2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
The Bible is all God intended it to be. Can we as Christians decide for ourselves what the Scriptures mean? Do we need outside resources? Do we really need the church except to meet people, make friends, and encourage each other? Can we build for ourselves faith, love, trust, and a right understanding of God?
The problem that appears to be destroying the body of Christ today is the individualizing of the Scriptures. When any person or body of people infringe on the Scriptures, they are getting caught up in sectarianism. In this, Christians divide, parting ways over every issue imaginably.
Do we as individuals concede to a private interpretation of the Scriptures? If so, we allow others to govern our beliefs? We have witnessed in the past 100 years an explosion of cults and sects within the body of Christ.
The question for today is, is there only one Gospel? Is Jesus the only way? Various opinions dominate these various and important issues. Questions concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit, prophecy, worship, communion, church government, discipleship, discipline, morality, accountability, evangelism, social actions, the relationship of faith and works, the role of women, and so much more.
Questions and doubt begin to arise when men stick their noses in God’s business. We add, and we take away and in we ruin that which God has served. I have two questions, “Have most denominations become unstable in their doctrines, and if so, if you become a member of that church are you going to have to compromise your faith?
A brief history of the Bible:
When Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16, can we assume that the Scriptures spoke of the O.T. and the N.T.? No because there was no N.T. First of all, the Jews had not yet decided upon a definite list of canon concerning the O.T. books until after the rise of Christianity.
The modern Jewish canon was not fixed until the third century. Also the first completed listing of the N.T. books as we have them today did not appear until 300 years after the death of Christ. The first completed listing was given by, Athanasius in his Paschal letters in 369 A.D.
The four Gospels were written 30 to 60 years after the death of our Lord. In this interim period, the EARLY CHURCH relied on eye witnesses, and oral tradition, as well as scattered pre-gospel documents. First, second, and third century churches for the most part had only parts of what we call the N.T.
As the eye-witnesses died, the apostles wrote as they were guided by the Holy Spirit. In this they preserved and solidified the scattered written and oral traditions. In the centuries that followed, substantial disagreement over which books should be included in the canon of Scripture, they arose with a vengeance.
Marcion, a second century heretic, attempted to establish a N.T. His desire was to reject its Jewish heritage, this by his rejection of the O.T. completely. The exposure of Christians in the early church was confined to what they heard in the churches, the law, the prophets, the Psalms, and a few of the apostles memoirs.
As Christian persecution arose, and unauthorized documents began to flood the churches, both complicating the situation. Other Gospels were also in circulation in the first two centuries, they were the Gospels according to the Hebrews, Egyptians, Peter, and others.
When Luke wrote his Gospel, Matthew and Mark’s gospel were the only ones having been written. Yet Luke wrote,
Luke 1:1-2, “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration (narrative) of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word.”
Biographers were writing about Christ, some giving false accounts, some inaccurate in their facts. The difference, Luke said that it seemed good to the Holy Spirit to inspire him to write his accurate account.
The controversy continued as to what books were to be used.
In Asia minor only John’s gospel was used and not Matthew, Mark or Luke! Roman Christians resisted John’s Gospel, using only Matthew, Mark and Luke, the reason; Gnostic’s were using John’s Gospel with their own secret Gospels.
Another issue rose, should their be a single composite Gospel, or separate Gospels? In the Syrian church a single composite gospel was used called the Diatessaron. The four Gospels were not accepted until the fifth century, as also were John’s epistles, 2 Peter, and the book of Revelation.
Clement of Alexandria at the church in Egypt included in his canon, the Gospel to the Hebrews, the Egyptians,a nd Mattathias. Others included the first epistle of Clement, Barnabas, the preaching of Peter, the Revelation of Peter, the Didache, the Protevangelium of James, Acts of John, the Acts of Paul, the Sheperd of Hermas, each held as apostolic. Irenaeus included the Revelation of Peter in his canon.
The book of Hebrews was finally accepted at the end of the fourth century. The book of Revelation was not accepted in the Eastern churches for several centuries. Martin Luther desired to grade the books of the N.T. believing some to be more inspired then others. He gave secondary clasification to the books of Hebrews, James, Jude, and Revelation, having them placed at the end of his translation.
The term New Testament was first used by Tertullian about 200 A.D. Some believe the Muratorian canon to be the oldest legitimate list of the N.T. this dating from the second century. This canon excluded Hebrews, James, the epistles of Peter, but included the Apocalypse of Peter, and the Wisdom of Solomon. And so the controversies continued until 325 A.D.
Emperor Constantine became frustrated over the squabbling of the books to be used, and of the Deity of Jesus Christ. Constantine pressed for a clearer definition of the books to be used, and the doctrine of the Trinity. He then closed the N.T. canon. Yet until the 5th century, the Codex Alexandrinus included 1st and 2ed Clement.
As time passed the church settled in. Then the modern day controversies began.
The Codex Sinaiticus, known as the Aleph, a fourth century document had been thrown into a waste paper basket at St. Catherine Monastery reared its ugly head. A man called Tischendorf saved it from the fire. This manuscript was reported to have up to 15,000 changes made by an unknown hand. Yet this was used by Wescott and Hort in the late 20th century. From there it went to Nestles and Allen in the mid 1930es. From this came the Nestles and Allen text.
This manuscript, Aleph is used today in most, if not all of the modern day Bibles published today, except the K.J.V.
The N.I.V. the N.A.S.V. Good News, etc. use this Aleph text. The manuscript also included two books, Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas.
Councils had been established to discern and then confirm what was already accepted within the church at large. They reflected what they considered to be self-evident truths and practices within the body of Christ. Also the faith, practice, and tradition as it already existed in local churches.
Today we have pastors, teachers, commentators putting their own spin on various verses and doctrines that had once been established and closed as to their meaning. It appears that the things of the flesh are becoming the beliefs of the spirit.
Cynicism: men and women having the attitude of a snarling surely dog. The church is convulsing, suffering from life itself, Churches and members yearning for friends, to be recognized and have a purpose, but it’s eligion without a relationship with God.
Well that’s it. Regardless of what any one may say, every answer to every important question can be found in the Scriptures. Don’t become a product of your church, but mold yourself with the Help of God Almighty to the Image of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com