Can you be a Christian and reject certain parts of the Bible?

[TKICBS]

Which book is the Vatican promoting?

They claim they found the gospel of Barnabas, or so I have been informed. It's pages are all leather and old and it looks authentic. But it does not harmonize with the other gospels or the prophets at all. I shouldn't say they are promoting it but really they should be discerning it and burning it not releasing it if it is as contrary as they claim. Why advertise it and risk destroying christian faith? Baby Christians can't discern stuff like that. It only causes doubt.

 

[TKICBS]

Which book is it you said the Vatican is promoting? You didn't say. They aren't promoting the Epistle of Barnabas if that's what you are referring to. I'm promoting it. The church in the 300's didn't put it in the canon.

Here is a picture link the epistle of barnabas - Google Search:

Here is a youtube that exposes it as forgery but that is not what the Vatican claimed:

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible? For example, can you reject a global Noah's Flood, a six-day creation, a literal exodus, etc.? Could you reject other parts as well, like Christ walking on water? Discuss.

If you can be, such a Christian is missing out on a great deal of knowledge of the power and majesty of the God.

 

[Tina W]

I've never heard of Gospel of Barnabas, when did it come out?

 

[Tina W]

I mentioned Noah's flood, but I am sure many question events like the talking Donkey and the staff turning to a snake. I only said that its OK to doubt them but we should not necessarily say they are wrong, that's all.

I believe all of those things happened just like the Bible says. They were done supernaturally by God.

Everyone rejects parts of the Bible. Since the Bible is self contradictory, it's impossible to accept the entire thing, at least literally.

No that's not true. I don't reject any part of the Bible at all.

 

[Tina W]

The Genesis Flood: Why the Bible Says It Must be Local

The Genesis Flood
Why the Bible Says It Must be Local

The Flood of Noah was world wide. Even if you read the history of other countries, just about every single culture have an ancient story of a world wide flood that took place in it's past. There may be different beliefs concerning why it happened but they all mention a flood happening in ancient times.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

I didn't read all 209 responses but the Word is God and God is the Word. It is infallible. It is perfect. It has no error. To say it does, in my mind, would be essentially blasphemy since one would be calling God a liar/misinformed.

With that said the problem becomes some church denominations/groups remove books of the bible. Some add some. For example I use a NAS christian bible. Which is the only correct bible since it has the only books. BTW the NAB part doesn't matter, that end of it is just a choice in in how you want to read it. NIV, NAS, KJV...etc. But if you for example look at a catholic bible, they have added books that were not part of the original texts. BTW not saying this to start a debate with anyone catholic, just answering the OPs questions. So I won't expand further on that if people other then the OP reply about that part.

Now the problem even with saying this bible is correct.... people argue about interpretation, meaning, parable/not parable....etc. For example, the KJV compared to the NAS use very different words. While they mostly mean the same thing, some people will argue over how one word in one version means something different then another versions word. And really technically speaking everyone is wrong about what version is right because the only right ones are the original texts. Which you need to learn other languages to read. But thats how we got versions in english, because most would not be able to read the original texts without education on the language.

In my mind the arguing over which version (NIV, KJV....ect) is pointless. Its not going to affect if you go to heaven or hell. I mean the salvation message is really important. And for the most part any version (KJV, NAS...etc) preach the same message. Other denominations/groups though with added/removed books sometimes teach alternate salvation messages (like salvation through works, not Jesus).

 

[Waggles]

Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible?

NO.
Most of the alleged problems of belief arise from very poor and slothful Bible study.

 

[daleksteve]

Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible? For example, can you reject a global Noah's Flood, a six-day creation, a literal exodus, etc.? Could you reject other parts as well, like Christ walking on water? Discuss.

Well yes you can still be a christian. Reject is the wrong word to use here. I don't reject certain parts of the bible its just i that interpret them in a different way.

I don't even reject a six day creation is just that i don't see those 6 days as 24 hours in length.

 

[daleksteve]

Everyone rejects parts of the Bible. Since the Bible is self contradictory, it's impossible to accept the entire thing, at least literally.

Yep.

The bible should not be taken literally.

 

[A Freeman]

When seeing something in Scriptures that SEEMS to be in contradiction, why do people assume the fault lies with the Bible and not with their own faulty understanding of it?

Perhaps it isn't well known that parts of the Bible were written in "code" to keep people from interfering with its meaning.

For example, when Christ said, "IF, you have enough faith and you say to this mountain, fall into the sea and it will (Matt. 21:21)". It obviously did not mean an actual mountain and the sea. It was coded. It is obviously possible for God to cast a mountain into the sea but why should He want to destroy a beautiful mountain that He Himself has created? It means government (mountain - Micah 4:1) and restless dis-satisfied people (sea - Isa. 17:12-13). See also Psalms 65:6-7.

Think about it. A mountain (govt.) towers over and looks down upon the sea (people) and the sea looks up at the mountain. The sea (people) cannot remove the mountain (govt.) without a tidal-wave. IF you have enough faith and tell the people the TRUTH of God's Perfect System of Government and Laws, you can create that tidal-wave with God's help, for everyone's benefit. SIMPLE.

 

[pshun2404]

Achilles, you stated: "Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible"? FYI: The Protestant Bible/KJV Martin Luther removed 7 Books away from the Bible, which are: Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, as well as parts of Esther and Parts of Daniel, AND nearly took the Book of James from the Bible.

Achilles, AND you are worried: "Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible". lol lol lol

Achilles, the question you should be asking is: Can you be a Protestant Christian if your Protestants Bible is missing 7 Books and parts of Esther, parts of Daniel are Missing.

Truth is you can be a protestant Christians, you have the Bible of Martin Luther/King James. However, you can NOT be a Catholic Christians who have the intact Bible of the Apostles/Jesus Christ, to this present day Thanks to the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

Achilles, To sum it all up you have to BELIEVE all that the Bible tells you, to be a Christian, and frankly the Protestant bible is missing a lot.

Any examples of where any famous ancient Rabbis, Jesus, or any of the Apostles EVER quote any of these 7 books as the word of God or declare them as "it is written"?

 

[Colter]

Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible? For example, can you reject a global Noah's Flood, a six-day creation, a literal exodus, etc.? Could you reject other parts as well, like Christ walking on water? Discuss.

Yes, originally disciples of Jesus were people who believed in and trusted him. After the ascension, believers were called "Christ-ian", those who believe in Jesus as the Christ. When the institutional church became a replacement for the simple spiritual fellowship of "the kingdom of heaven" ideal of Jesus' teaching, things began to get complicated, the re-Sanhedrin-ification occurred.

The Bible is as imperfect as we should expect it to be, it's human.

 

[The Times]

Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible? For example, can you reject a global Noah's Flood, a six-day creation, a literal exodus, etc.? Could you reject other parts as well, like Christ walking on water? Discuss.

If one doesn't believe in the global Noah's flood that Jesus referred to, whilst knowing fully well what the old testament author wrote, then there would be other living souls other than the eight in the Ark. In this respect someone is lying and I know that it is NOT God.

Again, the six day creation is also referred to by Jesus, that he made them male and female. So again if the account is not accurate to the morning and the evening as being the first, second, third, fourth.... seventh days, then someone is lying, I know it is NOT God.

The same goes for the exodus, someone is lying and I know it is NOT God.

With Christ walking on water and controlling the weather, again someone is lying and I know it is NOT God.

Jesus Christ said the scriptures testify of me and so scripture becomes the Biography of Jesus Christ the one true living God. People can reject the biographical account of God and dismiss clearly stated claims, which then begs the question as to whether lying naturalist men have made a righteous and Holy God into an untrustworthy being who is limited to time and space like all other created beings.

People can be called Christians for not believing the biographical account of God, but whether God accepts their caricature image of him is another question.

I believe that it will definitely offend the righteous and Holy God to the point where he would say.....

True and False Disciples

21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The Wise and Foolish Builders

24“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

It is self evident that to be blown by the wind of current world views like the naturalist perspective or the Aliens seeded us or evolution played a role, is definitely a case of a person unbecoming of a disciple and disfellowship by Jesus Christ is a real possibility.

Being a Christian in terms of works and pleading Lord Lord until the cows come home won't cut it.

I think it is best to ground your house on faith and not be swayed by every wind that blows this way or that way. Either you believe God or you believe the current world view. Remembering that faith gets us over the line of salvation and NOT intellect.

 

[marineimaging]

Do you see people who come to Christ at the alter knowing that they need to be saved? They have done what is told in order to be saved. They have acknowledged that they are sinners, they have repented of their sins, they have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and many have been baptized in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. But when you hand them a Bible for the first time after they were saved they have doubts about certain things because they are not learned in the details of the Word of God. In this case I can say yes. You can be Christian and not believe certain parts of the Bible. HOWEVER, once you learn that which God breathed into the Word then you don't have any room to deny His Word. God had men write the Bible for us to know him and to know right from wrong but I would ask you to explain WHY God has any reason to make the Bible hard to understand. Why hide words behind numbers behind words? I tell you that He has no reason to make it so hard that only a scholar can understand it. It was made for the most simple of people to understand so when it says the whole earth was flooded, he meant the WHOLE Earth. When He says he made it all in 6 days, He is the Creator. He didn't need 6 days except that He had a reason. Why do you not have faith? Because you don't care if He did any or all of it as long as you can make sense of it? In other words you want God to conform to your understanding?

 

[Searril]

The Flood of Noah was world wide. Even if you read the history of other countries, just about every single culture have an ancient story of a world wide flood that took place in it's past. There may have different beliefs concerning why it happened but they all mention a flood happening in ancient times.

If that's your belief, that's fine. I'm not going to argue with you about it or mock you.

I simply don't believe for one second that the flood was global nor do I believe the original bible language intends to portray it as global, nor do I see any convincing physical evidence that there was a global flood while I see quite a bit that says there wasn't.

Again, I'm not condemning you for your belief, but I wanted the person to see an example of biblical evidence that says the flood was not global.

 

[1stcenturylady]

They claim they found the gospel of Barnabas, or so I have been informed. It's pages are all leather and old and it looks authentic. But it does not harmonize with the other gospels or the prophets at all. I shouldn't say they are promoting it but really they should be discerning it and burning it not releasing it if it is as contrary as they claim. Why advertise it and risk destroying christian faith? Baby Christians can't discern stuff like that. It only causes doubt.

The Gospel of Barnabas is an entirely different book than the Epistle of Barnabas. You can read the Epistle online. I started to read the Gospel online, but it soon became apparent it was heresy.

 

[Rev. Thomas]

The Bible is a library of spiritual books. Some books are historic, some are fiction, most have a lesson to teach, when we are ready to listen.

 

[1stcenturylady]

The Bible is a library of spiritual books. Some books are historic, some are fiction, most have a lesson to teach, when we are ready to listen.

Which books are fiction?

 

[Ken Rank]

Can you be a Christian and only believe some parts of the Bible? For example, can you reject a global Noah's Flood, a six-day creation, a literal exodus, etc.? Could you reject other parts as well, like Christ walking on water? Discuss.

As you have asked the question... then the answer is no. If you mean, "can somebody take those stories as being more allegorical?" then the answer would be yes. I take them literally, I believed they happened, but I can see how and why one might take them less literally. I wouldn't agree, but that wouldn't mean they are not a Christian. However, if they 'reject' them... meaning... view them as something that need not be in Scripture at all... then I question that person's faith because, if you are saying you believe in a resurrected messiah, but arbitrarily reject other aspects of Scripture.... you really have no basis to take the resurrection literally, either.