Bible Only

[PrayzChrist]

I am just curious about those on this forum who would say they subscribe to the label "Bible Only."

Obviously, a definition of terms is in order, so I will explain what I mean by this adjective.

People who are Bible Only are those who only go to the Bible for their spiritual enlightenment and growth (the Holy Spirit is included in this). As such, they choose not to read the works and thoughts of the great theologians of the past (Aquinas, Augustine, Edwards, among many others). They prefer to come to the Bible with a blank slate and just let the doctrine held within pour into their souls as they read and meditate on Scripture. As such, they rely only on their Spirit led reasoning to come to doctrinal truth.

Please feel free to voice your questions, comments, or anything of the like, and I'll attempt to clear up any misunderstanding which stems from my (more than likely) inferior definition.

Until next time.

 

[monkeys]

Umm...well...I guess I'm not someone who only turns to the Bible to gain enlightment and grown in the Lord. But then again, it's not a bad thing for those who only do that, and I don't think it's a bad thing when people do research on what other have to say about God, i.e. their thoughts on who He is.

 

[Katie]

I agree with monkeys, most of the time I go to the bible to gain knowledge, but I do read other books, lately I have been reading books by John Eldredge. I think sometimes the Holy Spirit works through others to get things across to us. I still think the bible is the best place to go because we KNOW that everything is 100% true and NOT an opinion.

prayzChrist, what do you mean by "subscribe to the label"?

 

[PrayzChrist]

I agree with monkeys, most of the time I go to the bible to gain knowledge, but I do read other books, lately I have been reading books by John Eldredge. I think sometimes the Holy Spirit works through others to get things across to us. I still think the bible is the best place to go because we KNOW that everything is 100% true and NOT an opinion.

prayzChrist, what do you mean by "subscribe to the label"?

Some people will claim they do not belong to any school of theological thought or denomination, but they only follow the Bible for their doctrine.

Until next time.

 

[tqpix]

I read the Holy Bible and anything that has to do with Christian theology.

 

[Chad]

The Bible is....

- infallible Word of GOD
- GOD's love letter to us
- the book of life
- the book of wisdom
- the book of truth
- the book of understanding
- the living Word

Show me any other book to top of this all-in-all direct from GOD living Book. I read only Christian related books by Spirit led authors. Some would be Max Lucado, T.D. Jakes, Charles Stanley to name a few.

 

[Zulu]

The Bible is the ultimate guide for our existance. No other book can give you the purpose of life than the Bible. All other books will tell you what the Bible already told you, if you read it.

I don't say not to read other material, I just say that the Bible is the only teaching book about God's word.

Myself do read other material on subjects that is of interest to me but refer all to the Bible for verification.

 

[HouseofJudah]

I think reading other books is also a way of expanding your knowledge about certain things. I read alot of books to grow spiritually and use the bible as a reference to make sure what I am reading is not someone's own theology or doctrine. I do also read the bible.

 

[kenwyn]

If being "Bible Only" means shutting ourselves off from other people's thoughts, it could leave us open to all sorts of unhealthy interpretations of the Bible. We need to have the humility to recognise that we don't always get it right, that we all come to the Bible with our own prejudices and preferences, and that it is easy to twist the words of God in our own understanding.

Reading the thoughts of great theologians past and present can be a balance to this. We can also learn a lot from people who are able to devote their life and work to studying the Bible

As everybody in this thread else has said, the Bible is our only authority. But the words and works of others can help us understand and appreciate the wisdom of God's word more deeply.

 

[Ncdataman]

We should START with the Bible, but I have no issue with reading other forms of Christian lit. With that in mind we must remember to always put the Bible first in terms of what is correct.

God Bless!

 

[Chad]

We should START with the Bible, but I have no issue with reading other forms of Christian lit. With that in mind we must remember to always put the Bible first in terms of what is correct.

God Bless!

Bingo! Well said. The Bible should be first and should be the authoritative book in our lives.