What Does the Bible Alone Produce?

By David Ray Fanning I

If you had the Bible, but added the Catholic tradition, what would you produce?
– A Catholic. If you had the Bible, but added John Calvin’s tradition, what would you produce?
– A Presbyterian. If you had the Bible, but added the Hiscox’s Baptist Manual, what would you produce?
– A Baptist. If you had the Bible, but added the Methodist Book of Discipline, what would you produce?
– A Methodist.

HOWEVER, if you had the Bible and did not add any tradition of men to it, what would you produce?
– A Christian/saved believer (Acts 2:38, 41, 44-47; I Peter 4:16).

The Bible teaches that the tradition of men:
1.) Makes your worship vain/empty/useless;
2.) lays aside the commandment of God;
3.) rejects the commandment of God;
4.) makes the word of God of no effect and
5.) is not according to Christ, but instead takes you away from Christ (Mark 7:5-13; Gal 1:13-14; Colossians 2:8). The only tradition to which you are to cling is that which has been handed down through the word of God, namely, the doctrine of Christ, contained in the New Testament (I Corinthians 11:2; II Thessalonians 2:15; II John 9-11).

The word of God (no additional tradition, creed, doctrine, revelation, catechism, etc.) is sufficient to save you and add you to the one true church for which Christ shed His blood and established (Romans 1:16;
II Timothy 3:15-17; James 1:21; Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 20:28). I plead with you to become a Christian only and an added member of the body/church of Christ. You will not be able to obtain “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” until you reject all traditions/Churches of men (Romans 16:16; Ephesians 4:1-6; 1:22-23)!

Take courage!

- David Fanning preaches for the Petersburg church of Christ in Petersburg, TN and, along with Kevin Pendergrass edit the website Defending the Faith, at http://www.defendingthedoctrine.com/index.htm. David may be contacted at davidfanning1@gmail.com