Tradition and Authority in Reformed Protestantism

Page 4 of 11

through which he and his followers would see all things theological, and all things biblical. In short, Luther was not examining Scripture from a neutral perspective any more than you or I do. So then, I maintain that the novel doctrine put forth by the Reformers and their descendants: sola scriputra, is not only incorrect and false; but that it is not even possible. No one can approach the biblical text, or any text from a neutral perspective; we all bring with us a certain paradigm into which we attempt to fit all of the biblical data. It is impossible for this to not be the case. Any assertion that the Bible is an open book, where any and all can discover the truths necessary for salvation, by simply using the rules of logic and common sense, and that all can come to the same conclusions in these matters from reading the text alone is demonstrably false. Baptists see the text through Baptist eyes, Presbyterians through Presbyterian eyes, etc. This fact is inescapable. How then can anyone know for certain what the Christian doctrines are, and if they can be proved by Scripture? In the fmal analysis, the Reformed Protestant is wholly dependant upon the authoritative Tradition handed down to him by the Reformers; a Reformed deposit of faith, so to speak. This faith is then asserted to be apostolic in origin and authority, yet it is dogmatically defmed by uninspired men, and by men who admit that they are not protected from making error. In short, Reformed theology is assumed to be correct, but the fact that the whole of Reformed theology could be erroneous is admitted by the Reformed. But this does not prevent them from holding councils, and formulating doctrinal standards which become de facto irreformable dogmas. In short, an authoritative Tradition on a par with Scripture operating as a remote rule of faith, with the Reformed Church herself being the proximate (or, ultimate) rule of faith. The Protestant condemns the Roman Catholic because the Catholic has as his proximate rule of faith, and ultimate standard: the Church, and not the Scriptures alone. Believing himself superior for having no fmal infallible authority other that the Bible, the Protestant fails to see that he too has as his final authority his church's dogmatic defmitions handed down to him from the Reformers and Protestant divines. These standards, defmed in the various Reformed confessions, cannot be violated; they cannot be challenged by the individual Protestant. To be a Reformed Protestant, you must adhere to Reformed doctrine; not to Scripture alone, but to Reformed Church authorities who tell you what the Scripture says and what to believe.

The Revealed Truth of the Gospel: the Apostolic Paradigm

The Apostles themselves had a paradigm through which they saw the world, and through which they read and heard Scripture: a Jewish paradigm. Christ, through his divine Revelation to the Apostles, and the Holy Spirit by revealing new truths to the Apostles, shaped in them a new paradigm: an apostolic paradigm. It is on their authority (derived as it is through Christ's authority given to them) that the gospel was and is preached. They proclaimed the gospel, and they wrote letters of encouragement to the churches. They were a part of a cultural milIeu in which the preaching and teaching of the gospel was
http://www.snider.netlhome/theophilus/tradition.html 7/1/99