Author Note: This is the first of a series of posts, based on the teachings of St. Francis De Sales, primarily written for the benefit of Protestants, but also can be useful to Catholics. My goal is simply to make the case that the Catholic Church is the true Church founded by Jesus Christ Himself in 33 A.D. and because of that, and despite all its ongoing problems and controversies, remains the necessary vehicle for individual eternal salvation and restoration of Christendom in this life. This is not just some academic endeavor. I am doing this because I believe the survival of America and Western Civilization depend on getting this right. I will continue to post on other topics as well because all of these issues really hang together: religion, politics, natural law and spiritual warfare.
“And Absalom rising up early stood by the entrance of the gate, and when any man had business to come to the king’s judgment, Absalom called him to him, and said: Of what city art thou? He answered, and said: Thy servant is of such a tribe of Israel. And Absalom answered him: Thy words seem to me good and just. But there is no man appointed by the king to hear thee. And Absalom said: O that they would make me judge over the land, that all that have business might come to me, that I might do them justice.” (2 Kings 15:2-4)
What was Absalom doing in the passage above? It may not be apparent upon first reading it without some context. Absalom was a son of King David and was attempting to undermine David’s authority. Absalom stood outside of the gate and distracted and seduced anyone who came to David seeking judicial relief by claiming there was no one there to provide the judgment, except himself, if only “they would make me judge over the land[!]”
What was Absalom’s error? He was slyly attempting to usurp his father King David’s rightful authority and exercise that power himself by claiming no one else was there to judge. Can anyone say that what Absalom was doing here was good?
Is Absalom’s error not exactly what Protestant “reformers” since the time of Luther have been attempting to do when they tell fellow Christians and potential converts that there is no need for the Roman Catholic Church because the Lord has not appointed any one to hear and resolve differences concerning faith and religion?
The Reformer tells us that Scripture is the basis for proper faith and religion. And this of course is true! Holy Scripture does tell us what the proper faith and religion is because it is the infallible Word of God. That is not in dispute. Rather, the question we need to answer is who shall be the judge when a dispute arises over the interpretation of the Holy Scripture itself?
The Reformer tells us that we must decide the proper interpretation by bringing together and comparing passage with passage together with the whole of the text to arrive at the proper meaning. And in saying this, the Reformer is right again! But that method of Biblical interpretation is not in dispute either. Once, again, the question is: who shall be the judge??
Biblical Interpretation Dispute Examples
The question of who shall be the judge of interpreting the meaning of Holy Scripture is a necessary one to answer because we know from past experience and common sense that different people will interpret the same passages in dramatically different ways. Many passages go to the heart of the means of salvation—so these are not side-bar, irrelevant questions.
For example, Roman Catholics claim that John 6:35-59, the Bread of Life Discourse, in conjunction with several other passages, including Luke 22:19-20, prove that Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist for the salvation of souls and that He becomes truly present in the Eucharist when it is consecrated at the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. Many protestants will read the exact same passages and claim Christ was only speaking symbolically and that any communion type ritual is not necessary for salvation.
Another example is Baptism. John 3:4-5 says, “Nicodemus saith to him: How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born again? Jesus answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
Roman Catholics and many protestants will tell you that this passage supports the necessity of water Baptism for salvation, while other protestants claim Baptism is not needed for salvation and is just a symbolic ritual that represents an inward change that has already taken place.
Considering these two examples above, a person wanting to know how to save their soul is faced with a dilemma. Scripture clearly lays out several passages that appear to discuss how to be saved. The person’s eternal soul could clearly be hinging on whose interpretation of the same scripture passages is the correct one. Hundreds, if not thousands, of really smart theologians, have debated the issue over the past few centuries. But who is right? How can we really know which interpretation is correct?
You can see that we cannot answer this dilemma by turning to Scripture because it is the interpretation of Scripture itself that is in dispute! Unless God would be so cruel as to deny humanity the knowledge of what is needed to save one’s soul, there must, out of pure necessity and logic, be a judge that exists outside of Scripture that we, as fallible human beings, can access.
Of course, God Himself is the ultimate judge of everything, but that does not help us resolve this dilemma. God gave us Holy Scripture to guide us as His infallible Word, and does not usually speak to us directly in the same way Christ spoke to His apostles or the Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai. It is the Word of God as He gave it to us in the written Scriptures that is the subject of interpretation and the source of our dilemma.
Notice as well, that I am not arguing that the Bible is not the infallible Word of God. It is! That is why it is so important we understand the proper interpretation of those holy books. Humanity must come to know the consequences and conclusions that can be drawn from scripture. Sadly, since the protestant revolt against the Church beginning in the sixteenth century, many contrary and opposing conclusions are drawn from the same passages in the books of the Bible.
This is why we need one final judge, visible and accessible to those still on their earthly journey of life, to declare the proper interpretation of the Bible and the conclusions and consequences that can be drawn from it. Because we know Holy Scripture is the infallible Word of God, the judge we require will not decide between one man’s interpretation versus God’s intended meaning. No, such a judge can only decide between the one man’s ideas versus another man’s ideas.
Scripture Doesn’t Need a Rule of Interpretation — WE DO
This is key to remember: IT IS NOT SCRIPTURE WHICH REQUIRES A FOREIGN LIGHT OR RULE OF INTERPRETATION, it is OUR conclusions, understandings, interpretations, etc. that need an outside rule of interpretation. We would never ask whether God understands Scripture better than we do. Rather, we ask whether Calvin understands it better than Augustine, Cyprian or even Luther.
One other important characteristic about this judge that we must remember is that just like in secular civil law, the judge is not the law itself, rather the judge is charged with ruling on the law. This in a sense can still be a called a rule of interpretation, however, because once the judge applies the law, we are bound to it.
In conclusion, the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, is the first law of our faith; yet there remains the application of this first law, which could be done in as many ways as there are brains in the world to decide how to apply these commands. Out of logical necessity, “there must therefore be some infallible authority in whose propounding we are obliged to acquiesce. The Word of God cannot err, He who proposes it cannot err; thus shall all be perfectly assured.”
The above post is both a summary and paraphrase of arguments made by St. Frances De Sales in selected sections of The Catholic Controversy, translated by Rev. Henry Benedict Mackey, O.S.B., Edited by Paul A Boer, Sr. Veritatis Splendor Publications, 2012. All quotes are from the Saint himself unless otherwise noted. For a more complete and detailed argument, in the exact words of St. Francis De Sales, I recommend reading the book The Catholic Controversy.
If you are interested in converting to the Catholic faith, or simply have questions about this post or the Catholic Church in general, please email catholicesquire@gmail.com