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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:
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 |
Bible Answer: "what authority does 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?" 1Corinthians 2:5 that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. As to what my post alluded to, the authority is with an infallible God, not fallible men or church councils. A church cannot set itself above the authority God as no man can. The canon supports itself as ordained by God. Concerning the apocrypha: "Finally, the books of the Apocrypha abound in doctrinal, ethical, and historical errors. For instance, Tobit claims to have been alive when Jeroboam revolted (931 B.C.) and when Assyria conquered Israel (722 B.C.), despite the fact that his lifespan was only a total of 158 years (Tobit 1:3-5; 14:11)! Judith mistakenly identifies Nebuchadnezzar as king of the Assyrians (1:1, 7). Tobit endorses the superstitious use of fish liver to ward off demons (6: 6,7)! The theological errors are equally significant. Wisdom of Solomon teaches the creation of the world from pre-existent matter (7:17). II Maccabees teaches prayers for the dead (12:45-46), and Tobit teaches salvation by the good work of almsgiving (12:9) -- quite contrary to inspired Scripture (such as John 1:3; II Samuel 12:19; Hebrews 9:27; Romans 4:5; Galatians 3:11)." - The Concept and Importance of Canonicity by Greg Bahnsen http://www.reformed.org/bible/index.html It is no longer debatable; our focus should be on Christ and not fallible men or councils. Ephesians 4:2-7: 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. 7 But unto each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Stand in His grace, WOS |