Solus Christus
1 Timothy 2:5 - For there is one
God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
On this point I’d say I’m still in a “journey” stage – I don’t
really have fully formed thoughts.
Protestants use this point to say that priests are not needed, that they
come between God and man and are therefore in direct opposition to
Scripture. A full Catholic response
requires a bit more development than I am prepared to give, but will that stop
me from exploring a couple ideas? No…
First, immediately preceding this particular passage from 1
Timothy:
1 Timothy1:18-2:1 - This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance
with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the
good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have
made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I
have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. First of all, then, I urge that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all
people,
And then
1 Timothy 2:7
- For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I
am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
What I get from this passage is a couple things that broaden
or deepen the Solus Christus message. And
I think that is what is needed to understand or accept the Catholic teaching on
priests and their authority – not a contradictory idea, but a fuller idea. Because, on one hand, no orthodox Christian
would ever claim that salvation or spiritual authority has any source but Christ
alone. On the other hand, it does not
necessarily equate that there should remain no authority within the offices of
the Church. So, what does this passage
show us? First, Paul was appointed a
preacher and an apostle. I’m sure this
says a lot more, but at a minimum it establishes that some people can be set
apart for special service and that humans can actually accomplish God’s
purposes in relation to other humans.
Second, Paul entrusted a special charge to Timothy. The first charge that Paul entrusted to
Timothy included interceding for people.
The fact that this intercession charge is in virtually the same thought as
the “one mediator” phrase indicates that there is probably some depth and
nuance to a full teaching of this topic.
Third, Paul had the authority to hand people over to Satan. And that is only from the verses immediately
before and after the “one mediator” statement.
So clearly, there is more to the “one mediator” teaching than a singular
“me and Jesus only” statement.
Secondly, I think part of the issue among protestants is an
ego problem (perhaps I should just speak for myself, but I suspect that many
protestants feel this way) - they just don’t like the idea of a priest being in
their business and having actual authority. I agree. I’d really rather not
tell another human exactly when and how I mess up. I’d really rather keep that private. Perhaps it’s true of all people in all times,
but the independent libertarian in me and my culture is completely repulsed by
the idea of another person having authority over me.
But then, the Gospel is not the same as the Constitution
– protecting my individual freedom and my pride are not really what we are
talking about. We are talking about the
commands of Christ and how His Church is to operate. So, really I just have to get over some of
that. The Catholic Church’s teaching on
confession and forgiveness of sins is not easy and it’s not simple. Above all, the Catholic Church is clear that only God forgives sins (1441). The
Catholic Church also takes seriously Christ’s command that the Apostles were
Christ’s ambassadors and were given the authority to forgive sins on His behalf
(John 20:23). And
that we are not to keep our sins private, but we are to confess them (James 5:16).
Recently I was talking to an old friend who said that his
experience on the local school board had pretty much forced him out the church –
too much wrangling, politics, back stabbing, etc. I related that we had been having a difficult
time with church ourselves and were looking at joining the Catholic
church. His response was that he just
couldn’t get over the idea of having a priest between him and God. I didn’t really respond to him because it
wasn’t the right time or place. But here’s
my thoughts on that sentiment. My
experience is that priests have no desire, instruction or calling to come
between you and God. 5 of the 7
sacraments of the Church require a priest to be valid in the Catholic Church. Baptism and marriage do not. Confirmation, anointing, Eucharist, holy
orders, and penance do. A priest is
required for these because the authority of Christ is given through apostolic
succession. The Church is entrusted with
the duty to protect and preserve the faith which has been handed down by
tradition and written letter (2 Thessalonians2:15, 1Timothy 3:15). I think the present
condition of the protestant church is a fine example of what happens when no
one has authority to protect and preserve the tradition of faith. The priest’s office requires them to serve
you in carrying out what has been commanded by Christ. But these 7 sacraments are not the whole of
your faith – your conversation with God in prayer, your study of the Word, and
your daily walk do not require a priest.
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