Is Sola Scriptura Unbiblical?

[Grandliseur]

Dreams, visions and even what sounds like a voice but not a voice as we understand it

Obviously, the prophets of old, even the NT prophets experienced the above, but that is rare. I am sure it still happens but again, rarely.

 

[Grandliseur]

That would be a very different approach as to what I would do. Only a few religions I know talks through someone and/or sacred text to talk to god(s). Most talk to god directly. I guess it makes more sense if you love someone and told their friends to write a book about that person but you had the option to talk with your friend directly and hear your friend, wouldn't it be wise to check the book if it aligns with what your friend says rather than align your friends words (doubt him, basically) to align what his friend's say about him?

Sometimes I use an analogy as to see it a it more objective and from another person's point of view. Does that make sense?

Prayer:
Additional info: while God doesn't answer us verbally, he does answer our prayers in giving us what we ask for on many occasions. So, we get the assistance requested on many occasions; in some cases, the answer is no.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Prayer:
Additional info: while God doesn't answer us verbally, he does answer our prayers in giving us what we ask for on many occasions. So, we get the assistance requested on many occasions; in some cases, the answer is no.

May I ask, why do you speak to him verbally if he cannot speak to you verbally? Not as in having a vocal cord, but any physical communication that is from god that is aligned with the bible?

 

[shunyadragon]

While in some religions there is direct communication with the entity that one tries to communicate with, in the Bible we are asked to pray to God, but he does not answer us in voice or verbal communication.

This a rather modern view. Throughout the Bible God indeed talks directly to humans, and in history God talking directly to select chosen people is common.

Our scripture contains all that we have, this permits us to verify all things verbal with a solid written record so that all things must harmonize with the written word to have meaning. We are told to verify our inspired prophetic matters with the written word, if such occurs.

I will dispute the 'solid written record.' I anything the reverse better reflects the evidence of a very human scripture compiled and edited over the time it was written,

 

[shunyadragon]

This statement I strongly disagree with. The NT contains strong evidence for how it was formed.
Please see this link: >Truth Seeker - The New Testament<

The NT contains strong evidence that it was compiled and edited by different people, likely the Church Fathers making the final selection, over time with no written gospels existing prior to 50 AD, and the authors of the gospels are unknown.

 

[Grandliseur]

May I ask, why do you speak to him verbally if he cannot speak to you verbally? Not as in having a vocal cord, but any physical communication that is from god that is aligned with the bible?

Prayers may be said out loud, but really that is not for God's benefit; it may benefit those who attend and listen to the prayer. In private, I usually just say my prayers in my mind. My God is the Biblical God; however, I also pray to Christ, but not as God; I pray to Christ as Lord and Owner.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Prayers may be said out loud, but really that is not for God's benefit; it may benefit those who attend and listen to the prayer. In private, I usually just say my prayers in my mind. My God is the Biblical God; however, I also pray to Christ, but not as God; I pray to Christ as Lord and Owner.

Does he have any physical communication with you aligned with the bible?

I know my friend said she heard christ whisper to her. Many christians use language I don't understand.

 

[Grandliseur]

The NT contains strong evidence that it was compiled and edited by different people, likely the Church Fathers making the final selection, over time with no written gospels existing prior to 50 AD, and the authors of the gospels are unknown.

I disagree. The internal evidence shows that the Christian church (people) at that time kept in touch with each other by letter writing, by visiting apostles, etc. Thus, all knew what was written from the word Go. That this distorted picture exist that some have - is simply because they don't accept that the church kept being busy, growing from Christ's death on.

There is even written testimony from early times that states that the Jewish religious authorities had trouble with these writings because they contained the name of God and therefore had a difficult time destroying them legally.

 

[Grandliseur]

Does he have any physical communication with you aligned with the bible?

I know my friend said she heard christ whisper to her. Many christians use language I don't understand.

Verbal communication occurs mostly not. But, when reading the Bible we know what we must do. Also, in my case, when I pray for something, think of spiritual matters, the scripture I need to mediate on many times is shown me when I open my Bible. This last one, is not a common method for most people.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Verbal communication occurs mostly not. But, when reading the Bible we know what we must do. Also, in my case, when I pray for something, think of spiritual matters, the scripture I need to mediate on many times is shown me when I open my Bible. This last one, is not a common method for most people.

When I went to Church, I prayed to god directly. The Church and bible helps and support but my immediate connection was with Christ. A lot of Catholics don't read their Bibles like protestants because they feel their connection is in service to people and worship to god (highest commandments). I love books, and I'm reading a good one right now. I just became a Buddhist so we have a lot of "books" that helps newbies and oldbies on our road to liberation. But all the books (suttas) all point to practice. The Buddha taught about practice.

In Christianity, all is about christ. The bible helps because it talks about him and people speak to him through the bible though I really do think that when jesus said "you look to scriptures as if it has eternal life rather than talking to him because they speak on his behalf" is essential in a christians practice. To develop a relationship with christ without dependency on the bible (after taking the training wheels off) then when you learn to talk with christ and hear him, when you go back to the bible you don't search for answers or wait instead it confirms what christ already told you without scripture.

That is the way I saw it and how I would see it now if going off the bible. Outside of that, people come to christ in many ways. He didn't say it was wrong to go to the bible, he just said don't use it as an idol.

 

[Kenny]

The NT contains strong evidence that it was compiled and edited by different people, likely the Church Fathers making the final selection, over time with no written gospels existing prior to 50 AD, and the authors of the gospels are unknown.

It is understandable that there are no gospels written prior to 50AD.

That the authors of the gospels are unknown is a modern interpretation.

 

[shunyadragon]

That the authors of the gospels are unknown is a modern interpretation.

Based on the evidence and not tradition.

 

[shunyadragon]

I disagree. The internal evidence shows that the Christian church (people) at that time kept in touch with each other by letter writing, by visiting apostles, etc. Thus, all knew what was written from the word Go. That this distorted picture exist that some have - is simply because they don't accept that the church kept being busy, growing from Christ's death on.

There is even written testimony from early times that states that the Jewish religious authorities had trouble with these writings because they contained the name of God and therefore had a difficult time destroying them legally.

I consider this conjecture based on anecdotal claims and not the evidence. The evidence indicates that oral accounts and/or simpler short written accounts after his death were compiled, added to, and edited to result in their final version at the hands of the Church Fathers,

There are many problems that reflect a lack of knowledge of the time Jesus lived such as:

What year was Jesus born? The accounts are confusing reflecting a lack of knowledge as to when the Roman census took place.

 

[Shiranui117]

My testing block for any teaching is the OT and NT. If the tradition doesn't agree with this, then it is not acceptable. It must be rejected in that case.


This statement I strongly disagree with. The NT contains strong evidence for how it was formed.
Please see this link: >Truth Seeker - The New Testament<

Except this completely contradicts what we know of history. The first person to suggest the canon of the NT as we know it today did so in 367 AD. Sure, some churches within the same region circulated certain Gospels and epistles among themselves. You can read this for a basic treatment of the subject. Heck, the Ethiopian Orthodox to this day have a 35-book New Testament. Many Church Fathers functioned off of a 26-book NT, or one with 24 books, 22 books, 28 books, 30 books... There was wide disagreement over which books belonged in the New Testament. Codex Sinaiticus (the oldest complete Biblical manuscript in existence, commissioned by the emperor Constantine) includes the Epistle of Barnabas, the Epistle of Clement and the Shepherd of Hermas as part of its New Testament canon.

 

[Kenny]

Based on the evidence and not tradition.

There would be many who would disagree on the basis of the evidence of the of 2nd century writers.

 

[shunyadragon]

There would be many who would disagree on the basis of the evidence of the of 2nd century writers.

As far as those who disagree, I would need references. One problem is that the evidence indicates the texts of the gospels, particularly the synoptic gospels, evolved, and were progressively edited and added to from ~50 AD? to their final form involving more than one author.

It is possible that the Gospel of John had one author, but the author is unknown, but traditionally the author is John son of Zebedee, one of Jesus' apostles. Text analysis concludes that the text has gone through two to three revisions.

 

[Kenny]

As far as those who disagree, I would need references. One problem is that the evidence indicates the texts of the gospels, particularly the synoptic gospels, evolved, and were progressively edited and added to from ~50 AD? to their final form involving more than one author.

It is possible that the Gospel of John had one author, but the author is unknown, but traditionally the author is John son of Zebedee, one of Jesus' apostles. Text analysis concludes that the text has gone through two to three revisions.

Whoever wrote it certainly was a Jew as he understood the Jewish customs, culture and Hebrew thought and its application as the Gospel.

And as most people know Irenaeus believed it was authored by John

 

[shunyadragon]

Prayer:
Additional info: while God doesn't answer us verbally, he does answer our prayers in giving us what we ask for on many occasions. So, we get the assistance requested on many occasions; in some cases, the answer is no.

Random enough to qualify for being just circumstances, wishful thinking, natural causes or just some things happen and some things do not.

 

[Kenny]

Random enough to qualify for being just circumstances, wishful thinking, natural causes or just some things happen and some things do not.

Or constant enough to know that God is involved in your life. To many times to be chalked up as "chance".

 

[shunyadragon]

Or constant enough to know that God is involved in your life. To many times to be chalked up as "chance".

This is far to anecdotal and self-serving to be meaningful.