But it really comes down to a matter of faith. Either the Elders got it right, or they didn't.
There's no way to know objectively. I think they may have gotten most of it right. I have serious doubts about Revelation. It's goofy and it's caused major heartache among believers who think they've somehow unraveled veiled prophecies.
None of which matter to any individual in the overall scheme of things, anyway...
That's why we call it "faith."
The God who created the universe and everything therein, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the all powerful One, is not so helpless as to allow His Word to be screwed up by a committee of men.
Every word of the Bible is there because it is the Word of God. Every word that is not in the Bible is not there because it is not the Word of God.
I agree I think a lot of it right in the Bible.
What is troubling in the Bible is very subtle and that is why one has to learn to exercise faith and trust the Lord!
Many things the satan can immate but he has not good in him and he can not fake it!
Satan can plant doubt and fear but that is not leading one to good it is leading away good through confusion!
>> There's no way to know objectively. I think they may have gotten most of it right. I have serious doubts about Revelation. It's goofy and it's caused major heartache among believers who think they've somehow unraveled veiled prophecies. <<
No, actually it IS possible to know objectively. The early Christians DID leave records as to believed what, why they left books out, etc. There were some cases where there was some confusion among the early Christians about what was authentic, true, or spirit-filled, and these ambiguities are also clearly recorded in history. But these "hard cases" would not have changed Catholicism that much. (Not sure what they would have done to Protestantism, given the Sola Scriptura doctrine... When you consider the weak grasps at straws which underlie modern, invented doctrines such as are found in Left Behind, zionks! What would they have done with "The Shepherd of Hermes"?!)