The Bible and the Church
Most Christians would agree that the Bible is one of the most important sources for authority, theology and truth in a church. However, what happens when Christians disagree on the meaning of Bible verses? We believe that our Lord wants all Christians to live according to truth of the Bible, for He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). However, instead of interpreting the Bible to fit our standards of today or manipulating verses to agree with individual belief systems, we look to the ancient church as an example and hold the writings of the early church fathers with great importance.
As Orthodox Christians, Biblical teachings are not interpreted through individuals, whether scholars or teachers, we believe the truth is what the Church has always believed, at all times, everywhere, no matter the circumstance. No person is infallible in teaching, that is why the collective beliefs and writings of the early church fathers and the traditions the church has kept are of great importance to understand God’s Word.
The Bible makes it clear that The Church through Christ is the source for truth, “I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house ofGod, which is the church of the livingGod, the pillar and ground of the truth”(I Timothy 3:15). The Coptic Christian Church was the first church to declare and officially accept the current list of 27 books of the New Testament, this was done by St. Athanasius the Coptic Archbishop and Patriarch in the year 367. He was also the first author of the First Christian Creed (The Apostles Creed) heading the Council of Nicea. Christian Monasticism was begun by St. Anthony the Great in 269 AD. Also, the Coptic Church’s greatest testimony is the amount of blood shed for the sake of Christ. It has been one of the most persecuted churches in the history of Christendom, with a countless number of lives offered, mistreatment, physical violence, abductions of Christian girls, as well as churches bombed and destroyed for faith in Christ until this very day.