"necessary" and "sufficient"

[Laurie]

I always like the first tennant of CS

As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life

Mathematicians have interesting definitions for the two terms "necessary" and "sufficient". If one thing is "necessary" for a second thing to happen, then the first thing MUST happen in order for the second thing to happen. However if one this is "sufficient" for a second thing to happen, then the first thing is one of many possible conditions which may produce the second thing.

I like to think that MBE was using this definition of "sufficient" when she wrote the first tennant. That means to me that the "inspired Word of the Bible" is one possible way to get to eternal Life. It leaves the opening that there are more than one way to eternal life.

And, let's be honest, Jesus didn't have the Bible as we know it to work from. Neither did Esias or Moses.

So many religions preach that that particular religion is the ONLY way to heaven. I thing MBE was very progressive and inviting to other religions by using this term "sufficient"

[UserX]

I just looked up the word sufficient. It comes from the Latin "sufficiere" which means "to meet the need of." I also have a 1912 New Webster's dictionary which defines sufficient as "adequate, equal to the task."

I like the thought that I don't need to look anywhere else because the Bible is sufficient. It's possible to look at other things, but not necessary, because the inspired word of the Bible is sufficient.

[LoraHoward]

Jesus said,"I am the way." "I am the door." No man can enter but by me, ;strait is the gate, I have the key of David, and so forth.

Surely Jesus was not talking about his physical persona, but rather the Christ.
The Christ is what inspires and leads us to the open door out of materiality into eternal Life.

If we are inspired by the Christ, have the mind of Christ, we have our "in" to eternal life and need no book or religion except as a manual or teaching tool.

The inspired word of the Bible is certainly inspired by the Christ, so is therefore sufficient.

My understanding is that without this inspiration, the door to eternal life remains closed.

[Laurie]

Jesus said,"I am the way." ....
Surely Jesus was not talking about his physical persona, but rather the Christ.


Yes, of course. I guess it is a pity that the term "the Christ" and the term "Christianity" are so similar to nonChristians. It would be nice to be able to converse with Muslims and Jews and discuss "the Christ" without making a subliminal judgement call that "Chritianity" is better than other religions.