frankiestein
Eternal Poster
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Q: Why do you forbid your members to read the Bible when the Bible is an open book? Wasn't the Bible even translated into different languages so that people from various races and nationalities could benefit from it?
A: First of all, there is no such prohibition for members of the Church Of Christ to read the Bible. However, we do not agree with your belief that the Bible, like a work in literature, is an "open book" or that it can be understood and interpreted by simply reading it. To illustrate the point, let us turn to the Bible and examine the case of the Ethiopian eunuch:
"... The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over and walk along beside the carriage.' Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah; so he asked, ' Do you understand what you are reading?' the man replied, 'How can I, when there is no one to instruct me?' And he begged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him." (Acts 8:27-31, New Living Translation)
In the preceding biblical passages we see that the eunuch was already reading the Book of Isaiah. But, when asked if he understood what he was reading, his reply was, "How can I, when there is no one to instruct me?"
This clearly shows that no matter how educated we are, we do need someone to instruct us. This is because the Bible is, in truth, not an open book (I Cor. 2:6-8). That is why it cannot be understood by just anyone, even through diligent self-study (II Tim. 3:7). It is not for private interpretation either (II Pet. 1:20-21), for only God's messengers are given the knowledge of the mystery of the Kingdom of God (Mark 4:10-12). They are the stewards of God's mysteries (I Cor. 4:1). Therefore, only God's ministers in the true Church of Christ are authorized to preach God's words, for they are guided by the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
Indeed, everyone must benefit from the enormous wisdom the Bible offers, and everyone must understand the "truth" or the words of God (John 17:17) in order to attain salvation (I Tim. 2:4). That is why, in our time, God Himself placed a leader in the true Church Of Christ, the Executive Minister, to whom He has entrusted the task of making His message fully known (I Cor. 12:28; Col. 1:25, Holman Christian Standard Bible).
Resource: PASUGO God's Message (September 2016), page 2
I shared this not to argue with anyone about faith, beliefs, or religion but to address this misconception about us not reading or relying on the Bible. Matter of fact, our faith is deeply rooted on the Bible and all our practices are based on it.
Why am I in need of addressing this concern? Because first, as human beings we hate fake news. Second, those people are circumventing the truth in order for them to gain praises. Lastly and most importantly, it is my duty to tell others the truth.
What stimulated me to start this thread? It all started one Sunday morning when I was waiting for my therapy session. I sat down in our town's plaza near the place where there were therapists talking. An old man was bragging about his church while twisting his stories, saying we members of the Church Of Christ don't read the Bible and our ministers just invented our doctrines.
His bigotry is exceptional. He's in normal condition and I am clinging to just half of who I am because I'm suffering from mild stroke, but I still feel blessed I'm not desperate to bring others down to satisfy myself.
I know some people may argue with me on this thread but let me inform you that I'm not commissioned to debate regarding our beliefs and your beliefs. All quoted above are supported by Bible verses and published by one of our Church's ministers. If you want to raise your concerns, visit any of our local churches and look for our ministers. Again, this thread is to just clarify the allegations of those critics who are just looking from the outside. We members have our Bibles at home, read them, and even note down verses that are cited by the ministers during our worship service. In short, it's very transparent. Expect more bigotry from comments later on. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion but the truth remains.
You may hate or criticize me and my thread but I will never hate you back. I'll continue sharing my thoughts and ideas regarding internet tricks and tutorials.
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