Our view of the Bible influences every other aspect of our lives. Today, Michael Reeves explains that, rather than one voice among many, Scripture alone is our supreme authority as the very Word of God. Get Michael Reeves’ teaching series Reformation Truths on DVD, plus lifetime digital access to the messages and study guide, for your donation of any amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3660/reformation-truths Meet Today’s Teacher: Michael Reeves is president and professor of theology at Union School of Theology in the United Kingdom. He is the featured teacher for the Ligonier teaching series The English Reformation and the Puritans. He is author of many books, including The Unquenchable Flame, Delighting in the Trinity, and Rejoice and Tremble. Meet the Host: Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts
Full Episode
What did the Reformers mean when they argued that the Scriptures authenticate themselves? They meant the Bible proves itself to be what it claims to be, the Word of God.
When we think about the debates during the 16th century Reformation, we typically think about what we heard last week, the doctrine of justification by faith alone. But what was being protested and the reform that the reformers sought was more than merely a right understanding of the gospel. This is the Monday edition of Renewing Your Mind. I'm your host, Nathan W. Bingham.
This week, Michael Reeves will consider four Reformation truths to help us as we prepare for Reformation Day on October 31st. This series from Dr. Reeves is eight messages, so I do encourage you to request all eight, both on DVD and digitally, along with the study guide, when you give a donation in support of Renewing Your Mind at renewingyourmind.org.
So what do Protestants believe about the Bible? What about Roman Catholics? Here's Michael Reeves, the president and professor of theology at Union School of Theology on the authority of Scripture.
In this session, we're going to look at the different views of Scripture held by the Roman Catholic Church and the Reformers. Now, when Luther began his protest just over 500 years ago, he was addressing a church in Rome that affirmed Scripture's authority and inspiration. So what was it about Luther's thought that was so different, so offensive to the Roman church?
Well, Luther had the audacity to say that Scripture alone is the supreme and inerrant authority. While popes and councils err, Scripture alone does not. And so what distinguished the Reformers from Rome was their claim that as important as tradition is, and they thought tradition was very important, tradition is not without error. only God's Word is.
And because Scripture is the entirely trustworthy Word of God, Scripture alone is the church's ultimate authority, sufficient for faith and practice. Now, the question of authority was critical in the Reformation. so critical, it was the very heart of Luther's early key debates in the very first years of the Reformation.
So round one of the Reformation, Sylvester Prioreus was the Dominican theologian appointed by Pope Leo X to make the first response to Luther's theses. And Prioreus Quickly saw the location of final authority was the real issue at stake. And so Prius wrote in his dialogue concerning the power of the Pope, he said, Round two. Round three.
Cardinal Cadgeton then weighed in, arguing that Scripture must be interpreted by the Pope, who is above not only councils, he argued, the Pope is above Scripture itself. Luther replied, his holiness abuses Scripture. I deny that he is above Scripture. And that was very much the early debates of the Reformation in a nutshell. Roman theologians insisted on the infallibility of the papacy.
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