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Webcasting around the world from the desert metropolis of Phoenix, Arizona. This is the dividing line. The Apostle Peter commanded Christians to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within us.
Yet to give that answer with gentleness and reverence. Our host is dr. James white director of Alpha Omega ministries and an elder at the Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church. This is a live program and we invite your participation.
If you'd like to talk with dr. White call now. It's 602 nine seven three four six zero two or toll-free across the United States. It's one eight seven seven seven five. Three three three four one and now with today's topic.
Here is James white.
And good afternoon, welcome to the dividing line special time today starting half an hour early to do penance for Wrapping things up too early on Tuesday. We won't go into any discussion of whether penance is Appropriate terminology there.
We had lots of other things. We wanted to play on the program and of course, the phone lines are open at eight seven seven seven five three three three four one as. Well, and so let's get right to it.
Oh first first first, please note on at a omen org. There is some new things in our banner ads at the top, please notice them. Micah works very hard on these things and does a tremendous job. We have the truth war the conference coming up in November and the reason that we are advertising that even though I'm just one of the speakers there is.
That we need your help to help it to happen. And especially Need your help to make sure that the debate with Zulfikar Shaw takes place the day before so the more folks they have signed up to be there a number of us will be speaking.
Phil Johnson, I will both be there and so it's always good when I and the original pyromaniac get together and. So those of you in the East Coast area Might want to be Jumping online there and letting them know of your interest and that you're going to be a part of those attending.
Then you'll also notice we now have some of the information up and I thought I would have the rest of the information at this point in time, but Didn't get it. Hope to have it. Have gotten it before now, but it didn't come through.
But at least we have the first portion of the information on the Southern, California Muslim debates posted and that is the Saturday information. Oh, I really am glad I don't have McAfee anymore on my Mac because it's on stuff like this.
And the sad thing is if I tell it not to do this. First of all, it's once it wants to update something I don't even use and I can't turn the stupid thing off. But if I tell it to go away an hour from now and this is gonna be a long program.
It's gonna do that again right in the middle of something. So Maybe I'll go remind me later and like put in. You know forever two days. How's that two days? Yeah as if that's gonna work anyway. Anyway McAfee's another whole nother story.
The information that we have up on the banner right now is for the Saturday debates. There's three debates. Was Jesus Christ crucified or substituted. Can we trust New Testament? Those are two I'm doing against Osama Abdullah and then David Wood in the afternoon is going to be doing another debate so there's gonna be three debates on that Saturday and Then Lord willing as early as this evening or close to this time.
We will be adding the information on the San Diego County debates. Lord well, and that hasn't there hasn't been a problem there they were just waiting for some things to get cleared up before releasing information and For my friends down at Westminster Seminary in Escondido.
We could probably use a whole group of guys that would be available to Help out that afternoon as far as volunteers for that particular debate. That'll be taking place at that time so a lot of stuff going on and the banner ads are Much prettier than the calendar page that I updated.
I don't know four or five six times over the course of seven or eight years remember the calendar page. The history you don't you don't remember the calendar page. Been too long since it was last updated.
It was normally more of a look. We are doing about a year and a half ago page. But not not any longer so we now have hey look what you missed. Yeah, look what you which look what you could have done a year ago.
Just look at our calendar page, but make sure that you look at those banner ads just for no other reason. Then Micah spends a lot of time Putting those things together, but actually they tell you a lot about what is going on.
So make sure to take a look at them eight seven seven seven five three three three four one is the phone number. Let's get to the clips that we had lined up on Tuesday, and we've actually added one once again.
It is you know if if James Swan was a Roman Catholic I would say that he was earning time out of purgatory by listening to Catholic programming he does and Then sends me these clips to play and that's that's very kind of him.
I deeply appreciate it. Because I'm already listening to all sorts of stuff. I'm listening to To Bart Ehrman and to Muslims and stuff like that. I just don't have as much time to listen to our Roman Catholic friends anymore So it's good.
That's a Disinformation is here, so let's let's start off the Tim Staples clip. Tim Staples is always fun fun to listen to and This is in regards to prayer to Mary. Let's see what Tim Staples has to say in the meantime.
We do have plenty more questions, and this apparently is what God wants us to do right now. Tim Staples answering your questions, and we're gonna get the next one. Is it from Carrie. Is that right Carrie?
Who is with us here at the Huffines home in Dallas. Carrie says Tim. Do all Catholics pray to Mary and believe that she is? Sinless. If so why. Where in the Bible is this found? I just thought just for a moment.
I could not help but thinking and by the way. I'm listening to this for the first time as well. So this is gonna be like a fresh interaction on my part. I couldn't help but thinking about Frank Beckwith.
Frank Beckwith and that call that he got. Well, and he was on Catholic answers. Have you prayed to Mary yet well? No, and you could just hear the disappointment that lady's voice like what you haven't prayed to Mary.
How can that be? You're not really a Catholic yet. If you haven't prayed to Mary and then there is a second why he? References a scripture here. Romans 3 23. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
What's the deal with that number one. Yes all Catholics pray to Mary. Or they should if they don't. Tell them to give me a call because we've got a problem in their spirituality. The Catechism of Catholic Church tells us that devotion to Mary Is not optional.
It's intrinsic to Christian worship. I mean that would be like saying you know we as Catholics. You know that would be like asking do all Christians honor their mother and father. Well, yes, why. It's one of the big ten right?
God's top ten we call it the ten commandments. It's not optional to honor your mother and father if you feel like it. Well Mary is our mother. She was given to us by Jesus in that most sacred moment on the very cross.
If you really want a good illustration of just how utterly disconnected modern Roman Catholicism is from the early church here. You've got it. Because this was not what marked those early centuries of the Christian faith.
And it was clearly something that developed over time and so now if yes, you must do this. Isn't that a real illustration of what we've been saying all along? That modern Roman Catholicism despite all its repeated claims to being the continuation of the ancient church Is nothing more than what happens?
When sola scriptura is denied the the walls fall down you wander off into all sorts of odd Speculations and certainly as regards the Marian dogmas.
Here you have a real illustration of where he says to John who's by the way his mother was right there with him. Or it was nearby he says Woman to his mother behold your son son behold your mother. Of course there.
John is in the place an interpretation of that text that only comes along much later. And is not the early or patristic interpretation of that text of all of us. And by the way.
John himself ought to know the implications of that text because it's the same John the Apostle who wrote the book of Revelation. And he tells us in Revelation 12 that the woman clothed with the Son who gives birth to the Messiah.
With pain and birth pain is a part of the curse and Mary wasn't cursed. And so maybe that's why the early church did interpret.
Revelation 12 the way that modern Rome does in verses 4 5 6. Also gives birth to all of us in verse 17. The woman is the mother of all those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
She's our mother so of course we honor her now.
I would love to debate Tim Staples on the subject of Mary and not just put it out here right now. You know Tim. Let's do it. It's been a long time since I debated the subject of Mary and you've been cranking out stuff.
And you're just so confident this stuff. I really think there needs to be some some debates on these things because you're saying that anybody who's You know right with the church right with the one true church should be praying to Mary and I say that's blasphemy.
I say that's idolatry. I say Mary has never heard a single prayer ever sent to her. Because that would be a violation not only of the biblical teaching concerning contact with the dead, but most importantly Mary is at rest and I am so thankful That Mary is not in heaven Hearing all about all the trials and sins and sufferings of humankind.
She would be so devastated if she had any idea that there were so many people. Seeking her intercession rather than going directly to Jesus Christ her heart would be crushed. I am certain that God has kept her from that knowledge because it would be Certainly is the the greatest degradation of the true biblical Mary.
To have abused her in the way that modern Roman Catholicism does it is a gross injustice as far as her her sinlessness and by the way praying to.
Also is Essential for us to understand because we as Christians the Bible makes very clear need each other. And I think all Christians should agree. 1st Corinthians 12 verses 12 through 26 tells us that we are a body.
Can the I say to the hand I have no need of you. Can any member of the body say to another I have no Need of you. Know the answer is no. We need each other as members of the body of Christ. What do you think we would need our mother in heaven?
You better believe it if I need you if I need Jerry Usher. How much more do I need our blessed mother in heaven who is depicted in Revelation 12. Is this glorious woman clothed with the Son? Who gives birth to all of us, but real quickly on the sinlessness issue, and we can only touch on this of course.
You know I'll never forget Jerry. It was it was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps Matt doula who said to me 22 years ago when I said that very thing to him all have sinned. And I'll add another one First John chapter 1 verse 8 says if any man says he has no sin He is a liar and the truth is not in him so how in the world can you say Mary has no sin and my buddy?
Responded to me Jerry. He said well. You're the first Christian. I've ever heard Who believes Jesus Christ was a sinner?
It's truly an amazing thing the facile argumentation that Rome continues to utilize ignoring this the direct Statements of Scripture as to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ is absolutely unique nature and to say well if there is one exception then Mary must be another.
The problem is you have Mary speaking about God as her Savior now I know exactly how Roman Catholics get around that I I can present the the Whole idea of you know if you're walking along a path. And you're about to fall into a muddy pit and I reach out and save you from falling in the muddy pit.
Then I'm your Savior from falling into the muddy pit, and you never actually got muddied, and that's must be what happened with Mary. Well, that's very nice, but where do the inspired writers actually teach that and of course they do not.
The idea that that's what Mary had in mind when she rejoiced in God her Savior is absolutely positively absurd on its face. Which is why most these folks don't want to debate these issues. Because if you really do have time to dig in them in fact on the blog right now.
And if you're listening by archive you can go when was that late August look at late August of 2008 on the blog right now I linked to a Article that James Swan put up where he he gave one of the early arguments In regards to Marian dogmas when you just start reading these things instead of reading You know the modern presentations these things that you know that on down the roads place read the early representatives of these things the arguments are Ridiculous they are without merit.
You know remember we reviewed the Patrick Madrid thing and we're gonna need to take a break at the half hour. So I can I forgot to queue up a Patrick Madrid clip. I want to play too, and I can't do that at the same time that I've got this running, but um Hopefully I have it in the sound in my sound file subdirector I think I do because Patrick's going around Patrick has won every debate against me.
I am 0 for for 2. According to Patrick Madrid he is victorious and all things which I think if that's the case Why aren't we doing more debates if if I'm so easy to beat it beat up on I would think that He'd want to debate the papacy and the Marian dogmas and all these other things because from his perspective I've never even come close to even competing with the guy, but remember when we looked at the the Marian are the Arguments in regards to veneration of Saints and angels I point out Look at what Nicaea to the second Nicene Council not the first the second Nicene Council Which spoke of veneration of Saints and angels and so on so look at the argumentation.
They used it is Absurd it is Ridiculous, it's so bad that even modern Rome has had to develop the idea that the the path that you take to get to the final conclusions is irrelevant. The church's authority is such that the the data and the argument can all be bad but the results still infallible.
And when you really start digging into that a lot of people go, you know that doesn't sound overly trustworthy to me. No, it probably isn't and that's what you've got going on here, too.
And I looked at him like huh? I didn't say Jesus. Yes, you did. If you say if any man was Jesus Christ man. You better believe it. He was more man than anybody in this room or anybody listening to me.
Well, then you've just declared Jesus to be a sinner. Well, of course not. He's not a sinner. How do we know that? Hebrews 4 15 tells us he was tempted on all points even as we are and yet he was without sin.
He was an exception, but I had to acknowledge there was at least one exception. Yep, there's one exception.
The God man and I guess in many ways. You know, I've defended Rome in the past from people who said that Rome is in essence making a quadernity but Functionally see officially I say, oh no, no, no, no, no, no, but functionally especially with this fifth Marian dogma stuff.
Where you have Mary's co-redemptrix and co-mediatrix and all these other things functionally. Are you not making her deity? I mean you're attributing all these actions that are that they're only paralleled in Jesus Christ and that's why it's Idolatrous that's why it has to be identified for what it is.
I know the modern way of doing things as well. You know, we just we just need to appreciate What other people believe and la la la la la well, you know. And all goes back to the idea that you know only in religion.
Is there really no truth? We don't appreciate quacks when they practice silly medicine that can kill people. Well, this is silly theology that can kill the soul. Well, guess what?
What if what if my friend said me what if I could show you there are millions of exceptions to those verses and my brain. Started spinning what in the world is he? Well, if you look at Romans 3 23 and first John chapter 1 you'll find both of those refer to personal sin not original sin.
How do you know that. Look at first John 1 8 and then look at verse 9 it says everybody's sins. But if we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to forgive us our sins. What does that tell you? He's not talking about original sin because you don't confess original sin.
He's talking about personal sin. Same thing in Romans 3 23 in verse 10. He just said there's none righteous. No, not one all go astray the poison of asps is on their lips and so forth. He's talking about personal sin.
Well, guess what? There are millions of exceptions to Romans 3 23 and first John 1 9 or 1 8. Namely babies in the womb. Who according to Romans chapter 9 verse 5 have not done any good or any evil?
Wow. The the lengths to which one will go. The term original sin is not a biblical phrase to begin with that's a later theological description of what's being described in the The the fact that mankind as a whole is together from God's perspective and under the condemnation of sin itself and so the idea of Confessing original sin and so what you're doing here is the only sins we confess the sins we've committed and.
So if you're confessing those sins, well, that's not original sin. And so there's all these exceptions to original sin. So Mary can be one of millions of exceptions to original sin or to personal sin because you know babies haven't committed actual sin the sense of You know, they're still in the womb.
They haven't done anything good or bad and blah blah blah. Fascinating has nothing to do with anything. The Bible is talking about I mean, this is this is the kind of argumentations used to prove space aliens and all sorts of other stuff like that you're taking an external subject external authority you're forcing into scripture and Creating categories to create room for this all on the authority of your external your external Leaders, so the Mormons do it and the Jehovah's Witnesses do it and the Roman Catholics do it.
And yes, I know you get offended when you put it all together. But you need to recognize that the idea of the infallible scriptures plus an infallible external authority is Not unique to Romanism Mormonism the Watchtower all those groups all do the same thing and as Eric Svensson has pointed out the fair analysis.
Would be how unified are the groups that say Bible plus infallible authority? Versus though who's those that say Bible alone and when you put it in that category, there is no unity. They can't even the groups that have Bible plus infallible authority can't even come up with a common God Let alone anything else and yet that's not the category.
That's not the way that these individuals want to view it. They want to view it in a considerably Different way so that to cast a better light upon.
Roman Catholicism alone. The severely retarded who don't have the use of their intellect and wills. They have not and in fact cannot. Sin will marry is a another Exception and uniquely. So why? She is revealed to us in Scripture in Luke chapter 1 verse 28 8.
In fact She's named by the angel full of grace folks.
Folks folks. I'm gonna expand on a simple Greeting here. I'm gonna read into a word so much stuff now. I'm not gonna deal with the other uses this word and how this would destroy my argumentation because that's why this is a monologue not a dialogue, but folks folks an Angelic greeting is big enough to create an entire spectrum of Marian dogma, that's that's what we're about to hear in a nutshell.
That means she has no sin she is.
The car to many means she has no sin. I'm sorry that again. Utterly indefensible utterly indefensible. There's no way this man could stand in front of an audience and Defend this against a meaningful opponent that would demand he go into the language and prove it because that would mean we are too and He knows that he knows that if those standards were to be applied and He were to be put himself in that place He his position would collapse like the house of cards that it actually is full of grace.
Okay, car. He told many in Greek now you and I how many here can say you're full of grace. Well folks. You and I sin because we're not full of grace. It's not because of grace. We sense because of a lack of grace or a lack of cooperation.
Mary is named.
Full of grace in Luke 128. Named so if you're greeted, that's your name. Wow. Again as long as it has to do with Mary Roman Catholic scholarship would never apply these standards to any other context.
This wouldn't do it. But when it comes to Mary all all bets are off. You can do whatever you want to do. Say whatever you want to say. Extend analogies read into words. It doesn't matter. Solo scripture has been denied and so.
Have at it just run with it as far as you can. Take. Areas also called or referred to as the Ark of the Covenant in Luke chapter 1 Verse 43 referencing 2nd Samuel chapter 6 verse 9. Mary here. We go again.
All they do is they quote each other. They just go each other.
Just recently on a I think it was in one of the YouTube videos. Or in a blog article I forget what it was I posted My response to gerrymatitics on this very Ark of the Covenant stuff and again. You can just shred this stuff.
You can tear it apart. All you gotta do is go into the text and say oh you you say that this is actually the term that was used in This kind of liturgical dance. Well actually it's not here's the reference.
Here's the here's the term. Here is the Greek subject. Show me where I'm wrong. Do these people go back and check themselves? No. Someone came up with this stuff threw it out there and then they start repeating each other they just they just quote each other over and over and over and over again and They don't check these things out and they don't care if they've been refuted because they know that their audience probably isn't going to be aware of that and It's it's amazing to me.
I mean if I had done what gerrymatitics did years ago and produce that tape on Mary. And then in a debate I had challenged all those things. Well, the first things I'd be doing would be producing some documentation to rehabilitate my argumentation.
They don't do that. They just simply don't care what is being said By the people like myself, they don't care. They don't care if they've been refuted. They don't care if their facts are contested. They're just gonna keep repeating them over and over again.
And their hope is that people won't be aware of the fact that they're basically being misled. He is also referred to as the New Eve. She's alluded to by her very son as the New Eve when he calls her woman in John 2 5 and from the cross.
Woman behold your son Woman, what have I to do with thee? My hour is not yet come in Revelation or in John 2 5 and in Revelation chapter 12. She's called woman eight times. She is the prophetic fulfillment of Genesis 3 15 the woman who along with her seed the Messiah.
Would crush the head of Lucifer and bring salvation to us all folks.
Folks folks folks. Don't don't follow. Don't follow my hermeneutics here. Don't hold me to any kind of meaningful biblical interpretation here folks because once it come to Mary we don't use any of that.
We just get to get to connect anything together that we jolly well want to put together. And we can you know if you're full of grace and you're sinless and and. If if you're called woman and that's but that's that's the woman from Genesis 3 15.
And so every woman is. Well, no, you see it's only about Mary. We're not gonna use this typology for anybody else. We're only gonna use it for Mary. So what's the consistent standard? Well, there isn't a consistent standard.
We are the church we get to do what we jolly well want to do. That is.
Rome for you. This is just a sketch because I we got to get the other callers, but this is just a sketch folks. There is much much more that demonstrates Mary's without sin. But when you understand Mary is the woman the prophetic woman of Genesis 3 15, you know.
She could not have original sin and she could not have sin biblically speaking. Why? Because to say Mary the fulfillment the New Eve were to have sin. Let's say original sin. You would make her inferior to the first Eve.
Which is unthinkable in biblical theology. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 1 tells us Old Testament types the temple the priesthood the Ark of the Covenant are Mere shadows in relation to their fulfillments in the New Testament.
Their fulfillments in what in Christ in the New Testament in Christ. And once again, we see Rome Paralleling Jesus and Mary Just as I documented in Mary another Redeemer many years ago. You can put together an entire listing of all the places where Rome parallels the unique offices and functions and powers of Christ in Mary and it is unbiblical it involves a Complete rejection of any meaningful form of exegesis the text of Scripture and it is simply.
Idolatrous what Eve was created without sin. To say Mary Would have you know been conceived in sin would be like saying Jesus was inferior to Adam. Now it would any Christian say that no, of course not.
The new Adam is superior.
To the old Adam and that's because he's the incarnate Son of God, mr Staples. And Mary was not the incarnation of anything despite the fact that your papacy Has spoken highly of men who have written books that have referred to her as the incarnation of the Holy Spirit.
More gross utter blasphemy due to the fact that Romanism denies solo scripture. Unbelievable stuff to listen to but we're gonna take a break and continue on with there's a few more minutes of this and I'm gonna See if I can track down that Patrick Madrid clip while we're at it during the break.
We'll be right back.
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And welcome back to the dividing line on a Thursday afternoon. If you're just now tuning in we start half an hour early. I did mention that on the blog. We are doing penance for wrapping up too early on Tuesday due to a physical weakness and I suppose we should also keep in mind.
We need to be praying for our brothers and sisters. Wherever Gustav is going. We have a number of folks down in the Nolans area who are getting ready to board up and head out once again, and of course my.
I Asked a question of one of our Nolans people. I said wouldn't it be better to live someplace? That's actually. Maybe above sea level and he said nope. I said, okay. There you go. You know. These things happen each each summer.
They come this direction and that very same person. You know, this one's right on cue too. Yeah. I know this is right around the time Katrina's. Yep, I know I know and Two years ago. Three or four years ago, I think I don't know.
I didn't live down there. But when we're where we it was the debate with crossing wasn't it? Because we were in Alaska. No, we were in Alaska. They're in Alaska dude, yeah, I was crossing us 2005 73 years ago.
Yeah anyway. That's the very same fellow who took me around New Orleans years before that and said, you know. Someday a category four or five is gonna nail us and flood this place out and. Then again, then again, he really wasn't prophesying much there.
So yeah, see even people in channel don't know one saying 2004 one saying 2005 whatever. That's the way the way it is, but okay coming back to what we're doing here. Let's hope and pray that good stuff lands someplace where?
It's I could do a whole lot of damage to anybody but anyway going back to I did find the other clip I want to play so we'll be able to do that. Let's go back to Tim stables here as he wraps up all this stuff about the necessity and the propriety of prayer to Mary.
New Eve is superior to the old. I wish we could do more book. I'm using Paul. Yeah, you know we do that. We will get on to some other ones just and we can't get into this right now. But obviously Tim this is in in light of the merits of Jesus Christ not something Mary You know does on her own as some sort of deity or what-have-you.
She relies on Jesus as Scripture says to be her Savior as well. Absolutely, and see we understand because of her unique calling. And remember you know Romans chapter 12 verse 5 You know talks about how we are members of Christ and members one of another of another and each member of the body of Christ Have different gifts and with different gifts come to different graces.
Mary was given a unique grace. But we say in Catholic theology that the final cause of Mary's sinlessness was her calling to be the mother of God. It was because of God's grace and choosing her to be the mother of God to bear God in her womb to be that Ark of the Covenant.
That he preserved her by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in a prevenient sense. By this unique privilege of grace. But she was prepared to be the tabernacle of God the Ark of the Covenant that would bear God in her very womb.
Can you see why Rome cannot allow Scripture to be Scripture? Isn't it really obvious here? I? Can just just think of the massive process you have to go through to try to make? that kind of conclusion.
Have anything to do with the biblical text itself or anything that the Apostles were concerned about or anything even semi biblical. You can't find this kind of stuff. In Scripture you don't find as part of the early proclamation of the church it develops slowly over time.
But you see why Rome has to attack sola scriptura because if this becomes the essence of of the Roman piety. The the leaps you have to go through to come to that kind of conclusion just on the basis of hail.
Cacare too many you know or. Well, you've got this woman in Revelation 12 closed the Sun and so on and so forth and the stars and yeah. She has birth pangs, and yeah, that's a part of the curse, but yeah, we'll ignore that and yeah, okay the early Christians thought it was the church and not Mary, but we'll ignore that too and.
You know we can just find this little thing here. And that little words will just throw types and shadows at it and create our entire.
Entire dogma, and that's what you do. She was preserved from she was saved. But she was saved in a most Sublime way. She was preserved free from all sin. And again folks folks folks.
Just think for a moment is that what Mary meant? When she uttered those words you know what I bet some Roman Catholics would say it doesn't matter what Mary meant. It doesn't even matter what Luke thought.
I'll bet you anything to be Roman Catholics who would say it doesn't matter what Mary meant it doesn't matter what Luke thought. The scripture is under the authority of the church and the church has defined these things and that's all that matters.
I'll bet there are people who would actually state that and if they do that's the greatest evidence of the absolute falseness of Roman Catholicism I could ever think of.
Salvation in Scripture is not only about being saved from sins. You've committed Jude verse 25 for example. You know St. Jude tells us now unto him that is able to keep you from falling and present you Spotless at the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
That's a wonderful text for monarchism, isn't it?
It most certainly is isn't it sad. That's being applied here to some kind of preservation of Mary rather than seeing the clear.
Implications. It has the entire false gospel of Rome be glory and so so on and so forth, right? God is able to preserve. That is a powerful way of God saving us is keeping us from sin. Well, Mary was saved most perfectly in order to be that precious Ark of the Covenant preserved free from all sin both original and personal.
So there's Tim Staples spinning his his Marian weave again would love the opportunity of Debating those dogmas and not as fast as we had to do with Jerry. I would love to see cross-examination now, of course, the question is would Tim Staples allow for cross-examination?
Remember the last debate we had with Tim he broke every rule there was in the book in cross-examination. He ignored everything we had and by the way, you should be aware of this. We stood behind that stage and we agreed to how cross-examination was going to go before that debate started and he looked at me and he said yes, and within a short period of time he broke his word and As people have pointed out I think he asked a grand total of four questions in 12 minutes of me.
He took most of his time to continue making statements and of course a moderator do nothing. The moderator is staying there to Jerry Usher should have done something. But of course Jerry Usher is prejudiced and shouldn't function as a moderator in a context like that because obviously he couldn't do that but then he went out there and and he did all that and so You know A Mailman just just letting you know so that you can find him.
Okay. Helping helping rich out there. I didn't know if you had stuff that needs to go out and need to talk to him. Okay. All right. Anyway, see I have I have the cameras down here. So when I'm pointing at that, that's a camera issue.
That means army coming in ready to attack. See you move things around. Yeah, that's it. It just works better to put it there be over there. I know I know I know anyway, so he asked me four questions and I believe in my 12 minutes someone counted up that I asked him 42 as I recall or something along those lines.
I actually followed the rules of cross-examination that day and he didn't so I would love to See if he would be willing to you know, sign a statement. I am going to engage in meaningful cross-examination.
I'm going to follow the rules. I am going to provide I'm not going to make statements. I'm going to only ask questions. I'm going to be brief and succinct in my responses, etc Etc, etc. When that kind of cross-examination takes place the people benefit the people listening benefit.
And when you can't get your opponents to do that, it is a sheer clear sign That they have something to hide and they know it. They know it but Speaking of Roman Catholic apologists, I was just sent this clip and I remember a couple months ago We listened to Patrick Madrid talking about how painfully obviously He had demonstrated the unbiblical nature of the argumentation against veneration of saints and angels but Now we have another debate see Patrick and I have done two debates the first was on soul scripture in 1993 the Presbyterian Church in the San Diego area unfortunately a Presbyterian Church that did not have any air conditioning and it was hot as could be hot as a firecracker in there and It was a very interesting debate.
Mr. Madrid did not leave that evening looking overly happy but shortly after That debate Catholic answers published a hit piece called the white man's burden and To this day on at ailment org if you go to the articles section You will find a very lengthy and thorough refutation of the white man's burden to which Patrick Madrid has never had any response.
Which has been published now food. I think that was 19 Prior was 93 when it was up. So it's been up for 15 years about right around night, right coming up on 15 years my response to The white man's burden was up there.
And so it's fascinating for me to listen to Patrick Madrid speak about this debate and the way he speaks about it He clearly is claiming to have won both of our debates. And so as I said earlier, I wonder then why why do I not? get challenges from Patrick Madrid to debate the Marian dogmas or the papacy or justification or the mass or the priesthood because if he's 2 -0 and has so easily vanquished me Then I would think that it would be very useful for people To hear more of this that was once the Catholic answers perspective.
They once were looking for debates they wanted to engage these things and now for some reason things have changed a little bit over the years and they don't want really to do that kind of thing anymore and So we have this this clip here.
It's about it's about eight minutes long and He's talking about the debate on solo script or it makes me wonder if maybe we're not going to have to do the same thing and and play the 1993 debate on solo scripture as well and go through that step-by-step to once again vindicate and demonstrate The reality of the situation as it was as it was presented.
But let's let's listen to this clip with Patrick Madrid. I have a brother who's a fundamentalist.
And we were talking about your debate with James White and I'm a little bit confused on the two ultimate authorities that there is or isn't two ultimate authorities I'm not sure which and I wanted you to explain that in more detail for me now.
It sounds to me like this is a Roman Catholic who has listened to it and maybe he's recognized, you know. This system that the Patrick's presenting is is not really quite coherent or consistent and You know 1993 right right before this debate as I recall I remember let me just give you some background here.
This debate took place because I had challenged Patrick Madrid and Carl Keating to debate the papacy in Denver during World Youth Day and They had declined saying that it was inappropriate To be engaging in debate during the visit of of the Pope and They suggest that I contract a contact Jerry Madetik.
Please notice they Suggested that I contact Jerry Madetik given the current situation today that does cause some people to chuckle anyway. So we did and we arranged a two-night debate About seven hours or plus on the subject of the papacy which took place at Denver Seminary the first night and the second night at a local Presbyterian Church now is very shortly After we announced the scheduling of this debate.
I got word that For some reason Carl Keating and Patrick Madrid who earlier had felt is inappropriate to engage in debate During the papal visit the visit of the Holy Father Had in fact arranged the debate with two fundamentalists Bill Jackson and Ron Nemeck at a local Baptist Church.
And interestingly enough they scheduled this debate For the same night one of the two same nights that I was debating Jerry Madetik. So I could not be in attendance at this particular Debate. I found that odd.
I find that odd. 15 years later it still strikes me as somewhat strange. Now that particular debate was the the one on solo scriptura in Denver was an unmitigated disaster the Non-catholics who were engaged in that debate simply were not prepared to engage Carl Keating and Patrick Madrid on solo scriptura when they were asked how you know Matthew wrote Matthew.
Their response was because in my Bible it says the gospel according to Matthew that's really bad and It was a walkover. They knew it was gonna be a walkover. It was so bad the church almost had a split over it.
The Catholics were having an altar call in the parking lot for people to come back to Roman Catholicism. It was an unmitigated disaster. But it was an unmitigated disaster scheduled to take place in such a way that I could not be there because everyone knows if you will Go back and listen To the argumentation that Keating and Madrid used in that debate.
They would never use that against me. They would never do it and they know that and when you have to change your argumentation. What does that say exactly I wonder. Anyway so I Rather strongly challenged Madrid and Keating to debate the same subject and only Madrid would take me up on it and So that debate took place a few months later in in San Diego.
I think it was was it September October things around around that time frame is when that took place. It was still early enough that We got the Santa Ana winds blowing and so all the we blew all the heat out of Phoenix The San Diego for a few days and that's why it was just just just miserable that night.
So that is the debate and in fact, is there not a transcript of the entirety of that debate on? The website I think as we listen here, I'm gonna look and see if it's if it in fact is there. Let's uh, let's listen to Patrick Madrid's comments here.
It's not going to make much difference to him. But I want to know he's already told me that. To Paraphrase he's not going to go to Spain because he hears there's a Madrid there, too. So he's not too friendly to talk to.
But I do want to clarify it for my own sake.
All right. Well, God bless your brother. Is a brother-in-law or brother brother. Okay. Well, God bless your brother. We'll work on him. And by the way, Madrid Spain is a gorgeous city. So he's he's he's giving himself The short end of the stick if he doesn't take it take time to go visit that beautiful place.
Anyway, I think you're referring to my debate with James White called does the Bible teach soloscript or by far in a way? It's the most popular of all the debates that I've done at least in terms of its popularity with Catholics.
It's one of those Debate sets that really has been pivotal for many Catholics who have listened to it including interesting. Now, let me stop right there September 23rd.
1993 Bayview Orthodox Presbyterian Church Chula Vista, California. This is vintage dot a omen org slash San Tran that HTML San Tran is all in capitals San TRN dot HTML is the entire and of course we make we've made this available from the beginning.
I would encourage you to listen to the debate and listen to it carefully and listen to it and do the one thing that most Catholics don't do actually open your Bible and Follow the argumentation that is presented there at that particular point in time.
But yes, this took place in September September 23rd 1993 Bayview Orthodox Presbyterian Church. We have posted the Transcript and we have made this available all along to people and you will note that I believe the response yes.
The response to the white man's burden which he's going to mention in this clip is called Catholic answers myth or reality question mark a refutation of Patrick Madrid's article the white man's burden and the defense of solo scriptura and This would have been posted Might have been as I'm thinking about it 1994 because if I recall correctly The white man's burden came out in a like a December something along those lines of 93 and so this might have been 94 when it was posted it probably has the information right in here.
I'm not sure but anyway This is all available on the website for those of you who would like to look at these are lengthy discussions lots of documentation provided. I doubt most of people that Have found this to be a pivotal debate have actually looked at all those things, but so we can we continue only some.
One person who was there at the debate. This debate was held in 1993 and Chula Vista, which is a town just south of San Diego and Just a quick aside here a friend of mine. His name is Doug and his wife's name is Heidi.
She was a Baptist very ardent Baptist. He's very ardent Catholic and when they heard that this debate was coming up between myself and James White James White's a Protestant writer Protestant apologist and They heard about this debate.
So they attended and he dragged her to the debate because he wanted her to see this. This discussion on the Protestant claim of the absolute sufficiency of Scripture and she dragged him to the debate because she wanted him to see it.
She wanted him to become Baptist. So they were at cross-purposes, but they both went and after the debate They I guess James White Center a box of materials. At least that's what Doug and Heidi told me.
Okay, I have absolutely no recollection of of any of this because I do recall vaguely meeting with some folks in Phoenix not in San Diego and You know, we've given books away to lots of folks. So I I This isn't ringing any bells whatsoever.
I never sat down I do remember sitting down with a couple sometime around this time period but the names don't sound right at all and I Have no idea what in the world is being referred to here and may I just point out I've met with lots of folks over the past.
Well, you know, this is our 25th anniversary year we're coming up on on the actual anniversary here in October of the founding of Alpha Omega Ministries officially and I've met with lots of folks and you know, I've I've helped people leave Mormonism and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and Roman Catholicism and Islam and I don't generally sit here yammering about it.
I Don't generally it now, you know Patrick Madrid edits the surprise by truth series. And so the Roman Catholics are really into the conversion story stuff. And yet, yeah I think one of the reasons that I've never really been big into the conversion story stuff Myself is not that we can't produce conversion stories because we can first of all I would find that disrespectful of the converts themselves.
I think that when someone comes out of a false religious group, they should be allowed to Get themselves grounded in the truth and if years later The Lord uses them to quote-unquote have a ministry to people who were in the same kind of religious group.
That's fine. But I have seen so many people who were converts that were thrown into a position of leadership. Simply because they were a convert from some kind of religion. I mean, I'm not gonna name names let's think about some people who for example are former Muslims and all of a sudden are put in positions that they really aren't up to having and I've seen people's spiritual lives ruined.
I'm not gonna do that. I'm just it just I could not gonna do it. It's just not worthwhile. But this the other reason I'm not really into convert stories is because What value do they really have they're primarily emotional?
I mean, there's all sorts of Roman Catholic convert stories people who've left Roman Catholicism former priests and things like that and they dismiss them as people who just simply Weren't appropriately catechized.
So why go the other direction? I mean aren't I've read these surprised by truth books aren't most of them just rehashing the same things over and over and over again. It's pretty easy to tear apart these convert stories and when you do that, well, you're just picking on a new person.
They haven't had time. Well, then why are you using them as some sort of you know, tremendous example of the power of your religious system? There seems to be some real inconsistencies there, so I I find Patrick's comments here rather disconcerting and Reprehensible really to be utilizing this kind of argumentation, but hey anyway, and.
And I don't know maybe six months or so went by and they asked me to go to lunch with them. We went to lunch and at lunch. They said we want you to be the first one to know that Heidi has decided to come into the Catholic Church now.
I my jaw dropped because I was astounded by you know. She seems so staunchly Baptist and staunchly opposed to the Catholic Church. Catholic Church. And quite frankly after that debate, I hadn't seen much of them.
So I didn't really know how it affected her but not only the debate itself. But also reading all the follow-up books that were sent to her. That really that made it clear to her and the way she put it at lunch that day.
She said I finally realized that In spite of this man's efforts to the contrary that the Bible doesn't teach Sola Scriptura. She said that's what cinched it for her and that's what made her decide to become a Catholic.
And I've heard this story from other people as well. I mean, this is as they say one of the most popular debates. The first part of my answer to your question is I recommend if you haven't had a chance to listen to it.
Maybe you have listened to it.
I strongly recommend it because it and and listen to it with a discerning spirit. You see one of the one of the Things and again take the time to read the response provided to the white man's burden. You'll see the documentation of these straw men that Patrick continues to use even to this day, but.
Listen listen with a discerning ear. See what kind of argumentation is being used. One of the things Catholic answers done for a long long time is. What you do is after the opening statements. Once you get into a cross-examination where you're literally have as little as a hundred and twenty seconds to make your case subtly try to shift the topic.
And they'll see this is why they want to debate Sola Scriptura. Now they won't reverse this and defend their own positive affirmations about these things. I've never heard them ever do that. I've tried to get them to do that, but I can't get him to do it.
But what they'll do is. They will bring up issues like the canon of Scripture. Now the canon of Scripture is actually an excellent area for non Catholics to approach. But it takes a tremendous amount of time.
The simplistic answers provided by Rome we're right because we're Rome don't take a whole lot of time to say. And since the majority of people in the audience have no concept of the history of the church The the concept of the canon of Scripture they have no concept whatsoever.
It's an easy cheap way for Roman Catholic Controversialists to score points that actually don't have any truth value to them, but they're only looking for points anyways and so. What you do is again the cross-examination you throw out the canon issue knowing that there's no way that anyone could meaningfully give a background response that to provide the background to a meaningful answer to such a question and then you use as if I see you know.
We've got we've got the debate. We win the debate as if that's what the debate was actually about and That's why later on in later years We did specific debates on those those subjects. And if you really want to hear how that comes out listen to the apocryphal debate with Jerry Matta ticks.
It was at Boston College. We were in the small minority there. We're at a Jesuit institution there's monks sitting in the audience and It came out very clearly the Sola Ecclesia the authority claims that were being used by the Roman Catholic Church at that point as well, so listen to those as well and Recognize the kind of argumentation see ask yourself the question where did Patrick Madrid?
Respond to the biblical presentation that I made that evening. He was actually responding more to my arguments with Jerry Matta ticks from the first debate. We did on Sola Scriptura back in 1990 and then he'd also listened to my debate.
With Jerry Matta ticks and Sola Scriptura from 1992 from Omaha. When I took Greg Bonson's place Greg Bonson was supposed to debate Jerry. Then an opportunity for him to do it to have some encounters with some homosexual Advocates came up, so he contacted me and asked if I would take his place in Omaha in 1992 which I did and It really seemed to me that Madrid was more focused upon what I had said in previous debates than the biblical argumentation I was providing that evening, but Madrid utterly failed to respond to the argumentation.
I provide from the biblical text he raised issues of material and formal sufficiency which had not been a part of his own presentations previous that period of time. And tried to drag it off into that perspective but he did not give any meaningful exegetical response.
The biblical presentation that I made and so listen carefully to it. Read it check it out for yourself. Check out the facts yourself and.
And see if that is not in fact the case it really will demonstrate once and for all That the Bible does not teach that it is Formally or absolutely Sufficient and it's a great way to learn not only the the way what's what's it gonna be like you know?
What must it be like to be so proud of? Your arguments to in essence say well the Bible just really isn't enough. At least we get to hear them saying that we know that's where they're coming from and they present false doctrines of false teachings.
You have to attack the sufficiency of Scripture. Every group does it? Whether it's Mormons or whoever it is you got to have their authority, but how sad I'm glad that even after all these years It still strikes me when I hear someone Making that kind of a statement, and oh the the the burden to bear that.
Reminded to pray for these people they would be delivered from this this darkness before. They have to stand before a holy God to answer for that kind of a statement.
It's it's something very serious to answer the typical arguments that are raised in favor of Sola Scriptura. But it will also show you just how How the case for Sola Scriptura often is made well?
You know it's interesting, but he didn't provide a response to those arguments. He didn't provide a biblical Response. He tried to avoid the biblical weight by saying well now. That's just material sufficient.
It's not formal sufficiency. Because now remember if you could find it, and man. I don't even know if it's Wouldn't even be available anymore. I wouldn't know where to get it. Someone from Denver sent me an audiotape of the debate and in that debate with Bill Jackson and Ron Nemec Madrid and Keating had hammered away on Show us where the Bible teaches Sufficiency show us where the Bible teach.
They just hammered away on it and so I Provided it and I provide the lexical resources and the lexical foundationally. Did Madrid respond to any of that. No. Not at all. And as I document in my rebuttal the white man's burden He even had to misrepresent the doctrine of Sola Scriptura itself in the process.
So keep those things in mind.
And that's something that every Catholic should know now with regard to the ultimate authority question in the debate. And I'm I'm trying to remember specifically what was said. But if I remember correctly and you can you can actually if you go to my website Patrick Madrid comm you can download the debate Itself.
It's downloadable as an mp3 so just go to Patrick Madrid comm. It's right there on the main page. It's called does the Bible teach Sola Scriptura. You can listen to it. Also, I wrote an article and follow-up called the white man's burden which is kind of a play on words with regard to the other person in the debate whose last name is white and In that there's some follow-up and I forget all everything that's there, but you can check all that out.
Just go to Patrick Madrid comm.
But in that discussion, I yes feel. Please get the white man's burden if he if he hasn't posted there get it. Then download my response and.
Then you'll understand why he's never responded to the rebuttal pointed out the fact that yes scripture is The ultimate authority. In other words, this is the Word of God conveyed to us in the words of men.
This is God speaking to us. There is no higher authority than God himself. And if God chooses as he did to inspire Certain authors to set forth in writing those things that he wants us to know that is I think we could safely say that is an authority that is given to us by God himself.
So it comes in of the highest magnitude. Now there's there's no question about that and there's certainly no argument on the part of Catholics. The the problem is and this is something that my debate opponent didn't seem to understand during this debate.
And that or just didn't agree with and argued against that is that scripture does not come to us Guaranteed to be correctly understood by everybody always and everywhere. Which of course is.
Another straw man having documented many of the straw men in Patrick Madrid's Misrepresentations of scroll soloscripture. He continues doing them to this day. I can't prove he's ever actually taken the time to Look and to find out what the truth actually is on these matters.
He may be like many Roman Catholic apologists. They just don't seem to care when they're refuted. They don't take the time to look at it. Their word is final word, maybe I don't know. That seems awful strange to me and if that isn't the case then there would be some real issues about integrity at this point, but.
That's there are many Misinterpretations of scripture. In fact scripture itself warns us against Misinterpreting it. It talks about how people twist the scriptures to their own destruction. See yes.
That's exactly what Peter says, but that very same text warns against those Untaught and unstable men who distort the scriptures their own destruction. What does that mean? That means there are taught and stable men who do not and It in no way shape or form implies to us.
Oh, and that's the papacy because there was no papacy. That is is a Jesus to even begin to suggest it. Peter is writing a time where there is no monarchical episcopacy in Rome doesn't develop until 140 so you can't read the papacy in there.
That means there are taught and stable men who do not rest the scriptures. They do not twist the scriptures. Any written document can be misrepresented. Is it not the case that Patrick Madrid would argue that there are many Roman Catholics?
Let's use another illustration. Would not Patrick Madrid argue that Jerry Matitick's is Twisting the writings of the Roman Catholic Church. Does it follow the writings the Roman Catholic Church are thereby?
Insufficient in of themselves. He might say yes, everything that's written you you have to have a living person. Well, how does he know what the Pope says? It's written down for him. I'd love to see a debate between Jerry Matitick's and Patrick Madrid.
The irony is Jerry Matitick's would love to see a debate between himself Carl Keating Patrick Madrid Roberts and Janice all these folks and for some reason they won't debate Jerry Don't know why. It is ironic.
I wonder why. Having this infallible authority has not produced absolute unanimity of opinion amongst these men. Why are there Robertson Genesis and Jerry Matitick's is out there that have disagreements of it?
I it almost sounds like Patrick's arguments against solo scriptura is self-defeating, huh?
Well, you're you're forgetting it's Neapolitan ice cream, but.
You know all the different flavors of unity, right? I can sit here for a long time just staring at you and. The longer it's quiet The more pressure you're gonna feel. Yeah, it's that's that's the unity that that we have.
Peter talks about that.
So we have to be careful that we're understanding it correctly and this requires another authority. And this is the authority of the Catholic Church this.
Why is it the authority of the Catholic Church? Why is it and I pointed this out? In that debate and I've pointed out in many debates since then that's The simple fact that you can abuse a Sufficient rule of faith is not an argument for the insufficiency of that rule of faith.
You see it. Mr. Madrid Should know by now and I know I've explained this to him back in the old AOL days Back when there were chat rooms on AOL. I remember long debates taking place. I wasn't even a chat room.
It was sort of a web board type thing for him. I guess is what you'd call it on AOL and I remember taking on Patrick and explaining these things and explaining how many misunderstandings that he had but this is the only argument that they've been able to come up with and Sadly, you know people don't see through it.
It's not difficult to see through. But they will see like what we were just pointing out Sure, you know someone can twist the words of various of the Popes and councils and things like that like Jerry Matta ticks doesn't come to wrong conclusions but when you say the same thing about scripture and Say, okay.
Well people can do that with scripture. But does that mean that the scriptures are insufficient for the revelation of God's truth? They have to understand that's well, no and So as a result you have this this self-refuting argument and They use it to destroy your your confidence in the scriptures and then hoping that your confidence hasn't just been Completely destroyed so she become an atheist.
They want you then to place the same confidence in the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. But then you see a Good debate in the future would be can Rome's own authority claims stand up to her Critiques of solo scripture.
In other words, can we apply the same standards to Rome? I mean Patrick's favorite argument against solo scriptura is that it's a blueprint for anarchy. Look at the modern spectrum of beliefs that parade in the name of Roman Catholicism.
Doesn't that cause his argument to be self-refuting. It would seem that it does but we can't get them to defend those things you see.
They prefer the monologue format than than they do anything else is my point during that debate that the Catholic Church was given to us by God and Given to us to fulfill a role. One aspect of that role is the authentic interpretation of sacred scripture.
Now some people might say. Oh, yeah.
Well, then where does the Catholic Church interpret the Bible that see this demonstrates? He has listened to at least what some people say because. How many verses have been infallibly interpreted by the Roman Catholic Magisterium?
Where is the infallible? interpretation. Where is this commentary set of. You know all these volumes where we are finally given. The church's interpretation well, it doesn't exist and we all know it doesn't exist and Some people think maybe seven verses have been infallibly interpreted.
There be others who say no, that's. That's not the case. There has been no infallible interpretation of any text whatsoever. We don't even know Roman Catholics don't know. Roman Catholic apologists disagree on this very issue.
We don't have Infallible interpretation of so many key texts. We do have wacky interpretations of Luke 128 and and Things like that. We have minority interpretations of Matthew 16 That go against the early church.
Rome uses those. But why hasn't Rome produced this infallible interpretation now. Patrick's going to take the weasel way out. We don't need that. You see it's the church's liturgy it's the practice of the church the teaching of the church, but the problem is Patrick that even you don't quite agree with many of your Roman Catholic compatriots on your own interpretation of the teaching of the church or what the liturgy means or the history.
You all don't have some unanimity here. It's a phantom folks and it's so sad to read all these converts Who so easily? abandoned their belief in the sufficiency of God's Word that which Jesus himself said could not be broken and yet were then Deceived into believing in the sufficiency of a system that can't even answer for you the major questions about what the Bible teaches on Old things like the sufficiency of grace and the nature of Christ's atonement a System that itself is falling into allowing for all Sorts of viewpoints that clearly were never a part of its history before.
Look at the Roman Catholic Inclusivism today tell me that's what the people the Council of Constance believed and I will say you're lying to me. Language no longer has any meaning if you can tell me that what Roman Catholic bishops and Cardinals and priests today believe about Inclusivism about Islam.
I have a clip here with the Staples trying to explain the Islam thing again. It's so sad to listen to this. It is so clear. That is not what was believed even by Popes only back in the 1800s and. So it's a it's a it's a phantom.
It's a vapor. This idea of the authority of the Roman Church. In fact, remember the clip I've put on the YouTube page a number of times the end of my debate with Mitchell Pacwa in fact I would say to anybody I It'd be really interesting someone should contact a Patrick Madrid and ask him Did you do a better did you do a better job than Mitchell Pacwa did against James White on soul scripture?
Because I would challenge anybody who just thinks that Madrid's job was just so super. Listen to the debate with Mitch Pacwa here. You've got someone significantly more scholarly Than Patrick Madrid who isn't trying to talk past me and shift subjects.
Here's someone who is an official representative of the church. Patrick Madrid is not ordained to my knowledge and. And he didn't try to change the topic of the debate he actually engaged the debate as the debate was and At the end of that debate remember what I did.
I Went around and I picked up my big still got it sitting under my desk in the room. My big silver it's now beat up because it's come through so many Cargo holds of aircraft in the process, but it's my big silver book bag and I got it out and I started dragging all these books out of my book bag and I got out the Code of Canon law and I got out the documents of Vatican 2 and I got out the commentary in the documents of Vatican 2 and I got out the cans of decrees of the Council of Trent.
I had a stack just a stack of books sitting there and I piled them all up read what they were piled them all up, and then I looked at the audience and I said Are you telling me? That this pile of books Makes Romans 5 1 clearer.
Than when Paul penned the words and said that we are justified by faith and As since we've been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Are you telling me that this stack of books?
Clarifies that. Or as I believe does it not muddy that and do so to a tremendous extent. That's what I'd ask people to do. I.
Hear there are only a handful of verses where the church has officially interpreted the Bible. That's missing the point. Because the Catholic Church doesn't need to sit to say in some formal Promulgation that always and henceforth.
This is going to be the one and only understanding of this particular passage. That's not how the church interpret scripture. Why?
What do you mean? It's missing the point. You make the argument well, you need an interpretive voice to interpret what the scriptures say. That's the argument that you're making. And Then when someone says, okay, so where is it?
You go well you're missing the point. That's the point you raised wasn't it? What do you mean? You miss a point? Is it possible? Maybe you're just baiting and switching. You're claiming Rome. Can you're claiming you need this to have the Bible.
The Bible needs a living interpreter because Evidently, it's just really unclear in and of itself and there are Roman Catholics who have said exactly that. They've made that exact and that exact assertion but if that's the problem then you have to be able to provide me with what you yourself are claiming I need to have.
And Now when we ask you that you go, well, you're missing the point. Maybe you're baiting and switching. Maybe you're claiming That I need something you actually can't provide to me.
Hmm the church interprets scripture by living it and when we talk about living it we're talking about through the sacraments. So through the Holy Eucharist. The belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist baptism.
Yeah, that'll help me interpret John chapter 8. Sure. Yeah, okay some. The belief in baptismal regeneration. Baptizing of infants the sacraments as such the priesthood the veneration of Mary and the Saints and all the different ways in which the church Quote-unquote interpret scripture through its liturgies and its prayers and its teachings and in its tradition quite frankly.
So all of that is bound up in this issue of the church's authority to interpret scripture. So if I'm correctly remembering the point that you're alluding to and I may not be corrected correctly remembering it but if I am that was what I was trying to get at is that Scripture is the ultimate authority in one sense.
But it requires another ultimate authority in a different way. And that is the church that interprets scripture because scripture doesn't interpret itself and if you start misinterpreting sacred scripture.
And let's say you start heading down the Jehovah's Witness path in denying the divinity of Jesus Christ. Scripture doesn't spank you on the wrist and say oh stop. You're misinterpreting me amazing.
Do the writings of the Roman Catholic Church spank you on the wrist and say stop you're misinterpreting me. Why hasn't that worked at Boston College. Where you have pretty much every theological perspective on the planet expressed by people call themselves Roman Catholics.
How come it hasn't done that and in fact you know to sort of bring this up to date. I'm thankful that there have been Roman Catholics who have spoken out on the subject of abortion and certain really weird political leaders.
Who have misrepresented Roman Catholic teaching on that particular subject within the past seven days or less on a national platform. I appreciate that and I appreciate the strength of some of those statements that basically said that this particular female is clueless.
That's great. I Only have one question. Why haven't these people been kicked out of the Roman Catholic Church? I mean, you know it I hear people going Oh, it's so great that this bishop says that such and such person can't have can't attend mass in this particular city because of their views on abortion.
Why are they still a Roman Catholic at all? I mean Isn't that a fair question? You can tout the alleged authority of Rome all you want, but it seems to me That you can pretty much ignore what Rome teaches on this subject and Rome's teaching on this subject is not unclear.
It's amazing how clear Rome can be on issues like that when she can't be clear on issues of the gospel. But Why are these people allowed to continue to call themselves Roman Catholics, why haven't they been disciplined?
Why haven't they been put out? Why haven't they been excommunicated? Seems to me someone's lacking the courage their convictions. And it's called the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. So, you know I can appreciate the fact that some people have stood up and said no that's that's not we believe this way believe.
But if this person is a part of your church, why aren't you? Doing something about it. Why are they allowed to do this kind of stuff without without any type of meaningful?
Result, I have just always found that a little bit odd. That's not how the written word operates. This is why we have the Living Church that that Christ himself established.
But you can't ask the Living Church to Christ well established to actually interpret a in the Bible for you. And when you do they're going to do liturgy for you. And this is the answer to the question of how you keep people from misinterpreting the Bible.
But you can't stop people from misinterpreting your own writings and when they do you won't kick him out and This is Rome's great answer to the question of misinterpreting the Bible. Now, you know he earlier he said well, you know, if you start going down the road Jehovah's Witnesses, excuse me.
But you can't do that while believing in solo scriptura and tota scriptura. You see because see the Jehovah's Witness has to have his external authority. That's why he asked him is translate the Bible in New World Translation.
That's why he needs the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses. He can't do you can't come up with Jehovah's Witness teaching by solo scriptura and tota scriptura, and that's the point Patrick the Bible is sufficient to refute those teachings and What really happens to see.
I know that Patrick has an interest in Mormonism. He and I have both debated Mormons in various contexts. I've debated a lot more than he has but we've both done that kind of thing and You see the difference between us is he has his ultimate authority and he says his ultimate authority makes him right and the Mormon has His ultimate authority.
He says his ultimate authority makes him right and they really can't ever accomplish anything. Because it's not the scriptures that which is they are new stops that which is God breathe that is actually making the difference in That kind of a context and so Patrick can't help a Mormon.
You pull a Mormon out of Mormonism and throw them into Roman Catholicism. It's out of the frying pan in the fire as far as that is concerned.
Because you're just replacing one false ultimate authority with another false ultimate authority to assist us with making sure that we rightly and faithfully Interpret sacred scripture. Now, there's more that I can say, but we have other people holding so I want to get to them.
But don't forget you can get that debate. I strongly recommend you get that debate that I yes get that debate at.
Www .aomin .org and you can read the entire transcript also in the articles section you can read my rebuttal to the white man's burden. Get all of it and Then get the debate that took place the year before between myself and Jerry Medetik's on the solo scripter.
You know what? I just realized we don't have that available anymore. The 1992 Omaha debate. I don't think we have that. You sure? Hmm. No, maybe I Don't think that we do. I think we replaced that with the 95 version 96 version.
What's that? No, I'm nothing. Well, no, that's true. No, I'm nothing in Long Beach. I'm thinking Omaha. But if we do great fine, whatever if you can get hold of it listen to the debate that it was Jerry Medetik's on solo scripture in 1992 a Debate that Patrick Madrid told me before our debate in 1993 on the phone that I won.
He said in fact, he called me and said James I must say this is the first time I have ever heard a Protestant win a debate on solo scriptura. It's fascinating how many of these Roman Catholics will tell me I beat other Roman Catholics, but they're.
They're 2 -0 or 5 -0 or whatever it is. They are in their debates with me. They've they've all defeated me even though they're pretty much using the same arguments, even though okay it is there. Number 440, okay good.
Listen to number 440 and which one is the one with with Patrick on Sandy in San Diego. So get number 440. Which is should be in the mp3 section and then listen to the San Diego debate. Listen to him in order.
I get the 92 then the 93 then listen to the debate with Jerry Medetik's from 96 on solo scriptura and Then 99 with Mitch Pacwa from San Diego on solo scriptura listen to all of them and ask yourself a question which Roman Catholic apologists actually stuck to the subject and Was a consistent testimony given.
All the way through those debates by yours truly. I certainly hope there was. I certainly hope I got better. I Did in 1990 that was first debate. I did in August. I believe it was in Long Beach against Jerry Medetik's.
I certainly learned a lot between in those nine years. No question about it. And so I hope I did better. I Hope I was clearer. If the first debate you do is your best debate, that's not a good thing. That's that's not a good thing at all.
But listen to him. And do some reading. Do some in-depth reading not just for a short period of time, but some in-depth reading and See for yourself. I think you'll find that that it's a Little bit different than what?
Mr. Madrid has to say. Did you catch any of those? They're rich you get any numbers there. Well, see unfortunately my screen's not big enough to have all those. Uh 454 is the debate with in San Diego.
Okay, good. 454 is the debate there. They're all there. Look them up use the search thing hit the advanced thing so that and you can check that it can search Descriptions too, and that's how to normally track those type of things down.
Hey, we did 90 minutes a we just do 90 minutes all the every single week. But we only did it once. We could do an hour and a half. That's a long time. But thanks for listening today and Lord willing we'll be back again next week.
Keep an eye out on the blog for more information, especially the San Diego portion of the Muslim debates that are coming up in only Less than a month, so we'll get this information out to you. We need to see you there pray for us support us.
See you next week. God bless.
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