A Bible, a Bible? We already have a Bible!

After hearing about the existence of another testament of Jesus Christ (the Book of Mormon), many people have responded in a manner very similar to this, "A Bible? We already have a Bible!" But why do people say these things, what is the driving force that pushes anyone to say such a thing? In this section, I will show why people believe that their Bible is all that is needed for salvation, and why this belief is simply incorrect.

The reason why I titled this section as is displayed above, is found in the Book of Mormon. Now before all of you, Bible inerrancy folks run away for fear of sinning by reading scripture other than the Bible (a common belief among these Bible inerrancy supporters), or before you run away for fears of being converted, please just try to read the words of God given to the Nephite people in the Book of Mormon before you run. In 2 Nephi 29:3,7-13, the Lord says:

[3] And because my words shall hiss forth -- many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible.
[7] Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?
[8] Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
[9] And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
[10] Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.
[11] For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.
[12] For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.
[13] And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

So are the Bible inerrency people still here? If so, what do you think? Who dares to limit the Word of God to just those things written in the Bible? Who are we to limit God by saying that He can no longer speak and impart further Word to His children? We are His creation, He is our Master. Therefore we cannot limit God.

Now, I will begin this discussion with the Bible Inerrancy folk's problematic interpretations of scripture. Let's begin with the scripture which is probably the number one most incorrectly translated scripture in the Bible. Revelations 22:18-19:

[18] For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
[19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Latter-Day Saints are continually attacked for supposedly disobeying this commandment (as seen in the eyes of Bible inerrency folks). But why? Because Bible inerrancy people, or Conservative Protestants, claim that this scripture means that no one can add or subtract from the Bible. Below is a list which details a few reasons for why this interpretation of scripture is flawed:

1. What book is John the Revelator talking about when he says, "words of the prophecy of this book?" Is "this book" the Bible as we have it today from Genesis to Revelations? Of course not. John didn't even know what a Bible was, all had was the same Old Testament which the Jews had. If this is the "book" he was talking about, then we should have no New Testament. Furthermore, He had received and written this "prophecy" while he was exiled to the Island of Patmos around 90-100 AD (see links below for approximates dates when books of the Bible were written) as most Bible scholars agree. The books of the Bible we have today were not even settled upon until the Biblical Canon began to a very important topic about 360-420 AD to the early Christian Fathers (see just how the Biblical Canon was made at Development of the Canon). How could John have meant that no one could add to the Bible if a Bible was not even compiled in his lifetime? This is not what he meant. The Book of Revelations was one of those books of the Bible which, early on, many believed had no place in the Bible. Later some "added" it to the Biblical Canon, so does this mean that they broke this commandment of God at the end of Revelations? No it did not. Obviously, these early Christian Fathers knew that they were the people who were deciding what would be in the Bible and what wouldn't, so they interpreted this scripture just as I and LDS teaching demonstrate, that they could in fact add books to the Bible, but they could not add new words or teachings in the books of scripture which were already written. If this were not so, they (Christian Fathers) would have never added books to the Biblical canon after the Old Testament. They knew that "this book" that John mentioned was just his book of Revelations, which he alone wrote by with God's revelation to him. So He specifically said that man was commanded not to add or subtract to "the book of this prophecy", that is the book of Revelations. He was telling the world that they should not add or subtract from the words of the book he had written, since he continually mentions "this book." "This book" could not have been the Bible since he speaks of "this book" as being in his possession, which as we stated earlier, was not the Bible since it was not even compiled yet. (see just how the Biblical Canon was made at Development of the Canon)

2. Further reasoning for why the "words of the prophecy of this book" means the book of Revelations only and not the entire Bible is that book of Revelations is filled with prophecies, while the Bible is only partially prophetic but mostly loaded with history. The entire book of Revelations is filled with prophecies concerning the latter-days, which is why the book is titled as such, Revelations. John the Revelator knew this, so he referred to it as the "book of this prophecy." The Bible as a whole, on the other hand, has many books that contain not one prophecy or revelation in them. How can it (the Bible as a whole) then, be referred to as a "book" of "prophecy?" It cannot be.

3. Even if my claims above are incorrect, the approximate dates of when books of the Bible were written also show that this Conservative Protestant claim is incorrect (which dating is agreed upon by many Protestants and other faiths alike). Below is a list of sources which show that the books of 1, 2 and 3 John and Revelations were written in so close of a time period, that Bible scholars cannot tell which was written first. Some scholars' dating of other books of the New Testament are also in the same time periods as 1,2,3 John and Revelations. So then if the Bible inerrancy interpretation of these verses are correct, then we may need to throw 1,2 and 3 John and other books out of the Bible since they may have been written after Revelations.

Link list to sites who have approximate dates to when books of the Bible were written (notice that these sites are maintained by many different religions or churches and none are LDS):

http://www.errantskeptics.org/Dating_The_New_Testament.htm
http://www.biblelight.org/bb/books2.htm#john
http://www.prairienet.org/nrpcatholic/biblbook.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/8331/dates.htm
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/ml/dating-of-the-nt-books.html
http://www.panama.gulf.net/~godsword/books.htm

4. Who says the Bible is perfect? Do you say this based on the scripture found at the end of the book of Revelations? If so, let me ask, is this scripture a commandment to man from God, or is it an some sort of unbreakable decree from heaven? It is a commandment, and every commandment God has ever made to man has been broken. Why not this one? Can anyone offer me a scripture from the Bible which declares the Bible is perfect? It cannot be found, because the Bible does not make such a claim for itself. And please, don't refer me to 2 Timothy 3:16, because of course, ALL scripture is of God, not just the Bible. This is also similar to when Christ told satan, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" in Matthew 4:4. So even Christ told us to live by EVERY word from the mouth of God, not just that word found in the Bible. So these scriptures clearly show that we must accept ALL the word of God, yet, Bible inerrancy folks claim we have all the word of God in the Bible. They have really construed and distorted these scriptures mentioned above.

Again, the final verses of Revelation are commandments and not unbreakable laws of heaven. God has again left man with the choice of whether to obey or disobey His commandments. So given that this is a commandment from God (Revelations 22:18-19) and that we know every commandment of God has been in one time or another broken, we can reasonably assume that this commandment has likewise been broken as well. But of course, breaking a commandment has its penalties as explained in the final verses of Revelations, so anyone who does alter individual books of the Bible, they will suffer the penalties described therein.

Understanding that Revelations 22:18-19 applies only to the book of Revelations and not to the Bible as one complete book (the Bible is just many books bound together), we can see that God has allowed man to alter Revelations and other books of the Bible as well (as we will see). A good exercise here would be to think of the Bible as it really is, not one book, but many smaller, separate books. Now thinking of these many books which most of us use as scripture (Genesis to Malachi and Matthew to Revelations), John used Revelations 22:18-19 to protect his book only, which was Revelations. Now, why would God just put this commandment on only one of these many books while not bothering to protect the others? The Holy Spirit, along with a bit of common logic, confirm that He did not put this commandment on Revelations only, but on all of our many books of scripture. Again, I am speaking in terms of the individual, separate books contained in the Bible, not the Bible as a whole or as one complete book. This commandment in Revelations tells mankind that we are not to add to or subtract from individual books which contain the Word of God, but it does not say that God cannot reveal new scriptures or revelation to man. Thus new scripture or revelation CAN be added to our collection of books as new, separate books, apart from the Bible. If these things were not true, then this means that God no longer speaks to us in these days, that His Spirit does not move people to write His word or receive revelation. If this were the case then the Holy Spirit does not touch us, and so it ceases to exist in the world. But this is not true, we know that revelation from God is in our grasp, since Jesus Christ said, "It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" in John 16:7. And who is this "Comforter"? Jesus tells us in John 14:26, "�the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." So we have the Holy Ghost with us today, as Jesus said we would have when he departed this earth. And if we have the Holy Ghost, then we know that we must also have in our grasps its gifts, gifts which include revelation from God, as Paul said in1 Corinthians 12:8-11:

[8] For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
[9] To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
[10] To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
[11] But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

The Holy Spirit helps us to have these gifts, of which one gift is prophecy (or revelation). If a church claims to be a true church, it must then claim that they have the Holy Spirit guiding them, and they must also have these gifts, which are evidence of the Holy Spirit's work among man. So we see, that revelation from God to man in our day is a Biblical doctrine which many Bible inerrancy folks just can't seem to understand. And what is revelation (or prophecy) for, if we cannot add it to our religious canons? Is this not what all the prophets have done since the beginning of time?

5. Another scripture similar to Revelations 22:18-19 is found in Deuteronomy 4:2, when Moses says, "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you." So does this mean that we need to throw all scripture out of the Bible that is found after Deuteronomy 4:2? Of course not. Moses speaks against anyone who adds or diminishes from HIS (notice his use of the word "I") words which were given to him by God. John the Revelator uses similar language in his book except he chose to say "this book of prophecy" instead of "the word which I command you". So this supports my claim that God has only commanded man not to alter individual books of scripture (such as Genesis, Malachi, Romans, Revelations, etc.) but that is not to say that we cannot receive additional books through revelation.

So as we have seen above, if we were to go by Bible inerrancy standards, we would probably have to throw most of our Bible out the window. Those books would include anything after the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 4:2 in the Old Testament, or many books written around the same time that Revelations was written in the New Testament (1,2,3 John; James; 1,2 Peter; Jude, and others). Based on the Bible inerrancy interpretation of the scripture in Revelations, some could even argue that only the words of Moses are valid scripture. But all these arguments are futile. Bible inerrancy folks sound just like the Jews in the days when Jesus Christ was on earth. The Jews were unwilling to accept anything to add to their "perfect" canon, they completely rejected the New Testament. Fortunately though, we do not need to throw out any books of the Bible because the Bible inerrancy interpretation is incorrect. People assume this interpretation only because Revelations has been placed at the end of the Bible. But anyone who has seriously studied the Bible, knows that the Bible is not in chronological order, and thus the Bible inerrancy interpretation fails. A good reason why the Book of Revelations was placed at the end of the Bible by the early Christian Fathers is because it concerns the end times. But again, this does not mean that God did not have something to say in between the days of Christ's Apostles and the end times.

Another reason for the placement of Revelations at the end of the Bible is because Revelations was rejected by many different groups of people and Christian Fathers for quite a while, and it is was one of the last books to have been accepted into the Biblical Canon. See for yourself and study the compilation of the Bible (one good place to start is: Development of the Canon) and you will learn that the Bible inerrancy theory simply cannot be supported. Through this you will also note that the Bible was compiled over many years, by theologians who disputed over which books they thought were worthy of being in the Biblical Canon. This process as explained above, resulted in the Bible we now have, which was compiled around 360-420 A.D.

Although we have come to cherish our Bible, there are many people in other countries who do not have the same Bible as do we. This process of choosing which books belonged in the Bible and which did not, was a much disputed topic, as portrayed by history. One could find that most of the theologians or Christian Fathers did not agree on this subject, and so many had formed their own canons. These theologians then had followers who chose to use that theologian's particular canon, which then turned into nations having some books in their Biblical Canons which were not part of other Biblical Canons from other nations. Some of these books are 1 and 2 Clement, Epistle of Barnabas, Didache, Shepherd of Hermas, Apocalypse of Peter, and many more. It has also been found that out of many 4th century lists of canons, many simply do not agree, and the book of Revelations is not even included, while other books not in our Biblical Canon are included. A reason for this is that the Bible has constantly evolved into what we have today, it was not the same in all periods of time. Some of these canons which I mentioned are the Muratorian Canon (200 AD?), Canon of Eusebius (325 AD), list found inside codex Claromontanus (4th century?), Canon of Synod of Laodicia (363 AD?), Apostolic Canons (385 AD), Canon of the Third Synod of Carthage (397 AD). Study the compilation of the Bible yourself. One good place to start is the website made by Glen Davis, Development of the Canon.

With all of this taken into consideration, how can anyone claim Bible is inerrant? I am not trying to put the Bible down in any way, but rather, I am only trying to make the point that the Bible is not perfect. Not one thing that has been through the hands of man is perfect. Only God is perfect, and we need to worship Him, not the Bible. The Bible is great, and I love it very much, but I also love and cherish other scripture from God, like the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Yet of all of these scriptures, we should not worship any of them. We should worship God and nothing else. Bible inerrrancy folks seem to be on the path of Bibolatry, yet they will claim otherwise, and still say the Bible is perfect. Strange, isn't it?

So as we have found, individual books of the Bible are those which God has chosen to command men not to alter, He never said additional scripture (as separate books) would never come forth. God has inspired different men to write His words, and each of those writings are those of which we have been commanded not to alter. Studying the compilation of the Bible, we know that the Bible is not one book, but many books, thus individual books of scripture are those which man should not "add unto" their contents nor "take away from" their contents.

Rev. J.R. Dummelow, in his widely received work stated:

"We must not regard the Bible as an absolutely perfect book in which God is Himself the author using human hands and brains only as a man might use a typewriter. God used men, not machines - men with like weakness and prejudice and passion as ourselves ... in the Bible we do not expect the actors to be real and natural. Because of our false theory of Verbal Inspiration we are puzzled when the divine is mingled with the human. We must learn that the divine is mingled with the human ... It is a mine of precious ore where the gold is mingled with the rock and clay - the ore is richer in one part than another, but all parts in some degree are glittering with gold" (J. R. Dummelow, One Volume Bible Commentary, p. cxxxv).

In 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 , the Apostle Paul explains that our present, incomplete knowledge can be compared to a mirror of his day, by the way that both are foggy, dark, and unclear. He knew that his knowledge was not perfect (makes you wonder how people think they have all the answers from their supposed "perfect Bibles"). The New Testament interpreter William Barclay has commented on this passage from 1 Corinthians 13:9-12:

"The Corinthian mirror was made of highly polished metal and, even at its best, gave but an imperfect reflection ... In this life Paul feels we see only the reflections of God and are left with much that is mystery and riddle ... Even if in Christ we have the perfect revelation, our seeking minds can grasp it only in part, for the finite can never grasp the infinite. Our knowledge is still like the knowledge of a child, But the way of love will lead us in the end to the day when the veil is drawn aside and we see face to face and know even as we are known." (The Letters to the Corinthians, p. 125).

Another great quote on this subject from the LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

"We have enough, we need no more." Thus, the curtains are drawn to shield out heaven's light while we sit in the dark and rave over the accounts of how warm and brilliant that light was anciently. How vain the mind of man to suppose that the fullness of heaven's light could be contained within the covers of a book. (McConkie and Millet, 45.)

Some remarks by LDS Apologetic Mike Ash on this topic (find him at Mormon Fortress):

"The Bible never claims that it is inerrant. This belief is a fabrication by those who have closed the doors of revelation. If no more revelation is to be received then the Bible must be inerrant because the Bible and tradition would be the only source of authority."

"Is the Bible inerrant? Infallible? 2 Chronicles 2:2 says that it took 153,600 men to build Solomon's Temple. 1 Kings 5:13 says that the labor force was only 30,000 men working in three shifts of 10,000 each. According to the Bible, the earth is flat (see Isaiah 11:12, Jeremiah 49:32, Revelation 7:1, Deuteronomy 33:17; Job 28:24, etc.). Moses claimed that the hare "cheweth the cud" (Lev. 11:6)-- they don't. How many angels were at Christ's tomb (see Matt. 28:2, Mark 16:5, Luke 24:4, and John 10:12)? Matthew wrote that the title on the cross above Jesus read: "This is Jesus the King of the Jews" (Matt. 27:37), while Mark claimed that the title simply read: "The King of the Jews" (Mark 15:26). Luke, however, recorded that the title read: "This is the King of the Jews" (Luke 23:38), and John claimed that the title read: "Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews" (John 19:19)."

"What about prophetic infallibility? Does one false prophetic statement reveal a false prophet? Is Moses a false prophet because the "everlasting" covenant of circumcision (Gen. 17:1-14) was done away with in New Testament times? The prophet Jeremiah was so upset about his failed prophecies that he called God a liar (Jer. 15:18). Jeremiah predicted that King Zedekiah would "die in peace: and with the burning of ...odours" (Jer. 34:5). Instead, however, Zedekiah's children were slaughtered, his eyes were put out, and he died in prison. Jonah was commanded twice to go cry repentance to the people of Nineveh. Jonah then prophesied that the city would be overthrown in forty days (Jonah 3:4). The people of Nineveh repented, however, and God spared them. Jonah was angry with God that his prophecy and not been fulfilled, and the Lord needed to rebuke Jonah for his anger."

Need more proof that the Bible is not perfect? Here is a partial list of lost books of the Bible: book of the Wars of the Lord (Num. 21:14); book of Jasher (Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18); book of Gad the seer (1 Chr. 29:29); book of Nathan the prophet (1 Chr.29:29; 2 Chr.9:29); an epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, earlier than our present 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:9); possibly an earlier epistle to the Ephesians (Eph. 3:3); and an epistle to the Church at Laodicea (Col. 4:16).

Again, this is not an attempt to attack the Bible, but in order to prove that the Bible is not perfect, these things must be brought to light. I Love the Bible, and I nor my Faith, teach that the words found therein are unnecessary for man. LDS teaching is one that says the Bible is good, but not perfect, for nothing that has passed through the hands of man can ever be perfect. God is perfect, and nothing else is.

Now, one of my favorite LDS concepts and teachings, is the one that claims that all good comes from God. In the Book of Mormon, under Moroni 7:12-13 we read:

[12] Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.
[13] But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.

This concept is one which I believe will help all the world to unite and come closer to Christ's desire that we be one even as He is one with His Father, as portrayed in John 17:21-22. This belief teaches, that all things which are good are from God. Whether it be peace in the world, good health, moral teachings, just laws, or whether it be a Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, or Christian teaching. As long as it is good and pleasing unto God, it is then from God. If we were all to believe this, how much better would the world be? We definitely would not have so many wars over religion, and we would respect other beliefs, and respect laws of a government intended for the good of its citizens. And if this were a prominent teaching in the world, we could all learn and benefit from one another, rather than live in condemnation. This does not mean that all religions are correct, but rather that all beliefs or religions which attempt to bring their followers closer to God, all teach some, good, uplifting, and moral ideas. We then are left with a decision. We can learn all the good we can from others, and reject all the evil, or we can live in our own little world, in which we [think] we know everything and have nothing to learn from anyone. But why would one choose to do the latter? Why close yourself to all the good that is found throughout the world when all good is from God? Let's quit attacking each other and open up our minds, heart, and souls, and strive to learn from ALL of God's goodness, from ALL of God's scripture, and from ALL of God's Word.

To close, I would like to say to all the Bible inerrancy believers out there, will you dare tell God "A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible?" (2 Nephi 29:3) Who are we to limit God? Who are we to close the windows of heaven, and stop God from bestowing more Word upon His people? God alone, in His infinite wisdom, knows why scripture has been altered. He alone knows and understands all of His ways. Who are we to question Him? Who are you to doubt Him? There is much more scripture out there than just the Bible, just ask Him for the answer. Yes, ask God Himself, through sincere prayer, and you shall receive. Don't just take my word for it, ask Him. In the Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4 reads:

[4] And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.