3. Do you believe the Bible is God's inspired Word?
The purpose of this question is to find out a persons view of the Bible. A born again Christian must believe that the Bible is the Word of God. If a person does believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, but is not saved, get the Bible open and show them the important verses.
In many pasages the Bible declares or acts as the Word of God. Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 17-18; Joshua 1:8; 8:32-35; 2 Samuel 22:31; Psalms 1:2; 12:6, 19:7-11, 93:5, 119:9, 11, 18, 89-93, 97-100, 104-105, 130; Proverbs 30:5-6, Isaiah 55:10-11, Jeremiah 15:16; 23:29; Daniel 10:21; Matthew 5:17-19; 22:29; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; John 2:22; 5:24; 10:35; Acts 17:11; Romans 10:17; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:15-17; 1 Peter 2:23-25; 2 Peter 3:15-16; Revelation 1:2; 22:18.
The orthodox view of Biblical Christian churches is that the Bible is verbal, plenary inspirition. Verbal in that the Holy Spirit guided the authors in the choice of words used in the origional manuscripts. The books reflect the wrting style of the author but the word plenary is used to show the full inspiration of God.
Tests for inclusion in the Canon:
Is it authoritive-did it come from the hand of God? (e.g. Thus says the Lord)
Is it prophetic-was it written by a man of God?
Is it authentic-Any doubt concerning a book and it was tossed.
Is it dynamic-did it come from the life transforming power of God?
Was it received , collected, read and used-was it acceptd by the people of God?
A. If they say yes:
Some of the battle is won! Open up your Bible to show them the truth. The church does not want the common member to read the Bible. They will learn the truth just as Martin Luther did.
A review of the history of the Roman Catholic church reveals a fear of the members hearing the "Word of Christ".
1229 Bible placed on Index of Forbidden Books in Toulouse.
Pope Innocent III felt that the Bible was too deep for the common people, and even the educated people could not comprehend it.
Archbishop Berthold, of Mainz, threatened with excommunication to all who tried to translate and or to circulate translations the Bible, without his permission.
1545 Tradition claimed equal in authority with the Bible by the Council of Trent.
1546 Apocryphal Books declared canon by Council of Trent.
Pope Pius IV. (1564), felt that reading of Bible versions did more harm than good would not allow laymen to read it without special permission of a bishop.
Clement VIII. (1598) reserved the right to grant this permission to the Congregation of the Index.
Gregory XV. (1622), and Clement XI. (1713), repeated the conditional prohibition.
Benedict XIV.(1757), one of the liberal popes, extended the permission to read the Word of God yet with the provision that the translation be approved in Rome and guarded by explanatory notes from the writings of the fathers and Catholic scholars (1757). This excludes all Protestant versions.
The Bible societies have been denounced and condemned by modern popes as a "pestilence which perverts the gospel of Christ into a gospel of the devil."
"It is manifest from experience that if the Holy Bible is translated into vulgar tongue be indiscriminately allowed to everyone, the temerity of men will cause more evil than good to arise from it." The Roman Index
If anyone should have the presumption to read or possess it without any such written permission, he shall not receive absolution until he first deliver up the Bible to the ordinary, that is according to the Roman principles, his soul is damned."
The Papal Syllabus of Pius IX. (1864), classes "Societates Biblicae" or Bible Socities with Socialism, Communism, and Secret Societies, calls them "pests frequently rebuked in the severest terms."
How Does The Church Guard The Bible? (1953)
"Catholics are allowed to read and keep only the translations of the Holy Bible which are issued with annotations and with the approval of the pope or bishop. Since church is the guardian of the truths of faith, it must protect it's members from versions of the Bible that have been truncated by those who do not accept the full truth as revealed in the Scriptures. The present-day Protestant Bible omits seven complete books and parts of two others in the Old Testament. The modern Protestant Bible retains the full twenty -seven books of the New Testament. although Martin Luther rejected four of them. He called the epistle of Saint James 'an epistle of straw' because it did not teach justification by faith alone.
Moreover the church must see to it that the versions read by it's members are accurate translations of the original and that the notes and explanations append to the text are free from errors that would corrupt the faith. Hence, Catholics are forbidden to read Protestant versions of the Scriptures." The Marian Bible
Yet the Roman Catholic Church in the same Bible will quote the Koran in their defense of the Immaculate Conception, "Even the infidel Muhammed glorifies Mary in his Koran, saying, 'The angels shall say to Maryam, "Allah has chosen thee; he has made thee exempt from all stain'". The Marian Bible
And it continues:
1994 "The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether its written form or in the form of tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in the matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome". The Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church.
Acts 5:29 "But Peter and the apostles answered and said, we must obey God rather than man". NASB
The Vulgate (common Bible). It was not accepted universally.
The Roman Church on the Vulgate:
April 30, 1934, "The Biblical commission decreed that, in the vernacular reading of the Epistles and Gospels to the faithful, the translation must have been from the Latin Vulgate. Translations of the original Greek or of non-Vulgate Latin texts may not be used for that purpose."
"The Council of Trent has decreed that the Vulgate is the 'authentic' version, and this is the existing custom of the church."
Translation errors:
Genesis 3:15 "He will crush your head" was changed to "She will......" This was to get the RC members to believe that Mary was our Savior as opposed to Christ.
Genesis 14:18 Melchizedek was said to have "sacrificed" bread and wine. The church changed this to bring in the transubstantiation concept.
Genesis 6:5b The human heart "only and always set on evil" was changed to "prone to evil". This was changed to take away the doctrine of original sin.
John 14:26 said the Holy Spirit "will reveal whatever [Jesus) will say" to His church, rather than "did say." This was to support tradition.
In my opinion, the Vulgate is second only to the New World Translation in inferior translations. The founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Charles denied the existence of hell, the Trinity and deity of Christ. He changed the Bible to try to prove his point. The RC church did the same.
God warns us about adding to His Word: Proverbs 30:5-6 "Every Word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar." NASB
Apocrypha
RC church also has 12 extra books of O.T. writings know as apocrypha: Tobias, Judith. The dream of Mardochi (added to the book of Esther), Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, The Song of the Three Children (inserted in the 3rd chapter of Daniel), Susanna and the Elders (Made a 13th chapter of Daniel), the prayer of Manasses, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd book of Maccabees. They were declared canon in 1546 AD.
1. Jesus nor the apostles ever quoted these pieces.
2. 2 Maccabees is claimed to be copied by the author. 2 Mac 2:23
3. Promotes questionable ethics Judith 9-11, fanciful legends, Tobit and the doctrine contradicts Scripture, Tobit 4:10, 12:9.
4. Never received, acknowledged nor admitted into the cannon of the Old Testament Scripture by the Jews.
5. They were never written in pure Hebrew.
6. They were rejected by the primitive church.
7. The Roman Catholic Church declared the Apocrypha canon some 1400 years after the Hebrew Bible was completed.
8. The added books are used to support Purgatory, indulgences and prayers for the dead. Indulgences are the big money maker for the RCC. People purchase candles and mass cards in an effort to get their loved ones out of Purgatory.
9. Josephus, Athanasius, Origen, Epiphanius, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzen and Hilary of Poitiers, John of Damascus, Gregory the Great, Walafrid, Nicolas of Lyra and Tostado, Pope Gregory the Great and St. Jerome never recognized the Apocrypha as canon.
10. The Council of Trent rejected three books from the Aprocrypha: The prayer of Manasseh, 3 Esdras and 4 Esdras. This conflicts with the Council of Carthage and Hippo.
Tradition
RC Tradition-unwritten revelation passed on by the Apostles by word of mouth. The leaders teach that tradition combined with the Bible make up the Word of God, this was established in 1545 AD. Example: The Assumption of Mary. Since she is believe to be w/o sin, God took her up to heaven so her body would not decay. This was established in 1950.
*"The gospel was handed down in two ways: Orally (or tradition) and in writing."
*"The church does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the Holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence."
*The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church (The Magisterium of the Church) alone"...that is, the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him."
*"It is clear therefore, that in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magisterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others."
*"Sacred Scripture is written principally in the Church's heart rather than in documents and records."
* The Catechism of the Catholic Church
However it is easy to see the result of tradition. None of the Roman Catholic "traditions" can be found in the Bible:
296 AD Title of Pope first used by the Bishop of Rome.
300 AD Prayers for the dead starts.
306 AD Celibacy starts to emerge in Elvira, Spain where church forbids "bishops, priests, deacons or other ministers to have wives".
365 AD Veneration of angels, Mary, dead saints, statues, pictures, cross, etc.
416 AD Proclamation that infant baptism regenerates the soul.
440 AD Title of Pope officially used by Leo II.
451 ADThe doctrine of Mariolatry is proclaimed. This refers to the veneration and worship of Mary.
500 AD The Mass instituted as re-sacrifice of Jesus for the remission of sin
593 AD Doctrine of Purgatory declared byPope Gregory I.
600 AD Prayers directed to Mary, dead saints, and angels.
610 AD Start of the Pope.
995 AD Canonization of dead people as saints initiated by Pope John XV.
1000 AD Attendance at Mass made mandatory under the penalty of moral sin.
1079 AD Celibacy of priesthood, decreed by Pope Gregory VII.
1090 AD Rosary, repetitious praying with beads, invented by Peter the Hermit.
1184 AD The Inquisitions, instituted by the Council of Verona.
1190 AD The sale of Indulgences established to reduce time in Purgatory.
1215 AD Transubstantiation, proclaimed by Pope Innocent III.
1215 AD Confession of sin to priests, instituted by Pope Innocent III.
1229 AD Bible placed on Index of Forbidden Books in Toulouse.
UNAM SANCTAM, November 18, 1302 A. D. Subject to the Pope is necessary for salvation.
1438 AD Purgatory elevated from doctrine to dogma by Council of Florence.
1545 AD Tradition claimed equal in authority with the Bible by the Council of Trent.
1546 AD Apocryphal Books declared canon by Council of Trent.
1854 AD Immaculate Conception of Mary, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX.
Pastor Aeternus, July 18, 1870 AD Infallibility of the Pope, proclaimed by Vatican Council.
1922 AD Virgin Mary proclaimed co-redeemer with Jesus by Pope Benedict XV.
1950 AD Assumption of Virgin Mary into heaven, proclaimed by Pope Pius XII.
1965 AD Mary is proclaimed the "Mother of the Church" by Pope Paul VI
God warns us about tradition, Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:3,7-8; Galations 1:6-10; Colossians 2:8,18, 2:21-23; Titus 1:14
"He replied, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hears are far from me. They worship me in vain, their teachings are but rules taught by men. You have let go of the commands of God in order to observe your own traditons!. From Mark chapter 7:6-9
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB
Acts 5:29 "But Peter and the apostles answered and said, we must obey God rather than man". NASB
"Paul says Scripture is literally God-breathed. Peter equated Paul's writings to Scripture in 2 Peter 3:16. Remember that Paul had direct revelations from God: Acts 9:4-6, 9:15, 18:9, 20:35, 22:18, 21, 23:11.
The Greek word Paul used for Scripture was Graphe. It is plural for the Greek word Grapho:to engrave, write. Paul does not mention any oral teachings in his statement, only written.
Paul wrote Galatains around AD 53, James wrote his epistle around AD 46, Mark the gospel of Mark around AD 55. So the first God-breathed scriptures started to circulate just 20 years after the death and resurrection of Christ.
If a Roman Catholic states that the Bible is not our only source of faith. Then they must accept the additional writings of the Book of Mormon, New World Translataion, Vedas, Koran, etc.
B. If they say no:
Try 2 Timothy 3:15-16 and 2 Peter 3:16-17. Might not help. Explain faith to them, the historical view of the Bible etc.
C. Catechism. A summary of the official teachings of the RC church. The Roman Catholic Church member will claim that the Roman Catholic church compiled the New Testament. Here is a simple question to present to the member.
