What is interesting to look at are the different books or sources of information that religious groups use in addition to the Bible to come to their conclusions. Some of these groups put these sources on an equal level with or on a higher level than the Bible itself.

Mormonism: Journal of Discourses, Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith, The Articles of Faith

Catholicism: Church Tradition, the Magesterium

Christian Science: Keys to Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy

Preterism: The Jewish War, Josephus, Historical Method The list could go on.

Historical Method is a method of interpretation that uses history outside the scripture to interpret scripture. I disagree with this method because Homosexuals are now using this method to justify Homosexuality.

Too many groups out there encourage some kind of Group Think where its congregants are supposed to blindly accept the word of the leaders.

Is this what the Bible encourages us to do?

I don't think so!

Sure we should have those that we are accountable to.

In Catholic groups that I have visited the typical responses that I have heard from Catholics is that these verses are for Timothy not us. So in other words these verses are for those that are in ecclesiastical authority.

The following is the extrabiblical nonsense that the Catholic Church depends on for their version of the truth. It can be shown that groups like the JW's, Mormons, Christian Scientists etc have more in common with Catholics than Bible believers.

"Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing and move toward the same goal.' Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own 'always, to the close of the age." (Cathechism of the Catholic Church, pg 26, Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

See how they use part of a biblical verse, but then pile a bunch of extrabiblical nonsense on top of it to make their beliefs more appealing?

The Mormons do the same thing.

Note the following extrabiblical nonsense from the Catholics.

"The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living, teaching office of the Church alone. ...This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome." (Ibid, pg 27)

"It is clear therefore that, in the supremely wise arrangement of God, sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the Magesterium of the Church are so connected and associated that one of them cannot stand without the others. Working together, each in its own way, under the action of the one Holy Spirit, they all contribute effectively to the salvation of souls." (Ibid, pg 29)

"But since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation...'Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same spirit by whom it was written." 1. "Be especially attentive 'to the
content and unity of the whole scripture... 2. Read the scripture within 'the living Tradition of the whole church." (Ibid, pg 32)...

Their traditions have contradicted the Word of God and in fact makes it very difficult to communicate with them. As in a cult, unless you demonstrate to them that the Bible stands alone as our ultimate source of truth YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME. They believe in the virgin birth of Christ, but need to come up with the Immaculate Conception of Mary (not Jesus) to explain how Christ could be born of Mary but without sin. They have an elaborate system that one has to get through before they are acceptable to Christ: Purgatory, baptism... They accomplish this by taking half an idea from the bible then making a transition to their tradition to come up with the other half.

This is bait and switch at its worst.

If they had only stayed with the Bible they could have gotten the whole truth, nothing but the truth....God help us!!

"And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with defiled hands? 6 And he said unto them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoreth me with their lips, But their heart is far from me. 7 But in vain do they worship me, Teaching [as their] doctrines the precepts of men. 8 Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men." (Mark 7)

Some Catholics want to give the job of studying and the sufficiency of scripture only to the religious leaders. I have even heard Catholics say that the term 'man of God' refers to Timothy and religious leaders, because whenever 'man of God' is used in scripture it is referring to Timothy.

 Then the following verse should not also apply to us: "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6)

So following their reasoning all the way through, these commands only apply to Timothy. We Christians should not be concerned with 'following after righteousness', 'godliness' ...and we shouldn't 'flee the things' Paul mentions here, according to Catholic logic. We know that this is ludicrous, but this is Catholic reasoning when they leave the reasoning up to the leaders and extrabiblical nonsense. Also if we made irrelevant verses that were first written to someone else we wouldn't have anything to study. It is time for us to stand against those that stand against the sufficiency of the Word of God.

This explains why the Catholics often accept Evolution or allow it to be taught in their schools.

When a group allows the idea that other non biblical literature can equal or even supercede the plain sense of scripture then they have no defense against other ideas or groups making the same claims.

They see scripture through muddy glasses and what is crystal clear to a bible believer is instantly reinterpreted by their other commentaries.

Walter Martin gave a great example at how groups redefine terms, to their and our peril.

He says, "The problem of semantics has always played an important part in human affairs, for by its use, or abuse, whichever the case may be, entire churches, thrones and even governments for that matter, have been erected, sustained or overthrown. The late George Orwell's stirring novel, 1984 in which he points out that the redefinition of common political terms can lead to slavery when it is allowed to pass unchallenged by a lethargic populace, is a classic illustration of the dangers of perverted semantics.... "

He goes on to show how this applies to religious groups.

"On encountering a cultist then, always remember that you are dealing with a person who is familiar with Christian terminology, and who has carefully redefined it to fit the system of thought he or she now embraces." (Kingdom of the Cults, pg. 20, Martin)

This explains how the plain sense of scripture which says,

'Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. ' (Psalm 90:2), is instantly reinterpreted to include the following quote:

 "As Man is God once was, as God is man may become." Mormonism

Or the plain sense of, "why stand ye gazing up into heaven? THIS SAME JESUS, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall SO COME IN LIKE MANNER AS YE HAVE SEEN HIM GO INTO HEAVEN." (Acts 1)

AND

"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, THE ALMIGHTY." (Revelation 1)

But some are saying, Jesus has already come again and every eye didn't see him and he didn't come to the Mount of Olives either.