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How do we know that the Bible is Gods word when it was written by men and compiled by men?
It can certainly be tough. However, starting with the Jewish scriptures we can see that the whole nation was there and saw what happened - not just one man or two as in some other religions. Following from there we can read the prophets, and again it attests to the historicity and we can see that the prophesies did come true. Following that we can see that Jesus/Yeshua was/is the fulfillment of many of the prophesies about the Messiah. It literally all fits together like no other religion. The books span millennia, but they all fit together. The books that are compiled work together and can be used to expound on each other. Different Christian faith traditions may leave out some books that the others have, but the ones left out were done so generally for reasons that are outside of the theology of the content. Books that "did not make the cut" were done so for good reasons, generally they don't have a reasonably verifiable author, were late writings, or the theology was way outside of the Tradition to be viable. Lastly, we trust that the Holy Spirit leads the church - and has led the faith from the time of Abraham.How do we know that the Bible is Gods word when it was written by men and compiled by men?
Timely question. Last week's On Line Bible Study at my Parish addressed this very question. Pastor has recorded the audio and has posted them. Have a listen to lesson 5, I think you will find this both helpful, informative, and even a bit surprising.How do we know that the Bible is Gods word when it was written by men and compiled by men?
You have to sign up to hear it, I think. In a nutshell, what did he say?Timely question. Last week's On Line Bible Study at my Parish addressed this very question. Pastor has recorded the audio and has posted them. Have a listen to lesson 5, I think you will find this both helpful, informative, and even a bit surprising.
View attachment 278413
Here is the link: https://anchor.fm/revfenn/episodes/Christianity-Unpacked---Topic-5-Holy-Scripture-eevgn0View attachment 278413
Well, it does not quite fit in a nut-shell; not even close. LOL If you have to sign up, and you don't want to, I can send you a PDF file of the lesson material; but you will miss the discussion and the questions and answers that go along with it.You have to sign up to hear it, I think. In a nutshell, what did he say?
But what about the people who put the Bible together? Couldn’t there be more Scripture that was God breathed but didn’t make the cut?Jesus clearly communicated that the OT Scriptures were the very words of God, and Jesus is God. So here we have God in flesh saying His own words are true. I don't think we can get any stronger evidence than a literal and tangible God affirming Scriptures as true and truly His own Word. This is what the apostles believed and taught, and consequently the early Church, right up to this day.
And we can understand the NT to be the true words of God also, because Peter refers to Paul's writings as Scripture, but more importantly, because of the entire context and their witness and ministry effected by the Holy Spirit. In other words, it's not just one or two things that makes the Bible read as God's Word, it's everything about it!
I think to argue that the Bible is not the very word of God, like some liberal scholars do, is quite difficult, for by taking that position you must by necessity disregard a lot of internal evidence - what Scriptures say about itself as well as historical facts. But there is yet another component to it, and that is the Holy Spirit. For He, through the spoken or read Word convicts us of our sin and conveys the Gospel, so that we not only have to believe in Scriptures intellectually, but spiritually through faith, which is the gift of the Holy Spirit by God's grace.
So, (1) Jesus who is God says the Bible is His true Word, (2) the apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit reaffirms the same, and (3) the context and history demands it.
Sure, but at some point we have to trust that the Holy Spirit led them to include the correct books. There are books that did not make the cut but are spiritually edifying to read. Think the Epistles of Clement, Maccabees 1&2, etc. They are not in the Hebrew or Protestant Christian scriptures, but they are worthwhile documents. If they did not "make the cut" there are lots of reasons, but so long as they agree with what is scripture they are worthwhile to read, even Martin Luther taught that the books of the "Apocrypha" were good to read when remembering that.But what about the people who put the Bible together? Couldn’t there be more Scripture that was God breathed but didn’t make the cut?
Please consider this a fellowship post as I only mean to encourage, not to teach or argue.How do we know that the Bible is Gods word when it was written by men and compiled by men?
But what about the people who put the Bible together? Couldn’t there be more Scripture that was God breathed but didn’t make the cut?
This is signed CryptoLutheran but posted by ViaCrucis.I'm speaking as a guest, as I'm not LCMS/WELS/etc.
But I try to remember a couple things Luther said, Luther compared the Scriptures to the manger in which laid the Christ Child; and likewise said that IIRC, "We believe the Scriptures for the sake of Christ, we do not believe in Christ for the sake of the Scriptures.". St. Augustine of Hippo is quoted as saying that "There is but one Utterance in all of Scripture", that one Utterance is Jesus Christ, the very Word of God Himself.
We must remember that the Scriptures are Christ-bearing. The point of the Bible is Jesus Christ. The Bible isn't for itself, it's for us to point us to Jesus. We call the two parts of the Bible the Old and New Testaments, the Latin testamentum refers to bearing witness, to testify: These are those books which testify, bear witness to, Jesus Christ. They contain and convey the story of redemption, the history and unfolding drama of our salvation and the salvation of the whole world that centers upon the coming of our Lord Jesus. The Scriptures are a finger pointing always to Christ.
I believe this is the most important way that they are God's word, as the proclaim and lead us to the very Word Himself who became flesh, and show us both God's Law and the holy and precious Gospel. That through these texts we are confronted with the heavy truth that we are sinners, and more importantly, that God saves sinners--and this He has done by sending Jesus Christ, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, buried, and dead, rose on the third day, ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and is coming again in glory to judge the living and the dead--and His kingdom is everlasting.
Is the Canon "complete"? Well, honestly, there has always been some dispute over the canonical status of certain books. So on some level, we don't have all the answers, but we can trust that what we read is indeed, the true and Christ-bearing word of God. I don't think modern categorical statements about inerrancy are the most helpful, neither should it be distressing that throughout the history of the Church there has been debate over whether certain stories and portions of text are literally-historical or not. What really matters is that we can trust in the goodness of God who, through Jesus, has assured us of His promises, and we can read those promises, hear those promises in the Scriptures, and thus be comforted. Thus here God indeed proclaims these things to us--that we might be nourished and sustained in our faith, believe upon the Son of God, and rest in the comfort of His grace and promises to us that are ours in Christ.
Whether or not Noah literally built a giant boat to escape a world-spanning flood is infinitely insignificant compared to the fact that through this story we see how man's sin is destructive, and more importantly, the world can't be fixed by destroying it and starting over--instead the healing of the world comes instead through a man by the name of Abraham to whom God makes a solemn promise, that promise is Jesus Christ.
-CryptoLutheran
This is signed CryptoLutheran but posted by ViaCrucis.