Thanks for joining us this Sunday as we review Dr. Gregg Allison’s third of seven lessons comprising his “Essentials of Catholic Theology” course.
BiblicalTraining.org offers this online course free of charge. To find out how to access these free lessons, see my introductory post here.
Lesson 3: Roman Catholicism and Its Structure of Authoritative Divine Revelation and Interpretation
Orthodox evangelicals recognize only one source of divine revelation, God’s Word, the Holy Bible, but the Roman Catholic church claims three sources. Dr. Allison does an excellent job of explaining how the RCC views Scripture in conjunction with its “sacred traditions” and its “magisterium” (the teaching office of the pope in concert with his bishops) as its tri-part source of revelation. Because the RCC claims divine revelation and authority for its magisterium, it has untethered itself from the boundaries of Scripture and has fabricated multifarious un-Biblical and even anti-Biblical myths and tenets, declaring them to be “sacred tradition” on par with God’s Word. In cases where Scripture contradicts “sacred tradition” (and there are many), the RCC naturally aligns with its own fabricated constructs.
Lesson 3 Outline: Roman Catholicism and Its Structure of Authoritative Divine Revelation and Interpretation
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Protestant teaching of “sola scriptura”
B. The Christ-Church interconnection
II. ROMAN CATHOLIC THEOLOGICAL METHOD ACCORDING TO THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
A. The revelation of God
B. The transmission of divine revelation
- Orally
- Writing
C. Tradition
D. Scripture
E. Magisterium
F. The canon of Scripture
III. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Next week: Lesson 4, The Seven Roman Catholic Sacraments
excatholic4christ 
From the Catholics I know, it is stunning how they twist scripture to support the heretical doctrine of the Pope. It is staggering. It seems useless to point out that the doctrine contradicts holy scripture. All I know to do is to keep pointing them to the good news of Jesus and sound scripture.
Blessings.
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Thanks, Michael. The RCC claims to have sanctioned Scripture and to be the defender of Scripture, but its “divinely-led” magisterium has allowed it untether from Scripture and create many un-Biblical doctrines, including the papacy, Mariology, sacramentalism, the sacerdotal priesthood, transubstantiation, purgatory, mediation of the saints, and worst of all, a works-righteousness salvation system.
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I see Catholic authority as blatantly and clearly not biblical. Yet people think its same thing as Christianity! The kind of authority given to tradition is not what GOd says. Good post!
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Thanks! Yup, this was a good video class explaining RC-ism’s spurious “three-legged stool of authority.” As Catholic school children, the nuns taught us Catholic authority was so much more reliable and trustworthy because there were three complementary sources whereas the deceived Protestants only had the Bible. Only later did I learn RC-ism’s two other vaunted pillars actually undermined Scripture.
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” RC-ism’s two other vaunted pillars actually undermined Scripture.” Yep and it shows the the two other authority is above Scripture if it undermines what Scripture says!
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Answering your question: I do’nt drink coffee at all! But I drink tea though!
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Oh yeah, I think you told me before that you enjoy tea.
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I must have said it before; but I don’t remember when lol
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Just wait til your 66 and you can’t remember yesterday!
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ha lol
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I have tried witnessing to a Catholic coworker years back on this very issue of authority. We discussed these different aspects and I was hoping that we could at least, eventually agree that the bible is the only source of divine authority. It didn’t go well.
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Thanks, Larry. Yup, I have had many such discussions with Catholics myself. The RCC claims to be the guardian and interpreter of Scripture, but actually subverts Scripture with its magisterium and extra-Biblical “sacred traditions.”
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