Question about "It's Only True if it's in the Bible?"

Question

I recently became a Christian and accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. A friend of mine helped me find him and I've been attending church regularly. Sadly, I'm pretty ignorant about the church, Christianity, and am trying to learn more.
My church teaches that something is only true if it's in the Bible, which makes sense to me. But I just found out the Bible (New Testament) wasn't written until 300 years after Jesus died? If that's true, then what of the first believers? What did they follow those first 300 years? How were they following a true church without the bible? Could they really be Christians?
I need some explanation. Thanks!

Answer 1

300 years? That's a lie. The last NT book to be written (Revelation) was completed around 90 CE. The NT wasn't canonized (made official) until 325, but it was there and being used by the churches all along. And the Tanakh ("Old Testament") was considered Scripture in its current form in about 400 BCE, when it got final approval from the Anshei Knesset HaGedulah that Ezra started during the Exile.



Everything in the Bible is true, but it doesn't contain all the truth there is. All Truth is G-d's Truth, but the Bible only deals with the Truth related to G-d's message to us.

Answer 2

First off, good for you for starting your new life in Christ. It'll be a wonderful (though not easy) journey.



Now, I wouldn't take that statement too literally. True things are happening outside the Bible all the time. What you are experiencing with God right now is true and real, but it's not exactly written in the Bible.



So here's my take on this whole thing from what I know so far. Mind you, I'm still learning myself. Sorry in advance for a really long answer.



I think what your church is trying to teach you is about what's referred to as the Canon. Our complete Bible right now is a collection of the accounts written over all of those years. They were carefully examined to figure out what actually came from God and what didn't. The "books" in the Bible are written by different people in different places, sometimes being written at the same time. Some books were not included because they didn't quite make sense with the rest of the teachings. The 300 years after Jesus died might be referring to when this compilation finally came together. So there were writings, but they weren't considered part of the Bible yet.



The church really is us Christians coming together in fellowship and worship. It doesn't have to be in a particular place. The first "churches" were small groups in people's homes. And the Bible is how we can tap into God's word. He's so distant from us now, and His voice so soft, that sometimes we don't really hear what He's trying to tell us. So we turn to the Bible to figure out what was taught then from the people that actually knew Jesus, and we see how to apply that knowledge now. We don't have those people that knew Jesus to learn from, as they still did after Jesus' death. All we have is the Bible to know the truth of what happened those many many years ago.



I think it's wonderful that you are so curious and so willing to learn. Be careful about what people tell you though. Think about it for yourself. Pray about it. There are a lot of variations of Christianity out there, with a lot of different practices that aren't necessarily true. Some other beliefs are also really close to Christianity, but have a few inconsistencies, so be wary. With the help of God, you'll have to decide for yourself. Don't just blindly follow what other Christians or "Christians" tell you. Think critically. Seek the truth, and God will reveal it to you.

Answer 3

Ah, I find it difficult to believe that you think the statement: "something is only true if it's in the Bible" makes sense. Think about that! If that statement is "true" then virtually everything you take for granted as modern "reality" is "false" because it is not mentioned in the Bible! The calculation of the speed of light is "false" because such is not mentioned in the Bible. E=MCs is "false" because it is not in the Bible! Ah, I think it is time for you get out of that "cult" and find a sane and rational form of Christianity before you are led to believe hardly anything you know as "real" is a "lie." No kidding, dude! Unless you live in rural Oklahoma or some such place, I'm sure there are lot's of nice, normal Churches around. Pick one, any one.



The books that make up the New Testament were not written that late. However, the New Testament canon as we know it was not uniformly used throughout the whole orthodox Christian Church until about 350 AD. The important thing to remember is that for Christian belief, Jesus Christ is first and foremost the WORD of God. That is what the Gospel of John says. He is the Word, God's message to humanity made flesh. What did Christians belief before the New Testament was compiled? They believed in him!! They believed in the oral testamony of the apostles and the early Christian missionaries who witnessed to Gospel that Christ died and rose again. We now have the written testamony which is the New Testament. The New Testament is the "Word of God" in as much as it is a witness to the THE WORD OF GOD which is Christ. Our faith is in Christ, not in a book. Our faith is in the living Lord, and the New Testament is the witness to his life, ministry, death and resurrection. Before the New Testament was written down, there was an "oral" testament. There was an oral witness - the preaching of the Gospel, the good news that spread and planted new Christian communities throughout the Roman empire. As the Christian community grew, the early Christian witness was "written" down. This became our New Testament. But do not confuse the "book" with the object of your faith which is always the person of Christ who is himself THE WORD OF GOD made flesh.

Answer 4

Your churches view that something is "only true if it's in the Bible" is sadly distorted and skewed. Granted if it's in the Bible, it's true, but that doesn't mean every relative truth is in the Bible.



The books comprising the Bible were written over a pretty great length of time. Some were written by the actual Apostles as soon as 30 years after Jesus was crucified, others were written much later.



What we know as the "church" was very disorganized in it's early days. People would meet, illegally mind you, in houses to discuss their faith, based on the teachings passed on to them (from their friends and relatives familiar with the teachings of Jesus and His disciples). Gradually, over time, the church evolved into what it is today.



The Roman Catholic church officially adopted "canon law," officially compiling the various teachings of Jesus into what we now call the Bible. The thing you have to remember is that the Bible is the inspired word of God. He didn't write it directly, but He directly influenced those who wrote and compiled it, hence our reliance on it as God's Word.



Hope this helps you understand a little about all this!

Answer 5

The first century church followed only the Holy Spirit that lives in them. Remember the 12 disciples have true relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus promises that they will received His Spirit and they will teach them the truth and guide them through. The first Gospel that had bee written was The Gospel according to Mark and the others follows. The last one written was Revelation by John. Every Information that you want to know is in the Bible. All you have to do is read the Word and ask God to guide you through. Only God can teach you everything that you need to know about Him.

Answer 6

That is not true, your sources are probably main-stream historians. The new testament church at it's earliest stages, which began with Christ Himself, had the writers of the new testament living at the same time as Jesus Himself, Mathew, Mark, Luke, John,Peter and Paul sure did not live three hundred years. The source you speak of may have been relating to a translation but surely not the original. Remember, most of what is written as history is written of mainstream institatutions which have nothing to do with Christ's body(church) which is not call a religion, protestant but called the Faith that was once delivered to the saints(By Christj)

Answer 7

Hey man, I went through the same exact thing you are going through. Right after I came to Christ, I started to believe the Bible was a big hoax. So first make sure of your salvation, examine your faith.



Do you understand you broke the Ten Commandments, do not lie, steal, murder, ect, God's law, therefore would be guilty on judgement on day? And becasue of this, guilty people go to hell.



Christ came and died for us to save us fron God's wrath againt sin and sinners. So really examine your salvation.



That being said, the New Testament was written AD 50-90, so it was about a gap of 35 years of the most.



Go buy or check out this this book, Lee Strobel's "The Case For Christ". I garuntee it will answer every question you can ever have about the Bible and when it was written ect. It's such a good read.



Peace

Answer 8

Your church is opening itself up to some serious issues with both logic and history with that statement.



Not only was the Bible not codified until much after the time of Jesus, there were many texts that didn't make the final cut but that had been used by early churches. Look up the term "Apocrypha" if you would like to know more.

Answer 9

The first Christians had no doubts about how to determine which was the true Church and which doctrines the true teachings of Christ.

The role of apostolic succession in preserving true doctrine is illustrated in the Bible. To make sure that the apostles’ teachings would be passed down after the deaths of the apostles, Paul told Timothy, "What you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2). In this passage he refers to the first three generations of apostolic succession—his own generation, Timothy’s generation, and the generation Timothy will teach.



The Church Fathers, who were links in that chain of succession, regularly appealed to apostolic succession as a test for whether Catholics or heretics had correct doctrine. This was necessary because heretics simply put their own interpretations, even bizarre ones, on Scripture. Clearly, something other than Scripture had to be used as an ultimate test of doctrine in these cases.



The most obvious answer was that the apostles had committed it orally to the Church, where it had been handed down from generation to generation. . . . Unlike the alleged secret tradition of the Gnostics, it was entirely public and open, having been entrusted by the apostles to their successors, and by these in turn to those who followed them, and was visible in the Church for all who cared to look for it



For the early Fathers, "the identity of the oral tradition with the original revelation is guaranteed by the unbroken succession of bishops in the great sees going back lineally to the apostles. . . . An additional safeguard is supplied by the Holy Spirit, for the message committed was to the Church, and the Church is the home of the Spirit. Indeed, the Church’s bishops are . . . Spirit-endowed men who have been vouchsafed ‘an infallible charism of truth’" .



On the basis of experience the Fathers could be profoundly convinced of the futility of arguing with heretics merely on the basis of Scripture. The skill and success with which they twisted its plain meaning made it impossible to reach any decisive conclusion in that field.

Answer 10

i am a christian myself, where did you hear that the new testament was written 300 years after jesus died?

well i believe that it might have taken that long to finish completely or collaborate but i don't think it is 300 hundred years later.

for example one of Jesus' followers, the apostle John wrote many books of the New testement including Revelations, which is the last book.

well even if they didn't have the bible through fellowship, prayer, worship and sharing they are still believing and God's children



it's great to hear that you are a new believer! welcome!

hope you will experience Him through you life!

Answer 11

The King James bible went to press in May 1611, Much different than the old testament. The King James bible is for people who need self justification. Works well in a delusional country when people don't face reality.

Answer 12

The Catholic has divine faith.

Because the Church teaches me so.

Because God has commanded me to believe the teaching of the Church.



We are taught by St. Peter, in his epistle, "No prophecy of Scripture is made by private interpretation ... for the unlearned and unstable wrest ... Scriptures ... to their own descruction."



Our Divine Savior has given us a living teacher, to give us the true meaning of the Bible.



And He has provided a teacher with infallibility. And this was absolutely necessary, for without infallibility, we could never be sure of our faith. There must be an infallibility.



Whenever Christ speaks of His Church, it is always in the singular.....that he has established only one Church, only one Church.



Whenever He speaks, whether in figures or parables of His Church, He always conveys to the mind a oneness, a union, a unity.



He speaks of His Church as a sheepfold, in which there is but one shepherd, that is the head of all.



He speaks of His Church as of a kingdom, in which there is but one king to rule all. And He speaks of His Church as a family in which there is but one father at the head. He speaks of His Church as a tree, and all the branches of that tree are connected with the trunk, and the trunk with the roots, and Christ is the root. The trunk is Peter and the Popes, the large branches are the bishops, the smaller branches the priests, and the fruit upon that tree are the faithful throughout the world. The branch, says He, that is cut off from that tree shall wither away, produce no fruit, and is only fit to be cast into the fire, that is, damnation.



There are many different Protestant churches in existence, and almost every year one or two more are added. Besides this number, there is the Catholic Church.



The history of all nations, of all people, bears testimony that the Catholic Church is the oldest and the first. It is the one established by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.



Not only all history, but all the monuments of antiquity bear testimony to this, and all the nations of the earth proclaim it.



If the Catholic Church had been once the true church, then she is still true, and shall be the true Church of God to the end of time.



For Christ has promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church. He says that He has built it upon a rock, and that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it.



Christ commands us to hear and believe the teachings of the Church in all things, at all times and in all places.



St. Paul says, "The Church is the ground and the pillar of truth," and the moment you take away the authority of the Church of God you induce all kinds of errors and blasphemous doctrines.



Christ had established His Church and given His solemn oath that His Church should stand to the end of time. He promised that He had built it upon rock, and that the gates of hell should never prevail against it. All those different denominations of religion are the inventions of man.



The Only Church That Christ Established Is The Catholic Church. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned." [Mark 16:16].

Answer 13

Paul began his missionary work in about 47 AD. Much of the New Testament was written by his God inspired hand.



By the way, it's ok to think .... regardless of what the amateurs around here claim.

Answer 14

they were following the teachings of jesus. Also the teachings that Paul went about teaching to all the church's. They followed those teachings the same ones we have today.

Answer 15

Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were written in the first century. Collection of all the books in the bible was written in the fourth century. You can easily find all this.

Answer 16

Many truths are not represented in the Bible.



I burned my leg ( many times before) Saturday on a motorcycle pipe. It hurts. The 'burn' hurt, the shower hurts it, my pants leg hurts it, it hurts when I stretch my leg out on the carpet. Any and all touch hurts a burn. THAT is true, it is NOT in the Bible. The 'truth' is this..........had I been wearing my protective "leathers", instead of shorts, there would not have been a burn at all!





The Bible serves ( like motorcycle leathers) to protect us, only when we choose to use the protection. When we choose "freedom" instead, we must be prepared to suffer the consequences...........I am not 'crying' to anyone about my burn.

Answer 17

They had the eyewitness accounts of Jesus's disciples and the letters of Paul the apostle, and the books of the old testament.

Answer 18

There were so many things changed, taken out, and completly falsified in the Bible as it was "translated" over the years that we may never know what was originaly written. It's a shame that you would devote your life and soul to something that you are uneducated about. (no offence) Anyways, you may find this interesting.



http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

Answer 19

No, the Bible was fully written before the last apostle died. Somebody lied to you.



And nothing in the Bibe says that a thing is untrue unless it is in the Bible.



I am always suspicious of these kinds of questions because athiests often pose as Christians in order to decieve babes in Christ. And the down arrows I get show that most athiests on this site don't like truthful answers.

Answer 20

Computers are not in the bible, and yet you asked this question using a computer. This doesn't make the computer not real.

Answer 21

It's not going to work if you ask questions like that.



I suggest you keep asking and look until you find the answers, but just warning you... finding the answers will likely end your faith.

Answer 22

It's not true that your username is MacKenzie B, because it's not in the Bible.

Answer 23

"What separates us as believers in Christ is much less than what unites us." (Pope John XXIII)

Answer 24

Aye me.



Best advice I can give: Think for yourself.

Answer 25

Ah. You've started thinking. I suggest you keep it to yourself. Churches don't like people who think.

Answer 26

the bible says that pi = 3



now go do some math homework and see how far religion gets you in the real world.