Disrespect for the Doctrinal Consensus of the Church
May 8, 2024โข207 words
At one level, of course, these sentiments respecting the correctness of the Reformation's reading of the gospel cannot be rejected out of hand. The confessions themselves acknowledge that they are subordinate to the teaching of the Scripture and liable to correction if necessary. Even the most ardent subscriber to the Reformed confessions must be open to the possibility that they may contain error. This is really only another way of saying that Scripture is the supreme test of faith, and the confessions are true only by virtue of their agreement with Scripture.
However, at another level, these sentiments seem to betray a kind of pride, even recklessness, regarding the superiority of our present understanding of Scripture in contrast to the understanding of former generations. At the very least, they betray a kind of disrespect for the doctrinal consensus of the church, or an unwillingness to grant to the historic confessions a kind of presumption of 'innocent unless proven guilty'.
While the confessions of the Reformation are not beyond criticism, yet the modest point we wish to make is that the great burden of proof falls upon those who want to reject wholesale the heritage of the past.
โCornelis Venema, 'The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ,' 149