There are those who claim to believe God and the Bible but who want to change the Word of God.
The most extreme are probably the “Red Letter” people. They claim to only read and follow the red words of the Bible, the exact Words of Jesus.
Another group says they do not read any of the Old Testament, as it doesn’t apply to us today.
Yet another group goes the other way and says they follow the whole Bible…except the Pauline epistles as Paul was some sort of evil, ego-maniac (Never mind that the Apostle Peter called Paul’s writings “wisdom given unto him.” 2 Peter 3:15).
My first response to the last group is “How do you know that the particular document you are holding is the one it claims to be?” For example, there are four completely different books that claim to be the book of Enoch. How are we supposed to know which one was written by Noah’s Great-grandfather? If indeed any of them really were.
He knew that the set of documents we call "The Cannon Bible" today were the ones that would be used to spread the knowledge of Him to the planet throughout the last 2000 years of history. I believe He had complete control of what was contained in that Book.
The Old Testament was assembled into the form we know it shortly after the time of Alexander the Great. If the “book of Enoch” held truths we could base doctrine on, why didn’t God include it in the Septuagint (the Greek Bible commissioned by Ptolemy I)? Why was it left out and only available to us, now, 2500 years later? Why deprive those millions of people of this resource?
It seems much more likely to me that there are things contained in Enoch (which ever one is actually the real one) that are not true and that will even lead us into dangerous teachings.
(Since writing this, my husband has read the most commonly accepted "Book of Enoch." It’s overall message is that sin is not the fault of humans, but of fallen angels. The overall message of the Bible is that sin is the fault of each and every one of us humans and we all deserve to go to Hell. This difference in message would be why this book was not included in the true Bible. It’s simply wrong and evil.
This is true, also, of books written after the time of Christ that were not included in the New Testament. The New Testament was complete in the form we know it by AD100. That is, the churches of the first century gathered together and copied by hand those documents they felt God telling them to share with each other. We know that they left out at least one Pauline epistle (2 Corinthians; what we have is actually 1 and 3 Corinthians.)
They likely left out others also. God had those letters that He didn’t want included in the Bible lost very close to the time they were written. With the church’s determination to hold onto the writings of the apostles, this was a miracle in itself.
To the ones who want to throw away parts of the Bible, as well as those who simply find parts too uncomfortable to believe (whether the parts that say God commanded the death of entire peoples, or the parts where Paul tells women to obey their hubbies and be keepers at home), God went to all the trouble to preserve those exact documents and you dare to have the gall to say they are worthless?
What right do you have to declare, above the authority of all the church leaders for 2000 years, above sincerely intended and highly educated scholars (such as Isaac Newton, Martin Luther, and John Calvin), that some parts of the Bible are wrong? That it contains things it shouldn’t?
(Martin Luther actually believed the book of James should be left out of the Bible. He didn't agree with its doctrine of showing your faith by your works. However, even this great and powerful church leader was not able to get the Bible altered. We still have James today, and always have had.)
What makes you smarter than them? What gives you this authority?
Wouldn’t a loving, powerful God have corrected these wrongs long ago instead of waiting 2000 years? Why let so many people continue in falsehood? Why are we “so much smarter?”
The fact is we aren’t any smarter. We are just more arrogant.
This is the training you need in the Word of God.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
“If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
You find correct facts in many places.
You only find truth in the Bible.
The most extreme are probably the “Red Letter” people. They claim to only read and follow the red words of the Bible, the exact Words of Jesus.
Another group says they do not read any of the Old Testament, as it doesn’t apply to us today.
Yet another group goes the other way and says they follow the whole Bible…except the Pauline epistles as Paul was some sort of evil, ego-maniac (Never mind that the Apostle Peter called Paul’s writings “wisdom given unto him.” 2 Peter 3:15).
Then there are those who want to add to the Bible.
The argument goes, “We find truth outside of the Bible, so, though the Bible is infallible, other things can be used for doctrine also.” These especially want to use the books of Enoch, Jassur, and the gospels of Timothy and James.My first response to the last group is “How do you know that the particular document you are holding is the one it claims to be?” For example, there are four completely different books that claim to be the book of Enoch. How are we supposed to know which one was written by Noah’s Great-grandfather? If indeed any of them really were.
God is all-powerful.
God is all knowing, from the moment of creation to the end of time.He knew that the set of documents we call "The Cannon Bible" today were the ones that would be used to spread the knowledge of Him to the planet throughout the last 2000 years of history. I believe He had complete control of what was contained in that Book.
The Old Testament was assembled into the form we know it shortly after the time of Alexander the Great. If the “book of Enoch” held truths we could base doctrine on, why didn’t God include it in the Septuagint (the Greek Bible commissioned by Ptolemy I)? Why was it left out and only available to us, now, 2500 years later? Why deprive those millions of people of this resource?
It seems much more likely to me that there are things contained in Enoch (which ever one is actually the real one) that are not true and that will even lead us into dangerous teachings.
(Since writing this, my husband has read the most commonly accepted "Book of Enoch." It’s overall message is that sin is not the fault of humans, but of fallen angels. The overall message of the Bible is that sin is the fault of each and every one of us humans and we all deserve to go to Hell. This difference in message would be why this book was not included in the true Bible. It’s simply wrong and evil.
This is true, also, of books written after the time of Christ that were not included in the New Testament. The New Testament was complete in the form we know it by AD100. That is, the churches of the first century gathered together and copied by hand those documents they felt God telling them to share with each other. We know that they left out at least one Pauline epistle (2 Corinthians; what we have is actually 1 and 3 Corinthians.)
They likely left out others also. God had those letters that He didn’t want included in the Bible lost very close to the time they were written. With the church’s determination to hold onto the writings of the apostles, this was a miracle in itself.
All Scripture
Paul says in Timothy that, “All scripture is given by God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” The extra-cannon books do not meet this stringent requirement.And For those Editing the Bible Down
To the ones who want to throw away parts of the Bible, as well as those who simply find parts too uncomfortable to believe (whether the parts that say God commanded the death of entire peoples, or the parts where Paul tells women to obey their hubbies and be keepers at home), God went to all the trouble to preserve those exact documents and you dare to have the gall to say they are worthless?
What right do you have to declare, above the authority of all the church leaders for 2000 years, above sincerely intended and highly educated scholars (such as Isaac Newton, Martin Luther, and John Calvin), that some parts of the Bible are wrong? That it contains things it shouldn’t?
(Martin Luther actually believed the book of James should be left out of the Bible. He didn't agree with its doctrine of showing your faith by your works. However, even this great and powerful church leader was not able to get the Bible altered. We still have James today, and always have had.)
What makes you smarter than them? What gives you this authority?
Wouldn’t a loving, powerful God have corrected these wrongs long ago instead of waiting 2000 years? Why let so many people continue in falsehood? Why are we “so much smarter?”
The fact is we aren’t any smarter. We are just more arrogant.
Here is my recommendation:
- Take all your commentaries on the Bible, all your books, and pack them away (Yes, that includes this website).
- Delete all your websites (or at least put them into a folder and don’t open them).
- Then take your Bible out. Read the entire thing cover to cover at least three times.
- Get your concordance out and look up every unfamiliar word. Get to know the Bible for what it presents itself to be.
Do you know how they train people to spot counterfeit money?
They don’t expose them to the counterfeits. They don’t study the frauds. They study the real thing. They spend so much time examining real money and are so familiar with the real thing that they spot an imposter immediately.This is the training you need in the Word of God.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
“If you continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:32
You find correct facts in many places.
You only find truth in the Bible.