Featured Would you stay? 2

This is a very good point. Since Moses and the Prophets were long past away, Jesus obviously meant they had the writings of Moses and the Prophets. For those who had to rely upon the Pharisees (The Church) it was devastating. Jesus said to those Church Leaders...
Mat 23:13 "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

Just as the Pharisees placed themselves on par with the Scriptures and lost their way with their handling of the Scriptures, so did this group of power hungry men called the RCC. So God raised up Luther from among them, to call them to repentance, but they would have nothing to do with correction and repentance, but rather sought to hunt down and kill any who would dare oppose their power and authority.

But God prevails! And today His Church thrives in spite of any oppression by the RCC. In fact, this organization is most likely the organization in which the Antichrist will take over. Ask yourself, how will the Antichrist be able to convince millions he is the Christ? Answer, because the Pope says so. Millions of people follow the Pope and will do anything he says. When he declares the Antichrist is the Christ, all Catholics will worship him. Think about it, how could the Antichrist possibly get millions to follow him in PEACE? He will need the blessing of a Pope.

 

I guarantee this: Using a plain reading of the Scriptures, you will NOT conclude that a substitute Priesthood of mediators is necessary, and not only unnecessary but anti-Scriptural. You will not find a hierarchy of leaders--particularly you will not find a top-down structure with man at the top--it's Christ at the Top and leaders at the bottom, serving and teaching others to serve.

Therefore, we conclude:
Pope is unbiblical
Priests mediating is unbiblical
bishops/Cardinals over diocese and perishes are unbiblical
Clergy/laity separation is unbiblical

No wonder you say the church has the authority--you disregard Scriptural authority altogether.

 

That's not the argument, actually. The argument is that God has all authority, and that the Scriptures are given by God, and are, therefore, authoritative.

So, since God has spoken in the Scriptures, and it is impossible for Him to lie, and He cannot deny Himself, it follows that any prophecy, revelation or word of knowledge, or whatever you kooks are calling it these days, that contradicts the Scriptures is false. And any revelation that doesn't, isn't needed.

 

Not a hierarchy of leaders? The letters of St. Paul to the outlying churches was the hierarchy of the new Christian Church in action. St' Paul was telling those folks where they were messing up and they had better get with the program if they were to remain true to the faith. None of these outlying churches were autonomous, they were not just given a book and told to figure things out for themselves. No! No! No! A church, an institutional church was created, was meant to be created.

Now concerning mediators, please don't ever act like one by praying for others yourself. Anyone who needs God's help can pray to Him on their own, they don't need you in between themselves and God.

As for your other claims, nothing you cited is unbiblical because the leaders of the One Universal Church had the authority to act on this earth from Jesus Christ (God Incarnate) Himself. The scripturally mentioned ordained priesthood ( the laying on of hands) consists of those who part of the ministerial priesthood, those who lead the faithful in all religious matters, men called Bishops who have real power and authority. The Church evolved in an orthodox manner, i.e. a real existing church on earth with widely accepted doctrines, not what happened some 1600 years down the line as a "go it alone" faith.

 

So what you are saying is what Paul and the other Apostles had to say, which they wrote down for these churches in letters, which they commanded to be read to the congregations of these churches, was the Final Authority.

 

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

What was learned? An expounded understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures in light of the New Covenant.

How do we know that?

VS 15...

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

You utterly ignore the context--in plain sight for all to see!

The Scriptures, the Scriptures are our authority--man subjects himself to them--because as @Aaron has clearly stated...

God gave us the Scriptures so that we can knowingly, by the testimony of the Spirit within us, subject ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ--His Word.

 

can you give to us any verse where jesus quoted other from the scriptures when answering Pharisees and others?

 

You will not find the papacy, nor any church as being the one true church now!

 

Yeah it says the church bind and loose. It quotes Jesus in a dispute between two parties YOU TAKE IT TO THE CHURCH. It says the church can retain and forgive sins.

But that is beside the point.

Let me scribble in the bible. THE CHURCH HAS NO AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER.

Now lets get back to the question you are afraid to answer:

Is there a bible verse that spells out PLAINLY and CLEARLY that Scripture is the Final and Only authority?

Yes or No.


Why is this question so controversial? All you gotta do is say "YES".

 

No, he used the word of God, the scriptures!

 

What the scriptures refers to as being trasdition, would be inspired OT texts, not as RCC sees it as being!

 

Ooops! Don't see those words anywheres. "The Church is the Final and Only authority". Must not be so!

 

The church in context there was not the Roman one, as Jesus meant the one to come in Acts, not that of the RCC!

 

The very fact that you reference Scripture here to dictate how you operate tells you where the Authority is

P.s. The church does not retain sins in and of herself--it's based on the Authority of God's Word and the Forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ! We can SHOW someone they are forgiven based on faith in Jesus Christ ACCORDING TO THE WORD:

Romans 1:16
Romans 6:23
Romans 10:9-10
Ephesians 2:8-9
John 3:16-17
John 3:36

 

Paul Got his teaching from Christ Himself and delivered it during the transition period until the Teachings were written down. Are you saying you get revelation from God for new teachings? Everything Paul was teaching Timothy concerning Christ could be found in the OT as it found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Why do you have a problem saying Scripture is our Sole authority? here is my guess--because you want to usurp God's Authority. It's obvious because of your system's actions--exalting saints, corporate hierarchy, confession, transubstantiation (John 6 is about Christ being our very source for spiritual life and vitality, NOT the eucharist), praying to Mary, Mary as co-redemtrix, etc etc....You HAVE to diminish the authority of God's Word in order to come up with this stuff.

 

WOW, man!

This is Christ condemning the Hypocritical pharisees and the traditions they teach!

23 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
2 Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Open your eyes, man! You are quoting Scripture that condemns what you are promoting!

Most likely it was the content found in the 1st Letter to the Thessalonians.

 

You keep missing the fact that Paul was an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Apostles were chosen by Jesus Christ and given the authority to deliver the word of God. It has been delivered, there are no more Apostles other than the ones confirmed in the NT letters. What is left for us is the word of God which the Apostles had penned for God and God has preserved for His church as His final Authority on all matters of doctrine and Christian living. All instructions from God for His church has been given, there is nothing lacking, nothing more that needed to be added. In fact we can see throughout history, even to this day, how men claiming authority over God's word has brought in all manner of heresies into the church, even denying belief in the Son of God is necessary for salvation, which has been witnessed by Catholics on this very board.