Transcript Slide 1

Is The Bible Outdated?
“The church’s teaching concerning the Bible is
that this written word of God comes to us within
the enlivening atmosphere of the Church as the
Body of Christ, and that the members must
therefore be guided by the judgment of the
Church who can speak and teach with the
authority of Christ and who has the right to
preach, interpret, and teach the Bible.”
(The Catholic Encyclopedia, p. 74)
8. Is the Bible historically accurate?
Not always. Records were scarce in those
centuries and people were little concerned or
equipped for approaching history scientifically.
The accounts are accurate enough for the
overall history they contain.
(Joseph V. Gallagher, To Be A Catholic: A Catechism For Today, Paulist
Press, 1970, pp. 18-19)
9. Is the Bible true?
Yes. Essentially the Bible is the testimony of
what God has done in the life of a people and
what they have come to believe about him
through this experience. That testimony is
clear, consistent, and true. This faith really
happened.
(Joseph V. Gallagher, To Be A Catholic: A Catechism For Today, Paulist
Press, 1970, pp. 18-19)
10. Is any of the Bible outdated?
Yes. Much of the language and ideas it contains
belongs to another age and culture and is no
longer in use. The Bible's understanding of
nature and the universe is very primitive and
hopelessly behind modern science…These
things make it difficult for us to read it easily
today and we need expert help to understand it.
(Joseph V. Gallagher, To Be A Catholic: A Catechism For Today,
Paulist Press, 1970, pp. 18-19)
11. Why is the Bible important?
It is the written record of God's decisive actions
in the world. These disclose the meaning of life
and point the way to man's future. Nothing is
more important to man than this kind of vision
and hope.
(Joseph V. Gallagher, To Be A Catholic: A Catechism For Today, Paulist
Press, 1970, pp. 18-19)
“…Homosexuality is not God's wish for
humanity…On the basis of our understanding that the practice of homosexuality
is sin, we are concerned that homosexual
believers and the observing world should
not be left in doubt about the church's mind
on this issue during any further period of
study.”
(Minutes of the 190th General Assembly [1978], United Presbyterian Church
in the U.S.A., pp. 261-62)
“In 1980, a General Assembly added:
‘Homosexuality presents a particular
problem for the church. It seems to be
contrary to the teaching of scripture.’”
(Minutes of the 120th General Assembly [1980], Presbyterian
Church in the United States, p. 213)
The church should “re-evaluate its definition of sin
to reflect the changing mores of society.” They
also went on to say that the church should sound “a
call for widening the circle of the faithful—not with
children, but with non-reproductive gays, lesbians,
and heterosexual singles who practice ‘safe sex.’
We feel that marriage is not what legitimates sexual
gratification.”
(Roll Over John Calvin, Time Magazine, 5-6-91, p. 59)
“I can’t count the large number of couples who
started attending Saddleback while living together
and, once they were saved, asked to be married.
Some time ago I married a couple of new converts
who’d been living together for seventeen years. As
soon as they came to Christ they said, ‘I guess we
need to be married.’ And I said, ‘You certainly do!’
Sanctification comes after salvation.” (Rick Warren,
Purpose Driven Church, p. 218).
“Our belief in the sanctity of unborn human life makes us
reluctant to approve abortion. But we are equally bound to
respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother,
for whom devastating damage may result from an unacceptable
pregnancy. In continuity with past Christian teaching, we
recognize tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion,
and in such cases we support the legal option of abortion
under proper medical procedures…Governmental laws and
regulations do not provide all the guidance required by the
informed Christian conscience. Therefore, a decision concerning
abortion should be made only after thoughtful and prayerful
consideration by the parties involved, with medical, pastoral, and
other appropriate counsel.” (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist
Church - 2004. Copyright 2004 by The United Methodist Publishing House ).
“Through the twentieth and twenty-first century,
however, the Church’s view on gambling has
developed…Many people in the churches do
not gamble at all for ethical reasons, it is
necessary to recognize that most people have
seen a rise in their disposable incomes during
this time, and many now see gambling as a
‘leisure activity.’
(Methodist Statement on Gambling, adopted at the Methodist Conference of
1992).
Gambling…ranges from buying a charity raffle ticket to playing
high value slot-machines in casinos…Some forms of gambling
are more likely to be addictive and harmful than others. “Soft”
forms of gambling include activities such as raffle tickets and
even the National Lottery weekly draw. “Harder” forms of
gambling include activities where there is the opportunity for rapid
re-staking, chasing losses, and interactivity with the game…The
church has a duty to focus its attention on forms of gambling that
are most addictive…It is important therefore “to heed the
experience of our tradition in our concerns for the serious evils of
gambling; but also to avoid the heavy-footed pursuit of the trivial.”
(A Methodist Statement on Gambling, adopted at the Methodist Conference of 1992)
“…For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against
nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is
shameful…And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things
which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual
immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil
things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving,
unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God,
that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do
the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Rom. 1:26-32).
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of
God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the
kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were
washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred,
contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions,
dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the
like…those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of
God. (Gal. 5:19-21).
Morality Established By God
O LORD, I know the way of man is not in
himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his
own steps (Jer. 10:23).
Dress
Language
Abortion
Homosexuality
Standard of the World
Always Lower Than
God’s Standard!
Gambling
Drunkenness
“…having been born again, not of corruptible seed
but incorruptible, through the word of God which
lives and abides forever, because "All flesh is as
grass, And all the glory of man as the flower of the
grass. The grass withers, And its flower falls away, But
the word of the LORD endures forever." Now this is
the word which by the gospel was preached to you.”
(1 Pet. 1:22-25).
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that
which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in
the last day” (John 12:48).
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of
God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those
who do not obey the gospel of God?” (1 Peter 4:17).
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the
gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will
be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned”
(Mark 16:15-16).
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I
perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every
nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness
is accepted by Him.” (Acts 10:34-35).
For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is
my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will
remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach
everywhere in every church. (1 Cor. 4:17).
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty
and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer
but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in
what he does. (James 1:25).
…contend earnestly for the faith which was once
for all delivered to the saints. (Jude 3).
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come,
He will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13).
I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him
who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different
gospel, which is not another; but there are some who
trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel to you than what we have preached to
you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so
now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel
to you than what you have received, let him be
accursed (Gal. 1:6-9).
For the word of God is living and powerful, and
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even
to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart. (Heb. 4:12-13).
WORD IS ALIVE BECAUSE GOD IS ALIVE!
Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of
unbelief in departing from the living God (Heb. 3:12).
Majority of People – Matt. 7:13-14; Gen. 6:5-7
Family Relations – Matt. 10:34-37; 2 Chron. 15:16
Government – Acts 4:19; 5:29
Sincerity – Acts 26:9-11; 23:1; 1 Tim. 1:15
End Justifies the Means – 2 Sam. 6:6-7; Num. 4:15
Feelings – Gen. 37:35; Prov. 16:25
Changing Mores of Society – Acts 10:34-35; 15:6; 17:30
Rise In Disposable Income – 1 Tim. 6:9-10, 17
For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God to salvation for everyone
who believes, for the Jew first and
also for the Greek. For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed
from faith to faith; as it is written,
"The just shall live by faith" (Rom.
1:16-17).
“Heaven and earth
will pass away, but
My words will by no
means pass away”
(Matthew 24:35).