WT Study article 05/18/2014

by piztjw 5 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  piztjw

  I just started reviewing this "lesson". I found this in paragraph 5, and am pondering making/attempting to make a comment on it that may cause someone to think.

  Par. 5 states this, ""The faith" is the body of Christian beliefs revealed in the Bible. If our words and actions match those beliefs, (the body of beliefs in the Bible. my words)then we pass the test......Of course we must also compare our lives with the entire scope of Christian teaching."

  Am I the only one who sees the problem with that? IF as the WT says the Bible contains the BODY OF CHRISTIAN BELIEFS, then WHERE are those other so-called Christian teachings found?

  By that paragraphs statement from the GB they have effectively set themselves and their "christian" teachings as higher than the Bible, God's inspired word, itself!
• 

  designs

  Theologically its called Patrology- teachings of the Church Fathers. Church Fathers were considered under HS and could speak for God on a wide range of matters.
• 

  Bobcat

  Piztjw:

  If you have the WT Library do a search for "the faith" (include the quotation marks).

  Check just returns on the Reference Bible (not the new Bible, but the older one. Its literalness will come to advantage here). There will be a few returns involving "the faith of Abraham" and the like but the main verses dealing with "the faith" as a description of the Christian religion occur at:

  Ac 6:7; 13:8; 14:22; 16:5; Ro 3:22; 1Co 16:13; 2Co 13:5; Ga 1:23; 3:23; 3:25; 6:10; Ep 1:15; 4:13; Php 1:27; Col 1:23; 2:7; 1Ti 1:2; 3:9; 3:13; 4:1; 4:6; 5:8; 6:10; 6:12; 2Ti 3:8; 3:15; 4:7; Tit 1:1; 1:13; 3:15; Ja 2:1; 1Pe 5:9; Ju 3; Re 14:12

  You could also paste these into the search bar of the WT Library (as is) and it will return all of these verses. Scrolling thru them, looking at the immediate context, is interesting because collectively they reveal a broad picture of what "the faith" is referring to.

  Some of the things that stand out to me were:

  It involves a lifestyle and a system of beliefs; always 'in' or 'about' or 'concerning' Christ Jesus. Never "the faith" in God (although belief in Christ entails faith in God who sent him). It is not just a personal thing (although there is a personal aspect to it), but it involves a group of people related to each other by "the faith."

  Take Care
• 

  Apognophos

  Like the oral law of the Jews, the teachings of the GB are supposedly derived from the holy writings and are simply an elaboration of them. There are no new teachings beyond the Bible, only interpretations of the Bible.
• 

  leaving_quietly

  Yes, this is a problem. The first century Christians DID NOT HAVE A BIBLE!!!
• 

  factfinder

  The first century christians had the Hebrew Scriptures , the Torah.