Here are a few questions to ponder on your faith journey:
1. Where did Jesus give instructions that the Christian faith should be based exclusively on a book?
2. Other than the specific command to John to write the Revelation, where did Jesus tell His apostles to write anything down and compile it into an authoritative book?
3. Where in the New Testament do the apostles tell future generations that the Christian faith will be based solely on a book?
4. Where did the table of contents of the Bible come from?
5. What do you think happened to all the “stuff” in John 21:25? “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
The apostles clearly write that we are to follow their spoken and their written word. Because of the work of Christians and the holy spirit, I have faith that the written word as recorded in the Bible is authentic.
With regards to the apostles spoken words, that is not something I can follow. Their spoken words, if not recorded, can not be authenticated. There are no secret revelations. Everything they taught, they taught in public.
2. Other than the specific command to John to write the Revelation, where did Jesus tell His apostles to write anything down and compile it into an authoritative book?
Why would hearsay be a better option? That's just silly. Have you ever reviewed the amount of work that went into authenticating the written words of the apostles?
3. Where in the New Testament do the apostles tell future generations that the Christian faith will be based solely on a book?
We're repeating ourselves, but it's a simple process. The apostles said to follow their words (written and spoken). What promise do we have that their spoken words have been preserved through the Roman Catholic Church?
4. Where did the table of contents of the Bible come from?
Christians working together producing works that have been tested by other Christians.
5. What do you think happened to all the “stuff” in John 21:25? “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Interesting, but irrelevant for my salvation. If it was not written down, it is gone from history. If it is gone from history, my salvation does not depend upon it.
What words or deeds of Christ has the Roman Catholic Church preserved that were never written down? There might be a book of stories somewhere, but which stories are true, which are fiction, and which are some of each? How can we tell? Such stories and hearsay are irrelevant because they have not been tested and retested by Christians.