The Bible cannot self interpret.
I didn't say she stole my money - someone else said it
I didn't say she stole my money - I implied it
I didn't say she stole my money - I typed it in an email
I didn't say she stole my money - I said someone did, not necessarily her
I didn't say she stole my money - I considered it borrowed, even though she didn't ask
I didn't say she stole my money - only that she stole money
I didn't say she stole my money - she stole stuff which cost me money to replace
Seven words, seven different meanings. And people will bet their eternal salvation on the belief they get the words of Scripture right! Christians cannot agree on what the meaning of "is" is.
And all this and the fact:
1) Jesus NEVER gave instructions that the Christian faith should be based exclusively on a book.
2) Other than the specific command to John to pen the Revelation, Jesus never told His apostles to write anything down and compile it into an authoritative book.
3) Nowhere in the New Testament do the apostles tell future generations that the Christian faith will be based solely on a book.
4) The Bible does not have an inspired and infallible list of books that should belong in the Bible. Where did the table of contents come from?
“Jesus never told His apostles to write anything down and compile it into an authoritative book.”
And you know this how? Is this where you should have used the Ass U Me word?
“Seven words, seven different meanings. And people will bet their eternal salvation on the belief they get the words of Scripture right! “
(Romans 1:16-17)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,[e] just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”[f]
(1 John 1:1-4
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
2) Other than the specific command to John to pen the Revelation, Jesus never told His apostles to write anything down and compile it into an authoritative book.
3) Nowhere in the New Testament do the apostles tell future generations that the Christian faith will be based solely on a book.
4) The Bible does not have an inspired and infallible list of books that should belong in the Bible. Where did the table of contents come from?
Are you SURE? ARE you sure? Are YOU sure? When Jesus ascended into heaven and, as his sandals were disappearing, didn't he holler down: "READ MY BOOK!"??
Hmmm, I dunno.
Maybe not literally, but he told them this:
Matthew 28:16-20; And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (19) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: (20) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
In order to fulfill this commission, the disciples worked diligently to compile in writing all that they remembered of His teachings.
That's where what you dismissively call a mere "book" came from: the word of the Savior, which trumps anything cooked up by conclaves and councils of some church of fallible men centuries later.
I’m not going to get into the entire argument, but I will say about this:
“The Bible does not have an inspired and infallible list of books that should belong in the Bible. Where did the table of contents come from?”
You’d be surprised about how many people are ignorant about the history of a FEW of a collection of scriptures, collectively known as the Bible. The Bible is composed of a few of the Holy Scriptures given in the History of God’s dealing with man. The Bible as we now know it, has in the history of the last 2,000 years had many books added, many books subtracted, and many books shuffled around. Whoever got the idea that all scripture is contained in the current rendition of the bible, only used for a small fraction of the last 2,000 years, is ignorant of Biblical history.
Sorry, but King James didn’t even have compiled the unabriged writings of the Saints. Yes I believe that the Bible is the word of God, but the limited number of works currently contained therein are not the complete Word of God. Just because some one or a set of someones decided to add in books here and remove books there doesn’t mean that that’s all there is. Many works are now known as Apocrapha.