We are never afraid to address questions so listed below are some questions we have been asked. If you have any questions, please contact us by email, phone or in person and we will be happy to talk to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is the entire bible the verbally inspired word of God?
A. Sometimes people are looking for contradictions in the Bible and so they will try to find anything that looks like a contradiction. Certainly, there are copyist errors. The fact is that the copies of the biblical manuscripts are not perfect. These copy errors account for several alleged contradictions. The opponents of Christianity often use Bible difficulties in their attempts to discredit Christianity. It is rather easy to answer their objections if you simply look at the content and apply a little logic. A contradiction occurs when on statement makes another statement impossible when both statements deal with the same topic at the same time. If one gospel account says two people went to Jesus' tomb and another says only one went, it is not a contradiction because the accounts do not say that only one went or only two went. If one account said that only one went, then two could not have gone and that would be a contradiction.
3. Is the new testament (NT) the only acceptable Christian authority?
4. Must we have scriptural authority for all we do as Christians?
A. The fullest statement on the divine inspiration of Scripture is found in Paul's second letter to Timothy (3:15-17) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20timothy%203:15-17&version=NIV "From childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." Scripture will be of little value if it does not govern how we live out our lives both as individuals and as a corporate body.
5. How does scriptural authority and interpretation work together?
A. We as Christians typically use Hermeneutics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeneutics) requiring that Scripture be interpreted in a way that is consistent with its context (not pulling things out of their context), which means that a passage must be interpreted in a way that is written about, whom it is written by, and so on. We interpret Scripture using the CENI (command, example, and necessary inference) method. According to CENI, if a teaching is found in any of these three forms in scripture, we are obligated to obey it. CENI contains its own controversies and gray areas, but with a little discretion it can be a quite reasonable way to understand scripture.
6. Must God specifically forbid something in order for it to be sinful?
A. This is the principals of silence in the Scriptures. It holds that we must have authorization in the scriptures for every practice of the church. Christians are caught in a vise. On one side we are prohibited from doing anything not authorized in scripture. On the other side we are mandated to do everything that is. There is no room for a gray area, no room for differences of opinion. If every practice is either mandatory or prohibited, and if we cannot agree on which practices are which, unity becomes impossible. Given the priority the the scriptures place on unity, the impossibility of unity is an untenable position. So there must be room for a difference of opinion in the church. And we must not divide over every difference.
Finally, Peter says the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." 2 Peter 3:10. An unquenchable fire is one that cannot be put out. It burns until it has consumed all combustible materials. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20peter%203:10&version=NIV