The Bible Is a Cosmic Puzzle, and Only the Church of Christ Has the Answers

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People in the church of Christ believe that one's salvation depends on correctly interpreting scripture. If you don't interpret it correctly, then you won't know which pattern of worship is correct and which rules to follow. The COC believes that there is only one correct interpretation and that it is the only church in possession of that correct interpretation. However, the COC in any form didn't exist before 1801, the year of the Cane Ridge revival, which marked the beginning of the Restoration Movement headed by Alexander Campbell and Barton Stone. No one who came before them, save for the apostles and their immediate successors, had the correct interpretation of scripture. Thus, nearly 2000 years of Christian history and tradition count for nothing and everyone who lived and died during that period died in sin.

If there is only one correct interpretation of scripture, how do we know which is correct? Why didn't God explicitly tell us which one is the correct one? Why did God let humanity live in error and sin for almost 2000 years without revealing the correct interpretation of the Bible? If there's no way to know for certain which interpretation of the Bible is correct, then how can god judge us for misunderstanding it?

This insistence on correct interpretation and perfect knowledge negates faith and God's grace. It also negates god's mercy. It makes the Bible a cosmic puzzle with no discernible answers and it makes God a cosmic trickster, who is setting us up for certain failure. I don't believe in such a god. I believe in a God of mercy and grace who loves us as we are and forgives us for our inherently imperfect and incomplete knowledge.

Comments

Sarah said…
You nailed it.
August 23, 2008
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