Question from a reader

Thank you to the reader who emailed this question. I am only posting a sampling of my response because it is a bit long to throw onto the site in total here. Just send me an email if you are interested in reading further.

Q: How is it that Rome has preserved an infallible authority where Protestantism lacks it, even though we all, to some degree or another, rely upon private interpretation in matters of faith and morals?

A: Authority. The key word above. This may boil down to, “How can the Catholic Church demand conformity with its teachings in matters of faith and morals, binding the consciences of Christ’s people, without resorting to a dependence upon those people to personally, privately ‘agree’ that these teachings are traditional, biblical, and thereby authoritative?”

The answer, as you know, is that She cannot. The bottom line, stated clearly up front instead of in a fine print, back page disclaimer, is that Catholics do have a reliance upon “private interpretation” when consciously choosing to submit to the teachings of the Church. So, in case you are someone (or you know someone) who thinks that getting an acknowledgment on this point is the first step in dismantling the Catholic’s apology, my intention here is to take a bit of the wind out of such a sail.

The difference between the Catholic’s reliance and the Protestant’s reliance is on the flip-side, so to speak. When Martin Protestant reads a commentary, hears a sermon, or receives particular instruction on a matter, he “agrees or disagrees” based on whatever carefully considered set of criteria he uses for such decisions, but then he pillows his head at night with his own understanding as his ultimate authority. His reliance upon “private interpretation” is the end of that scenario even if he is claiming that he relies on the Scriptures “alone.” In Martin’s epistemology, his interpretation of a scriptural passage trumps that of any man (or men) who may disagree. The Bible is not even a point of reference for him; his actual appeal is to his understanding of the Bible. And such would be the case for all men, except that God is a loving Father who has preserved a Way for His children to be confident in truth without ultimately relying on themselves.

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