“The Bible is therefore useful as a guide to salvation through faith in Christ.” Well, that is indeed an acceptable way to read it, my Friend. Of course, Jesus Christ, on the other hand, would say that adhering to the teachings of the Bible – specifically his teachings – is critical to attaining Salvation […]
“The New Testament affirms the inspiration of the Old Testament, including its function of pointing us towards Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44; John 5:46; Acts 10:43)” Fair enough, my dear. It does indeed seem as though Jesus was extremely well-versed in Old Testament Scripture (especially the works of Moses & Isaiah), and it does appear that […]
“The sayings of Jesus are accepted as divine authority (Matthew 24:35; Mark 8:38; John 6:63), and the letters of Paul are also considered Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16).” Fair enough, my Friend, and yet you refuse to admit the additional fact that the letters of Paul (and the message those letters preach) more often than […]
“The early church quoted the New Testament in the same manner as the Old, treating all its writings as God-given words.” Yes, and the early church also quoted from The Gospel of Thomas, and The Apocalypse of Peter (and even private poems) as part of their “New Testament” – and they did so in […]
“God has all authority, and we accept the Bible as the primary authority by which God communicates to us what God wants us to believe and do.” Fair enough, my Friend. And yet what happens when the Bible itself gives us conflicting information? – or makes contradictory statements? – or establishes immoral laws? What […]
“The primary purpose of the Bible is its message about salvation, and that is its primary sphere of authority.” Fair enough, my Friend. More than a few Biblical scholars would beg to differ with you, and yet I certainly do not … Of course, the question is not whether or not the Bible offers […]
“[The Bible] is a sufficient guide that tells us how we might be given eternal life with God.” Yes, in many ways this statement is true. Of course, for any Christian (and for any non-Christian, for that matter), the key is listening not to what every Biblical messenger has to say about attaining “eternal […]
“Those who believe the biblical revelation about God’s grace and Jesus Christ will be saved; those who do not believe will not.” Well, I must admit that this is indeed one way to interpret the verses you cite, and it is indeed one way (and unfortunately still the most commonly accepted way) to interpret […]
“The Bible also reveals divine commands and principles regarding the way we ought to live.” Without a doubt, my Friend, this is indeed often the case … Of course, even the most conservative of modern-day Christians must admit that many of the Bible’s laws & edicts are no longer applicable, and that many others […]
“A genuine faith in Christ as Lord and Savior transforms our lives and minds.” Frankly, I would be remiss to say otherwise. Indeed, not a single one of us – myself certainly included – can tell anyone else how (or whether) to believe in God, how (or whether) to read the Bible, or how […]
Next you state that, “the result [of such a genuine faith is] that our lives are brought progressively into greater submission to the will of God.” Well, to this I would also wholeheartedly agree, as long as the Will of God to which we are submitting is the all-Loving & all-Merciful will of Jesus’ […]
;
