PROTESTANT GREAT ERRORS
AND GREATER HERESIES
Part Two of a Series
Sola Scriptura or Only Scriptures
It is not our intention to engage in a dialogue, but simply to speak the truth, however sincere dialogues are welcome. Those who seek and yearn for truth will see its presence in these series. When the reformation began, most of its participants believed, and maybe still believe, a gross falsehood, which brought about disastrous results. For some reason, many Orthodox leaders do not address these issues, when they engage those who are still being mislead. For the consequences of the reformation not only did not bring truth or happiness to participants, but brought them from one falsehood to another; from Papism to Protestantism, not from the Papacy to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church – Orthodoxy. They failed to realize how far they went from truth and the correct understanding of Holy Scripture. Having erroneously believed the Papacy to be the true church, they believed that the Church Christ founded was corrupt. Based on this falsehood, the early reformers were not planning to leave the Roman Church, bot to correct and change the many evils, for it had become a den of thieves and a mud pool of immorality, which history confirms.
The truth is that the Papacy had not been the true church for the previous five to six hundred when the reformers went into action. The Papacy separated themselves from the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, because they were unable to dominate it. The consequences of this apostasy was that they were now separate and free from the censure of the Church. Thus countless errors and heresies to enter the papacy, piety was left behind, criminal men entered the papacy and many became popes, true Christianity disappeared.
The Faith was corrupted, and in their thirst for authority and power, they went so far as to usurp the position and authority of Jesus Christ, claiming to be his vicar, and they usurped the authority of the Holy Spirit making themselves the only guide of the Papacy.
The Faith was corrupted, and in their thirst for authority and power, they went so far as to usurp the position and authority of Jesus Christ, claiming to be his vicar, and they usurped the authority of the Holy Spirit making themselves the only guide of the Papacy.
The main thing overlooked by the reformers, was that the true Church still necessarily has to exist, according to the promise of Christ, who built His Church upon a rock, and that rock is Christ. It is obvious that the Church of Christ cannot become corrupted.
SOLA SCRIPTURA – THE SCRIPTURES ALONE
Protestant belief:
“The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.” — Westminster Confession of Faith
Sola Scripture was the rallying cry of the Reformation. The Papacy used their interpretation of Scriptures to increase its authority far above any resistance of people, for they were seeking absolute power. The reformers believed that the Papacy had elevated its traditions above Holy Scriptures, and sought to cast away from themselves this authority. They saw that the behavior of the popes and cardinals was not just unchristian, but was immoral and wicked, and they saw that they were seeking to put the whole world under their yoke. An example of the low to which the papacy had sunk is in the book entitled: Encyclopedia of the Papacy by Hans Kuhner.
“PAUL IV One of Paul’s first acts was to raise his protégé, Carlo Carafa, a brutish adventurer without conscience, and a mercenary soldier, to the rank of cardinal, deacon and secretary of state. Carlo soon had his uncle completely under his power. A man of low blackmailing character, he looked after the house of Carafa most generously and strove for a princedom. The Pope and the cardinal were guided by one thought and one thought only in their policies, hatred of Spain. Charles V, and after his abdication in 1556, Philip II- a hatred which degenerated into a wild passion.” ( P 163-164)
The Protestants elevated the Bible to the status of infallibility because it is the inspired writing from God, and with this claim, are partially in agreement with Orthodoxy, concerning the authority of Scripture. The Church establishes, not the infallibility of Scripture, but that it is divinely inspired, but infallibility is not found in the book which cannot be infallible, for it is subject to interpretation, as Protestants have found out when they invented sola scriptura, for each Protestant group interprets things differently. A divinely inspired interpretation can only be found in the true Church through the Holy Spirit which abides in holy men.
“Therefore brothers, stand firmly, and hold the traditions which you have been taught whether by words or in writing” (2Thes. 2:15)
It is obvious that the Bible rejects sola scriptura, for it speaks of two types of tradition which must be firmly kept, spoken and written. In harmony with the Bible at all times, Orthodoxy recognizes both oral tradition and written tradition. Also our Lord promised to send the Comforter and Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, who reminds us of all that Jesus taught. The Holy Spirit who is God, sent by Christ to abide in the Church teaches things that Protestants cannot understand. They do not see the action of the Holy Spirit in Orthodoxy. Their forefathers, the reformers were unable to see that the Holy Spirit left the papacy almost 600 years previous to their being born, which was shortly after the turn of the first millennium.
The true Church, which is located throughout the world, needs a leader and guide which binds them together as one Church through divine leadership. The Church is the Body of Christ and is therefore impossible for a man to take the place of Jesus Christ. First, Christ never left the Church, for He clearly said: “Behold I am with you to the close of the age.” Second, no one can replace Christ, who is apparently not seen by those outside of the Church. Christ sent the Holy Spirit as Comforter and Guide with full authority over His Church. Peter never was in charge, being a papal myth, nor can a pope be in command, for it is obvious that according to the Bible, the authority and infallibility is only found in the Holy Spirit. In the Book of the Acts of the Apostle, see who is in charge. “Then the Spirit said unto Philip, go near and join yourself to this chariot” (Acts 8:29). “While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold three men seek you, therefore get down and go with them doubting nothing” (Acts10:19-20). “And the Spirit bade me go with him doubting nothing” (Acts 11:12).
The Protestants say the Bible is everything but fail to acknowledge that there were no Bibles for many years, but the Church had existed for many years. It was the Church who removed false books, deciding which were true, and accepted them as canonical books. The Church then is a higher authority and decides what is true and what is spurious. From the beginning the Devil inspired heretics to write spurious books which were presented to people as being true. It was the Church, not the Bible, which fought against the heretic Arius, who denied that Christ was truly God. Whoever is not in the true Church, remains outside and its spiritually cold out there.
Concerning oral tradition:
Commemoration of the Great Earthquake at Constantinople (447)
and the Miracle of the Origin of the Trisagion Hymn
“During the reign of the Emperor Theophilus, the city of Constantinople was visited by earthquakes for almost four months. The Emperor, the Patriarch Proclus who is actually St.Proclus, disciple of St. John Chrysos-tom and the people joined in a barefoot procession to make prayer to God for their safety. While they were gathered, the tremors increased dramatically, and a young boy was taken up into the heavens in the sight of the people, who fearfully cried out Kyrie eleison! When the boy came down from the heavens, he said that he had been among choirs of Angels who sang: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! and that a voice had commanded him to tell the Patriarch that the people should make supplication to God in this way. The Patriarch instructed the people to chant this hymn, whereupon the ground stopped shaking and the child died and went to heaven. The Empress Pulcheria (September 10) asked the Patriarch to order that this hymn be chanted henceforth in the Divine Liturgy, as it still is today." This thrice holy hymn did not come from the Bible.
The Hymn That Came Down From Heaven
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