First, the principal, absolute, and authentic judge is God Himself.
First, the principal, absolute, and authentic judge is God Himself.
§ 454. We demonstrate the first part with these foundations: (1) The principal author of Scripture is its supreme interpreter and the principal judge of controversies. God is the principal author of Scripture. Therefore. Scripture is not “of one’s own interpretation,” as Peter says (2 Pet. 1:[20-]21), “because no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke, having been inspired by the Holy Spirit.” That is, because the Scriptures were published by the Holy Spirit, therefore we must explain and understand them by the Holy Spirit.
From this we draw the following inference: On whomever the true understanding of Scripture depends principally, from him also must authentic judgment in controversies of faith be sought. The true understanding of Scripture depends principally on God, the principal author of Scripture. Therefore. The major premise is one of manifest truth because, after the Scriptures were published, the only and immovable principle of the Christian faith for judging controversies of faith is sought by their understanding. The minor premise is confirmed from the cited passage of the apostle and from all those passages of Scripture in which someone asks God for a true and salutary understanding of the Word (Ps. 119:10, 12, 18, 19, 27, etc.; Wisdom 9:10), as well as from a comparison of divine laws with human laws. Just as the supreme and authentic interpreter of human laws is the one who promulgated them, so also the supreme and authentic interpreter of His own Law is God Himself.
(2) John 5:22 says this about Christ: “The Father has given all judgment to the Son.” Acts 17:31 says that He “will judge the world in righteousness.” From this we infer the following: He to whom the heavenly Father has given all judgment and who at some time is going to judge the whole world in righteousness, he is also the judge of controversies of faith in the Church. But now, the Father has given all judgment to Christ, and it is Christ who at some time will judge the whole world. Therefore. The logic of the consequence in the major premise is obvious. You see, if Christ had been excluded from the judgment of controversies, not all judgment would have been given to Him by the Father. Also, He who on the Last Day is going to judge the wicked because of their transgressions of the Word is the same one also who is the authentic interpreter of the Word and the judge of controversies in the Church.
Furthermore, whomever we are ordered to listen to as the only teacher of our faith and the supreme shepherd of the Church, he is also the supreme judge of controversies in the Church. Yet we are commanded to listen to Christ as the only teacher of our faith and the supreme shepherd of the Church (Deut. 18:18; Matt. 17:5—** from this statement Cyprian concludes in bk. 2, epistle 3, that “one must listen to Christ alone” **—John 10:27; 1 Pet. 2:25). Therefore.
(3) Scripture testifies of the Holy Spirit that “He will convict the world of sin” (John 16:8); that “He leads us into all truth” (v. 13); that “He teaches us all things” (John 14:26; 1 John 2:27). From this we draw the following conclusion: Whoever principally convicts the world of sin and leads the devout into all truth and teaches all things necessary for salvation, he is also the supreme and authentic judge of controversies of faith. The logic is this: The one to whom refutative judgment belongs is also the one to whom the decision of controversies pertains; and the one to whom belongs the teaching of what is necessary is also the same one to whom pertains the refuting of what is false. But now, the Holy Spirit principally convicts the world of sin and leads the devout into all truth and teaches all things necessary for salvation. Therefore the Holy Spirit is the supreme and authentic judge of controversies of faith.