Tradition must give way to the clear statements of the Scripture

  For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is God’s saving power for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.  For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith, as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” Rom. 1:16–17. “The one who is righteous will live by faith.” Ro 1:16–17. If the supplementary words in the antecedent arise out of the spaces in the citation, then Paul is offering the following paraphrase of his text from Habakkuk:  ‘The one who is righteous (that is, with a righteousness of God, revealed in the gospel) by faith (since this righteousness is received by faith and is intended for faith) will live.’  Later in his letter, Paul himself will use just such a format to paraphrase a passage from Deuteronomy:   The righteousness of faith speaks thus: Do not say in your heart, Who will ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down), or, Who will descend into the abyss? (that is, to br...

       A word generally used to translate the generic Greek word ekklēsia, which variously means “gathering,” “assembly” or “congregation.” However, the NT tends to use the word to refer to all those who by faith in the person and work of Christ as the fullest revelation of God have entered into a new relationship with God and with one another (1 Cor 1:9–10),  who are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit on earth (1 Cor 3:16) and who have been given the task of proclaiming the present and future reign of God in the world, both by the verbal declaration of the word of God (Acts 20:25–27) and by the administration of the ordinances or sacraments (Mt 28:19; 1 Cor 10:16–17). The church is founded on the past work of Christ in his death, resurrection and ascension, points to the return of Christ in the future and seeks to live in love by the power of the Spirit in the present. (Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordli...

 

 Geiselmann argued from this change that Trent did not deny that all saving truth is contained in the Scriptures. The truth of divine revelation is found not partly in Scripture while the remainder is found in the traditions (the draft formulation); it is all in Scripture. It is also all in the tradition. It could be argued therefore that the sola Scriptura principle, properly understood, is consistent with Trent. [The view Geiselmann rejects has been the view of the major Roman apologists since Trent. For a brief account, see J. R. Geiselmann, “Scripture, Tradition, and the Church: An Ecumenical Problem,” in D. J. Callahan, H. A. Obermann, and D. J. O’Hanlon, eds., Christianity Divided (London: Sheed and Ward, 1962), 39–72 ] In response to Geiselmann’s position, however, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) has argued that “as a Catholic theologian, [Geiselmann] has to hold fast to Catholic dogmas as such, but none of them is to be had sola Scriptura, neither the great dogma...

 1 Paul, an apostle—not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— English Standard Version Catholic Edition (n.p.: Augustine Institute, 2019), Ga 1:1. Paul’s missionary work did not end with the oral proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ and with the conversion of individuals. Paul established churches, communities of men and women who had come to faith in Jesus the Messiah and Savior, and who came together to study the Scriptures, to learn what Jesus Christ had done and taught, and to live according to the will of the living God. Eckhard J. Schnabel, “Paul’s Missionary Strategy: Goals, Methods, and Realities,” in Christian Mission: Old Testament Foundations and New Testament Developments, ed. Stanley E. Porter and Cynthia Long Westfall, McMaster New Testament Studies (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2011), 183. Paul knew the importance of authorized apostolic letters, for he saw the authority behind the letter t...

  DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SUPPORT THE ROMAN CATHOLIC VIEW OF COMMUNION? By Norman L. Geisler Introduction In the first three Gospels Jesus is represented as saying “this is my body” and “this is my blood” (Mt. 26:26, 28; Mark 14:21, 24; Lk. 22:19, 21) about the bread and wine at the Lord’s Supper.  This is repeated in 1 Corinthians 15:24.  On another occasion Jesus exhorted his disciples to “eat” his “flesh” and “drink” his blood” (John 6:52-58).  Roman Catholics base their doctrine of transubstantiation on these passages, affirming that bread and wine of the Communion are literally transformed into the physical body and blood of Christ, while retaining the outward appearance and characteristics of ordinary bread and wine.