Question 2 from Negative

Question 2 Sacred Scripture and the “necessary” teachings are clear?

by Matthew Bellisario

In your opening statement you posted the following, “(VII) Not all of the teachings of Scripture are equally clear, but the things necessary to be known for salvation are clearly taught, so that even uneducated people can understand them.”

According to the Protestant seminary Gordon-Conwell , they list over 9000 "denominations" on their university website. (World Christian Database 2004) These many denominations differ in doctrines that range from but are not limited to, liturgical worship, the operations of baptism, Holy Communion, justification, salvation, marriage and divorce, moral issues like abortion, and birth control and the list goes on and on. Yet they all profess a belief that everything we need to know about salvation is clear in Sacred Scripture. They all use the same premise to arrive at their doctrines as you do. One of these 9000 denominations is referring to yours, which also attests to this. Why do so many “necessary” teachings regarding salvation differ from each other, when all of these “denominations” are using the same method that you are using, all claiming that these “necessary” doctrines are so easy to arrive at from Sacred Scripture? If they are so easy to understand then why isn't something such as salvation and justification agreed upon?

Something every Christian would consider necessary is how we are saved and whether or not we can lose our salvation. Yet there are several variations of this teaching in which some believe you are predestined, some believe that you choose God by God's grace but can never lose your salvation and another would say you can choose and then lose your salvation later, etc. All of these professions claim that they see the teaching clearly in Sacred Scripture, and they are all using the same Scriptures to arrive at their conclusion. They all have educated Scripture scholars who study Greek etc, and ordinary laymen who teach and study the Scriptures like the Bereans did, and all claim the Holy Spirit is guiding them, yet they all disagree with one another on something as simple and necessary as how we are saved. The same can be said for baptism and many other "necessary" teachings. In fact among these denominations that hold to Sola Scriptura, many disagree with each other as to what is and what is not, "necessary". My question is, why should anyone believe that your interpretation of Sacred Scripture or any other Protestant group's interpretation is the correct one, and why should anyone believe that you or they can determine what is necessary and what is not?