A question about the Bible...

This has been haunting me for a little while, and I have not been able to come up with an answer I'm satisfied with so I thought I'd check out somewhere online to see if anyone else has any inputs...I found this website, and so here I am. Please bear with me if this gets a little long...

OK, a little background on myself so you all know where I'm coming from. I am 21 years old, married and with one child. I grew up in a loving Christian home and was homeschooled all the way through high school, using textbooks from Bob Jones, but mainly from the Advanced Training Institute of America (ATIA). If anyone knows what this program is, you'd understand how (for lack of a better word) strict it can be. For those who don't, it is a program that teaches the Christian way of life very thoroughly and has some rather extreme beliefs (in my opinion). Anyway, that's besides the point. The reason I am saying this is to let you all know that I know what a Christian is. Growing up I went to church every Sunday morning, evening & Wednesday, as well as other times for special activities, etc. I did Bible studies with friends and family or on my own daily, if not more often.

I could go on, but I'll try to keep it short.... There are many well thought of Christians out there, as well as in the past that have many good books/tapes, etc. available. For the sake of argument, let's grab a name...this could be apply to anyone though. How about Dr. James Dobson, from Focus On The Family. OK, so Dr. Dobson has many books he has written. I've read some of them, and they appear to be very insightful. Why can we not add this text to the Bible itself? The reason I was always taught why we cannot add anything to the Bible (or take away) is because of Revelations 22:18-19, which says "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." Makes sense, right? OK, so we can't add or subtract from the Bible. I've heard sermons on that before, no arguments there. But wait... The whole New Testament, as well as most of the Old Testament was added onto the Bible! The Torah (first five books of the Bible) were the original writings, and in fact it says in Deuteronomy 4:2, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."

This causes puzzlement. Here it says we can't add or subtract from the Bible either. But many people have since then. Why is that OK? I understand they were disciples, or whatever but that's not a good enough excuse. Mother Theresa is considered a saint by many, that doesn't mean she could add or subtract from the Bible. It says right there we can't add or subtract, so why did so many add to the Bible? And even more importantly, why do we consider that to be alright? We are taught that the whole Bible is true...if we ignore this verse (which is a plain statement I think) we are basically saying that it isn't true and if that verse isn't true then how can we believe the rest of the Bible is true? The most rational opinion I've heard on the subject so far is that, while the rest of the Bible is OK, we should not consider it "God's Word", since it was breaking God's word to have it added to the Bible to begin with. Instead, only the first five books are the true Word of God, and only the first five books can be believed to be the whole truth...the rest are basically the same as the writings of Dr. Dobson, although nice for insight, they are not the Word of God. I would like to hear some opinions/thoughts on this.

”You shall not add to the word which I command you.” God did NOT say Bible, He said “word that I command you.” That was recorded in Deut 4:2, so if we are to assume the legalist understanding the Bible should end right there. But verse 3 of that chapter is still God’s word right on through the end of the chapter. And the rest of Deuteronomy, up to and including the last verse in chapter 34, is the word of God.

How then are we to understand that verse? Whenever God speaks a word we are not to add to that word or take away from that word. For example, “You shall not steal.” “You shall not bear false witness.” There are people who will try to fudge on those commandments. Someone might say, “If I take a pair of scissors home from the work place, that is really not stealing.,” “If I cheat on my income tax that is really not lying.” There are denominations which consider it perfectly acceptable to lie to people who do not belong to their denomination. In all those cases they are either adding to or taking away from the word.

Read the prophets, for example, you will see phrases such as Isaiah 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken. And the test of a prophet is given, if their prophecy comes to pass it is from God, if it does not he is a false prophet. Also throughout you will see God, Himself, speaking, for example, Isaiah 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD:” The priests, judges, and prophets, in the Old Testament, were commanded by God to speak and to write what God commanded.

What about the New Testament? Jesus prayed for His disciples. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;( (John 17:20). How could future generations believe through the disciples’ words unless they were written down? Are we to say that the words of Jesus, the Son of God, are not scripture?

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John 15:13 meizona tauthV agaphn oudeiV ecei ina tiV thn yuchn autou qh uper twn filwn autou

>>God did NOT say Bible, He said ?word that I command you.?

But the Bible IS God's Word, is it not? So it IS saying the Bible. "...the word which I command you." is the Bible. "You shall not steal." That is the word which God commands us, from the Bible.

To me, it sounds like what you are saying is that the verse says not to add to God's word, but not the Bible. However, the rest of the Bible is God's word, so we can't add to that. Am I right? But people already did add to it, from Deut. 4:3 - Rev. 22:20, it is all added on.

Isaiah was added on, the book of John was added on -- so how then can I take that as the word of God when they broke God's commandment by adding their words into the Bible?

You can't add Dobson's books to the Bible because they weren't inspired (God-breathed) by the Holy Spirit. They are just Dobson's insights on life, not the word of God.

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I think that Revelation is more definitive in that John is given the comand to tell us not to add to or take from this book.
Wouldn't you say that this word book is conclusive of all the Word of God compiled until that time?
In the Gospel of St John we find this;

John 21:24, 25
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Fact is that every one of us could write many books about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and what He has ment to us. This generation alone could have millions of volumes. Just imagine the countless volumes that could have been written over the last 2000 years.
However Paul tells us this;

2 Corinthians 3:2-5
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

With this in mind, God does honor each person as a living epistle known and read of all men. We are a new revelation of Jesus Christ to those around us. The lost friend or family member will read us first. I have to ask myself this question daily, Did the people that read "me" today get the Word of God or did they read something that I added or did they miss something that I left out?
The Bible inspires us to write many things but should these writtings be considered Biblical? As The Bible was given, each revelation of Christ from Genesis to Revelation was new and fresh from God.
There will be nothing new added to God's plan of redemption. How can we? Jesus said that it was finished. To take away from it would mean to say that Jesus is not the Son of God, or that He did not resurrect.

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Palatka44:
So basically you're saying not to add to the Bible because the part that was added onto the Bible says not to. That's like the evolutionist saying that evolution is true because we came from the apes....it's a cycle, and I don't think anyone here understands that. You can't say that you can't add to the Bible from a part of the Bible that was added to it....that would be like me writing down that no one can eat pineapples after 7 p.m. in a law book somewhere. Someone looks at it and thinks it's a law...doesn't mean it is. It was just added onto the real law -- but illegally. As another example, that would be like some random UFO picture. It can be published in a book or there can be people that swear it's real -- but that doesn't make it real.

lambslove:
How do you know Dobson's books weren't breathed by God? Did you write them? How do you know Paul's books were breathed by God? You didn't write them anymore than you wrote Dobson's books...and as I said in my earlier post, it doesn't have to be Dobson. It could be anyone. The point is that just because someone (Dr. Dobson) writes good insight doesn't make it God's word. Just because someone (Paul, etc.) writes some good insight thousands of years ago that doesn't mean it's God's word anymore than Dobson's books....

To all:
I'm sorry, but these types of responses are what I was hoping I wouldn't get, but what I thought I would... no one can explain it without saying that "you can't add to the Bible because you can't add to the Bible". It is a poor attempt at explaining something that you don't know the answer to. It's like the saying "you can't answer a question with a question"....but apparently no one else understands that.

Wow you've really got me on that one. I won't even attempt it, IM SO CONFUSED!

I thought that my post conveyed that God does allow us to be inspired by the Bible. That there are legitiment documents that could be included or as John said should be written.
John 21:24, 25
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Could you imagine the library that each Church would have to maintain just to accommodate the Holy Bible? I look at it this way, God is so good that He can sum up all that is needed for man in just one 66 volume book. OH HOW MARVILOUS ARE HIS WAYS!

If this is not the answer that you are looking for then I'm sorry that I've wasted my time on one so belligerent. May God help you find your answer K.A.

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If you can prove that any text outside the canonized Bible is inspired of God, I am willing to listen to your reasoning on why it is inspired of God.



First of all, the Bible is "scripture" according to it's own discreption of several books claming to be "scripture". The Greek word for Scripture is the written word, not the oral word. God gave the caretending of His word to the Jewish people (the oracles)


Ro 3:2
Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.


The "oracles" of God were also the "word, narrative, statement", and is referenced as the written utteranes of God.

God sees that His words are recorded and preserved


Galatians 1:9
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed



That eliminates a lot of the so-called "inspirations" outside the canonized Bible.

As someone already told you, part of the "God-breathed" gospel is the inspiration by the Holy Spirit...

1 Corinthians 4:6
And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.


So, don't think of men above that which is written (scripture, oracles)



I hope this helps.

~malaka~

>The reason I am saying this is to let you all know that I know what a >Christian is. Growing up I went to church every Sunday morning, evening >& Wednesday, as well as other times for special activities, etc. I did Bible >studies with friends and family or on my own daily, if not more often.

Is that the only reason you consider yourself a Christian?

Can Dr. Dobson prove that the words he's speaking are from God? The Aposltes were given the ability to produce signs, miracles, or wonders in order to prove that the things they spoke or wrote were the word of God. This was the purpose of miracles (Mark 16:20, Hebrews 2:1-4). The burden of proof is not on those who are trying to keep something out of the Scriptures, but on those who are trying to add to it. The Apostles could perform miralces, observable, immediate miracles in order to prove what they said came from God. Can Dr. Dobson?

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Mar 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned.
Col 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Rom 10:9 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved
Rom 10:17 So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.