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Why Is My Neighbor's Bible Thicker Than Mine? Feb 23 2010
"Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar." - Proverbs 30:5-6
Turn with me to 2 Maccabees, Chapter 12. If you are new to Bible study, you'll find it as the last book in the Old Testament. What? You say you can't find it? Well, that's probably because it's not in your Bible; you can only find 2 Maccabees in the Orthodox and Catholic Bibles. So, you may be wondering, if different groups of Christianity have different books in their Bibles, which one is right?
Here's the story: In the Protestant Reformation (that was led by a Catholic monk, Martin Luther), there was a call for theological, moral, and Biblical reform. The Protestant Reformation demanded that the church get back to Scripture alone. Several books had been added to the Old Testament; these books were called the apocrypha. The Reformation sought to return to the original Old Testament. When I asked Rabbi Shalom Lewis about the apocrypha, he said, "The Jewish people see the books of the apocrypha as sacred, but not binding, and not on the level of the Bible."
Since the Protestant Reformation was all about bringing us back to the place where we relied on Scripture alone, then you understand why the Protestant Reformers left the books of the apocrypha out of the Bible we have today. Do not let this alarm you. The apocrypha is sacred writings of the Jews, not the Holy Word of God. But the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament are all the same in the Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox Bibles. This means the story of Jesus Christ remains identical, universal, and eternal for all.
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5 Comments
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Yes, report it NevermindHAS GOD CHOSEN YOU?
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name" (John 15:16).
One of the great principles that runs through the Bible from beginning to end is that God never wins his battles by majority vote. When we think that the cause of Christ is losing because the number of Christians is decreasing in proportion to the population of the world, we have succumbed to the false philosophy that God wins his battles by numbers. He doesn't need numbers.
He needs QUALITY.
Many times this has been taught in the Word.
For example, thirty-two thousand men responded to Gideon's Call. Yet, twenty-two thousand were sent home...and ultimately God delivered the nation with just three hundred of the original men (Judges 7:8).
What I want to know is why did God choose those particular 300 men?
Because I want to be more like them, and ready for God to use me, and not like the 31,700 that were sent home.
"The LORD said to Gideon, 'I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home'" (Judges 7:7).
My question to everyone is "Would God choose you or send you home?
Many Blessings, Meg
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Yes, report it NevermindAccording to the Apostle, we are chosen by faith and not by works, lest anyone should boast. There is nothing you can do to "earn your way into God's saving grace". It is a free gift, based solely on God's sovereign choosing. And God said that whomsoever shall believe into My Son shall have eternal life.
That's the whole point of the Gospel; the good news. Luther also said "Sola Fide", was at the core of the Reformation.
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Yes, report it NevermindYou need to talk with former Protestant,(now Catholic) Scott Hahn, about why 2 Maccabees is in the Catholic bible..
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Yes, report it NevermindMy favorite quote is found in the apocraphal book of Jesus son of Serach. I'm not Catholic but this quote is great and applies to many situations. Everyone has heard the first part of the sentence, but the whole statement gives it much meaning.
"Birds of a feather flock together just as the truth comes to those who practice it."
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Yes, report it NevermindHi Grant,
I am not sure where your comment was directed...Just in case you may be suggesting that I stated that anyone earns their salvation.
I sincerely did not intend to imply that.
The only place where I see this might be misunderstood, was where I mentioned God needs "quality." Many people conflate quality with quantity, and this is common.
Quality, of course, refers to the quality of the heart and the readiness to receive God's Word.
Many blesings.