“Christians in the non-Protestant traditions will often argue that God has promised to watch over his church in ways that distinguish her from Israel. For example, Christ promised that “the gates of hell shall not prevail” against the church in Matthew 16: 18. But this is a promise that the church will never die or fail to accomplish her purpose, not that she will never sin or err. The verb “prevail” can be translated “overpower” or “overcome”; 43 to be “prevailed against” by the “gates of hell” refers essentially to death. 44 If a wrestling coach promised one of his wrestlers that “your opponent will not prevail against you,” this means his wrestler will ultimately win, not that he will avoid making any mistakes during the match. Furthermore, this is a promise to the church as such, not to one particular teaching office or hierarchy within her. Therefore, that Christ will never abandon his church to hell no more substantiates claims of ecclesial infallibility than God’s Old Testament promises to Israel validated the Pharisees’ teachings and claims. God has promised many things to his people, but he has nowhere promised that they will not fall into sin and error. This is why Protestants, in the face of some frankly brutal historical realities, consider majority depth to be a frequently superficial criterion.”

— What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church by Gavin Ortlund

“The idea of a hierarchy of authorities, with the Scripture at the top over other subordinate (but necessary) authorities, was by no means a novel approach in the sixteenth century. To state the point plainly, setting sola Scriptura at odds with the process of canonization confuses the recognition of infallibility with the possession of infallibility. The simple fact is that it is not necessary to be infallible to discern that which is infallible. When Moses heard God at the burning bush, he didn’t need a second voice whispering in his ear that this was indeed God. This is what Protestants intend when they speak of Scripture as self-authenticating. This simply means that the ultimate ground on which we receive the Scripture is inherent in it, rather than external to it. For there is no higher authority the Word of God could rest upon than the Spirit speaking through it. If you think you do have to possess infallibility to discern infallibility, you have a continual regress, because now you need infallibility to receive and interpret the infallible teachings of your church.”

— What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church by Gavin Ortlund

“one can find in the early and medieval church many accounts of justification that speak of justification as a process and particularly emphasize the role of works in the process. The pre-Reformation church did not speak with one voice about justification. Thus, both Roman Catholic and Protestant positions can find precedent in the pre-Reformation church. Here is how the eminent church historian Jaroslav Pelikan summarized it: Every major tenet of the Reformation had considerable support in the catholic tradition. That was eminently true of the central Reformation teaching of justification by faith alone. . . . The Council of Trent selected and elevated to official status the notion of justification by faith plus works, which was only one of the doctrines of justification in the medieval theologians and ancient fathers. When the reformers attacked this notion in the name of the doctrine of justification by faith alone—a doctrine also attested to by some medieval theologians and ancient fathers—Rome reacted by canonizing one trend in preference to all the others. What had previously been permitted also (justification by faith alone), now became forbidden. In condemning the Protestant Reformation, the Council of Trent condemned part of its own catholic tradition. 23”

— What It Means to Be Protestant: The Case for an Always-Reforming Church by Gavin Ortlund

“The whole tendency of the Roman Catholic Church has for its object to subordinate the Bible to tradition, and then to make itself the infallible judge of both, with power to determine at pleasure what is God’s word and the doctrine of the church, and to anathematize everything that may go beyond its past decisions.”

Schaff, The Principle of Protestantism, 101.

Feast of St Francis of Assisi — except from my new book!
Today is the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi so I thought I'd share one of his famous prayers and an excerpt from my new book!

#lectiodivina #booktok #books #christianauthor #churchhistory #bookrecommendations #stfrancisassisi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3rcUcVe3V0

@ThatAncientFaith

What is my new book about? Find out in 60 seconds! ⏱️

#LectioDivina

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6sXeUx94gk

@ThatAncientFaith

Catholics Have No Response To This

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmIG_AosV3A

YouTube

Catholics Have No Response To This

Full Video on Dr. Jordan Cooper Channel: On Sola Scriptura and Tradition (Part 1)

I wish the reader to understand that as often as we mention Faith alone in this question, we are not thinking of a dead faith, which worketh not by love, but holding faith to be the only cause of justification. (Gal. 5:6; Rom. 3:22.) It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone: just as it is the heat alone of the sun which warms the earth, and yet in the sun it is not alone, because it is constantly conjoined with light. Wherefore we do not separate the whole grace of regeneration from faith, but claim the power and faculty of justifying entirely for faith, as we ought.

– John Calvin, Antidote to the Council of Trent, 6th Session on Justification, Canon 11