Post by AmericanPride on May 26, 2008 5:35:49 GMT -8
Claim: Each man is a priest in God's spiritual house (1 Peter 2.5). Therefore, each man is an authority unto himself in regards to the truth.
On the contrary, the conclusion does not follow from the premise, as it is stated that each man is a part of a greater whole (the "spiritual house"). Thus, we are described as a priesthood of all believers, and not a papacy of each believer. Therefore, no man holds for himself exclusive authority on interpretation and can claim a right which is reserved for the Church as a whole. By this understanding, it is clear that this verse requires the humility of each person before the whole of the Church, and not the arrogance of anyone's particular faith in spite of the Church. As Christians, we are members of Christ's body, not self-contained walking Bibles, and therefore we are subject to His authority as a whole. No stone of itself is the whole of the house.
Claim: All Scripture is true, and God reveals himself to men through it (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, each Christian is essentially a religious expert.
On the contrary, the conclusion does not follow from the premise, as not all Christians are inspired fully or in the same ways. This is evident by the vast multitude of differing beliefs which exist in Christianity today. If the person of himself was not a factor in the interpretation of Scripture (that is, if it relied exclusively upon God's grace to make man a religious expert), then all persons who hold that view would also be unanimous in their other beliefs. That's obviously not true. Instead, each person is in his own struggle with God, guided by the Holy Spirit towards the truth. But the truth is sometimes difficult to understand (2 Peter 3.16) and takes some work to stay on course (2 Peter 3.17). If anyone has ever changed a belief on a matter pertaining to Christianity, or claims to know one thing one day, and then two things the next, they by default acknowledge that they are not an expert. Scripture, therefore, is useful in that process of coming to know God, as it testifies to His truth for the purposes of men; not men subjecting themselves to a book written by other men.
Both claims come down to a matter of humility. God created us in his image, creating love and wisdom, and he calls us to use them. Knowing and obeying God is a process, not an event (Matthew 25.14-30). Christians do not disagree because one happens to have faith and another does not (which is a false dichotomy), but because people have different capacities for understanding, humility, and knowledge among them (Romans 12.6-8). We are to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers, working for the building up of the Church. But what church is there if everyone claims to be a pope?
On the contrary, the conclusion does not follow from the premise, as it is stated that each man is a part of a greater whole (the "spiritual house"). Thus, we are described as a priesthood of all believers, and not a papacy of each believer. Therefore, no man holds for himself exclusive authority on interpretation and can claim a right which is reserved for the Church as a whole. By this understanding, it is clear that this verse requires the humility of each person before the whole of the Church, and not the arrogance of anyone's particular faith in spite of the Church. As Christians, we are members of Christ's body, not self-contained walking Bibles, and therefore we are subject to His authority as a whole. No stone of itself is the whole of the house.
Claim: All Scripture is true, and God reveals himself to men through it (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, each Christian is essentially a religious expert.
On the contrary, the conclusion does not follow from the premise, as not all Christians are inspired fully or in the same ways. This is evident by the vast multitude of differing beliefs which exist in Christianity today. If the person of himself was not a factor in the interpretation of Scripture (that is, if it relied exclusively upon God's grace to make man a religious expert), then all persons who hold that view would also be unanimous in their other beliefs. That's obviously not true. Instead, each person is in his own struggle with God, guided by the Holy Spirit towards the truth. But the truth is sometimes difficult to understand (2 Peter 3.16) and takes some work to stay on course (2 Peter 3.17). If anyone has ever changed a belief on a matter pertaining to Christianity, or claims to know one thing one day, and then two things the next, they by default acknowledge that they are not an expert. Scripture, therefore, is useful in that process of coming to know God, as it testifies to His truth for the purposes of men; not men subjecting themselves to a book written by other men.
Both claims come down to a matter of humility. God created us in his image, creating love and wisdom, and he calls us to use them. Knowing and obeying God is a process, not an event (Matthew 25.14-30). Christians do not disagree because one happens to have faith and another does not (which is a false dichotomy), but because people have different capacities for understanding, humility, and knowledge among them (Romans 12.6-8). We are to be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers, working for the building up of the Church. But what church is there if everyone claims to be a pope?