What is the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture?

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[ealgeone]

Question: "What is the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture? What does it mean that the Bible is sufficient?"

Answer: The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture is a fundamental tenet of the Christian faith. To say the Scriptures are sufficient means that the Bible is all we need to equip us for a life of faith and service. It provides a clear demonstration of God’s intention to restore the broken relationship between Himself and humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior through the gift of faith. No other writings are necessary for this good news to be understood, nor are any other writings required to equip us for a life of faith.

[Elsie]

Now, do you believe the same?

I can understand you wanting clarity on this matter; but for me, there has been PLENTY of comments by him in this thread to show ME what he 'believes'.

[mdmathis6]

2 Timothy 3:16-17 does prove the sufficiency of scripture. It’s very black and white about it and to argue otherwise makes me doubt your belief in your own tag line!(The Islamics believe in the sufficiency in their own Koran!)

[mdmathis6]

1.If Christ had meant this to be literal he would have cut pieces of flesh off of himself and poured some of his blood into a cup and said eat and drink these(or transmuted bread and wine into his flesh and blood BEFORE they partook!) The Bible would have recorded flesh and blood appearing in the disciples mouths as soon as they took the bread and cup or literally taking flesh and blood into their mouths). In short, the ceremonial transactions were symbolic but yet spiritually potent. When, Christ changed water into wine, the folks were aware that it was literally wine that they were drinking. At the Passover, disciples would have literally been aware that the bread and wine they were drinking had changed form and would have recorded scripturally of such a change. The transactions were symbolic yet spiritual in nature, not materially or atomically transmutations of matter!

It was not by “bread” alone that men were to live, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Father. Since God is the Word(John chapter 1) and Yeshua was the Word made flesh, when Yeshua calls himself the “Bread of Life”, we are living by the Word of God, that Word, which became flesh and dwelt amongst us!

2. A relevant passage regarding being “born again” as it relates to your question. John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d]

It is by the Spirit we are born again spiritually and it is by the Spirit that when we partake of the bread and wine, we are doing this in remembrance of him spiritually. Indeed, there is no mention of the term “communion” in the scriptural story of the Passover. Jesus says we do this in “remembrance of me(Him)”. He does not say we do this in “communion with him or with each other”. Interesting....perhaps we all are in error in even calling it “communion” at all!?

[Campion]

Paul is teaching Christians how to act in the church from instructions given him by the pillar and ground of truth, God; as the scripture you posted clearly states.

Except that that's not what the Scripture states, and calling God the "pillar and ground of truth" is demoting God. God is truth personified.

[Campion]

Except that neither of those two verses say that "the Bible is all we need to equip us for a life of faith and service."

2 Tm 3:16 is particularly interesting. 2 Timothy specifies several things that Timothy has to keep him faithful in his office as episcopos (bishop):

1. The indwelling Holy Spirit (2 Tm 1:7), which Paul says Timothy received by the laying-on of hands (2 Tm 1:6), probably referring to Timothy's ordination
2. Paul's apostolic teaching, received orally (2 Tm 1:13)
3. "The grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tm 2:1)

And the "Scriptures" that Timothy had known since his infancy couldn't have included the New Testament, since it hadn't been written yet. Is the Old Testament alone sufficient?

[HarleyD]

One would think that our Catholic friends would see and understand their doctrinal inconsistencies. But at least they have nice frescos. ;O)

[af_vet_1981]

I believe the scriptures, as handed down to us, to be the infallible and inerrant word of God good for teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness that we may be complete and capable for all good works. There are plenty of tools on the Internet these days to find out what precisely God wrote down for our instruction.

Since you do not explicitly answer the question, "Do you believe the King James Version is the word of God and that it is infallible and inerrant ? " I assume you do not.

Do you believe every translation of the scriptures handed down to you meets this criteria ?

Now, do you believe the same?

No, I do not believe plenty of tools on the Internet these days are the gift that finally revealed precisely what God wrote down for our instruction.

Rather, I believe in one holy catholic apostolic church teaching with authority from the time of the apostles unto this day.

[af_vet_1981]

However, you reject their position on the papacy thus negating your appeal to their expertise on the Greek.

The Orthodox agree with the Catholics on the erswhile topic of the thread, and many other substantive points as well, and impeach the modern grasp at the Greek by Internet scholarship to establish new sola that were not agreed on by the one holy catholic apostolic church.

[Old Yeller]

Catholic tradition is a man made belief.

[ealgeone]

Is KJV or the Vulgate your translation of choice?

[HarleyD]

Your response is rather telling. I paraphrased 2 Tim 3:16-17 to illustrate the point that Catholics no longer truly believe in scripture. They do not believe it is infallible or inerrant. Rather, as you’ve pointed out, they believe in simply what they are told. This isn’t much of a difference from a cult.

This is a far cry from what the early church fathers taught.

[ealgeone]

The Orthodox agree with the Catholics on the erswhile topic of the thread, and many other substantive points as well, and impeach the modern grasp at the Greek by Internet scholarship to establish new sola that were not agreed on by the one holy catholic apostolic church.

Yet those same Greeks reject the RCC understanding of the papacy.

I fail to see how you can cite the EO as authoritative and a group we should rely upon for the Greek when they reject the "rock" upon which the RCC claims to be established.

[mdmathis6]

Proverbs 9:Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:

2 She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table.

3 She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city,

4 Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,

5 Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

7 He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot.

8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.

9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Say what again about demoting God...take a look again at verse 10?
Also note the mention of wine and bread again in this Proverb.(the wine and bread freeper dialogs are agin being mentioned in this thread) What does Christ call himself but the “Bread of Life”? Proverbs 9:1-10 is a description of the word of God made Flesh, the man Christ Jesus!
And if God be Truth Personified, is he not the author and finisher of our faith, our rock we stand upon? Everything we are as people are sourced out of God, for it is “In him we live and move and HAVE our being”!

[mdmathis6]

Actually there are several billion denominations, because each Christian is different from the other so the Holy Spirit has to deal with each individual Christian differently...yet the laws and the commandments are the same for all as are all of the judgments...”the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Are we not all “Temples of the Holy Spirit”?

Oh I know what you meant by “denominations” but there was only one Christ who died and rose again for several billions of Christians(and for anyone else who will open their “doors when he knocks”) who are all very different from one another. Those are the true denominations...yet as Galations 3 states...all are one thru Christ Jesus! Go figure!

[Zionist Conspirator]

Considering that the Bible is merely a list of consonants with no punctuation or vowels (and that it doesn’t contain the rules for correctly writing it out), not a very good one.

[mdmathis6]

Yeah, me too...”small “c’ believer. Not the RCC’”c” version!

“catholic”...whole body of believers unified by the Spirit and by the individual washings of each individual’s sins by the spilled blood of Jesus Christ and by the forgiving grace extended by the Father thru the Son. The denominations are man made edifices, tolerated by God but to be done away with when Christ and Bride rule unified out of Jerusalem in the 1000 year reign! Job himself stated....”Though this skin be destroyed, yet in my flesh will I see God standing upon the Earth in the latter day” Job too, is a part of the small “c” catholic body of believers and he was predicting his own resurrection!

[MHGinTN]

Every time you post that, I read it with such awe.

[mdmathis6]

And yet somehow it has molded history, induced character change in many souls, has inspired beautiful artwork, certainly for good or ill has induced wars and strife and influenced Martel to stop the invading Muslim hoardes in 732 at Tours France.

Many were convicted of their own greed and gave up worldly possessions to preach the word, to help the poor, to start hospitials and schools. This vowel less book urged expanding of its gospel message;one was not to withdraw into closeted sects like Hinduism or Buddhism where people went to the mountain wise man instead of the wise man coming to them.

Christ was taken to the world by this book without punctuation marks yet the darkened souls react to it as if exclamation points are being hurled at each of them personally.(Paul was told...”it is hard for you to kick back at the cattle prods”).

So if this book to you was imperfect by today’s standards because it had no vowels or punctuations or any means of writing such out, perhaps it was, based on the historic power of the Bible to change the course of men and nations, the purview of the Holy Spirit to flesh such details out!

[af_vet_1981]

All the Early Church Fathers (ECFs) were Catholic. The one holy catholic church had no schism between eastern and western branches until 1054.

As written, the topic of supremacy of scripture has been surrendered to the topic of whether the Bishop of Rome is "first among equals" or has supremacy of jurisdiction over the other bishops.

[ealgeone]

Nope. No switch. Just proving you’re not willing to agree with the EO when it goes against you.