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Christianity Without the Bible

  • Thread starter Thread starter BornAgain
  • Start date Start date
Edward said:
I don't believe there would be Christianity without the Bible. It's our human owners manual! Even lots of non-believers agree that there is much wisdom and good advice in it. I believe that the Bible and Prayer are the two most essential aspects of Christianity. The Bible is more important than attending an organized Church every Sunday. I actually somewhat fear going to Church because of so many slick talking deceivers out there. As for the fellowship aspect of attending Church, there is fellowship on this board, and with people in private Bible study. Scripture says that where two or more are gathered in Christs name, that is Church (IIRC).

We must not only read the Bible daily, we must be like the Bereans: “they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so†(Acts 17:11). The Bereans did not blindly accept religious teaching. The Bereans were praised because they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what they were told was Biblical Truth. If we truly desire to know the Truth, as we read God’s Law, the Holy Spirit will enlighten our knowledge and understanding of the Word: the Spirit will guide you into all Truth (John 16:13). This is a promise of the Lord…Praise the Lord!
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That's funny you should mention the Bereans...I have been studying about them in Acts in our bible study.

The Bible is God’s word to humankind. There was no way for man to reach God and to find these things out. God revealed to us what we needed to know. David, in Psalm 119:19, had a good grasp on the reality of the situation. It reads “ I am a stranger in the earth: do not hide your commandments from me.â€
 
theLords said:
I don't believe we can function as individuals without the Bible. For every contentious Christian, there's two more willing to lay differences aside and behave like Christ instead of just reading about him.

I've read many biographies of evangelists and they often report that if secret believers don't get their hands on a Bible they begin to teach errors and can become cult-ish (especially in closed Gospel countries like China, Korea, and Muslim countries).
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The mindset today is that “there is no absolute truth†so this is why people deny that the Bible is authoritative. If the Bible is not authoritative then one must rely on manmade opinion and facts. Since these are not authoritative by their own admission “because there is no absolute truthâ€, then it must be asked, why bother at all? It really does not matter.
 
God did not only send the Holy Spirit, neither did He only give the Bible, the Word of God. He gave us both. The purpose of the Spirit was to lead us into the written truth, instruct the teachings and give us power to live them. You can’t know God and His ways outside the Bible. Christians, century after century kept Bible doctrine- which are our guides in following Jesus - now of all of a sudden because our culture is post modern the Bible is not enough. Because of a changing culture we must adopt new ways to interpret the word and make use of other religious practices. True Bible believers, want to live by what is written in the Bible, not something new by some smooth talker selling smooth stories to move the crowds.

Paul wrote to Timothy “give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine,†“Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you†1Timothy 4:13-16.

In John 7:16 Jesus answered them and said, “My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me.†Doctrine is not just a set of rules to remember it is something Jesus served under in obedience to the Father so that he could bring salvation.
 
The Bible is the manual for human life. But there are always exceptions.

Enoch did pretty well without the Bible.

Here is an extreme example:
A person is alone on a deserted island. They have never heard the word of God or anything about God.
A Bible comes on shore but only has the first 5 chapters of Genesis and the last 5 chapters of Revelation.
Everything else in between is missing.
A person can see from this that there is a God, that we have sinned and must die, and that God promises a savior.
Then in the end he will see that the savior overcomes all evil and saves us forever.
We can believe and be saved believing in the Messiah without knowing anything else.
 
allenwynne said:
The Bible is the manual for human life. But there are always exceptions.

Enoch did pretty well without the Bible.

Here is an extreme example:
A person is alone on a deserted island. They have never heard the word of God or anything about God.
A Bible comes on shore but only has the first 5 chapters of Genesis and the last 5 chapters of Revelation.
Everything else in between is missing.
A person can see from this that there is a God, that we have sinned and must die, and that God promises a savior.
Then in the end he will see that the savior overcomes all evil and saves us forever.
We can believe and be saved believing in the Messiah without knowing anything else.
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Enoch was chosen by God and had great faith.

Hebrews 11:5 (KJV)
5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

In the hypothesis you stated regarding the bible washing on the shore, at least they had in part, the bible and if they had the faith Enoch had would also be pleasing to God.

It is pretty hard these days to not have access or hearing the bible with all of the technology and if one never hears of it, I guess there are exceptions. But, we do have access to the bible today and could do a lot better if we read it, most importantly to understand what we read. :-)

2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
 
The fact that we have access to the Word of God is all part of His providence in any case.

It's greatly to be valued.
 
BornAgain said:
Ryan,

That is a great example and I will read chapter 34, I am not really familiar with that. Can't you kind of see what that is happening today?
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2 Thessalonians 2:9 "9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie,"

I can see it everywhere in our society.

Matthew 24:12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." speaking to his disciples of the end of times.
 
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