What is your basis for discounting the Bible as the "foundation" of Christianity?
Those first century followers of Jesus didn’t even have the Bible, because the Bible didn’t even exist yet. But Jesus’ movement made some great strides early on ‘without’ a Bible. Jewish Christians didn’t have their lives changed by the Old Testament books that they’d been reading and studying and living by for their entire lives...! The Apostles didn’t become emboldened and stand up to the very power structure that had Jesus crucified because they were motivated by the Old Testament books that they’d been reading and studying their entire lives...! And Saul, who was the Pharisee of Pharisees, who was expert at the books of the Old Testament...and lived his life according to them...didn’t become the Apostle Paul due to those Old Testament books that his entire life was centered on...! Jesus’ Apostles...who hid and were scared after Jesus was executed...later made a remarkable change. They became emboldened, they faced and defied the very people who had Jesus crucified. It WASN’T the Old Testament that brought about this change in them, and it WASN’T any New Testament documents (which hadn’t even been written yet) that brought about this change in them. They were emboldened by something they had seen with their own eyes. They saw Jesus killed. And a few days later they had breakfast with Him on the beach...! They ALL experienced the risen Jesus. THAT is what changed their lives. For me, the faith of Christianity is tethered to the event of the Resurrection rather than the authority and inspiration or infallibility or inerrancy of the Bible. The Bible did not create Christianity. The Bible did not birth Jesus’ Church. For me, the faith is anchored to the event (the Resurrection) that sparked the movement (the Church) that brought us the Bible. To me, Christianity began on the very first Easter morning with an empty tomb...! These people were closest to Jesus. They followed Him, they lived with Him, they learned directly from Him, and they literally ‘experienced’ life with Him while He was on earth. The foundation of *their* faith, to me, *is* the foundation of the Christian faith.
I see what you are saying, antlers. I respectfully disagree in part. I agree with the faith in the death, burial and resurrection being the source of that new birth, and relationship with God. Certainly there's no true church without the Living Word. I couldn't put it better myself. 👍
Since then, I believe that we have the most highly documented ancient collection of books and manuscripts due to the Divine actions of God. The disciples and Jesus preached from the O.T. and later the Better Testament was given as the additional Scriptures.....ending complete with Revelation.
The part of difference is the place of the Bible in the continuation of churches. There's been a trail of martyrs blood throughout history by those who held to Scripture over the teachings of the established state "Universal Church." I was taught by Catholicism that traditions, vatican councils, Popes speaking excathedra were at a highly trustworthy level as revelation from God. I think that these are put on equal trust with the Bible, which should be interpreted according to official church teaching. When I got saved, I came to place more and more faith in the trustworthy Bible. I am not a follower of that religion or the "Father/pope" either in case anybody is wondering. I don't think that you do either antlers.... unless you correct me.
How do we know and everyone else know of the Savior if not from God's inspired, inerrant Word? We would be left with oral traditions, church "fathers", current "fathers/popes", councils, and mainstream "Universal Church" officially allowed interpretation of Scripture.
God gave us His Word so we could have a clear trustworthy document of the all important Savior Who was tortured and died on our behalf and after three days arise bodily.....seen of hundreds of eye witnesses who could testify of that fact to all sceptics of that generation. I trust Him BECAUSE of His supernatural Word. That is how we today can have the same power and relationship with the Lord as the disciples who saw the Savior in person.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
My Church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ being the Chief Corner Stone. We know and see Him and them from the Bible don't we?
