FACT CHECK! Sola Scriptura vs. Sola Verbum Dei: A Response to Shane Idleman

Shane Idleman wrote:

There cannot be two absolute authorities. In the same way that we cannot believe both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, we cannot believe the Bible and many traditions that are not grounded in Scripture but actually contradict it. Jesus said that we can make the word of God of no effect by our traditions (cf. Mark 7:13).

The church is the “pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15) – it comes under the truth, it’s not equal to it. We believe in apostolic succession in that we believe what the first Apostles believed. The word Protestant comes from the word “protest”. Protestants want the Church to return to the authority of Scripture alone.

My response:

Where does Scripture itself teach, “There cannot be two absolute authorities.”? Scripture itself actually teaches the exact opposite in 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and 1 Corinthians 11:2. We are to hold fast to all that has been handed down to us, whether by word of mouth or written epistle. According to 1 Thessalonians 2:13, what the Apostles handed down by word of mouth is also the Word of God, the very same divine breath of God as Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). What matters here is not the mode by which we receive authoritative teaching, but rather the source. In this case, the source is the Holy Spirit, the author of all Divine Revelation, which in the 1st century was handed down in two modes or sources. Neither can contradict the other, for God can not contradict Himself. Both transmit the truth to believers, for both have as their author the Holy Spirit. Together, they form the one Deposit of Faith: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Using a similar analogy, there are three Divine Persons (Father, Son, and Spirit) but only one God. They are consubstantial with each other, sharing the same substance. So too, there are three sources of authority (Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium) and they are consubstantial with one another. In the case of Scripture and Tradition, they are both inspired by the Spirit. In the case of the Magisterium, she is infallibly guided by the Spirit. Jesus did indeed say that we make the Word of God void by man made traditions. This is one of the primary reasons why Christianity rejected the man made tradition of Sola Scriptura when it was first introduced as a novelty in the 16th century. In lieu of this, Christianity has always upheld Sola Verbum Dei, the Word of God Alone. We must obey and follow the entire Word of God, whether it was preached orally or written down, as St. Paul taught.

Just as there is man made scripture (aka the Book of Mormon), so too there is man made tradition (aka Sola Scriptura). On the flip side, there is Sacred Scripture (aka the New Testament canon as codified by the Catholic Church) and Sacred Tradition (aka Mary being called the New Eve in the early martyr Church). And in cases of doctrinal dispute, we listen to the Magisterium as happened in Acts 15 (verse 28 in particular assures us that the Spirit guided the Church from error, against the errors of the Judaisers), the Council of Nicea (which protected the truth of Jesus as true God and true Man against the Arians), the Council of Ephesus (which protected the truth of Christ’s identity by proclaiming Mary as Theotokos- Mother of God, against the Nestorians), and yes, even the Council of Trent (which protected the truths of the Mass, the Sacraments, and justification against the novel errors of the Protestants).

The Church indeed is the pillar and foundation of truth. A shaky pillar and a fragile foundation would not be able to uphold the truth infallibly against numerous heresies for 2,000 years. An infallible pillar and indestructible foundation could do that, which is what Christ promised us in Matthew 16:15-18, Matthew 18:15-18, Luke 10:16, John 16:13, Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 22:32, and John 21:15-17.

Furthermore, the testimony of the early Church faithfully echoes these truths. In 375 AD, St. Basil the Great wrote, “Of the dogmas and messages preserved in the Church, some we possess from written teaching and others we receive from the tradition of the apostles, handed on to us in mystery. In respect to piety, both are of the same force. No one will contradict any of these, no one, at any rate, who is even moderately versed in matters ecclesiastical. Indeed, were we to try to reject unwritten customs as having no great authority, we would unwittingly injure the gospel in its vitals; or rather, we would reduce the Christian message to a mere term.”

If you want an even earlier source, from 189 AD, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (a 2nd generation student of St. John the Apostle), wrote, “As I said before, the Church, having received this preaching and this faith, although she is disseminated throughout the whole world, yet guarded it, as if she occupied but one house. She likewise believes these things just as if she had but one soul and one and the same heart; and harmoniously she proclaims them and teaches them and hands them down, as if she possessed but one mouth. For, while the languages of the world are diverse, nevertheless, the authority of the tradition is one and the same… That is why it is surely necessary to avoid heretics, while cherishing with the utmost diligence the things pertaining to the Church, and to lay hold of the tradition of truth… What if the apostles had not in fact left writings to us? Would it not be necessary to follow the order of tradition, which was handed down to those to whom they entrusted the churches?”

Shane wrote, “Granted, some tradition is beneficial if it lines up with Scripture.” No Shane… If the source and author is the Holy Spirit, then ALL Sacred Tradition is beneficial alongside Sacred Scripture. Because Divine Revelation is truth from God Himself. The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet. And according to St. Paul, the Word of God must be upheld whether it came to us orally or written.