The apostle Paul said, "...How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have
briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the
mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now
been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets." (Eph. 3:2-5). Furthermore, he
said, "If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things
which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord." (1 Cor. 14:37). There is no passage
anywhere in the Scriptures which states that unwritten traditions, teachings of the Pope, or
legislations of the church are the laws of the Lord. Thus, the Scriptures claim for themselves that
they alone are the standard of authority in religion.
John the apostle said, "These are written that you may believe..." (John 20:31), "And these things
we write to you that your joy may be full." (1 John 1:4), "...These things I write to you, so that
you may not sin." (1 John 2:1), "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life..." (1 John 5:13). Again, not one time
did John, or any inspired writer, declare that the ex-cathedra pronouncements of the Pope,
legislations of the church, etc., are given that you may believe, might not sin, or may know that
we have eternal life. Again, the Scriptures claim for themselves that they alone are the standard of
authority.
The holy Scriptures furnish us unto every good work. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is
given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every
good work." Any practice, therefore, which is not in the Scriptures cannot be a good work in
God's sight. Please name one good work which is necessary for salvation which is not in the
Scriptures. Thus, the Scriptures alone are the authority; they thoroughly equip us for every good
work.
All teachers are to be tested by the Scriptures. 1 Cor. 4:6 says, "Now these things, brethren, I
have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to
think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the
other." Acts 17:11 says, "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they
received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these
things were so." Even when Paul emphasized that his writings were the laws of the Lord (1 Cor.
14:37), it was in opposition to what men might claim as laws. The Scriptures, therefore, are the
only authority. Any practice not found in them is of human origin and is therefore false.
The Scriptures are the standard by which we will be judged in the last day. Rev. 20:12 says,
"...And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the
books." (See also Rom. 2:16; James 2:12; John 12:48). We will not be judged by unwritten
traditions, teachings of the Pope, legislations of the church, writings of the so-called church
fathers, etc., thus, again, showing that the Scriptures are the only standard.
Now, I will continue to examine my opponent comments which were made in his First
Affirmative. In paragraph 10, he said, "Which came first, the Church or the Bible? Well, of
course, the answer is obvious." He also added, "It was by the spoken word of the Church that the
Christian converts believed in the good news, not by reading the Bible. I challenge my opponent
to deny this historical fact." This is another often repeated Catholic argument designed to exalt
the church as an authority in addition to the Bible. They claim that the Bible is not the sole
authority because it followed the establishment of the church.
The Scriptures clearly reveal that the Word of God came before the church. As we have shown,
there was a time when all the Word of God was given orally--by word of mouth of the inspired
apostles and prophets. When people heard, believed and obeyed the Word given by the inspired
teachers, the Lord added them to His church (Acts 2:47). In other words, upon obedience, they
then constituted the church or the body of the saved. When they became "the church," they had
no authority in making or changing the laws of the Lord. Their responsibility, as today, was to
follow the commandments given by those who were guided by the Holy Spirit.
In all the accounts of conversion in the book of Acts, it is revealed that the Word of God was first
preached (Acts 2:14-41; 8:5-13; 35-39; 9:17-18; 10:34-38; 16:13, 32). Thus, churches were
established as result of the preaching of God's Word, and after being established, they continued
to be guided and instructed by the inspired men who were present with them (See Acts 20:17-28).
The Word of God given orally was the guide and standard of authority in that early period. If
Christians in any given locality wished to be pleasing to God, they had to receive the Word of the
inspired teachers as coming from God Himself (1 Thess. 2:13).
There was a period when the Word of God was given both orally and written; the apostles and
prophets began delivering God's will both by preaching and writing. 2 Thess. 2:15 says, "So then,
brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of
mouth or by letter." Thus, there was a time when the church was guided either by having inspired
men in their presence or by epistles written by inspired men. Both of these had equal authority
because both were the product of the Holy Spirit. When the apostles and prophets passed from
the earth, their inspired writings became the only source of authority in religion.
Here, again, is a list which shows what the holy writings furnish: (1) Life in the name of Jesus
(John 20:30-31); (2) Commands of the Lord (1 Cor. 14:37); (3) Knowledge of the mystery of
Christ (Eph. 3:2-5). (4) The proper conduct (1 Tim. 3:14-15); (5) Every good work (2 Tim.
3:16-17); (6) Protection against sin (1 John 2:1); (7) An assurance of eternal life (1 John 5:13);
(8) Standard by which teachers are tested (Acts 17:11; 1 Cor. 4:6); (9) Joy that is complete (1
John 1:1-4); (10) A reminder of the precepts (2 Pet. 3:1-2); (11) Standard of judgment (Rev.
20:12). This is all that is declared in God's revelation regarding His authority or law. The holy
Scriptures do not mention or allow other authorities. They alone are the complete and final
standard which furnish all of man's spiritual needs. They alone are the standard by which all
teachers are to be tested, and by which we will be judged in the last day. Thus, for the church to
be pleasing to God, it must follow the Bible alone as its authority.
It is obvious that Catholics have the wrong concept of the church that is revealed in the
Scriptures. The church of the New Testament was never a legislative body with authority to
deliver or change the laws of God. The inspired individuals delivered God's laws (1 Cor. 14:37),
and it was required of the early church, as well as the church today, to follow those laws. In other
words, when 3,000 souls obeyed the gospel on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41) and the Lord
added them to the church (Acts 2:47), that group was not thereby made an infallible, legislative
body. The authority was not in the church, but in the inspired teachers who delivered the Word to
them.
Consequently, the Word of the New Testament existed before the church (first given orally and
then written). The church came into existence as result of the preaching of the Word. The Word
was not born of the church, nor is the church the mother of the Word. How could it be the "New
Testament church" except that the New Testament had been first? When Catholics argue that the
church existed before the written New Testament, are they trying to say that the church existed
without the faith that comes by hearing the Word (Rom. 10:17)? We see, therefore, that their
argument amounts to nothing more than another feeble attempt to exalt the church as an authority
in addition to the Bible.
In paragraph 12, my opponent said, "Scripture teaches that Christ's visible Church will have
uninterrupted existence. '..Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit..and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world.' (Matt 28;19-20) '...the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (the Church).' (Matt
16:18)." Thus, my opponent claims that Matt. 28:19-20 teaches that the church would have
uninterrupted existence. Another Catholic writer quotes the same passages and declares that it
teaches that the apostles were to have successors. He says, "The guidance of Christ was,
therefore, to continue with their successors. This is clearly disclosed by the Words of Christ:
'Behold I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world.' Since the Apostles were
not to live until the end of the world, Christ promised to be with them in the person of their
successors unto the end of time." (The Faith of Millions, p. 137).
Moreover, another Catholic writer quotes Matt. 28:19-20 and asserts that Jesus was teaching that
the church would never teach error. He said, "Why can't the Catholic Church ever teach error?
Because Jesus promised to be always with His church to protect it from error. 'Go therefore, and
make disciples of all nations...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you: and
behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world' (Matthew 28:19-20)." (A
Catechism For Adults, p. 56).
Doesn't it seem strange that Catholics can make the same passage teach a host different doctrines,
especially when it says nothing about any of them? The passages neither mentions the church nor
successors. The promise of Christ was to the apostles and to them alone. We ask, "In what way
would He be with them to the end of the world?" Please notice the context. Just before He
declared, "I am with you all days," He said, "...Teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you." Thus, Christ would be with them in the teaching of His commandments. The
apostles themselves would not remain forever, but their teachings, the commandments of Christ
which they delivered, would. The same is taught in parallel passages. "For you have been reborn,
not from corruptible seed but from incorruptible, through the word of God who lives and abides
forever. For, 'All flesh is as grass, and all its glory as the flower of grass; the grass withered, and
the flower has fallen--but the word of the Lord endures forever.' Now this is the word of the
gospel that was preached to you." (1 Pet. 1:23-25).
My opponent also used "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18) to teach that
the church would have uninterrupted existence. Again, we ask our readers to consider what other
Catholic writers teach from the same phrase. Please notice the following from Catholic sources:
"Jesus Christ promised to preserve the Church from error. If His prediction and promises were false, then he would not be God, since God cannot lie. Christ said: 'Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' If therefore the Church falls into error, the gates of hell certainly would prevail against it." (My Catholic Faith, p. 144)
"Our Blessed Lord, in constituting St. Peter Prince of His Apostles, says to him: 'Thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.' Christ
makes here a solemn prediction that no error shall ever invade His Church, and if she fell into
error the gates of hell certainly prevailed against her." (The Faith of Our Fathers, p. 55).
The Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W.E. Vine defines the word "hell" of
Matt. 16:18 as, "HADES, the region of departed spirits of the lost (but including the blessed dead
in periods preceding the Ascension of Christ)." (p. 187). Mr. Vine on page 188 added, "The
word is used four times in the Gospels, and always by the Lord, Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15;
16:23; it is used with reference to the soul of Christ, Acts 2:27,31; Christ declares that He has the
keys of it, Rev. 1:18..." The Theological Word Book of the Bible, edited by Alan Richardson,
says of the word, "The name for this region was SHEOL (Heb.) or HADES (Gk.)...It was in
Sheol that a man was 'gathered to his fathers'; the dead may not return to earth, but the living
must eventually go to them (cf. II Sam. 12:23)." (p. 106).
When Jesus said, "...Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it," He did not promise to preserve the church from error. He simply meant that the gates
of hell would not prevail against Him in preventing Him from building His church. Acts 2:31-32
says, "...He, foreseeing it, spoke of the resurrection of the Christ. For neither was He abandoned
to hell, nor did His flesh undergo decay. This Jesus God has raised up, and we are all witnesses of
it." Hence, Jesus was not stopped from building His church by being left in hell ("hades" in the
Greek, meaning the place of the disembodied spirits) because His spirit was again reunited with
His body. If He had been confined to hades, it would have prevailed against Him.
A parallel constructed sentence to Matt. 16:18 is, "The students are going near the swamp, and
the faculty does not like it." The faculty does not like what--the students? No, the faculty does
not like the students going near the swamp. Jesus said, "...I will build my church and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it." The gates of hell shall not prevail against what? They would
not prevail against Him building His church.
The seven short epistles to seven churches of Asia in the book of Revelation reveal the
relationship the church sustains to Christ (See Rev. chapters 2 and 3; see especially 2:1-5, 12-14,
18-20; 3:1-3, 14-15). Those verses plainly reveal that when a church continues in Christ's Word,
it keeps its identity as His church, but when it fails to abide in His Word, it is no longer regarded
as His church. Also, they reveal that Christ did not establish His church as one that could never
fall into error, because some of those churches went into error. Someone might say that the
passages in Revelation referred to the various parishes or congregations rather than the whole
church. It is true that the verses were speaking of local churches; nevertheless, the same principle
that applied to them, relates to the whole church. The Lord does not have a rule for one
congregation which is not equally applicable to all. If one church is rejected for embracing error,
all others who likewise embrace error are rejected.
Many times during the Old Testament period, the whole Israelite nation left the truth. Jeremiah
the prophet recorded that false prophets and priests had turned the people from the truth and none
were right (Jer. 5:31; 6:13; 8:10; 13:25; 14:14; 23:32). Isaiah said, "And judgment is turned away
backward, and justice hath stood far off: because truth hath fallen down in the street, and equity
could not come in. And truth hath been forgotten..." (Isa. 59:14-15). Time and time again the
whole Israelite nation left the truth and followed error--Judges 2:10-12; Psalm 14:2-3; 53:2-3;
Micah 7:2 etc. Some generations, however, abandoned error and turned back to the Word of
God. A good example is when the book of the Lord was found and reforms were made (2 Kings
22 & 23).
The Old Testament examples of the people of God falling away, reveal the proper relationship the
church sustains to Christ because the New Testament writers declared that those things serve as
warnings for us. 1 Cor. 10:11 says, "Now all these things happened to them as a type, and they
were written for our correction, upon whom the final age of the world has come." (See 1 Cor.
10:1-12; Rom. 15:4). If God's chosen people under the Old Testament went into error, and the
inspired writers declared that those things were written as a type to admonish us, it necessarily
follows that God's people under the New Testament can go into error.
The relationship that the church sustains to Christ is the same as that of the individual Christian.
As long as the individual abides in the Word of the Lord, he will never perish and no outside
forces can remove him from the Lord's favor. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them and they follow me. And I give them everlasting life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall anyone snatch them out of my hand." (John 10:27-28). Did Jesus mean "once saved, always
saved?" No, He meant that no outside forces can remove one from Him; however, it still remains
that one can remove himself by not abiding in His Word. Likewise, there are no outside forces
that can destroy the church, e.g., "a kingdom that cannot be shaken" (Heb. 12:28), but it can
cause itself to be rejected by embracing error. As long as the church is abiding in the Word of
Christ, there are no outside forces that can destroy it, but when it is overtaken by error, by its own
actions it loses its identity as His church.
As before, I have limited myself to five pages as agreed in the rules for this debate. All Scriptural
quotes in the above essay are from the Catholic Translations - Confraternity-Douay Version,
Douay-Rheims Version, and Catholic Edition-Revised Standard Version.
It is truly unfortunate and sad that this debate must now come to a end. The reason for its closing
is that Mr. Accetta, without any explanation, has chosen to discontinue his part in the debate.
Thus, he has clearly broken one of the rules which was agreed upon and signed by each
correspondent. Rule No. 5 stated, "Each writer agrees that if either one wishes to discontinue the
written debate, for whatever reasons, a letter stating his reasons for ending the debate be sent to
their opponent."
In the final analysis, what can we conclude but that God's holy Word has defeated the Catholic claim? Indeed, God's sacred writings are the true and sole standard in religion today. They are the revelation of the mind of God (Eph. 3:1-5; 1 Cor. 2:6-13), the means by which all teachers are to be tested (1 Cor. 4:6; Acts 17:11), the complete and perfect guide to eternal life (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 John 5:13), and the only standard by which we will be judged in the last day (Rev. 20:12; Rom. 2:16).