Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God's will, both publicly and privately--behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage]; |
Bible Question (short): What authority does the The Westminster |
Question (full): WOS, I applaud your quick response and your obvious expression of your faith. I would like to know: what authority does the The Westminster Confession of Faith have to determine the canon of sacred scripture? How would I know that what the Westminster Confession of Faith taught was the truth? The Westminster Confession of Faith was written 100 years after Trent at the reqest of the English Parliment whereas the Council of Hippo had already compiled the canon of sacred writings almost 1,300 years prior. The Hippo Synod had much more reliable manuscripts available as well as, through apostolic succession, the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Had not the early Catholic Church discerned the scriptures as God intended, we would still have books such as the aforementioned gospel of Thomas, etc. I'm sure you would agree that if the Church was able to eliminate the uninspired writings, then the ones remaining must be inspired. Otherwise none of the books of any bible today could be considered as Divine Revelation. “It was by the apostolic Tradition that the Church discerned which writings are to be included in the list of the sacred books. This complete list is called the canon of Scripture. It includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New. The Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. The New Testament: the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters of St. Paul to the Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, the Letter to the Hebrews, the Letters of James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1, 2, and 3 John, and Jude, and Revelation (the Apocalypse).” Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph 120 On a personal note, if God did have more to say wouldn't you want to hear it? The Catholic Bible has 7 additional books of His divine message. That could be a lifetime of study in itself. I once heard a theologian remark "Everything new I learn about God is another reason for me to love Him." I encourage you to keep learning and keep growing in your love of God. In Christ Jesus, stjames7 |