Scripture & Authority
11 questions in this topic
Are There Contradictions in the Bible?
There are apparent difficulties—complementary accounts, differing emphases, hard sayings—but no proven contradiction that overturns the faith. Most dissolve on closer reading, and we approach the text as a witness, not a suspect.
Read it →Can I Trust the Bible?
On the historical level, the Scriptures are remarkably well-attested. On the deeper level, they are trustworthy because their true Author is God, who does not lie—and because through them the Spirit actually delivers Christ.
Read it →Does God Still Speak Today?
Yes, constantly—through his living Word, Scripture read and the Gospel preached, not through private voices or dreams to chase. God has spoken plainly and fully in Christ and his Word; you already know exactly where to listen.
Read it →Does the Bible Have Errors?
Because Scripture is God's own Word and God does not lie, it does not teach error. Inerrancy means the Bible is true and trustworthy in all it affirms—read according to what each text is actually claiming.
Read it →How Did We Get the Bible?
The Bible was written by many human authors over centuries, carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Church did not create the canon so much as recognize the books that already bore God's authority.
Read it →How Should I Interpret the Bible?
Read every text in its plain sense, let clear passages interpret unclear ones, distinguish Law from Gospel—and above all, read the whole Bible as the book that is about Christ. He is the key that unlocks it.
Read it →Is the Old Testament Still Relevant for Christians?
Fully the Word of God, not a discarded rulebook—the ceremonial and civil laws given to Israel are fulfilled in Christ, but the moral law (chiefly the Ten Commandments) still binds because it flows from God's own unchanging character.
Read it →What About the 'Lost Gospels'?
The so-called lost gospels were written later, by groups outside the apostolic faith, and were never suppressed truths—they were recognized early as not fitting the Jesus the eyewitnesses knew. The four Gospels are the earliest and best-attested accounts.
Read it →What Is 'Scripture Alone' (Sola Scriptura)?
Not 'the Bible and nothing else,' but 'the Bible above everything else.' Scripture is the one source and norm that judges every teaching, tradition, and creed—including the Church's own.
Read it →Which Bible Translation Should I Use?
Translation is not corruption. The best all-purpose choice is a faithful, essentially literal translation you'll actually read. What matters far more than picking the 'perfect' version is opening the one you have.
Read it →Why Do Catholic Bibles Have Extra Books?
The Apocrypha are books written between the Testaments—useful and worth reading, but not on the level of Scripture. Lutherans follow the Hebrew canon for the Old Testament, and neither ignore these books nor treat them as God's Word.
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