Do Christians NEED a Bible?

Question

I'd like to pose a counter-question to a question that was posed earlier. Do you have to read a Bible to be a good Christian? I say, "no". As I said to the last questioner, Christianity and the Church came BEFORE the Bible. The first Christians listened to teachers and preachers, and, if they were lucky, the Apostles. The Bible was not necessary for the first Christians to be "good" Christians.
Even centuries later, after the Bible was canonized in the 4th century, it was not available to the average Christian for centuries afterward until the printing press was invented. Are the Christians who lived all those centuries unsaved because they had no Bible? Of course not!
The Bible is the Word of God, and its great to have and to read. But if every Bible magically disappeared from the face of the earth today, the Faith and the Church would go on. That is why Christ established a CHURCH, not a Bible.

Comments anyone?

To "KenshoDude" : I will answer your question. Yes, it is beter to have a Bible than not. My point is that you don't NEED a Bible ( hence the capitol letters for emphasis).

Answer 1

I agree.
320some years is a long time to go without the bible, and they probably had it down more than we do now. but, I still appreciate it, and use it as a source.

Answer 2

Although you make a number of mistakes, your bottom line is semi-accurate.
Please do not say the first century christians had no Bible.
Why would the Apostle Paul write to Timothy, in the year 65, saying:
"All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial ....."
Its because a good pourcentage of what became the Bible already existed.
The first christians did more than listen.
They continuously received letters from Apostles, please note 2 Thessalonians 2:2.
As well, the priority for being a christian is not to be 'good'.
Of course a christian will be 'good' ....it is a by-product.
The main thrust of being a christian is mentioned in Matthew 28:19.
So yes, not having a Bible in existence, we would still have worshippers of God.
However, God gives more than the basics, so we also have a Bible.
Shall we be grateful?

Answer 3

I disagree with you. Christians most certainly need a Bible. Without the Bible heresies of all types could be taught and nothing would be there to counter them. Without the Bible and an understanding of it you could be taught anything and told it is what God commands.

I am not condemning the catholic church but before the Bible was available to the common man the catholic church taught many doctrines that were not Biblical in the least. For instance Pope Urban II told anyone who participated in the crusades that they would never need do penance for sins again. Lets skip whether we need to do penance in the first place and go to where he got this authority. The answer is no where. However he told the people he had this authority. This is just one example.

Without the Bible I could tell you that God demands you to pay 90% of your pay in tithe. How are you to know any better? If we did not need the Bible. If it was not the most important source for what we know about God why did He command us to study it?

2Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Also just a bit of an addition a good friend of mine in college was catholic. He attended church weekly and had even gone on mission trips with the church. One day while discussing the Bible with him I was appalled to discover he did not even know Romans was a book in the Bible. My mom who was raised catholic and went to catholic school was told many times not to read the Bible. If she had questions ask the priest and he would tell her what she needed to know. To me who was raised protestant I find not knowing the Bible and not reading it to be nearly incomprehensible for one who claims to be a Christian.

Answer 4

I'd say there are several ways to transmit wisdom. One way, certainly, is through written text. This seems to be the preferred manner for many religious traditions. Another way is master to student. Another way is story telling and myth. Each way has its pros and cons.

So I will answer your question with another: who is better off, the Christian that gathers knoweldge of Christ from several sources (including the bible), or the Christian that only gathers knowledge from fewer sources?

Answer 5

It is important to have God's word. Bible simply means many books together.

Do Christians need a Bilble? No

Do Christians need God's word? Yes

You can read the old or new testaments, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price or any other words from prophets (men who speak with God).

Answer 6

...Believers in Christ are justified (declared righteous) in Christ. We are legally perfect in Him, but we are commanded to become more and more like Christ every day in our daily walk, to become more experientially what we are legally.
...God has provided His word for no small reason. We are to study it and apply it to our lives. Jesus said "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."
I Peter 2:2 says we grow by the pure milk of the Word. And 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us it is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
...Brother/sister, you can run around and ignore it if you wish, but I will not neglect the spiritual nourishment that I get from His word. Without His word, we will be inadequate, and will not grow as well in the Christian faith.

Answer 7

I believe that it's important to know the bible . It is God breathed,so knowing his words, in our mind and hearts will help us to survive the end times ,when we fight against the evil.They didn't need the bible b/c they weren't in the last days.
GOD BLESS

Answer 8

John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
John 7:37 ¶ In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Why would Jesus not have us read the Bible if he told us to read about him in it?
Peter supposedly the first Pope said this:
! Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 ¶ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
I could add much more to this.

Answer 9

I agree 100%.

Answer 10

what protestants dont realize is that the bible is written and speaking to the Christians of that tiime, , it is not a puzzle to find "your" beliefs, but it was written mainly speaking to those who were already Christians.