What came first...the bible or the faith?

Question

The 2 are dependent on each other in the Christian religion.
I say this because most of the time I ask a question and I get an answer that reflects me to the bible.
I ask about belief in the bible and I am refered to faith.
So while a little "chicken and egg" cliche' what do you think came first?
See the writers of the bible had to have faith that they were writing God's word" yet where did that faith come from without a bible to back it up....especially regarding the NT.
Your thoughts?

Answer 1

Well, it depends on if you are actually talking about Christianity or Judaism. The faith of Judaism came before the text of the Old Testament, however the Old Testament preceded Jesus with prophecy then followed him with the New Testament. There have been religions and faith since the beginning of man (whether you believe in religion or not, this is a fact of history). Written word came much later, most was passed down through the words of elders in communities before there was writing.

Answer 2

Is the Bible the "pillar of truth" in the Christian religion? No. According to the Bible Itself, the Church is the "pillar of truth" (1 Timothy 3:15), not the Bible. Some "Bible" Christians insist that a "pillar" (the Church) was created to "hold up" another structure (the Bible). They claim the Bible is the structure being held up according to this passage. Well, if that is the case, how did the early Church "hold up" the Bible for the first three to four hundred years when the Bible Itself didn't even exist? Also, even if the Church is only a "pillar" holding up the Bible, doesn't that mean that the Church is the interpreter of Scripture rather than the individual?
Is private interpretation of the Bible condoned in the Bible Itself? No, it is not (2 Peter 1:20). Was individual interpretation of Scripture practiced by the early Christians or the Jews? Again, No (Acts 8:29-35). The assertion that individuals can correctly interpret Scripture is false. Even the "founder" of Sola Scriptura (Martin Luther), near the end of his life, was afraid that "any milkmaid who could read" would found a new Christian denomination based on his or her "interpretation" of the Bible. Luther opened a "Pandora's Box" when he insisted that the Bible could be interpreted by individuals and that It is the sole authority of Christianity. Why do we have over 20,000 different non-Catholic Christian denominations? The reason is individuals' "different" interpretations of the Bible.
Can there be more than one interpretation of the Bible? No. The word "truth" is used several times in the New Testament. However, the plural version of the word "truth" never appears in Scripture. Therefore, there can only be one Truth. So how can there be over 20,000 non-Catholic Christian denominations all claiming to have the "truth" (i.e., the correct interpretation of the Bible)? For that matter, aren't ALL non-Catholic Christians as individuals claiming "infallibility" when it comes to interpreting the Bible? Catholics only believe in the infallibility of the Papacy as an office. Which is more believable - one office holding infallibility or 400 million non-Catholic Christians who can't agree on the interpretation of Scripture all claiming "infallibility?" When it comes to interpreting Scripture, individual non-Catholic Christians claim the same infallibility as the Papacy. If one were to put two persons of the same non-Catholic Christian denomination in separate rooms with a Bible and a notepad and ask them to interpret the entire Bible, passage for passage, shouldn't they then produce the exact same interpretation? If guided by the Holy Spirit as Scripture states, the answer should be "Yes." But would that really happen? History has shown that the answer is "No." Now, in the case of Catholics, the Church which Christ founded and is with forever (Matthew 28:20) interprets the Bible, as guided by the Holy Spirit, (Mark 13:11) for the "sheep" (the faithful). The Church (not individuals) interpret Scripture. In Catholicism, Scripture is there for meditation, prayer and inspiration, not for individual interpretation to formulate doctrine or dogma.

Answer 3

The writers of the bible did not have faith they had fact of Jesus being eye witness to his death and physical resurrection. This is why the first will be last and the last will be first. The first had fact and the last have to rely totally on faith that with a personal relationship with God can personally perceive to become fact for that person. I have fact but it is not something I can hand or show physically to someone. It would take faith for that person to believe my experiences.

God communicated openly to chosen people and created fact with them. So the people chosen where given the Holy Spirit to write the bible. The Holy Spirit is to be the credited for the bible. The living breathed word of God through the Holy Spirit.

So to me I would say that the bible was produced off of fact and faith is to those that follow the teaching without eyewitness to those great events.

Answer 4

There is a difference between faith and belief. (see below)

Long before the bible was written there was faith and faithful.

About a third of God's children stayed in faith and faithful when Satan rebelled.

This is written in the bible.

Paul states in Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is subjective and once attained cannot be forgotten.
Faith is kinda like "absolute" belief. It has to do with knowing without direct or tangible evidence.

below link to belief

Answer 5

Moses supposedly wrote the earliest scrolls. He also supposedly actually heard from God.

I myself have heard God. So I'm inclined to believe Moses actually heard himself.

Jesus knew the Tanak. Much of his words are direct quotations from the Tanak. What we Christians call the Old Testament.

Which always strikes me as funny when some Christians say after Jesus the Old Testament is invalid.

Uh. yeah...

Legend tells that three men actually wrote Matthew, Mark and Luke. A fellow named Carsten Peter Thiede has redated a Matthew scroll due to a tiny contraction that fell out of use before the year 60. Which means Matthew's Gospel was actually written just 20 or so years after the Crucifixion. Which means around 53 AD. While John was written by John's community of followers closer to the year 90 AD.

These people were actual witnesses to Jesus himself.

"The Bible" was just a collection of scrolls until the invention of books and printing.

The official canon of the bible was decided upon at two councils. The Council of Carthage and the Council of Hippo. Both in the very late 300's. I think 393 and 395.

Many people couldn't read anyway. So neither the scrolls, nor the eventual bible that resulted from them mattered much. People "heard the word" and their lives were changed.

Answer 6

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah and Moses all had Faith long before Moses wrote the Pentateuch and some 1500 years before the New Testament. So it is hardly a “chicken and the egg” scenario.

Where did their Faith come from? It came from God of course. Moreover there is much historical, archeological and scientific data and records that establish the non-spiritual accuracy of the Bible.

Belief in God too has some pretty affirming logic that allows one to have Faith, based in knowledge, in God as well as His written Word. So please do not spit out the word “Faith” as if it were some curse word.

Answer 7

Faith.

Without faith you would not believe the written word.

Now faith is the assurance of things (seen and unseen) hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith reaches beyond the natural realm of man's ability to possess.

By faith, we believe that the worlds were framed by the Word of God so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

To reject the revelation of God in the creation of the heavens and the earth is to be without excuse in the Day of Judgment.

I just have this faith that there is someone bigger than myself when I view the world. Each of us is given a measure of faith.

Faith is a mystery.

Answer 8

Definately Faith. People had faith way before the Bible was ever written. The Bible wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for the fact that people had faith and chose to write about the One they had faith in.

Answer 9

This is a great question! You see, in many ways the modern churches are off their collective rockers.

Consider:
The early churches did not have bibles to read; in fact, the earliest epistle has a date of about 30 - 45 AD, so what did the churches do and how did they come to be? Church planters known as apostles, or in today's language evangelists or missionaries, preached public messages, and those who were interested often invited them to their houses for more teaching. Frequently, an apostle might stay with this newly formed house church for up to three years! This is why Paul mentioned that he expected the churches to be obedient to the traditions they had received, whether by word or by letter. So what did they do if they had no Bible to preach from or study? Simple! What do friends and families normally do when they meet in homes? They eat, spend time together and help and encourage one another where there are problems. The early church did not have "services" in the same fashion we have today, and they were not led from the front by one man - they met for prayer, encouragement, and to share a potluck style meal, the highlight of which was the Lord's supper.

For more on this:
http://www.ntrf.org
http://www.house-church.org

Tom

Answer 10

Faith came first. God credited Abraham's faith as righteousness before a Bible was even written.