Here are some facts:
- The Christian faith existed and grew years before the first book of the New Testament was written.
- The New Testament was written decades after Christ ascended into heaven. It took centuries for the Church to establish the Cannon of the New Testament. The early Church existed without a Bible.
- Christ never told anyone to write a Bible. The Apostles never told anyone that Christianity would be based on a book.
Your lack of knowledge of history is staggering. You seem to imply that the early Christians sat around reading their Bibles on rockers in front of the fireplace.
The Church established by Christ was based on teaching the Truth.
Wherein I am appointed a preacher and an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles. For which cause, I also suffer these things: but I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed and I am certain that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him, against that day. Hold the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me: in faith and in the love which is in Christ Jesus. Keep the good thing committed to thy trust by the Holy Ghost who dwelleth in us. 2Tim 1:11-14
And the things which thou hast heard of me by many witnesses, the same commend to faithful men who shall be fit to teach others also. 2Tim 2:2
But continue thou in those things which thou hast learnedand which have been committed to thee. Knowing of whom thou hast learned them. And because from thy infancy thou hast known the holy scriptures which can instruct thee to salvation by the faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice: That the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work. 2Tim 3:14-17
Remember here that with the Scriptures which Timothy knew from his infancy were the Old Testament alone - the New Testament wasn’t yet written.
You have a made up faith in the real Christ.
A few questions:
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 does the Bible claim to be the sole authority for Christians in matters of faith and morals?
You don't need the word of God...
Where in the Bible is God’s Word restricted only to what is written down?
The New Testament is loaded with prophecy...Just as in the OT, there has to be a God inspired, written NT to bear the record for the prophecy that is to take place...
The Catholic church has a pretty shady past when it comes to telling the truth about it's historical documents...And it's private interpretation of the written words of God...
Heaven forbid that there would be no scripture and the rest of the World had to rely on you guys for the Truth of God...
Joh 19:35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
John places a massive amount of weight on his written testimony...Because he wrote it, we can be 100% sure that it is truth...
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
God was far smarter than you think He is...He knew, and the Apostles knew that a 'church' couldn't be trusted to preserve His words thru word of mouth...
Besides, the WRITTEN word confirms that we have eternal security...Right now...
2Co 2:17 For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.
The ink wasn't even dry on Pauls epistles when he complained about some religious group who apparently didn't put much stock in God's written words to corrupt those words from the get-go...Wonder what group that would've been!!!
Act 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Without the written record, you people could have deceived the World...We may never have known The OT Psalms (partially) have been fulfilled with the resurrection of Jesus Christ...
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Holy pickled bananas, Batman, with the written word of God, we wouldn't even know about the spiritual wickedness in hgh places, nor, have the means to fight them off...
We wouldn't have the truth, nor the breastplate of righteousness...We wouldn't have the shield of faith (alone) to quench the fiery darts of the wicked...
And we certainly wouldn't have the helmet of salvation, but most of all, we wouldn't have the sword of the Spirt which of course is the WRITTEN, PRESERVED word of God...
Sheesh...If we didn't have the written word of God, Mary would be the 4th part of the Trinity...Or there may be no Trinity and Mary would be our Goddess...
Act 16:4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.
It would be idiodic to suggest the Apostles went from city to city passing on the words of God verbally...Who would remember it???
Why did your church fathers write things down??? Didn't the Holy Spirit commit everything to memory for them??? If your church if the one, true church, led by the Holy Spirit, why do you guys need bibles??? Why did Jerome make new translations and write them down??? Couldn't he just remember and pass it on to your spirit filled popes to remember???
Act 21:25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
So why did the Apostles bother to write this stuff down??? Obviously THEY thought they needed to...
Act 24:14 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Paul COUNTED on the written word of God as his religion...
Now here's a good one...
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
As I understand it, your church doesn't believe the Righteousness of God was IMPUTED to us Christians...You guys believe you work for and earn righteousness...So without the Old Testament and New Testament in WRITING, if we had to count on your church, we wouldn't even know about this very important truth...
Rom 15:15 Nevertheless, brethren, I have written the more boldly unto you in some sort, as putting you in mind, because of the grace that is given to me of God,
Rom 15:16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.
Ha...How often do we year from you guys that Paul was not commissioned to primarily preach to and teach Gentiles while Peter was sent to the Jews??? Do you really think we could count on you guys to pass this information on to anyone if the knowledge was just in your possession???
I'll stop here...I have no doubt that your religion would thrive without any scripture from God...But we thank God for the scripture that He preserved for us...Without scripture, there is no God...There are only gods...
2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
2Pe 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.
And of course, your 'first pope' knew that what Paul and obviously the other Apostles wrote was SCRIPTURE...
1Jn 2:26 These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.
1Jn 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
This writing is scripture as well...John obviously WROTE to us to warn us about you people that claim we have no need for John writing to us...And John writes to us that we are taught by the annointing that resides in us, contray to your magisterium and your church...