Scripture Underfire

As Protestants, we have set ourselves apart from Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox with Sola Scriptura (Scriptura Alone). The belief we hold that Scripture Alone is the authoritative measure and test of teaching, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16), and to test the spirits to see if they are from God (1 John 4:1-2). While the Five Solaes weren't written at once, as in case of Ad Fontes (back to the sources), However, Solae Scriptura was a  battle cry of the Reformers. Our Protestant claim for spiritual authority is Scripture, which comes from God, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God." (2 Peter 1:20-21). In contrast, our contemporaries, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox believe Prima Scriptura, which is to believe Scripture is first among many traditions of the Church. For Catholics Canon Law (50+ books), Catholic Catechism (1000+ page book, with pgs 983-999 claiming Mary as a goddess, theotokios, and co-redeemer), The Magestratium (council who decides what Catholics should believe), The Papacy (Pope and Cardinals and Bishops), and other doctrines like Purgatory and Penance are additional and mixed in which Scripture as equally authoritative.  For the Eastern Orthodox The Church Fathers (Apostolic Fathers [not Apostles], Origen, Clement, Antony of Egypt, and etc.) and their teachings are equal to The Holy Scriptures. Our Protestant ancestors pointed out rightly, that with so many authorities, how does one know how to obey God and serve Him? Especially when Councils, Popes, and the Scriptures conflict. 

The Protestant Reformation is seen by contemporaries as more recent movement, but in actuality its claim was "back to the sources, ad fonts," and "Solae Scriptura, Scripture Alone is Authoritative," and Solus Christus (Christ Alone saves us), and Solae Gratia (Grace alone, Christ's Grace alone saves us). The Reformation was a return to the authentic Gospel, which was argued and settled at the First Council of the Church, "But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. ³ So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.^{[a] 4} When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. ⁵ But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
⁶ The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. ⁷ And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, ⁹ and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹ But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will." (Acts 15:1-11). The Apostles Peter and Paul agreed that salvation was by grace alone, and through Christ Jesus alone (John 14:6, John 6:40). The concept of Solae Scriptura was even realized by the Apostles, as Paul said, "All Scripture is God breathed and useful for teaching, correcting, and training in righteousness." (2 Timothy 3:16). Even the prophets of the Old Testament were taught by Spirit of Christ about Christ (1 Peter 1:11). The Reformation was to return to the Gospel and the Scriptures for theology, doctrine, and Christian life. Sadly, Solae Scriptura is under fire. 

With the prevalence of homosexual ordination of bishops and Protestant churches in both the Lutheran and Evangelical streams compromising the Scriptures for the sake of culture and convenience; it begs the question, is Solae Scriptura dying in Protestant Churches? In many Charismatic circles (not all), Scripture bends beneath the Esoterica (words purportedly from God that individuals receive, but can be emotions), oppose to the Charisma (hearing God and moving in gifts of the Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:4-12, 2 Corinthians 11:1-27). In esoteric circles the Holy Bible get put on the back burner, which in essence makes them Prima Scriptura like Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. Just as an alarming trend is that many churches are compromising the words of God contained in the Old and New Testaments so that they can bolster their attendance and revenue. As the Truth is silenced by either the sociological voices, the culture, or undisciplined brothers and sisters trapped in esoteric revelations without testing the spirits to see if they come from God (Colossians 2:19, 1 John 4:1-3); the end result is the same; the death of Solae Scriptura. 

Even now there is legislation in California, USA that will censor and purge all documents that threaten LGBT and homosexual lifestyle choices. It goes on to say that any literature that would speak against homosexuality, would be banned. Well that is the Holy Bible, for the LORD God abhors homosexuality (its behavior, actions, sexual intercourses) see Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, The LORD God destroyed the homosexual towns of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), and the Apostle says not to even eat with a believer who practices homosexuality (1 Corinthians 5:9-11). Confronting this one issue, most Protestant Churches have had to schism, with the Lutheran Church breaking in two, the Methodist Church splintering, and so forth. If this one issue which is clear in Scripture can be compromised for the sake of culture, what else in Scripture will be ignored, changed, and considered old fashioned? 

We are seeing a departure from Solae Scriptura and movement towards Prima Scriptura, and worse even Pagan Scriptura that affords interfaith ideals and secular understanding. We must not bend to this assault on the authority of Scripture. The Holy Scriptures are the words of the Holy Trinity penned, and the teachings of God and of His Apostles, Prophets, and Servants. We must not compromise, nor let our faith be bullied into oblivion by the radicals peddling a political ideology as a gender issue. At the moment the Holy Bible, and Solae Scriptura are under siege, either translators are mutilating the Scriptures (newer translations, see my posts on bad translation of the Bible being published) or churches are completely ignoring Solae Scriptura in major aspects of Christian Life. At this point it could be a matter of time until either corrupt translation societies remove the difficult passages in Scripture, or churches remove them simply following cultural norms or estoreic trips. Either way, this is a cause for great concern in our Protestant churches. Solae Scriptura is definitive aspect of being a Protestant, and now that it is under siege, and dying, one wonders how a new generation of Protestants will live out their faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospels. 

As Christians it is incumbent upon us to stand firm in the faith (Matthew 24:13), and we must not dilute, change, and alter one iota of God's Scriptures contained in the Old and New Testaments. For our Lord and God Jesus Christ said of merely one book in the Bible, "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; ¹⁹ and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and ^[i]from the holy city, which are written in this book." (Revelation 22: 18-19). If that is how our Lord and God feels about The Apocalypse, Revelation, the Last Book of the Bible, how much more so does He feel that way about the Gospels, and the rest of the New Testament?! Beware O Church! If you change, alter, and compromise Solae Scriptura, you are on a slippery slop headed for slaughter. Our loving (1 John 4:8) and Just God (Revelation 19:11-16) has given us Scripture, and anyone who tries to question it's authenticity, dilute it, and remove its authority must answer to The Alpha and Omega himself. Amen.