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Before I was a Catholic (and the entire 12 years I was the senior/teaching pastor at our congregation) I encouraged people to judge everything they believed and to judge what I was teaching them on Sundays, by the Bible — especially if there was a dispute between two contrary ideas that needed to be resolved authoritatively. “Don’t just take my word for it! Judge it by the Word!”
As good as this idea sounded to me and everyone else, I discovered over and over again how unworkable such an approach is in practice. Here is, let’s call it — a “composite” conversation between several Christians from different Protestant and non-Catholic traditions all talking together about how to sort out doctrinal issues with the Bible as their sole and final source of authority.
– I judge everything by the word of God, alone, as my sole and final source of authority about my Christian faith. If God said it, I believe it, and that settles it.– I think the ESV is the best bible translation available today.– No, the ESV is not a good bible. There is a lot of translation bias toward more conservative doctrines like complementarianism which I disagree with. A better bible for my doctrinal preferences (and those who agree with me about those preferences) is the NLT.– Yes, but both of those bibles leave verses out unlike the best Bible translation, the KJV. If you are not using the KJV, you’re not really reading the Bible as God gave it to us.– Well, the NRSV is really the best because it uses more inclusive language.– The inclusive language of the NRSV betrays it as a liberal translation not worthy to be called a good translation.– Well, I prefer the NIV because it’s easy to read and understand.– Yes, but the NIV contains many biases that hide the various options that allow for other interpretations. These seem to be theologically motivated.– Other interpretations? The Bible can only mean one thing, and you would know what that is if you were interpreting it correctly.– I am interpreting it correctly. I studied Greek, Hebrew, and hermeneutics and advanced biblical exegesis in seminary!– Which seminary? Was it a liberal one or a conservative one?– Well, I read the NASB because it follows closest to the literal reading of the Greek and Hebrew.– Psh. Didn’t you hear that one of the guys who helped create that Bible later denounced it and turned “KJV-Only”?– Well, all of these issues can get cleared up if you get a good study Bible. That’s the key. For instance. I use the MacArthur study Bible because it tells me what the text really means.– What? MacArthur is a Calvinist! I use the Spirit-Filled Life Study Bible!– Oh man, I just use the plain Bible without anyone else putting their notes in it. The Holy Spirit teaches me what the text means when I study it by myself.– Well, I use the Zodhiates Hebrew and Greek Key Study Bible. It has all of the original words in there in the original languages and a Strong’s concordance in the Back.– Do you read Greek and Hebrew, and do you know how to determine whether or not his translation is accurate based on the semantic range of many of the words where there are different possible meanings?– Look — he’s a Greek and Hebrew Scholar! Plus, the Bible has ONE meaning!
And on and on it goes. Where it stops, nobody knows! I would love to hear how this is not what every discussion eventually devolves into among Christians who conclude that the Bible is the sole and final authority in matters of faith (something that, by the way, is taught nowhere in the Bible itself).