1.10 Why is the Bible so important?
The Bible is not just some musty old book that you can just ignore because it was written ages ago. It is the Word of God, written down by people who were inspired by him.
The texts are about you and your life, even though they are thousands of years old. Every time that you read the Bible, God can speak to you and touch you in a new way. The Bible’s most important message is God’s love for every person, including you.
What role does Sacred Scripture play in the life of the Church?
Sacred Scripture gives support and vigour to the life of the Church. For the children of the Church, it is a confirmation of the faith, food for the soul and the fount of the spiritual life. Sacred Scripture is the soul of theology and of pastoral preaching. The Psalmist says that it is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”(Psalm 119:105). The Church, therefore, exhorts all to read Sacred Scripture frequently because “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Saint Jerome). [CCCC 24]
Is Sacred Scripture true?
“The books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach truth. … Written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author” (Second Vatican Council, DV 11).
The Bible did not fall from heaven in its final form, nor did God dictate it to human scribes who copied it down mechanically. Rather “God chose certain men who made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more” (second Vatican Council, DV 11). One factor in recognizing particular texts as Sacred Scripture was their general acceptance in the Church. In the Christian communities, there had to be a consensus: “Yes, through this text God himself speaks to us—this is inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Which of the many original Christian writings are really inspired by the Holy Spirit has been defined since the fourth century in the so-called canon of Sacred Scripture. [Youcat 14]
What place does the Resurrection of Christ occupy in our faith?
The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ and represents along with his cross an essential part of the Paschal Mystery. [CCCC 126]
Can you be a Christian without believing in the Resurrection of Christ?
No. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14). [Youcat 104]
We have heard from none others the plan of our salvation, than from those through whom the Gospel has come down to us, which they did at one time proclaim in public, and at a later period, by the Will of God, handed down to us in the Scriptures, to be the ground and pillar of our faith. [St. Irenaeus, Against heresies, Bk. 3, Chap. 1 (MG 7, 844)]
