在教會中解釋聖經
Interpreting Scripture With the Church
「使徒和長老聚集在一起考慮這件事」（第6節）。
-使徒行傳15：1-35
今天我們回到我們對新教改革中恢復的學說的研究。我們正在關注Sola Scriptura（唯獨聖經）的教義以及與之相關的那些方面，正如我們所看到的，Sola Scriptura（唯獨聖經）告訴我們，聖經是教會唯一絕對可靠的權威，但並不是它是唯一的權威。在教會中，我們有一個地方可以讓我們在上帝的話語權利之下。
新教領袖並沒有完全拒絕諸如議會和信條等權威;他們所做的就是拋棄那些在上帝的無法言語中找不到起源的權威和調和教義。他們保留了使用基督教信條，如Nicene Creed（尼西亞信經）和Chalcedon（迦克墩信經）（http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_6e62e3ae01018biq.html）的定義。他們繼續閱讀早期教會的父親甚至許多中世紀的基督徒思想家，以便從他們對聖經的見解中學習。
此外，他們還舉行了自己的議會，並撰寫了新的信條和懺悔。在這樣做的過程中，新教徒遵循教會的長期傳統：聚集在議會中，以解決爭端和解決異端邪說。正如我們今天所看到的那樣，這種做法又回到了使徒時代。當關於是否要求外邦人接受割禮進入教會的爭議時，教會的使徒和長老在耶路撒冷的一世紀委員會會面討論此事。經過一段時間的審議，委員會決定外邦人不必為了成為基督徒而受割禮，並且通過信件將這一調和的決定送到教會（使徒行傳15：1-35）。
耶路撒冷議會中使徒的存在賦予了它一個以後的議會都無法擁有的權威。然而，值得注意的是，一位使徒沒有解決這種重要的決定，即使它可能是通過神聖的啟示。相反，教會作為一個整體考慮了這個問題。這很有啟發性。如果連使徒都相信他們應該與整個教會一起閱讀和解釋聖經，我們怎麼能這樣做呢？我們不應該成為孤獨的遊俠基督徒，他們會用我們的聖經自己去尋找上帝所說的，儘管個人聖經研究肯定是一件好事。不，我們與教會一起閱讀上帝的話語，彼此相看，並指定教師和牧師幫助我們正確地解釋聖經。我們需要上帝的子民來幫助我們認識上帝的話語。
當一個人不願意與教會的其他人一起閱讀聖經時，教會歷史中出現了許多最大的錯誤。我們不能成為不虔誠的基督徒或基督徒，他們不願意在基督的本地身體中彼此服從。如果我們不尋求與教會一起閱讀聖經，並向過去和現在的人學習，我們在理解神的話語時肯定會犯很多錯誤。
進一步研究的段落
申命記16:18
馬太福音18：15-20
加拉太書2：1-10
提摩太前書4:14
InterpretingScripture With the Church（英文版）
「The apostles and the elders weregathered together to consider this matter」 (v. 6).
- Acts 15:1–35
Today we return to our study of the doctrinesrecovered in the Protestant Reformation. We are focusing on the doctrineof Sola Scriptura and thoseaspects related to it, and as we have seen, Sola Scriptura tells usthat Scripture is the only infallible authority for the church, but not that itis the only authority. There is a place for other authorities over us in thechurch that are under the authority of God’s speaking in His Word.
Protestant leaders did not rejectauthorities such as councils and creeds altogether; all that they did was setaside those authorities and conciliar teachings that did not find their originin God’s inscripturated Word. They retained the use of ecumenical creeds suchas the Nicene Creed and the Definition of Chalcedon. They continued to read theearly church fathers and even many medieval Christian thinkers in order tolearn from their insights into Scripture.
Moreover, they held councils of theirown and wrote new creeds and confessions. In doing so, Protestants followed thelongstanding tradition of the church: gathering in council in order to settledisputes and address heresy. This practice went back to the Apostolic era, aswe see in today’s passage. When there was a controversy regarding whether torequire circumcision for Gentiles to be admitted to the church, the Apostlesand elders of the church met at a first-century council in Jerusalem to discussthe matter. After a time of deliberation, the council decided that Gentiles didnot have to be circumcised in order to be Christians, and the conciliar decisionwas sent to the churches via letter (Acts 15:1–35).
The presence of Apostles at theJerusalem Council gives it an authority that no later council can possess. Whatis notable, however, is that a decision of such significance was not settledupon by one Apostle, even though it could have been via divine revelation.Instead, the church as a whole considered the matter. This is instructive. Ifeven the Apostles believed they should read and interpret Scripture in concertwith the entire church, how can we do otherwise? We are not to be Lone RangerChristians who go off by ourselves with our Bibles to figure out what God said,although personal Bible study is certainly a good thing. No, we read God’s Wordwith the church, looking to one another and to appointed teachers and ministersto help us interpret Scripture correctly. We need God’s people to help us knowGod’s Word.
Coram Deo
Many of the greatest errors in churchhistory arose when an individual was unwilling to read Scripture with the restof the church. We cannot be unchurched Christians or Christians who areunwilling to submit to one another in the local body of Christ. If we are notseeking to read Scripture with the church and to learn from others both pastand present, we will surely make many errors in understanding God’s Word.
Passages for Further Study
Deuteronomy 16:18Matthew 18:15–20Galatians 2:1–101 Timothy 4:14