Can a Christian question the authority and infallability of the Bible?

[RaymondG]

I happen to feel that the "Word Of God" may not be referring to a book. In the Beginning was the KJV bible? To live by every word (in the bible) that proceedeth(not past tense) out of the mouth of God. Seems like we should be getting His word anew...our daily Bread. There are things Jesus revealed that the Prophets did not know....so it may not have made it into the only scriptures available for reproof.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[ByTheSpirit]

I never know if I'm posting in the correct place....that's my disclaimer and I'm sticking to it.

Say one believes in One God, One Creator and also Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God and even uses and reads the Bible but sees the Bible as a useful tool as well as other ancient writings without giving it a place of uncontested infallibility.

Understanding that man has a sin nature and throughout history has exhibited the ability to manipulate, maim, murder and steal in order to procure what he wants, how do we know the Bible is really the only source available through which God would speak?

Is a Christian who doesn't hold to the infallibility of the Bible still considered a Christian?

Well luckily we don't serve the Bible, we serve Jesus.

I have questioned the Bible's infallibility at points in time, but the overarching theme of scripture still rings true that Christ came, he died, and by faith in Him we are saved. That is what saves us not if we pledge blind loyalty to the Bible.

Now that being said, questioning scripture is a starting point to questioning God which absolutely can lead to a dangerous path.

Just ask God to help you in your misunderstanding and be open to him.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[Hearingheart]

The Bible is our source for understanding who Jesus is.

So you're saying that if an unreached tribe of people don't have a bible, they would not know who Jesus is? Seems to be limiting the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[Hearingheart]

Well luckily we don't serve the Bible, we serve Jesus.

I have questioned the Bible's infallibility at points in time, but the overarching theme of scripture still rings true that Christ came, he died, and by faith in Him we are saved. That is what saves us not if we pledge blind loyalty to the Bible.



Just ask God to help you in your misunderstanding and be open to him.

Don't assume I'm misunderstanding and not open. Read the thread.

Your paragraph above is truth.

 

[vinsight4u]

/nvm

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

I never know if I'm posting in the correct place....that's my disclaimer and I'm sticking to it.

Say one believes in One God, One Creator and also Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God and even uses and reads the Bible but sees the Bible as a useful tool as well as other ancient writings without giving it a place of uncontested infallibility.

Understanding that man has a sin nature and throughout history has exhibited the ability to manipulate, maim, murder and steal in order to procure what he wants, how do we know the Bible is really the only source available through which God would speak?

Is a Christian who doesn't hold to the infallibility of the Bible still considered a Christian?

Of course a Christian MUST question the Bible. Otherwise he or she has no brain. But God gave us a brain. Not using it is a crime, a grave sin.

The best kind of Christian questions everything. In the Bible or any other human book. We are to follow Jesus, not to create Bibledolatry.

 

[dannheim]

Because God is not trapped in the pages of a book? Nor is he bound by our interpretation of it.

The Bible is the inspired word of God. He is not trapped by the book but revealed through it.

 

[Colter]

I never know if I'm posting in the correct place....that's my disclaimer and I'm sticking to it.

Say one believes in One God, One Creator and also Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God and even uses and reads the Bible but sees the Bible as a useful tool as well as other ancient writings without giving it a place of uncontested infallibility.

Understanding that man has a sin nature and throughout history has exhibited the ability to manipulate, maim, murder and steal in order to procure what he wants, how do we know the Bible is really the only source available through which God would speak?

Is a Christian who doesn't hold to the infallibility of the Bible still considered a Christian?

Yes, a Christ-ian is someone who believes in Jesus. Some denominations may have added requirements but to believe in Jesus was the original, pre-cross gospel.

With Jesus we were to start out fresh like children. Adding the Old Testament has been a disaster.

The Bible was written by Holy men, some more holy than others. It is a factually flawed document that contains spiritual truths.

 

[PropheticTimes]

So are you saying there is no evidence that man could have manipulated or tampered with writings to suit a group or organizations agenda?

These days there are all sorts of "versions" of the Bible, and yes, they can alter wording ever so slightly to fit into a particular worldview. However I would say that the KJV Bible is solid. This is why I use a KJV interlinear with the Hebrew/Greek and the Septuagint, or Greek Old Testament, that Jesus and the apostles used and quoted from, which was made in the third to second centuries B.C.E., while the Masoretic, or Hebrew, text was edited up until the eigth century A.D.

 

[dannheim]

Of course a Christian MUST question the Bible. Otherwise he or she has no brain. But God gave us a brain. Not using it is a crime, a grave sin.

The best kind of Christian questions everything. In the Bible or any other human book. We are to follow Jesus, not to create Bibledolatry.

The Bible is the only book that I know that when you read the words the words themselves come to life and speak to the heart and the spirit

 

[Halbhh]

As you say (OP), we believe in God, and I think we generally believe His Words are truth, righteous, and we wonder about the bible itself.

The bible is a collection of course of inspired writings, generally inspired by God, and a diverse collection also. For instance, Luke was a physician who did not meet Christ, but seems to have carefully gathered testimony. That's very helpful for some people, to know this is like detective work of gathered testimonies. The bible has songs, poems, figurative writings, metaphors, accounts of events, and uses many literary devices even at times mixing the figurative and concrete together in one account. In other words, it's 'well written'. So, interpretation is therefore always a big question -- is the understanding of the pastor or some other commentator correct? For these bibles we have in hand at the moment, all sorts of reasonable questions come up --
is this translation accurate to it's own sources?
is another translation more accurate in certain places?
is this particular collection of books, this bible, as good as a broader collection, like the Catholic bible?
God's Word is perfect, but is this bible I have a perfect transcription of His Word?
etc.

But about the last -- the Dead Sea Scrolls include a highly complete scroll of the crucial and long book of Isaiah (!), with all of Isaiah's many dramatic prophecies foretelling of Christ!

This scroll is older than the time of Christ by a hundred or more years.

That confirmed, in dramatic fashion, our own bible's version of Isaiah is accurate! It did *not* change. That's important for many, huge news.

But these particular questions I point out don't say God's Word itself is ever less than perfect. These questions are only about the particular bibles we happen to have in hand at the moment.

I like this analogy -- if you have side by side 2 stained glass windows, magnificent. One is new and perfect, and the other is very old, in places imperfect, even with a broken part or two replaced.....

....then, is the sun light coming through one window better than the other?

No -- the light is real through both, and illuminates us.

The Light shines through the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!

 

[dannheim]

Yes, a Christ-ian is someone who believes in Jesus. Some denominations may have added requirements but to believe in Jesus was the original, pre-cross gospel.

With Jesus we were to start out fresh like children. Adding the Old Testament has been a disaster.

The Bible was written by Holy men, some more holy than others. It is a factually flawed document that contains spiritual truths.

The Bible was written by the Holy Spirit who inspired men to write it.

If you left out the Old Testament from Holy Scripture then Jesus would not exist as we know him today because he would have no authority since he came to fulfill the scriptures that you referred to as the Old Testament. Without the Old Testament there would be no need for a Messiah.

Satan and the Demons believe and know Jesus but that will not save them from their punishment. So just believing in Jesus is not going to get you anywhere. YOU left out the most important part and that is repenting of your sins and following him.

Please present these factual flaws you speak of.

 

[Colter]

The Bible was written by the Holy Spirit who inspired men to write it.

If you left out the Old Testament from Holy Scripture then Jesus would not exist as we know him today because he would have no authority since he came to fulfill the scriptures that you referred to as the Old Testament. Without the Old Testament there would be no need for a Messiah.

Satan and the Demons believe and know Jesus but that will not save them from their punishment. So just believing in Jesus is not going to get you anywhere. YOU left out the most important part and that is repenting of your sins and following him.

Please present these factual flaws you speak of.

Sorry, Satan and Demons did not believe in the gospel of Jesus.

Trying to weave the Old Testament in with the religion of Jesus has contaminated and compromised that religion. If fact the Jews have scripture based reasons for rejecting Jesus because they also have been taught that the books that their ancestors wrote were actually written by God.

 

[CrystalDragon]

I don't think the Bible is infallible—the doctrines came together over centuries, and if it was infallible, shouldn't we keep slaves, kill unbelievers, and forbid women to have any authority?

 

[Monk Brendan]

Understanding that man has a sin nature and throughout history has exhibited the ability to manipulate, maim, murder and steal in order to procure what he wants, how do we know the Bible is really the only source available through which God would speak?

Is a Christian who doesn't hold to the infallibility of the Bible still considered a Christian?

If you live in the USA, then yes, you have the right to believe what you want. And I will not stop you. On the other hand, I am not the One whom you will stand before at the Last Judgement.

 

[SeventyOne]

I don't think the Bible is infallible—the doctrines came together over centuries, and if it was infallible, shouldn't we keep slaves and forbid women to have any authority?

Ummm, no.