Yesterday, an INC friend, who we will hide by the name of GB, and I had a very interesting exchange of ideas regarding the correct basis of our faith. He forwarded the idea that it is the Bible only which should the basis of doctrine and faith.
A screen shot of his claim is posted here:
GB: naniniwala ako na ang bibliya lang ang saligan ng doktrina at pananampalataya
2 Timothy 3:15–17
15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
JSB: This is a wrong doctrine and citing 2 Timothy 3:15–17 will not lend support to this wrong doctrine. And so I asked my friend GB:
1. Letra-por-letra, ano ba naka sulat sa 2 Timothy 3:15–17, is it BIBLE or SCRIPTURE? Later I will show you that Bible and Scripture as mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:15–17 are different. But answer my question first.
2. Letra-por-letra, saan naka sulat ang “alone” or “only”. Meron bang naka sulat dyan o wala?
For 2.5 hours and counting my friend GB avoided these very simple questions by providing answers to questions I did not ask. 2 simple questions, 2 simple answers, but 2.5 hours wasted.
The answers to my questions are very obvious, even a grade 1 pupil will be able to answer that. For Question number 1, what is written there is “scripture” not “bible” and for Question number 2, there is no word stating “only” or “alone” or in tagalong “lamang”.
Therefore, GB’s and INC’s doctrine of Bible only is un-Biblical! It is not supported by the Bible. Plain and simple. That is why for 2.5 hours GB tried to avoid my questions.
Here I will explain why 2 Timothy 3:15–17 does not support the “Bible only” doctrine of my friend GB, the INC (and other Protestant groups).
First
What is written is “All Scripture” not “Only Scripture”. My INC friend is attempting to change the words of the Bible. There is a big difference between All and Only. For example, all Filipinos eat rice, this is different from only Filipinos eat rice. The former is true while the latter is false. This is self explanatory and needs no further elaboration.
Second
The word used in 2 Timothy 3:16 is “useful” not “sufficient”. There is a big difference between these two words. For example, we can say that water is useful in order for us to live, but it is not sufficient. We also need other basic needs like food, shelter, clothing etc. Similarly, scripture is useful for us but it is not sufficient for it is not the only source of Christian teaching, we also need oral traditions and the teaching authority of the Church which Jesus Christ founded.
Third
GB and the INC has the mistaken notion that the “scripture” mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:15–17 is the Bible. This, my friends, is a mistaken belief.
St. Paul was referring to the Old Testament, this is pretty obvious by St Paul’s reference to the Scripture being known to Timothy from “infancy” (verse 15).
Fourth
When St. Paul wrote the letter to Timothy, the Bible as we know it today was not yet formed, there was no list of New Testament books yet during that time. The Bible which has 73 books was only formed during the Synod of Rome in 382 A.D. and reaffirmed in the Councils of Hippo in 393 and Carthage in 397 A.D. Prior to these Catholic Church councils, there was no list of New Testament, there was no definitive list of books of the Bible, thus there was no Bible.
Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Movement. He deleted 7 books from the Bible
Then came Martin Luther, the Father of Protestantism, in the 16th century he removed 7 books from the Bible. Martin Luther removed 7 books of the Old Testament: Tobit, Judith, 1st & 2nd Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach & Baruch. Protestants adopted and continue until the present day to use this list by Martin Luther, as such their Bible only has 66 books.
Luther removed 7 books from the Bible which up to now is being used by the INC and Protestants
For almost 1,500 years, the early Christians have been using the Bible which has 73 books, and in the 16th century, out of nowhere and without authority, Martin Luther removed 7 books from the Bible. Unfortunately, Protestants and other groups like the INC continue to use this flawed Bible version which has only 66 books.
Now going back to the contention of my INC friend, it is clear that when 2 Timothy 3:15–17 mentioned “scripture”, it is not referring to the “Bible”. To repeat, the Bible only existed when the Synod of Rome in 382 A.D. accepted the 73 books in the Bible. Prior to 382 A.D. there was no Bible. Thus the “scripture” mentioned in 2 Timothy 3:15–17 is not the “Bible”.
GB:
1 Corinthians 4:6
Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not be puffed up in being a follower of one of us over against the other.
ito ang pahayag ni apostol pablo.hindi ka nya kasang ayon.
JSB: Again 1 Cor 4:6 does not support the “Bible only” doctrine of the INC which GB adheres to. Unfortunately for my friend GB, it is St Paul who disagrees with him and the INC. I will explain why:
First
As explained earlier, the Bible existed only in 382 A.D., when St Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians, there was no Bible yet. Thus, 1 Cor 4:6 does not refer to the Bible which does not exist yet during that time.
Second
1 Cor 4:6 does not support the “Bible only” belief of the INC. If St. Paul was referring to the books of the Bible then all books of the Bible written after the First Letter to the Corinthians (circa A.D. 56) should be rejected. Thus, if we follow GB and INC’s false doctrine, then Second Letter to the Corinthians, John’s Gospel, Acts, Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, Titus, 1 & 2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, Jude, and Revelation would all have to be jettisoned as non-authoritative.
Third
This quote against “going beyond” also appears in Deuteronomy 12:32 “See that you do all I command you; do not add to it or take away from it.” If we follow the false understanding of the INC, then because of Deuteronomy 12:32, which is from an Old Testament book, then all New Testament books should also be rejected because it would violate Deuteronomy 12:32. Certainly, this is a false understanding of Deuteronomy 12:32 and 1 Cor 4:6.
Fourth
This “Bible-only” doctrine is a man-made doctrine which started only during the time of Martin Luther and is now being followed by the INC. Prior to Martin Luther, you could not find any theologian advocating this false doctrine.
Fifth
The Bible tells us that in addition to the written word, we should also accept oral tradition.
2 Thessalonians 2:14
So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
Since 2 Thessalonians 2:14 clearly says that we must stand fast to the teachings that were handed also by oral tradition, then why does the INC do not follow this command from the Bible?
Sixth
The Bible says that the Church, not the Bible, is the “Pillar and Foundation of Truth”
1 Timothy 3:15
if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
This passage does not diminish the importance of the Bible but it clearly shows that the Church is superior to the Bible. In fact, the Bible came from the Church and not vice-versa. The Bible came from the Catholic Church and not from the INC which only existed in 1914.
At least my INC friend is candid enough to admit the obvious that the Bible did not come from them:
It is crystal clear from the above refutations that the “Bible-only” doctrine has no Biblical foundation/s, it is a man-made tradition which started only in the 16th century and adopted by the INC from the Protestant churches.
My friends, I exhort all of you to pray for my INC friend GB to return to the Catholic faith which he rejected and which he is now attacking. Let us pray that he will use his reason and good judgment to realize the truth from error. May the Lord Jesus Christ open his eyes, his hears and his mind to embrace the truth.