Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

ment."etc."The Sole Interpreter of ScriptureBy Principle Francis Davidson, D.D.Our subject is "The Right of Private JudgLet us discuss it from three points of view.1. The Roman Catholic claim to be the sole interpreter of Scripture, excluding all privatejudgment.This exclusive claim is based upon the presumption of infallibility, which again lays its foundation upon the alleged primacy of Peter. To beginwith this high exaltation of the apostle, the Romanists point to the teaching of the New Testament.Their great text is the familiar one in which it isalleged that our Lord bestowed upon Simon Peterthe supremacy over his Church i.e., "Thou artPeter,This statement of our Lord is interpreted bythe Roman Catholic Church as an official endowment, upon Peter and his successors, of supremepower in the Church of Christ universal. Supposethis Romish rendering be accepted, what does it involve ?(a) The Church of Rome is the universal Churchof all believers; hence the dogma, "Outside of thesalvation."Church there is no(b) Peter went to Rome and there established hissee.(c) On demitting his high office, Peter, beforehe died bequeathed his powers and prerogatives tohis successor.(d) This transmission constituted the so-called"Apostolic Succession." Now these four implicationsdo not find verification either at the bar of history, or of the Word of God. It is not our task hereto investigate the historical evidences, but to dealwith the testimony of the New Testament.The Protestant interpretation of our Lord'sstatement is two-fold, but to all intents and purposesthe same. (1) Upon the confession of faith in meI will build my church. (2) Upon such rock-likecharacter as thine, Peter (inspired by my HeavenlyFather to know me as the anointed one) I will build,my Church. In either case the truth is plain. JesusChrist is the living center of both Confession andCharacter. Moreover the storyof the years substantiates the fact that the Christian Church is foundedupon the rock of believers in the person and workof our Lord Jesus Christ. The witness of the NewTestament is definitely against the primacy of Peter,and the consequent office of the papacy. When therecord of Peter's life, and his association withhis fellow-apostles, are examined there is no validevidence that Peter had any other place than thatof a natural leader, a function not assigned to himby Jesus, but accruing only through his own specialpersonal qualities, especially his impetuosity. Peterunquestionably takes the lead in the meeting gathered to appoint a successor to Judas, but the narrative proceeds to show that it was not Peter whonominated and appointed Matthias, but the wholeband of the apostles, and that by prayer and lot.Again Peter addressed the famous Council of Jerusalem, but it was James who presided, and as headJuly 20, 1955of the Jerusalem Church, authoritatively pronounced the verdict. At Antioch Paul w.s not afraid torebuke Peter. Only an equal, not one -^ho bowed toa pope, could have dared to adopt this ^titude. Inhis epistles there is no sign of Peter's eceleuasticalsupremacy. As Barrow says "No criticpero.singthese epistles of Peter would smell a pope in then."When Rome had established the papacy, or the supremacy of Peter and his successors, it was but astep to the infallibility of the Roman Church centered in the pope himself.2. We are now ready to discuss the question ofauthority.The claim of papal infallibility involves, as isobvious, the claim to rule in faith and life. At Caesarea Phillippi Jesus gives the Keys of the Kingdomof Heaven to Peter. This "power of the keys" isappropriated by the Roman Church in at least twofalse ways.(a) It is alleged to be bestowed upon Peter andtherefore upon the whole papal succession, a chainof continuity in itself historically false. But thesewords of Matthew xvi. 19, first addressed to Peter,were afterwards spoken to all the disciples, as recorded in Matthew xviii. 18. Also after the resurrection our Lord bestowed the same power on the assembled apostles at Jerusalem. Obviously then thisauthority is not based upon the primacy of any oneof the disciples, but on the gift of the Holy Spiritindwelling within them all.(b) Protestant and Romanist theologians differin the sense they attach to this metaphor of thekeys. The Roman Catholics accept this commissionas one of absolute authorityover all members oftheir Church in faith and life, a power of excommunication which extends even into the next world.Protestants believe that the one, holy, catholic oruniversal Church is given the power of disciplineover all members of the Church. But this authorityis not absolute, being limited by the Word of Godon the one hand, and on the other by the guidanceof the Spirit. If our discussion be therefore correct,it follows that there can be no overruling authorityover an individual believer, other than that which isa combination of Church, Scripture, and HolySpirit, an authority, moreover, voluntarily acceptedwhen a member of the Church begins the Christian'spilgrim's progress.3. In weighing the right of private judgment, wepass on to state the truth of the testimony ofthe Holy Spirit.This is, the fact that the Holy Spirit operateswithin the heart of the believer, and thus witnesses the eternal truth to the man himself. This doctrine of the indwelling Spirit illuminating the mindof man is the very charter of the believer's rightof private judgment. The Roman Church protestsagainst such liberty.It says that a man's reason, while of necessityexercised to appreciate the Roman Catholic Church39