What Exactly Is “Sola Scriptura” Protecting Us Against?
One of the foundational convictions of the Reformers was, of course, this doctrine we call Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone). Simply put, this is the belief that the Scriptures are the highest and most ultimate authority in the life of the Christian.
Contrary to popular misunderstandings, it is not the belief that the Scriptures are the only authority. Christians have other legitimate authorities in their life (their elders, classical creeds, etc.), but only Scripture is an infallible authority. For more on this point, see here.
At the heart of Sola Scriptura, is the recognition that fallen humans are always looking to replace God’s authority with some other human/creaturely authority. … Continue reading...
Why Didn’t My Pastor Tell Me About That?
It’s one of the most common questions I get when I talk with Christians who are struggling with what they believe. They’ve stumbled across some problem in the Bible or some issue raised by critical scholars and they don’t have an answer. Then they ask:
Why didn’t my pastor tell me about that?
Lurking behind this question is the concern that perhaps they haven’t been given the whole story. Perhaps their pastor (and the Christian church in general) has been holding things back so as not to upset their faith. Maybe all they’ve ever heard is one version—a sanitized, idealistic version—of what’s in the Bible.
And, this concern is often … Continue reading...
Don’t Miss These @RTSCharlotte Summer 2021 Courses
As we wrap up the Spring 2021 term, there are some amazing classes coming up for the Summer term here at RTS Charlotte. I can’t mention all of them, but here are a few highlights below. These are all in-person, residential classes:
D.A. Carson, The Exposition of Hebrews – 2.00 Hours
An analysis of the message and purpose of the book of Hebrews to show its importance for today. Special attention is given to the basic doctrines of Christ’s high priesthood and the covenant and the author’s admonition to be faithful to the Word of God.
03NT6360/01
Monday 1:00 PM – 4:30 PM
TueWedThur 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Continue reading...
How Far Back Can We Trace the Fourfold Gospel?
There has been a long-standing scholarly discussion about how far back we can trace the roots of the fourfold gospel. Even though the four gospels obviously existed in the first century, there is still debate about when Christians began to gather them together and view them as a unit.
We certainly see this happening in Irenaeus, who is quite plain about his view, “It is not possible that the gospels can be either more or fewer than the number they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live and four principle winds… [and] the cherubim, too, were four-faced” (Haer. 3.11.8).
But, can … Continue reading...
Were the New Testament Authors Aware of Their Own Authority?
Sometimes, even in the academic world, things get said so many times that people assume they are true. And when that happens, no one bothers to look at the historical evidence in a fresh way.
One example, which is fairly routine these days, is to assert that the New Testament authors certainly did not think they were writing Scripture, nor had any awareness of their own authority. Mark Allan Powell, in his New Testament introduction, affirms this view plainly, “The authors of our New Testament books did not know that they were writing scripture.”[1] Gamble takes the same approach, “None of the writings which belong to the NT was … Continue reading...