Jeremiah 26:4-5 – Tell them that the LORD says, “You must obey me! You must live according to the way I have instructed you in my laws. You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have sent them to you over and over again. But you have not paid any attention to them.”
Is the Bible authoritative? If so where does the Bible get its authority from? If the Bible receives its authority from God, does God give His authority to anyone or anything else? Do Protestants and Catholics differ in their answer to these questions? Do they differ in the way they live out the answer to these questions? I have been thinking through a question on sola scriptura for a week or so. It has been a great thought exercise. The Bible is replete with examples of God telling us to obey His Word, listen to His voice, and other statements of similar accord. What about God’s statement to pay attention to the exhortations of His servants the prophets? Does God give this same authority to the church in His Word or is it given to the individual? If the individual is given the authority to interpret the Bible then do we not have madness – everyone interpreting what is right in his own eye?
Who did the Apostle Paul submit to in Acts 15 when questions arose? The nuances the Protestants must overcome seem significant to me.