When speaking of dangerous doctrines, the average Christian today will point to the obviously erroneous doctrines of cults, such as that Jesus was a spirit brother of satan, that there are two 'gods' in the Bible, a cruel God in the Old Testament, and a kind God in the New Testament, or that Jesus had only a divine, but no human nature, and therefore did not die for the sins of the world.
However, little do these Christians think about why these heresies are able to arise in the first place. They simply dismiss them as the doctrines of crazy, psycho heretics - all without realising that they themselves are just as susceptible to heresy as those who are blatant heretics. One should never assume that because one attends a 'normal' church that one cannot fall into the trap of heresy. All most Christians to do is target such heretics for criticism, and lift no finger in helping them understanding why it is heresy, and why have they turned to such heresy as Jude 1:22-23 instructs: And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Church history has shown that heresy emerges in very subtle ways over time, whether it be theological or moral heresy. The eventual acceptance of usury as legitimate over many century is the classic example demonstrating how heresy can creep into the Church stealthily. Another example is the idea that predestination means that God destined some for Hell itself, with eternity in Hell being God's perfect will for them.
Most heresies are also reactions to some other heresy, to address the error of that heresy that it was trying to address. Such heresies became accepted as a means to resolve another error and put an end to confusion. However, a heresy that replaces or reacts to another heresy creates even more confusion and tension between the two or more sides who are constantly arguing and disputing with each other about the correct interpretation, rather than understanding, of Scripture.
Any person who has seriously sought to expose false doctrines and confront others on it has undoubtedly experienced the infuriating frustration that such doctrinal conflict causes. Indeed, it is frustrating and has often led to churches being split, owing to an unresolvable doctrinal conflict, and people being wrongly expelled from churches, including pastors, owing to theological disagreement. It has even led to people being murdered, as the Puritans of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have demonstrated, who engaged in violence against those who they perceived to be wrong, all while rejecting Church authority and governmental authority, being full of the spirit of rebellion. These Puritans were not the first to use violence. Cults such as the Cathars and Waldensians were violent. Such is the violent nature of heretics!
What has led to such violent contentions? It is not simply 'extremism' as many Western Christians will say, making a distinction between 'extreme' heretics and 'peaceful' heretics. All heretical sects, in fighting for what they truly believe in, and being honest about their beliefs, creeds and tenets, will engage in violence against the true Church, whether it be physically or spiritually, by butchering the true doctrines of the Church, and attacking those who stand for such truth. For that is simply what their beliefs demand of them, if they are to be truly faithful of their beliefs. Those who do not engage in such violence are simply hypocrites for their proclaimed heretical beliefs, are no less dangerous, and are simply cowards.
It is one's beliefs and doctrines themselves that make a person who he or she is. So, because of that, it is beliefs and doctrines that divide and conflict in such that causes tension that will inevitably lead to violence where all sides are fighting for what they truly believe in.
The cause of conflict in doctrine in the professing Church, be it historically or today, is the idea that the Scripture is subject to interpretation rather than understanding. Such is what the Protestant Reformation creed "sola scriptura" implies. All heretics and cults interpret the Scripture, rather than search for the true understanding of it. The result is that there is no truth or error, right or wrong about Scripture, and that Scripture is therefore open to all manner of interpretation. Such interpretation is necessarily one's own interpretation, as interpretation is how one views something. It is based on one's perspective, rather than an an objective truth.
The Scripture itself says no Scripture is of private interpretation, that "no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21). This itself disproves "sola scriptura", which despite its deceptive title in claiming to stand for Scripture only, really implies that only revelation recorded in Scripture is trustworthy and any other true revelation is not. This amounts to a rejection of the authority of Scripture and its true understanding as an authoritative, rather than Scripture per se. Since no prophecy is of private interpretation, by the will of man, owing to it being that which reveals truth, it follows that a true and right understanding must be pursued. Such understanding must necessarily be authoritative, otherwise there can be no right or wrong, true or erroneous understanding.
It is those who are ordained by God to be teachers of the Word, the Priests, who are to exercise such duty, as indicated by James 3:1: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. Such indicates that teachers are held to a stricter judgment because the congregants or laypeople are under their authority in teaching them, and guiding them.
It is not because true Scripture is recorded down in what is now called the Bible, but because it is breathed by God that makes it authoritative (2 Peter 3:16-17). Just because a purported Scripture is recorded does not make it true. Many heretical sects, such as Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses' have their Scriptures, but yet such so-called 'scriptures' are erroneous. Likewise, just because some revelation from God is not recorded in Scripture, or a direct saying of Jesus, does not mean that it is less authoritative than those that have.
Do you not know not all revelation from God has been recorded in Scripture, or is recorded in Scripture? Do you not know that God has not revealed everything to us about Himself in Scripture? Do you not know that not everything Jesus said or did is recorded in Scripture (John 21:25)? And yet you claim that you believe in God Himself and His Word fully, all while rejecting the idea of prophecies and revelations from God? For those of you who claim to adhere to Scripture, you are going to reject 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 and 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, because they disprove your "sola scriptura"? As those Scriptures testify,
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
(1 Corinthians 14:1-5)
Do not despise prophecies.
(1 Thessalonians 5:20)
To you therefore, Scripture is nothing but a tool that you use as way to justify your theology, rather than truly seek the Truth about God - and you do not even realise that is exactly what you doing by adhering to "sola scriptura". You treat recorded revelations as God, rather than the Living Word, who is Christ Himself. You have it backwards.
For the Scripture, which is the record of divine revelation, is not the Word Himself, but rather, Jesus Christ, who has come in the flesh is the Word and the only Word:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1,14).
The Scripture never says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was the Scripture". No! Rather, the Word was Jesus Christ Himself. The Word is a Person of Jesus Christ, not the record of revelation by the Person. It in Jesus where there is Life, not Scripture: You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me (John 5:39). Scripture only testifies of Jesus, but is not Jesus Himself. For it is Jesus who is the Way, which is found through the Truth, which leads to Life (John 14:6) The Word and Scripture are distinct.
Jesus Himself said that we must worship God "in Spirit and in Truth" who is Jesus (John 4:24), not by reading and interpreting Scripture as the Pharisees did, in their pursuit of God. The Christian of today may simply laugh and scorn those Pharisees, but that is precisely what most professing Christians in today's Church are doing, arguing and debating about theology and Scriptural interpretations, just like the Pharisees, which is the practical application of "sola scriptura".
Truth necessarily seeks understanding, and not interpretation. Truth rejects all "interpretations" and despises all attempts to justify one's own interpretation by the use of Scripture. The Spirit guides people in Truth, not interpretation. Your interpretation is not of the Spirit, as you claim, but from your own mind and heart.
Your claim that it is because one must follow the Spirit, not that of the Church authorities, that makes "sola scriptura" true and right, apart from being self-contradictory, is nothing but a cover to justify your own interpretation and your ability to do so legitimately. If you truly follow the Spirit, then you would not interpret, but seek understanding, and you would not make all your vain arguments about how to interpret select passages of Scripture. You would seek true revelations, and not debate and squabble with others.
Let me ask you who believe in "sola scriptura":
You reject the idea that there is one authoritative understanding of Scripture. So, how do you know if your interpretation which you claim to be right, is true?
You may claim that you can only know then on the Day of Judgment, and precisely, you are right on your part. For you only interpret, and no right understanding of Scripture. But it will be too late. Many people will be lead to Hell because of a lack of knowledge on their part owing to your arguments and debating over Scripture. You yourself will be going there if you seek to find life in the Scriptures, rather than in Jesus (John 5:39-47):
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
“I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Indeed, the Pharisees were arguing over the correct interpretation of Scripture, but yet did not know God, as indicated by how they did not believe in the words of Moses. It was because they did not believe his words that they were arguing about. If they simply believed, and were all led by the same Spirit in truth, they would not be arguing or debating over Scripture. They would have simply submitted to the Commands in Scripture and the Words of Jesus, without questioning, debating, or arguing about it, or what it means.
You may claim that it is better to rely on a collective understanding of Scripture, rather than that of some corrupt Church authority, like the Catholic Church who you love to attack. Well, let me ask you:
What makes you think that the collective body who you love so much is not corrupt in its understanding of Scripture?
You think the collective can't be at least as corrupt as some Church authority? You think evil spread out among more people is better than that of a few in high positions?
Despite the common assumption that "sola scriptura" originated with the Protestant Reformation, it had always been with the Church from its beginning. For wherever there is a cult or heresy, there is "sola scriptura", the idea that one can legitimately interpret Scripture in the way one wants, such that no one can accuse one of being wrong or heretical. All cults and heretics use Scripture to legitimise their error. Some may even corrupt Scripture itself, but they all use Scripture, treating it as some kind of law and using Scripture to 'legalise' its own heresy, be it theological or moral.
While "sola scriptura" has always been present with any heresy, serving as its justification and giving it a reason, such heresies have been able to be suppressed by the Church, before the Protestant Reformation, so as to prevent such heresies from becoming legitimised within the Church, the holy universal Church, the body of true Christians universally.
"Sola scriptura" is now taken as an axiomatic by many Christians, including many true Christians. However, little have most such Christians thought about what it actually means and what it is trying to imply. Instead, they have taken it for granted, and without realising it, swallowed the poison of "sola scriptura" which is the most deceptive heresy, precisely because it appears so true, and neither explicitly or implicitly denies that Jesus is God Himself, as all cults do.
"Sola scriptura", however, is the mother of all heresies. By making the Scripture that to be interpreted rather than understood, Scripture is one for which there is neither right nor wrong, truth or error. Proponents of "sola scriptura" contradict themselves most hypocritically by claiming that they believe in "truth", all while making Scripture to be one for which there is no right or wrong, and no truth or error. It is full of the spirit of legalism in treating the Scripture as the whole of the commands of God.
What "sola scriptura" really implies is that the truth of Scripture is how the most authoritative people in the Church, in the eyes of the collective body, interpret it to be. These authoritative people are typically the celebrity preachers who the professing Christians in the mainstream professing Church love in the denomination and region concerned. In the conservative evangelical Church in America, it is a group of politically conservative, white evangelical preachers who are highly educated in theology, and are worshiped by the collective body, just because they are highly educated, and who aggressively push for politically and socially conservative ideals. Not few such people are western supremacists, who are racist and do not realise it. Almost of all them, if not all of them, are marriage and family idolators who love to tell young people who are unable to marry immediately as a young person, to marry then and there, and enjoy witnessing their suffering.
"Sola scriptura" is not only a heresy, but the mother of all heresies, because it justifies the idea that one can interpret the Scripture for oneself. It rejects all righteous authority concerning the right understanding of Scripture, while supporting false authority on understanding Scripture to justify its own interpretation. Yet, such proponents have the audacity to claim that such false authority is right to interpret Scripture, out of their rebellion. That they make the collective interpretation of Scripture the right interpretation shows their rejection of real Truth, by their embrace of such populism. This rejection of righteous authority per se in understanding Scripture rightly, shows that "sola scriptura" is heresy. For heresy is rebellion, and rebellion always leads to illegitimate authority.
The loss of Church authority owing to its abdication of its duty has led to the legitimisation of this heresy, in being unable to authoritatively declare such to be error. For an authority who has rebelled against God in failing in its duty towards God cannot exercise it. From the legitimisation of "sola scriptura", all kinds of heresies not only emerged, but became legitimised, creating all kinds of heretical denominations and cults that the Church has no authority to suppress - owing its own abdication of its duty to bring within the Church the true and right understanding of Scripture (Ephesians 4:11-16).
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
(Ephesians 4:11-16)
However, little do these Christians think about why these heresies are able to arise in the first place. They simply dismiss them as the doctrines of crazy, psycho heretics - all without realising that they themselves are just as susceptible to heresy as those who are blatant heretics. One should never assume that because one attends a 'normal' church that one cannot fall into the trap of heresy. All most Christians to do is target such heretics for criticism, and lift no finger in helping them understanding why it is heresy, and why have they turned to such heresy as Jude 1:22-23 instructs: And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Church history has shown that heresy emerges in very subtle ways over time, whether it be theological or moral heresy. The eventual acceptance of usury as legitimate over many century is the classic example demonstrating how heresy can creep into the Church stealthily. Another example is the idea that predestination means that God destined some for Hell itself, with eternity in Hell being God's perfect will for them.
Most heresies are also reactions to some other heresy, to address the error of that heresy that it was trying to address. Such heresies became accepted as a means to resolve another error and put an end to confusion. However, a heresy that replaces or reacts to another heresy creates even more confusion and tension between the two or more sides who are constantly arguing and disputing with each other about the correct interpretation, rather than understanding, of Scripture.
Any person who has seriously sought to expose false doctrines and confront others on it has undoubtedly experienced the infuriating frustration that such doctrinal conflict causes. Indeed, it is frustrating and has often led to churches being split, owing to an unresolvable doctrinal conflict, and people being wrongly expelled from churches, including pastors, owing to theological disagreement. It has even led to people being murdered, as the Puritans of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries have demonstrated, who engaged in violence against those who they perceived to be wrong, all while rejecting Church authority and governmental authority, being full of the spirit of rebellion. These Puritans were not the first to use violence. Cults such as the Cathars and Waldensians were violent. Such is the violent nature of heretics!
What has led to such violent contentions? It is not simply 'extremism' as many Western Christians will say, making a distinction between 'extreme' heretics and 'peaceful' heretics. All heretical sects, in fighting for what they truly believe in, and being honest about their beliefs, creeds and tenets, will engage in violence against the true Church, whether it be physically or spiritually, by butchering the true doctrines of the Church, and attacking those who stand for such truth. For that is simply what their beliefs demand of them, if they are to be truly faithful of their beliefs. Those who do not engage in such violence are simply hypocrites for their proclaimed heretical beliefs, are no less dangerous, and are simply cowards.
It is one's beliefs and doctrines themselves that make a person who he or she is. So, because of that, it is beliefs and doctrines that divide and conflict in such that causes tension that will inevitably lead to violence where all sides are fighting for what they truly believe in.
The cause of conflict in doctrine in the professing Church, be it historically or today, is the idea that the Scripture is subject to interpretation rather than understanding. Such is what the Protestant Reformation creed "sola scriptura" implies. All heretics and cults interpret the Scripture, rather than search for the true understanding of it. The result is that there is no truth or error, right or wrong about Scripture, and that Scripture is therefore open to all manner of interpretation. Such interpretation is necessarily one's own interpretation, as interpretation is how one views something. It is based on one's perspective, rather than an an objective truth.
The Scripture itself says no Scripture is of private interpretation, that "no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21). This itself disproves "sola scriptura", which despite its deceptive title in claiming to stand for Scripture only, really implies that only revelation recorded in Scripture is trustworthy and any other true revelation is not. This amounts to a rejection of the authority of Scripture and its true understanding as an authoritative, rather than Scripture per se. Since no prophecy is of private interpretation, by the will of man, owing to it being that which reveals truth, it follows that a true and right understanding must be pursued. Such understanding must necessarily be authoritative, otherwise there can be no right or wrong, true or erroneous understanding.
It is those who are ordained by God to be teachers of the Word, the Priests, who are to exercise such duty, as indicated by James 3:1: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. Such indicates that teachers are held to a stricter judgment because the congregants or laypeople are under their authority in teaching them, and guiding them.
It is not because true Scripture is recorded down in what is now called the Bible, but because it is breathed by God that makes it authoritative (2 Peter 3:16-17). Just because a purported Scripture is recorded does not make it true. Many heretical sects, such as Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses' have their Scriptures, but yet such so-called 'scriptures' are erroneous. Likewise, just because some revelation from God is not recorded in Scripture, or a direct saying of Jesus, does not mean that it is less authoritative than those that have.
Do you not know not all revelation from God has been recorded in Scripture, or is recorded in Scripture? Do you not know that God has not revealed everything to us about Himself in Scripture? Do you not know that not everything Jesus said or did is recorded in Scripture (John 21:25)? And yet you claim that you believe in God Himself and His Word fully, all while rejecting the idea of prophecies and revelations from God? For those of you who claim to adhere to Scripture, you are going to reject 1 Corinthians 14:1-5 and 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21, because they disprove your "sola scriptura"? As those Scriptures testify,
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied; for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues, unless indeed he interprets, that the church may receive edification.
(1 Corinthians 14:1-5)
Do not despise prophecies.
(1 Thessalonians 5:20)
To you therefore, Scripture is nothing but a tool that you use as way to justify your theology, rather than truly seek the Truth about God - and you do not even realise that is exactly what you doing by adhering to "sola scriptura". You treat recorded revelations as God, rather than the Living Word, who is Christ Himself. You have it backwards.
For the Scripture, which is the record of divine revelation, is not the Word Himself, but rather, Jesus Christ, who has come in the flesh is the Word and the only Word:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1,14).
The Scripture never says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was the Scripture". No! Rather, the Word was Jesus Christ Himself. The Word is a Person of Jesus Christ, not the record of revelation by the Person. It in Jesus where there is Life, not Scripture: You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me (John 5:39). Scripture only testifies of Jesus, but is not Jesus Himself. For it is Jesus who is the Way, which is found through the Truth, which leads to Life (John 14:6) The Word and Scripture are distinct.
Jesus Himself said that we must worship God "in Spirit and in Truth" who is Jesus (John 4:24), not by reading and interpreting Scripture as the Pharisees did, in their pursuit of God. The Christian of today may simply laugh and scorn those Pharisees, but that is precisely what most professing Christians in today's Church are doing, arguing and debating about theology and Scriptural interpretations, just like the Pharisees, which is the practical application of "sola scriptura".
Truth necessarily seeks understanding, and not interpretation. Truth rejects all "interpretations" and despises all attempts to justify one's own interpretation by the use of Scripture. The Spirit guides people in Truth, not interpretation. Your interpretation is not of the Spirit, as you claim, but from your own mind and heart.
Your claim that it is because one must follow the Spirit, not that of the Church authorities, that makes "sola scriptura" true and right, apart from being self-contradictory, is nothing but a cover to justify your own interpretation and your ability to do so legitimately. If you truly follow the Spirit, then you would not interpret, but seek understanding, and you would not make all your vain arguments about how to interpret select passages of Scripture. You would seek true revelations, and not debate and squabble with others.
Let me ask you who believe in "sola scriptura":
You reject the idea that there is one authoritative understanding of Scripture. So, how do you know if your interpretation which you claim to be right, is true?
You may claim that you can only know then on the Day of Judgment, and precisely, you are right on your part. For you only interpret, and no right understanding of Scripture. But it will be too late. Many people will be lead to Hell because of a lack of knowledge on their part owing to your arguments and debating over Scripture. You yourself will be going there if you seek to find life in the Scriptures, rather than in Jesus (John 5:39-47):
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.
“I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”
Indeed, the Pharisees were arguing over the correct interpretation of Scripture, but yet did not know God, as indicated by how they did not believe in the words of Moses. It was because they did not believe his words that they were arguing about. If they simply believed, and were all led by the same Spirit in truth, they would not be arguing or debating over Scripture. They would have simply submitted to the Commands in Scripture and the Words of Jesus, without questioning, debating, or arguing about it, or what it means.
You may claim that it is better to rely on a collective understanding of Scripture, rather than that of some corrupt Church authority, like the Catholic Church who you love to attack. Well, let me ask you:
What makes you think that the collective body who you love so much is not corrupt in its understanding of Scripture?
You think the collective can't be at least as corrupt as some Church authority? You think evil spread out among more people is better than that of a few in high positions?
Despite the common assumption that "sola scriptura" originated with the Protestant Reformation, it had always been with the Church from its beginning. For wherever there is a cult or heresy, there is "sola scriptura", the idea that one can legitimately interpret Scripture in the way one wants, such that no one can accuse one of being wrong or heretical. All cults and heretics use Scripture to legitimise their error. Some may even corrupt Scripture itself, but they all use Scripture, treating it as some kind of law and using Scripture to 'legalise' its own heresy, be it theological or moral.
While "sola scriptura" has always been present with any heresy, serving as its justification and giving it a reason, such heresies have been able to be suppressed by the Church, before the Protestant Reformation, so as to prevent such heresies from becoming legitimised within the Church, the holy universal Church, the body of true Christians universally.
"Sola scriptura" is now taken as an axiomatic by many Christians, including many true Christians. However, little have most such Christians thought about what it actually means and what it is trying to imply. Instead, they have taken it for granted, and without realising it, swallowed the poison of "sola scriptura" which is the most deceptive heresy, precisely because it appears so true, and neither explicitly or implicitly denies that Jesus is God Himself, as all cults do.
"Sola scriptura", however, is the mother of all heresies. By making the Scripture that to be interpreted rather than understood, Scripture is one for which there is neither right nor wrong, truth or error. Proponents of "sola scriptura" contradict themselves most hypocritically by claiming that they believe in "truth", all while making Scripture to be one for which there is no right or wrong, and no truth or error. It is full of the spirit of legalism in treating the Scripture as the whole of the commands of God.
What "sola scriptura" really implies is that the truth of Scripture is how the most authoritative people in the Church, in the eyes of the collective body, interpret it to be. These authoritative people are typically the celebrity preachers who the professing Christians in the mainstream professing Church love in the denomination and region concerned. In the conservative evangelical Church in America, it is a group of politically conservative, white evangelical preachers who are highly educated in theology, and are worshiped by the collective body, just because they are highly educated, and who aggressively push for politically and socially conservative ideals. Not few such people are western supremacists, who are racist and do not realise it. Almost of all them, if not all of them, are marriage and family idolators who love to tell young people who are unable to marry immediately as a young person, to marry then and there, and enjoy witnessing their suffering.
"Sola scriptura" is not only a heresy, but the mother of all heresies, because it justifies the idea that one can interpret the Scripture for oneself. It rejects all righteous authority concerning the right understanding of Scripture, while supporting false authority on understanding Scripture to justify its own interpretation. Yet, such proponents have the audacity to claim that such false authority is right to interpret Scripture, out of their rebellion. That they make the collective interpretation of Scripture the right interpretation shows their rejection of real Truth, by their embrace of such populism. This rejection of righteous authority per se in understanding Scripture rightly, shows that "sola scriptura" is heresy. For heresy is rebellion, and rebellion always leads to illegitimate authority.
The loss of Church authority owing to its abdication of its duty has led to the legitimisation of this heresy, in being unable to authoritatively declare such to be error. For an authority who has rebelled against God in failing in its duty towards God cannot exercise it. From the legitimisation of "sola scriptura", all kinds of heresies not only emerged, but became legitimised, creating all kinds of heretical denominations and cults that the Church has no authority to suppress - owing its own abdication of its duty to bring within the Church the true and right understanding of Scripture (Ephesians 4:11-16).
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
(Ephesians 4:11-16)
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