How Do You Know the Bible Is the Inspired and Infallible Word of God?

>I believe what Thomas was saying is that it is the Second person of the trinity who established the canon through the church which He is the head thereof.

My Bible teaches that God established the canon thru Moses. See Deut.

Anyway, your statement is the equivalent of saying that the Philadelphia convention established the Constitution through 200 years of amendments and judicial decisions. OK, I'll agree to that. <G>

 

Could you rephrase the question? I'm not sure what you're asking.

 

His word is final authority over faith and practice as the TIMELESS TRUTH of Isaiah 8:20 is authoratively accurate and applicable at every stage of its development into its completion in the book of Revelation and stands as final authority from that point to the next revelation of Christ from heaven (Isa. 8:18; Rev. 22:20).

 

More Sure than Oral Apostolic Tradition

The aposltes realized that Apostolic "oral" teaching had its limitations after their death and so Peter not only wanted something "more sure" to leave them after his departure:

2 Pet. 1:13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

He reminded them of his "oral" witness to a specific event but no doubt the gospel account of this event was already written and Peter instructs them to take heed to something "more sure" than oral witness by the Apostles:

2 Pet. 1:16 ¶ For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 ¶ We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

Peter is telling his readers that his written revelation of this event (and other Apostolic writings of it) are "more sure" than his oral presentation of this same event. He is claiming inspiration for his writings as much as he goes right on to claim inspiration for "ALL" the epistles written by Paul:

2 Pet. 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.


The process in producing the Old Testament Scriptures is the same as with the New Testament Scriptures. It is first given in oral teaching and then put into writing as inspired scriptures. The written supersedes the oral as it is "more sure" in preserving the truth as it is placed in a contextual self-defining patten so that scripture interprets scripture.

 

By faith. True faith.

It's what Jim was describing when he talked about his belief in the account of the Resurrection.

Faith is the first and best evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit. What was the answer to the rich man in hell when he prayed that Lazarus be sent back to warn his brothers? They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Now you're going to ask something on the order of, what does faith feel like?

Faith doesn't feel like anything. It just is.