Sacred Tradition
If one was to ask a Roman Catholic what his position was regarding the authority and inspiration of the Bible, they would respond in the affirmative, namely that it is the Word of God. However, the fundamental question that must be asked of all evangelicals at this point is this; if it is the case that the Roman Catholic Church upholds the authority of the Bible then how at the same time does it differ so drastically in its doctrines and beliefs? How can one reading the Bible and accepting its authority possibly come to believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary or her immaculate conception? How could one ever possibly come to the position that by confessing one’s sins to a priest he/she could receive forgiveness of sins on the say-so of a Catholic priest? How would one ever know that what is before him in the mass, which by all accounts seems to be natural wafers and natural wine, is in fact the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ? To answer this question, one has to turn to what Roman Catholics term Sacred Tradition.
In this fifth part of this teaching series looking at the Roman Catholic Church, we seek to better understand the place to which Rome elevates Sacred Tradition. Was such a so-called tradition handed down by the apostles? Is such a tradition biblical? Can history substantiate and testify to such a tradition existing in first century Christianity? We seek to shed light on these questions and more.
Download teaching notes (pdf)
http://traffic.libsyn.com/bethesdashalom/5_Is_Roman_Catholicism_True_Christianity_Pt5.pdf