If every Bible in the world was destroyed, where would you turn?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SteveVH
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
SteveVH said:
What I mean is that the Church not only existed but flourished before we ever had a Bible, therefore it cannot be dependent upon the Bible as its source of truth. Instead the Bible is dependent upon the Church because it is a reflection of the one, true faith that the Church already possessed, not the origin of its faith. The origin of its faith was the Apostles.
Click to expand...
Here is my response. After staring at your post for a half hour and wanting to agree with you I think I know why I do not. The church did not depend on the bible for it’s source of truth. It did, does, and will depend on God. God has given us the bible through the sweat of the church. I do not see the bible as reflecting the church or the apostles. It is a benchmark for what we should strive towards. The difference I see between us is that you see tradition as another part of Gods truth, i do not. I do not understand why the church could not rely on the bible for truth. It did not always have to and for a long time it could not because of literacy, but it cannot seems to be a stretch.
 
Prayer

Nothing, not even the Bible, can substitute for a personal relationship with the Lord…

Everything otherwise, including the Bible, is to support that, not replace that…
 
Adamski said:
Is your Holy Spirit better than a Methodist or baptist holy spirt yet you adhere to the same system that has spun in 40,000 directions
Click to expand...
Wow. Have the numbers been inflated again? When will the madness stop? Get this straight: THERE ARE NOT 40,000 or 33,000 so called “denominations” it’s a sick lie that needs to stop. There is but ONE church, and it’s not a building or organization: It is the Church of Jesus Christ, made up of ALL believers. This is something else that has been mentioned ad nauseum by Protestants. Please pay attention!
 
Kliska said:
Not to sound like I have an ego (lol), but if all the Bibles disappeared and for some strange reason we could never write anything down ever again, I have absolute faith that I and my husband could train up any child we’d have after that fact in the way the child should go with a full knowledge of the gospel.
Click to expand...
That is the way the RCC has operated since the beginning…Tradition! And I doubt your lineage or my could keep the Word preserved from error…that is what the Church is for.
 
concretecamper said:
That is the way the RCC has operated since the beginning…Tradition! And I doubt your lineage or my could keep the Word preserved from error…that is what the Church is for.
Click to expand...
lolol Apparently no one did it very well if all the Bibles are gone!! 😃

BTW, the Word is capable of preserving Himself. 😉
 
Stilldreamn said:
There would still be our Catechism and the Book of Concord. And of course your Catechism, too. Since heaven and earth will pass away before God’s word does, I think it might be a moot point.
Click to expand...
That’s a really good point - this fascinating hypothetical is impossible, for it’s contrary to God’s promise to us:

1 Peter 1:25 “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

Setting God’s promise aside (as if)… I’d go to my church where the now memorized Gospel would still be proclaimed and the Sacraments administered.
 
benjohnson said:
That’s a really good point - this fascinating hypothetical is impossible, for it’s contrary to God’s promise to us:

1 Peter 1:25 “But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.”

Setting God’s promise aside (as if)… I’d go to my church where the now memorized Gospel would still be proclaimed and the Sacraments administered.
Click to expand...
I doubt this verse is referring to the bible.
 
Protestor said:
I want to know what makes you think the the church is a organization or a building? What is wrong about saying that every christian is apart of the church?
Click to expand...
The Church is not a building.

“The word Church has been employed to signify the Christian society only, and the assemblies of the faithful; that is, of those who are called by faith to the light of truth and the knowledge of God, that, having forsaken the darkness of ignorance and error, they may worship the living and true God piously and holily, and serve Him from their whole heart.”

I agree with this definition of “The Church”. All believers are not free from error. Nor do they accept all truth, or forsaken darkness, etc.
 
SteveVH said:
This thread is a spin-off, of sorts, from another thread concerning the “Bible Alone” as the final authority in matters of Christian faith.

It occurs to me that the Catholic Church possessed the fullness of truth before a word of the New Testament had been written and for 400 years before it had a canonized collection of inspired writings. It follows then that the Scriptures were not the source of the faith of the Church but rather a reflection of the faith it already possessed. So I contend that the Catholic Church would continue to possess the fullness of truth even if every Bible in the world was destroyed.

For our non-Catholic Christian brothers and sisters who rely on the Bible as their sole authority, what would you do if that sole authority were to disappear from the face of the earth? Where would you turn?

Thanks.

Steve
Click to expand...
I would probably consult a bible website like bible gateway.
 
Kliska said:
😉 I know but the wording threw me off, I didn’t know what you were asking.
Click to expand...
Yes, my response was probably not worded as clearly as it should have been. Apologies.
Kliska said:
Here’s the part most Roman Catholics would not agree with; we first need to see what a church is teaching and compare it to scripture, which are the writings we do have. If that church is already teaching things that are contrary to scripture, I’m not going to believe the things they are telling me that aren’t touched upon in scripture. Obviously most RC’s are going to totally deny that the teachings of the RCC contradict written scripture. So, we are back to square one.
Click to expand...
I understand, Kliska, but here is something you might want to consider. What you are really comparing is your opinion of what Scripture means to the teachings of the Church. Now, if we were talking about a math teacher and wondering if he was teaching correctly we would have recourse to definitive answers and there would be no question as to whether or not his teaching was in line with those definitive answers. When we are speaking about questions in which there are now thousands of opinions among non-Catholics, each disagreeing with the other, whose interpretation do you use in order to determine whether or not the Catholic Church’s teaching is in line with Scripture? Is it your own opinion that you hold as the final arbiter of truth?
Kliska said:
Again,this is probably nit-picking (as I know the phrase is bandied about, but isn’t specific enough), but I know of NO protestant that actually holds the Bible as sole authority; the head of the church is Jesus Christ, and His Spirit is Who guides believers. God is the sole authority, and the Bible is the word of God. If the Bible disappears, God doesn’t cease to exist.
Click to expand...
And how does this work from a practical aspect? Does Jesus Christ appear to you and give you private revelation as to the meaning of Scripture?

In fact, Jesus, as head of the Church already took care of this problem. He started a Church, made awesome promises concerning his Church and gave it unprecedented authority. In fact, he gave the Church his own authority. It is the Church that is called the “Pillar and foundation of Truth” specifically because of the promises Christ made. We are to use the Church’s holy Book, the Bible, in conjunction with the teachings of the Church if it is to be properly understood.
Kliska said:
Not to sound like I have an ego (lol), but if all the Bibles disappeared and for some strange reason we could never write anything down ever again, I have absolute faith that I and my husband could train up any child we’d have after that fact in the way the child should go with a full knowledge of the gospel.
Click to expand...
Then you should have absolutely zero problem with the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church being able to convey the full knowledge of the Gospel apart from Scripture. By the way, how do you know that you have full knowledge of the Gospel? Is this not an assumption on your part?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top