Inspired, Sacred, and Canon

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Jude 1:14 (KJV)

Enoch – Where exactly did Jude find this prophecy from Enoch? It’s not in the Bible, yet we claim that all the words in the book of Jude are included as scripture. What about Paul’s quotations of Greek philosophers? (Aratus (Acts 17:28), Menander (1 Cor. 15:33), and Epimenides (Tit. 1:12)) Are their words the words of God? Or how about when Paul specifically writes that these are his words and NOT the Lord’s in 1 Corinthians 7:12, 1 Corinthians 7:25, and 2 Corinthians 11:17. Are those still the words of God? Continue reading “Inspired, Sacred, and Canon”

What is Scripture?

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

Scripture – What is Paul referring to here in his letter to Timothy? Of course we, a couple thousand years later, love to use this verse in reference to the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but that’s not what Paul is referring to. The New Testament, as we know it, didn’t exist during the time of Paul’s writings. The only Scripture that Paul knew was the Tanakh. In fact, every time you read the word “scripture” in the Bible, the New Testament isn’t part of it. Continue reading “What is Scripture?”