In response to an Huffington Post article titled, “We Never Come to the Bible Alone” by Jamie Arpin-Ricci, I give this challenge below,
“I must disagree and challenge you on this.
While we do not come to the Bible alone, this does not mean that we must reject that one truth is verifiable and knowable. Jesus verified and proved the truth through agreeing testable reports from as few as two or three (John 8:12ff, 17ff, 31ff). This rejection of truth is simply preferring one’s personal experience over the experiences of others, who may testify to us (John 5:30ff). Is that not prejudice? Is this not personal arrogance and pride, the foundation of rejecting knowable truth? Do we not rely on the reports of others including friends, family, and other trusted reports? We may be bias to hear only one account of one side, but our casual dishonesty does not disprove knowable truth. Our opinions do not show an unreliable means of knowledge, but that people have presumptions. Some will find their way out by honesty and others will find reasons to stay there.
The standard of evidence and legal maxim that Jesus used is the basis for taking and using the “Bible alone”. The witnesses of the Bible like all witnesses can be proved upon 2 or 3 consistencies and disproved by 2 or 3 contradictions. Since these eyewitnesses are in the Bible alone, we can examine the apostolic writings gathered under the oversight of Christ’s Apostles in the 1st c. (1 John 1:1–4; 2 Pet 1:16–21; 3:15–16; 2 Tim 3:16–16/1 Tim 5:18; Luke 1:1–3). We can know the words and the witnesses of the Bible. We can examine them for ourselves. Though we may contradict each other, the truth stands.
The life of Jesus is just as knowable as a proven history built upon eyewitness or the testimonies of an event at the center of a legal investigation. How do we know anything in the court of law without witnesses by spoken words, writing, trace evidence, etc.? By this legal maxim, the Bible alone proves and interprets itself showing itself to be the proven source of sources for the life, words, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The way that Jesus interpreted the Bible should be the standard for its own interpretation. He is the one, who proved His points in scripture (Luke 4:1–13, 16–21; 24:44; etc.) and even He made His case by even the tense of a word (Matt 22:29–33). By the “Bible alone”, we find the Truth clearly revealed by the Holy Spirit, who can interpret His own words by His words as the Spirit interprets scripture already written (Heb 3:7ff; cf. 1 Cor. 2). When Christ spoke, the Spirit spoke (“the Spirit says to the Churches” – Rev 2–3). Therefore, the Spirit of Christ does not interpret the Bible via a mystical “Spirit,” but rather Christ’s Spirit interprets the words of Christ and those of His Apostles and prophets (John 15:20; 17:8; Eph 3:3–5). These words dwell in Christians just as much as the Spirit indwells (Col 3:16; 1 John 2:14). Thereby, we may interpret the Spirit’s words by His words on our hearts and minds. Thus, the mind set on the Spirit rather the flesh must be the mind of the person in whom the Spirit dwells, because these positions are not contrary to one another (Rom 8:5–6, 9–11). Believers can do as Jesus said, “observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:20), and as His Spirit said we can speak the same thing without division and be united together in the same mind and the the same judgment (1 Cor 1:10). We must do this together. Truly, some things are hard to understand and some will twist those things to their destruction, but I will not give up the Bible alone when it the sole proven truth and source of sources about Christ. Thereby, I trust Christ’s Spirit that God’s breath comes through every scripture, which are profitable for teaching, admonition, correction, and instruction in righteousness that one may be complete and fully equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16–17; cf. 1 Tim 5:18).
This is my case. May God bless you in the study of His Word.”
The Breath of God 
How does God grant you wisdom, strength, understanding, etc.? Maybe (to you) He doesn’t…and your left to your own intellectual ability to process words.
God gives us wisdom through His providence in this world, through the scriptures, and through the cognitive connections in the mind.
The Spirit is “Christ, the Father, and the Word.” I thought that was obvious!
When you ask God for strength, wisdom, understanding, etc., and he grants those things to you, are you not in fact experiencing the work of the Spirit apart from the text? Of course you are. I don’t need the biblical text to gain access to these virtuous aspects of God’s indwelling.
Although there are no references to experiencing the Spirit in the words of Christ or His Apostles and prophets, I hear you saying that you have found that there is an experience of the Spirit beyond the Spirit’s indwelling, sanctification, and His words within one’s heart.
How do you get from Christ’s life and words to this experience of the Spirit?
It’s as if I’m talking to an atheist. A Christian should know this. If you have never experienced the presence of God then what is your religion about? I should be asking you about why you haven’t experienced the presence of God? This is truly amazing.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)
This is as though I’m talking to a pagan. You are proposing mysticism into your own personal heresies. “When the clown broke the communion bread, I felt the presence of the Spirit”, or “I pray to Mary and I felt the presence of God.” These are delusions of Satan to lead people astray. Your foundation must first be Jesus Christ, but you treat Him like an afterthought to your spiritual walk. To think that you claim a revelation from a spirit beyond that of Christ and what His Spirit gave to His Apostles is outrageous and absurd.
Listen. When we draw close to God, then He draws close to us (Jas. 4:8). He is not far from anyone of us, but this does give you the right to start making things up about experiencing the presence of God leading you for revelation beyond the Gospel. This is kind of preeminent ego is exactly what the Apostles faced in the 1st c. Some guy comes along claiming that the Spirit gives him special revelation, an angel talked to him, or that has some special wisdom of men (Gal. 1:8-9, 1 Cor. 1-3).
I’ve never said I didn’t like the written word. The written word is wonderful and is extremely beneficial in our spiritual development. But it is not the only evidence of the existence of truth from God. I have presented you with NT evidence that God can be found in the heart and that His laws are written on the mind and heart of the seeker. You have yet to respond to this claim and insist that the only source is the written text.
I’m sorry if I misinterpreted your words. You have suggested that I don’t like the bible, which is a misinterpretation of my words as well.
I don’t deny that the creation as seen in nature and the influence of Christ’s words upon are hearts are not evidence either.
Phil, you are simply saying things that you have yet to hack up with scripture. You do cite scripture, but the scripture does not support the point in which you are making. You are leaping to conclusion about the Spirit working within believers from which you have yet to show from scripture.
Scott, how can you say that I have not shown you scripture that supports my claim that the Spirit works within the believer? I have shown you time and time again and you ignore them, apparently.
1 Corinthians 2:10
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Romans 8:11
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Ephesians 3:16
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
1 John 4:13
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
How can you deny the work of God within the believe in light of these scriptures? You obviously have never had a personal experience of God. If you had you would not be trying to convince me that God does not work directly in the believer. God remains conceptual to you if you have no spiritual connection to Him.
John 15:4
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Again, I accept the scriptures, but you are assuming that the Spirit indwells personally guiding beyond the words of Christ, His Apostles, and prophets. You have no scriptures showing this to be true. You assume things about the Spirit that the Spirit never mentioned in the Scriptures. You present the Spirit’s indwelling without noting that Christ, the Father, and the Word also are to dwell in us.
Scott, I’m really amazed that you are claiming the the Bible is the Spirit of Christ. You said, “I find the Scriptures to the only source of sources about Jesus Christ, and only by and through the Scriptures, do the words of Christ dwell in our hearts by the source of the Scriptures, the Spirit of Christ.”
This is in direct conflict with 1 John 4:13
“Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.”
It’s not even a question that you are teaching contrary to the scriptures that you so rely upon for truth. I’m not questioning the importance of the scriptures but the scriptures are pointing to the Spirit that resides in the heart of the believer as that which is of paramount importance. The NT scriptures are clearly teaching us to awaken to God’s Spirit within us and not rely upon the letter of the text (NO and OT). I have given lot’s of evidence of what the scriptures say about the importance of going within for truth and you ignore it as if it doesn’t exist. How would you respond to 1 John 4:13? I’d really like to know?
Again, I never said that the Bible is the Spirit of Christ. Maybe you do not like the written word because you do not want or are not able to understand it.
Yes, “the source of the Scriptures, the Spirit of Christ” means the source of the Scriptures is the Spirit of Christ. Only someone out of prejudice and bias would interpret my words otherwise.
Patrick, can you use human reasoning to prove the existence of Christ in the heart??
I think what comes out of the body is what is in the heart. I think it is fair to look at such fruit to a point, but men can only judge that fruit subjectively. That is why CoC guys (like probably Scott) would argue that some of our greatest saints are hell-bound.
Scott repeats himself a lot. He has a few pet proof-texts that supposedly show that the Bible says what the Bible is” (because he’s smarter than 2,000 years of real theologians)–he uses them without thinking. I’m not like Scott; I believe that the Church offers salvation through Christ–not the Church’s book offering salvation through Christ.
So The Huff was right in that nobody comes to the Bible alone. The NT was created to be used in the context of the Catholic Church’s Litrurgy. In other words, it is intended for the Bible to be brought to people by the Catholic Church. That, of course, causes problems for Scott because he thinks it’s OK to swipe the Church’s book, interpret it in any way he wants, then call those interpretation “true”. He has fooled himself because he THINKS he “came to the Bible” in some fantasy-like way; he is a product of a rebellious model that won’t admit to the fact that a huge chain of people stand between the Bible and himself. In other words, he did not come to the Bible alone.
Didn’t you come to the Catholic Church alone without Christ? Yet, you follow the Church over Christ instead listening to His own words that are spirit and life.
Scott, you make an assumption that you are able to correctly process the words of Christ while those outside of the coC cannot or will not. NT words cannot be intellectually processed to reveal the spiritual truth. Using the intellect to understand spiritual truth is like using a hammer to dig a hole. The heart understands while the intellect can only collect facts and information. There is a big difference. God is not a concept and yet you address Him as such when you look for evidence in the written text instead of your heart. You have approached your Christianity from the basis of factual evidence when true Christians operate from faith. The fact that the Bible proclaims the existence of Christ is not the proof the He exists. The proof is in the heart, yet you make very little (if any) mention of the heart as the place by which we confirm the presence and the guidance of Christ. Instead you point to the biblical text as that which is paramount. You seem to indicate that the Christians walk is by written words and not by faith. I appreciate what you are trying to do but you are a perfect example of why those like me become frustrated with those like you. You simply ignore the spiritual aspects of NT Christianity, which was designed to be an inner journey and not just a practical application of rules, regs and laws.
The bible is a wonderful tool towards the awakening process of the Christian. But the bible is not the object of our quest. Our faith should not be in our ability to process and interpret written words, and yet without knowing it that exactly what you do. You’re not the only one.
You say I follow the Church instead of Christ… Wrong.
What you mean to say is I follow the Church’s interpretation of the Bible instead of YOUR interpretation of the Bible. Why is that so hard for you to understand.
And so why on earth would anyone “listen” to you more than the Church that was given the Spirit of truth that would guide her into all truth?
How do you know any of this that you claim? How do you know that the Roman Catholic Church is the one true Church of Christ? How did you come to this conclusion? Did you start with Christ and follow His words? How?
Who cares about my interpretation of the Bible? I’m not asking for anyone to follow another’s interpretation, but rather, my plea is that we all interpret the Bible together.
Very interesting thoughts, Patrick.
So the illiterate are without Christianity? And the heart is not where Christ can be found??
Hmmm! So Christ is just a concept to you.
It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been over this. It still does not make you right.
Conceptual Christianity is very dangerous.
Circular reasoning at its best.
Exactly, these guys can’t even see it that you must start with Christ, and then follow where He leads to His Apostles and prophets in the Christian scriptures collected under their oversight.
Your argument is what is circular–illuminating how similar secularists and Protestants really are;)
Why then do secularists, Protestants, and Catholics like yourself use circular reasoning? You cannot even say how you came to the Roman Catholic Church except by the Church and not by the words of Christ. That is circular reasoning to prove the Roman Catholic Church, because they claim to the be Apostolic Church when the Orthodox and Vaudois came before and oppose the Roman pontiff.
You don’t know what CR is. I taught you what it is on my blog post.
Scott, you seem to be saying that everything about God is written in biblical text but not on our hearts.
Maybe you can clear this misunderstanding up.
Nope. We’ve already addressed this more than once. I find the Scriptures to the only source of sources about Jesus Christ, and only by and through the Scriptures, do the words of Christ dwell in our hearts by the source of the Scriptures, the Spirit of Christ.
That does not nullify 1John 3:24.
Your theology disqualifies those who are illiterate and intellectually challenged from salvation. A minimal amount of reading and comprehension skills are necessary to read and study scripture. What would be your response to this?
God stated that under the new covenant He would write His Laws on our minds and hearts (Heb 8:10). You don’t seem to believe this. Do you?
What?!
What are you asking?
Scott, you said, “Truly, some things are hard to understand and some will twist those things to their destruction, but I will not give up the Bible alone when it the sole proven truth and source of sources about Christ.”
Your statement is in conflict with 1 John 3:24
“And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.”
Your statement makes the Bible the source of evidence about Christ. 1 John 3:24 make God’s Spirit within us as the source of evidence about Christ.
First, I didn’t say what you claim I said.
Next, the revelation of the Spirit is presented in the Scriptures.
Not at all. The revelation of the Spirit is by the Spirit as claimed in 1 John 3:24.
What do you claim that I misrepresented you?
“how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:” (Eph. 3:3-5).