim 3:15-17).
Catholic living Tradition has no connection to the Bible writer's culture and
therefore is irrelevant and incompetent That
Catholic Tradition is completely useless for Bible exposition is proved by
Rome's inability to infallibly define the literal sense of even one Bible text.
When Catholic scholarship wants to know the meaning of a Bible Text, they don't
inspect the useless "living Tradition" of the Roman church, they
employ the same hermeneutics Protestants use.
2) 1 John 2:21... no lie is of the truth.
The 33,000 figure in the World Christian Encyclopedia are the total
distinct denominations in 238 countries, and the break down is, when rounded
off:
Independents (about 22,000)
Protestants (about 9000)
Marginals (about 1600)
Orthodox (781)
Roman Catholic (242)
Anglicans (168)
In a real sense these are ALL Catholic denominations, not Protestant. The schism being the direct failure of the Roman Magisterium to keep it all together, not sola scriptua. Catholics admit it was the abuses of
Rome that caused the Reformation.
To make them all Protestant denominations is an obvious lie, both
Catholic and Orthodox denominations existed before Protestants and neither
practice sola scriptura.
It also is a lie to say all these Protestant denominations are sola scripturaist....and not all that say they are
actually practice it. Also in that number are non sola scripturist
cults, others are like Rome, they heed the Grand Wazoo
seated in their midst and care nothing for the meaning of scripture.
3)It also is a lie when sola
scriptura is said to be the cause of every schism....in each and every
case the more likely suspect is fallen human nature. When liberals rebel
against scripture, and begin to practice all sorts of evil, there is no other
course for the faithful to take.
Where splits occurred over dogma, it was where scripture wasn't explicit, and
speculation about the silence, what should be concluded from it, cannot be a
"rule of the faith." Such disputes are over human preferences, for
example, whether infant baptism is correct or not.
"To be sure, there is no direct command to
baptize infants. But there is also no prohibition."-Baker's Dictionary
of Theology (Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI 1979) p.87
When Catholic apologists cite
infant baptism (and other speculations) as proof sola scriptura is unworkable,
they lie. Whether one accepts the practice or not depends
upon speculation. The Bible is silent about the practice.
In actual fact Bible Christian agreement on explicit revelation is near
miraculous. That is seen by their pastors and teachers using the same
commentaries, consulting the same systematic theologies, when preaching or
teaching what scripture saith. Only where the Bible
isn't explicit does the level of disagreement parallel what is evident in
Catholicism and its internal disputes.
God commands we obey His Word above that of men,
failure to be consistent with that command, especially where fantasy is cited
to excuse the rebellion, will be particularly damming in the day when God
judges all things. You will have no sound excuse.
Deuteronomy 4:2 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.
Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they
speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when
he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
__________________
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