|
Hi Mike and Torie,
Thanks for your question.
This is a distortion of the truth. Catholics recognize that all
Scripture is God breathed.
(2 Timothy 3:16)
In the Protestant tradition, particularly
in the dispensational circles, it is common to find those who believe that
the theology for the New Testament Church ought to be derived from the
Epistles. Some dismiss the Gospels as solely Historical books which witness
the:
- Incarnation
- miracles
- death
- burial, and
- Resurrection of Our
Lord.
These same people would deny that the Gospels are primary
sources of theology. Using this method, it is easy to see why they refute
the necessity of holy living and simply cling to the
unbiblical assertion
of faith alone.
There is a problem with this theory. If the Gospels record the things
that Jesus said, then we can't dismiss His teaching or reinterpret the
Words of Jesus in light of Paul's writing. Rather the opposite is true.
Paul was teaching what Jesus taught and what the Gospel writers were teaching.
Together, we come to a full understanding of Gospel.
Paul spent most of his time fighting Judaizers who wanted to add the Mosaic
Law to the faith. That is, it was not enough to have faith in Christ
and obey Him. They expected people to get circumcised and follow the Old
Testament temple sacrifices. Almost all of Paul's epistles, or any others
in the New Testament, were written to address specific issues in particular
Churches.
For this reason, no epistle or epistles should be "lifted out of the
context" of the entire Scriptures and used to develop doctrine.
It is true that the Catholic Church holds the Gospels in a special regard
amongst other texts.
That is because they record the Words of our Lord
along with a narrative of His Earthly life and ministry, but no text
stands alone, nor is one passage of Scripture considered more inspired than any other.
Sacred Scripture along with Sacred Tradition (2 Thessalonians 2:15), interpreted
by the authoritative teaching office of the Church, make up Divine Revelation.
It all stands as a whole, together.
They are not at odds with each other, just as Paul's teaching was not
at odds with James teaching nor was Jesus' teaching at odds with
Peter's, and so on.
They are in total harmony in one Deposit of Faith.
Hope this Helps!
Under His Mercy,
John C. DiMascio
|
