What points of Christian doctrine are extra-Biblical?
Maybe I need to brush up on my early church history, but it’s my understanding that the church was dealing with schisms, and in order to preserve and protect the teachings of the apostles and the Bible, they spelled them out clearly in writing so as to counter any errant teachings.
Here is the Nicene Creed:
“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.
Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
What is there in the Nicene Creed that is extra-Biblical?
I am also wondering, why do Mormons feel the Bible in and of itself is insufficient in revealing the truth about God and salvation? Thanks for considering my questions.
“What points of Christian doctrine are extra-Biblical?”
This is not my cup of tea, as I don’t spend much time studying it. I will refer you to DelphiUser, who is much more knowledgeable on the topic.
“I am also wondering, why do Mormons feel the Bible in and of itself is insufficient in revealing the truth about God and salvation?”
Well, all the Bible is is a collection of writings from holy men passed down through the ages. The actual writings that were included in the book were chosen rather arbitrarily. Still, the writings that are there are full of many truths and much wisdom.
But who is to say that the books that were chosen contained everything that was needful? Even among orthodox Christians, the opinions vary; the Catholics’ Bible is considerably thicker that that of Protestantism. Does that mean the extra books ascribed to by Catholicism cannot possibly be the Word of God?
Indeed, many very fundamental truths are not fully explained or clarified in the Bible. For example, the nature of the trinity was a man-made doctrine that was decided by council, rather than by revelation. Were they right? Maybe. But we can’t really tell from the Bible; many verses exist both to support and to undermine the doctrine that they defined.
Also, the Bible, for all its wisdom, cannot provide clear answers to every conceivable challenge we face today. The original Apostles didn’t have to worry about drugs, Communism, pornography, or many of the other modern problems that plague us. All we can do is kind of build a moral framework based on what the Bible tells us, then extend it to make what we think are good decisions regarding the dilemmas that it doesn’t specifically cover.
For all these reasons, we believe that a living prophet is required to keep us in good council. We believe that the Book of Mormon works, not only to add its testimony of Christ to that of the Bible, but also to clearly explain many doctrines over which men have puzzled for centuries. We believe that God lives, that He still loves us, and therefore still speaks to those of us who will listen. This is done on a personal level - and I’m sure you have experienced such personal revelation - as well as on an organizational level - the role that, according to our beliefs, is filled by the President of the LDS Church.
The Bible contains many precious things that are revered by Mormons; it contains the life and teachings of Christ; it contains the ancient prophecies of Isaiah; it contains the eternal covenants of Abraham; it contains many other things that are true and precious. It is the word of God.
But we reject the notion that God is now a mute. And we seek after His guidance continually.