Warner/Jackson Debate on Tradition As Religious Authority

 
 
 Proposition: 
 Scripture alone is authoritative for the Church in matters of doctrine
 
 Affirm:  George A Jackson
 Deny: Matt Warner
 
 George, you asked, 
 "So tell us where else `all truth' would be `recorded' Or did not the Holy Spirit give us all the truth 
 in the Bible? Are you telling us that God left some truth out of the Bible that man needs to know 
 to be saved? Why would Jesus even have to say to the Apostles "do not record all the truth in the 
 Bible, save some to be spoken from man to man down through the ages? Enough said!
 
 Well, tell us where Jesus told the Apostles to write "all truth" down as Scripture, so that the 
 Church can follow Scripture alone.  You won't found that anywhere.
 
 You wrote, 
 "Matt: You keep repeating `But once again, where does this verse (which is Jude 3) say that this 
 Faith was recorded in written form only?' Do you not realize that I could make the same statement 
 but add the word `not' to it, and it would sound like this: `where does this verse (which is Jude 3) 
 say that this Faith was not recorded in written form only?' What do you hope to prove by these 
 statement?"
 
 By this statement I am showing that the Scriptures do not teach anywhere that the Scriptures are 
 our only authority, and that you are trying to prove something that cannot be proved by the Bible.
 
 You wrote, 
 "Then give us the proof that God had the apostles past on to others, truth, that is not recorded in 
 the Holy Bible."
 
 I've already given Biblical and historical proof in my affirmations that the early Christians, during 
 and after the Apostolic age, followed both the oral and written teachings of the Apostles, and 
 considered both to be authoritative.  You have given neither Biblical nor historical proof to show 
 that the Scriptures alone are authoritative.
 
 You wrote,
  "One takes away by not orally speaking all the truth in written form and adds by orally speaking 
 more than the truth in written from."
 
 This statement is based on the assumption that the written contains all of the Apostle's teachings.  
 This is an assumption that you have yet to prove.
 
 You wrote, 
 "The Bible Claims To Be an All-sufficient Book. Not only does the Bible claim for itself 
 inspiration, it also declares that it is all-sufficient."
 
 My question is where does the Bible claim this?  
 
 In an attempt to answer this, you quote 2 Pet.1:3,4, which says, "According as his divine power 
 hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him 
 that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious 
 promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption 
 that is in the world through lust."  And then you say, "The Bible! Not tradition has given (past 
 tense) all the above."
 
 My question is where does these verses say that it is the Scriptures that give us of all this???  
 These verses do not even mention Scripture.  It looks like to me that you are reading into them 
 something that is not there at all.
 
 Also in attempt to support your statement that the Bible claims to be an all-sufficient book, you 
 quote Isa.55:10,11, which says, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and 
 returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give 
 seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it 
 shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the 
 thing whereto I sent it." 
 
 My question is where does these verses say that the Scriptures are all-sufficient???  All they show 
 is that the Word of God accomplishes what it is send forth to do.  And I totally agree with that.  
 But what I disagree with is the idea that these verses prove that the Scriptures alone are 
 authoritative.  They just don't say that.
 
 So, in conclusion, George, you still haven't shown any proof that the Scriptures alone are 
 authoritative for the Church in matters of faith.  This teaching cannot be found in or supported by 
 the Scriptures in anyway.  And as I wrote in my affirmations, if this teaching is not found in the 
 Scriptures (which you say are the only authority) then this belief that the Scriptures are our only 
 authority fails its own test, and must be rejected by its own standard.
 
 With His Love,
 Matt Warner