I don't see why not. it worked for the first 300-400 years. Although there were an awful lot of heresies back then, too. Certainly would put to rest the "Sola Scriptorum" argument
Then again, what makes a Christian? Would we still be able to "walk with Christ" if all we had was the oral tradition to guide us? Would there be special attention given to the early Saints & their writings?
What do you mean by "Bible"? Would we still have the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John w/out the "authority"? Would we have the Acts? Would we have the Letters? Would all of these resources be available to us, just without the knowledge that they were divinely inspired? Or would we be deprived of these things?
I think that without the early Church fathers & their accounts/ writings/ letters, we would not even know HOW to be Christians, or what it meant to be a Christian.
__________________
Vizslas... because life's too short to hunt with an ugly dog.
Take a warrior hunting!! http://www.warriorsoutdoors.com/
The Church did justfine without the "BIBLE". They NEVER, neglected the scriptures, but searched them daily to see if these things beso. Jesus had commanded them to do such. Search the scriptures, for in them, ye think ye have eternal life. Jesus even "opened their understanding that they might understand all things that were written concerning him, in the Law, the Psalms, and in the Prophets". With just the Old Testament writtings, they went everywhere preaching Christ and him crucified. I determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified.
I read these scriptures and it made me wonder. If a person has the Holy Spirit it wil teachthem all things. It will all be the truth and perfect. If everyone who claims to be led by the Spirit is teaching the truth then why is there so many variations of interperation? Jhn 14:26
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Jhn 16:13
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
__________________
Elm River Hunt Club
Wayne County Illinois
www.illinoisdeerhunters.com
Compare John 14:26 with Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. V12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.
SinceThe Holy Ghostdoes all the teaching, and the grace of God also teaches us in this present world, IsThe Holy Ghost,and the grace of God, one and the same? Would that also make the Grace of God a 4th Person?
Could we function as Christians without the Bible?
Good question...
DO you meanpresently or before we were saved..
A. If you mean presently..yes..I know of missoinaireis that have spent 15 years in a cell without the Word..They simply sustained on the scripture that they already had memorized..
B. If you mean where would be at todsy if there was no scripture of any kind.? We would all be lost.For we are begotten by the Word..It's the seed that according to James
It's what gives us hope, faith, and reveals God to us..The Word is Spirit..we would all be doing our own thing.
Can you drive without learning ?
The Bible is the guide for our everyday living, without it we would just be like the taliban,IMO[&:]
__________________
The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
פרץ
Depends on ones definition of function. The person that makes a living speaking on it would find it difficult along with many denominations that need it for proof of why they live the way they do. A very large segment of our economy greatly depends on it.
God can cause the rocks to teach if He wants, maybe nothing more than a sharp rap to the head but...
Could we function as Christians without the Bible?
What makes the Bible? Is it the language it is translated into? Is it peices of paper written on with black and red ink? Is it the same if written in our hearts? Is it only the bible if read, but not when heard?
What sets the "Bible" aside and apart from all else?
Il Ray, there's a couple of reasons. Christ meant his revelation to mean something to each person in every age, so no single interpretation could ever exhaust it. There are bound to be many.
Now, it's certain that some of those interpretations will be wrong. This is a difficulty that's fairly easy to overcome in Catholicism (my own denomination), as we consider those passages you quoted (as well as some others), to be the foundation for the idea of an authoritative interpreter. We would say the power and authority of the Apostles was passed on to successors. (Bishops and pope). If it warranted, they can settle the dispute.
In the Catholic and Orthodox ways of thinking, I think a case could be made that the faith would continue (Presuming that one of them at least is the Christianity established by Christ). They accept tradition (in some forms) as a mode of revelation, besides scripture itself, and see the church as containing the message of Christ within her, guided by the Spirit, etc. They also utilize sacraments as vehicles of grace. Scripture is obviously important, but there are some things in each that suggest that the message would be carried on in some format that's protected by God.
Million Dollar Question
