The Tension Between Sola Scriptura and Church Authority - a Reply to Erick Ybarra

In this video I offer some considerations and comments to the important questions raised by Erick Ybarra in a video describing his journey from Reformed Baptism to Roman Catholicism.

This is not a rebuttal video but rather a contribution to an important conversation brought up by the questions and considerations presented by Erick.

I have a great deal of respect for Erick Ybarra and personally I think that he is one of the finest proponents of Roman Catholics in the Youtube-sphere. Polite, humble and very knowledgable as he is, I hope to add some thoughts to the conversation.

The original video and his channel can be found here

[theepitomeministry]

I'm about 40 minutes into this video, and had to subscribe. I'm someone within a low-church context, and I find the high-church traditions incredibly fascinating, and I have found this video thoroughly insightful and rigorous in the details. Well done.

[WizardOfTheDesert]

Great video!! Im glad to find good confessional Lutherans in Europe

[marcuswilliams]

Erick's ordinary cadence and rate of speech is quite slow that the increased speed just makes him sound normal. Lol Very good video. Charitable both from Mr. Ybarra and from you, Michael.

[romeg]

Enjoyed this! I learned from this that my church practices open communion (confessional presbyterian) and I think the confessional lutheran way laid out here has merit.

[pjwg]

Also we should note that Roman churches basically practice open communion even though it’s against their official statements.

[koppite]

I loved the title. And I think it proves Catholicism.
The Church exists alongside the bible. No amount of church err should ever make anyone leave the church. Jesus said the Church will be till he comes back.

[vngelicath]

Open communion can be understood in a variety of ways. Certainly, the more liberal church bodies allow absolute open table (non-Christians are welcome, no repentance necessary, etc)... but many conservative Anglicans and even Reformed bodies still "fence the table" within a broad framework of open communion. They won't commune non-baptized Christians or the unrepentant (nor will they commune those who deny the real presence, for example), but they also don't limit communion explicitly to denominational/fellowship borders.

Several Anglican priests I know say they will call the pastor/minister of the inquiring Christian to ask if they are in good standing and commune them (even if they are from another denominational tradition). It's complicated.

[dave]

Great post, Truth Unto Godliness. BTW, Matthew Broderick is a perpetual troll here and on other channels (like Other Paul's) and he just doesn't have any actual charitable dialogue. Might want to to give him the boot. Just saying.

[jamessheffield]

Does the church have a constitution I.E, Scripture or can it do whatever it wants? Pax

[tabandken]

Commonitorium (Vincent of Lerins) 400AD

But here some one perhaps will ask, Since the canon of Scripture is complete, and sufficient of itself for everything, and more than sufficient, what need is there to join with it the authority of the Church's interpretation? For this reason — because, owing to the depth of Holy Scripture, all do not accept it in one and the same sense, but one understands its words in one way, another in another; so that it seems to be capable of as many interpretations as there are interpreters. For Novatian expounds it one way, Sabellius another, Donatus another,  Arius, Eunomius, Macedonius, another, Photinus,  Apollinaris,  Priscillian, another, Iovinian, Pelagius, Celestius, another, lastly,  Nestorius another. Therefore, it is very necessary, on account of so great intricacies of such various error, that the rule for the right understanding of be framed in accordance with the standard of Ecclesiastical and Catholic interpretation.

[6.] Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. For that is truly and in the strictest sense Catholic,  which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be true, which the whole Church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all priests and doctors.

[matthewbroderick]

So then, Protestants admit they can never know with infallible certitude what Jesus Christ meant by "this IS MY BODY ", or who the Woman is in Revelation 12, As Scripture ALONE is infallible! Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink

[peccatorjustificatus]

I haven't watched the video yet (I'll do it later), I'm wrestling a little bit with 1 Thesalonnians 2 : 15 regarding Sola Scriptura, I don't know if you talk about it in the video. I read some bible commentary where it says that even if there was a separate oral infallible tradition, the channels of transmission for it still wouldn't be, hence Sola Scriptura should be held at least for practical reasons, but I'm still not 100% satisfied with that explanation, also according to some polemicists, some church fathers believed in an oral tradition that was supposed to be observed together with scripture as equal authority.
I would like you to explain me this verse in light of Sola Scriptura please, that if you didn't do it in this video.

[tabandken]

Why don't you read the actual documents instead on snippets in Protestant literature?

It is called Catholic then because it extends over all the world, from one end of the earth to the other; and because it teaches universally and completely one and all the doctrines which ought to come to men’s knowledge, concerning things both visible and invisible, heavenly and earthly ; and because it brings into subjection to godliness the whole race of mankind, governors and governed, learned and unlearned; and because it universally treats and heals the whole class of sins, which are committed by soul or body, and possesses in itself every form of virtue which is named, both in deeds and words, and in every kind of spiritual gifts.. . . Concerning this Holy Catholic Church Paul writes to Timothy, That thou mayest know haw thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

. . . And while the kings of particular nations have bounds set to their authority, the Holy Church Catholic alone extends her power without limit over the whole world . . .

. . . In this Holy Catholic Church receiving instruction and behaving ourselves virtuously, we shall attain the kingdom of heaven, and inherit Eternal Life; . . . (Catechetical Lecture XVIII, sections 23, 25, 27, 28)

When I left Alexandria, I did not go . . .  to any other persons, but only to Rome; . . .  having laid my case before the Church . . . (Defense before Constantius 4, NPNF 2, Vol. IV, 239)

[C]oncerning matters of faith, they [The Fathers at Nicea] did not write: ‘It was decided, ’ but ‘Thus the Catholic Church believes.’ . . . in order to show tu y yhat their judgement was not of more recent origin, but was in fact Apostolic times; and that what they wrote was no discovery of their own, but is simply that which was taught by the apostles. (On the Councils of Ariminum and Seleucia 5; NPNF 2, Vol. IV)

[matthewbroderick]

Whose Fallible Pastor's interpretations do we listen to, as Scripture ALONE is infallible? Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior, He whose Flesh is true food and Blood true drink

[matthewbroderick]

The same Church Fathers teach we must cooperate with God's saving grace and repent and bear fruit and forgive others and love one another and persevere to the end to be saved!
No Protestant actually practices Scripture ALONE, as Holy Scripture teaches, "if you wish to enter into life, then keep the commandments ", ( Matthew 19:17), and "it is by WORKS and NOT BY FAITH ALONE that we are JUSTIFIED ", ( James 2:24), as Jesus Christ warns those who HAVE FAITH in HIM, that if they do NOT BEAR FRUIT, THEY SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY. ( John 15:2). Protestants though don't believe these Holy Scripture verses to be accurate. Peace always in Jesus Christ our Great and Kind God and Savior