Is the Bible authoritative?

Is the Bible authoritative?

The answer to this question depends on the branch of Christianity.

The original church that Christ established existed before the Bible, which meant that the word of God was not a single closed book.  This is not to say they did not value scripture.  Matthew’s gospel points out that many Old Testament passages are fulfilled by Christ, and Paul discusses the value of the law in his numerous epistles. 

Scripture was not the ultimate authoritative source of guidance for Christ’s original church; the Apostles were.  They had authority to be witnesses of Christ and his gospel to all the world, and through guidance they received in the form of visions and revelations, they established new doctrines that directly contradicted established scriptural practices such as the dietary law of Moses, circumcision, Sabbath day observance, and so forth, while maintaining the spirit of the laws contained in the scriptures.

The leadership of the Apostles worked well until they were all caught and/or killed.  The remaining bishops in the church tried to maintain Christianity, but over time they began to disagree.  Eventually, the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and prohibited persecution of Christians in 313. Later Theodosius made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire on 27 February 380.  The Bishop of Rome became known as the Pope, and from that time, the Papacy has claimed an unbroken line of authority that goes back to the Apostle Peter to whom Christ said “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

The majority of Christians seemed satisfied with the authority of the Pope, but eventually, concerns were expressed when their actions seemed inconsistent with Biblical teachings.  Specifically, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of the Castle church in Wittenburg protesting the sale of indulgences, which basically amounted to certificates of forgiveness for sins.  Eventually, the dispute between Luther and Pope Leo X resulted in Luther being excommunicated from the Catholic Church.  Luther openly rejected the authority of the Pope, and instead demanded that his actions be proven wrong based on scripture.

For the Protestant movement to have authority after breaking away from the formerly accepted unbroken line of leadership in Catholicism, it was necessary that something besides the Pope be the authoritative guide for Christianity.  To this day, the Bible is that authoritative source for defining faith for Protestants.

So, on the one hand, Catholic authority derives from Papal claims, and the Bible does not need to be authoritative.  On the other, Protestants must use it as the authoritative source of Christianity.  There is a third group that differs from these two.  They can be called restorationists and they believe in a literal restoration of Apostolic authority.

The largest of these groups is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  The story of their restoration begins with Joseph Smith.  Like Stephen in the New Testament, he saw God the Father and his son Jesus Christ.  Because the authority to lead the church had been lost with the Apostles, it needed to be restored at the hands of Apostles.  In 1829, Joseph Smith received this authority from Peter, James, and John.

The line of authority continues today with Apostles that stand as in the days of Jesus, guiding Christians with revealed truths.  Though restorationists teach that the Bible is the word of God, they follow the precedent in the Bible by proclaiming that God’s word is not a fixed or completed work, but that he guides us as he always has: through Apostles and Prophets.

For more information on restoration, see http://mormon.org/restoration.

Divorce: Portly English monarchs may be bad role models

Jesus was never afraid to say something bold or abrasive if it was important.  No doubt, this contributed to the astonishment people experienced when he taught the sermon on the mount. (Matthew 7:28-29)

Even today, many of the concepts he presented can seem difficult to accept.  Complete honesty (Matthew 5:33-37), morality in every thought (Matthew 5:28), abstinence from anger (Matthew 5:22), and total forgiveness (Matthew 5:38-45) are among the doctrines that Christ preached.  These ideals can take a lifetime of effort to achieve, and for some might even seem impossible.

Of course, not everything in these councils is completely literal.  Jesus is not actually suggesting removing one's hand or eye if it is offensive (Matthew 5:29-30).  When he declared "judge not that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1), he was not suggesting that we make no decisions, or that we not participate in political elections to help elect the leadership we judge to be best.  He was not advocating that everyone would be better if they quit their employment and waited for God to feed, clothe, and house us as he does the lilies of the field or the fowls of the air. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Understanding which teachings are literal, rhetorical, or symbolic is a challenge in almost every book of scripture.  The changing societal views on issues influence interpretations and emphasis points in Christ's teachings.  This is particularly evident with Christ's teachings about divorce.

In the sermon on the mount, Jesus taught:
"It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:

 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery." (Matthew 5:31-32)

 

 Certainly, I have never met anyone that would argue that divorce is a positive experience, except perhaps attorneys that profit from them.  The sentiment of Jesus's teachings though are not just that divorce is bad, but that it is invalid.  Christ clearly blames the man that puts away his wife as forcing her into an adulterous situation.  He also accuses a man that marries a divorced woman of committing adultery.

This is not a singular teaching either.  Christ taught again:
"The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery." (Matthew 19:3-9)

These teachings are undoubtedly tied to the premise held by many Christians that marriage is sacred.  The concept that divorce might be acceptable under Christianity may have been derived from Henry VIII of England's "need" to get a divorce.  The "Defender of the Faith" was quick to cast his faith aside when it suited him.  Since this time, the practice has become more and more widespread, even to the point that many believe marriage is just a legal status rather than an institution of sanctity... a more formal form of "boyfriend and girlfriend" that can be terminated by either party at any time on a whim.

While the condemnation of divorce is clear, it is important to highlight that Christ did include an exception in his statement about divorce: "saving for the cause of fornication."  This obviously implies that there are instances where divorce may be not only be acceptable, but perhaps the right course of action.

It should not be surprising that infidelity is condemned... particularly when Jesus taught that marriage represents something that "God hath joined together", a violation of the marriage commitment definitely constitutes man putting it asunder.  I would suggest that situations where abuse of spouse or offspring have occurred are also breaches in the marriage covenant, and for the safety of the victims, divorce may be necessary.

In such cases when an individual has betrayed their marriage vows, and divorce has been the result... do Christ's teachings indicate that such individuals should not re-marry?  I do not believe that this is the intent of the phrase "whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery."  I believe that such teachings are directed at those who legally remove themselves from their marriage commitments over trivial circumstances or "irreconcilable differences."

A disagreement, lack of excitement, different life goals, or similar excuses are not likely to be acceptable to God as reasons to cast marriage aside.  This is particularly true of Christians who have committed to be humble, merciful, forgiving, and selfless as a part of their commitment to Christ himself.

Certainly any one of us are guilty of being foolish at times.  Every one of us have likely at some point acted petty, cruel, selfish, jealous, spiteful, or in some way done something to deserve being put away... but Christ personally suffered unspeakable torture and pain for each of us anyway.  In fact, regardless of our problems or mistakes (the very cause of his torture), he continually and selflessly offers forgiveness to us.

A person that cannot bend to offer love and respect to the person they swore they would in the covenant of marriage cannot expect love and respect from God... and a person that sets at naught their most sacred relationships for trivialities should not expect God to invest in forming relationships with them.

Frequently and tragically, the effects of divorce extend beyond the separating couple... particularly when there are children involved.  Remember the teaching of Jesus regarding children:
"And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:3-6)

From the teachings of modern prophets:
"Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity... We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets." (http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng)

Of course there are circumstances such as death or disability that may require special attention.  These circumstances ought to be the exception and not the rule however.  As much as possible, we have a responsibility to ensure that children receive care under a father and mother who honor their vows completely.  Casting aside a spouse for anything but the most serious offenses constitutes a violation of the rights of children.  Even in the best circumstances divorce can cause harm to come to the little ones... in other words, children are hurt by the very parents on whom they should be able to depend for protection.

Ultimately, marriage was never intended to be trivial.  The sanctity of this institution is not lessened by the indulgence of society's "tolerance" for selfish practices.  Particularly among Christians who believe in the sanctity of marriage, it is vital that we practice what we preach.  While we have a responsibility to be kind and loving to all of God's children, there is no relationship more important in which to prove our Christianity than that between husband and wife.