The Church of Almighty God -- The Inside Story of the Bible(1)

      Question:  I’ve studied the Bible for more than twenty years. I’m sure that outside the Bible there is no God’s word. All God’s word is in the Bible. Any belief against or beyond the Bible is a heresy and is a fallacy.

Answer: Does the saying “outside the Bible there is no God’s word and any belief beyond the Bible is a heresy,” accord with the fact or not? All those who are familiar with the Bible know that in the compilation of the Bible, because of the compilers’ disagreement and omission, some of God’s words conveyed through the prophets were not included in the Old Testament. This is a generally acknowledged fact. How can we say that outside the Bible there are no God’s work and word? Aren’t those omitted prophecies of the prophets God’s words? The Lord Jesus said more words than those in the New Testament. In fact, most of His words are not recorded in the Bible. The Lord Jesus had worked for three and a half years, and He said countless words and gave many sermons. However, all of the Lord’s words recorded in the Four Gospels in the New Testament merely amount to His words in several hours. Compared with the Lord Jesus’ work and preaching in the three and a half years, that’s only a drop in the ocean. As John said, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21:25). This proves that not all of the Lord Jesus’ work and word are recorded in the New Testament. Thus, the saying “outside the Bible there are no God’s work and word” doesn’t accord with the fact. We should also know that whether the Old Testament or the New Testament, it came into being from man’s record after God finished one stage of His work. The Bible at the very beginning was only the Old Testament. All of the Lord Jesus’ work and word went beyond the Old Testament. If according to “any belief beyond the Bible is a heresy,” won’t we condemn the Lord Jesus? Brothers and sisters, from these facts we can see the saying “outside the Bible there are no God’s work and word and any belief beyond the Bible is a heresy” is groundless.

As to the truth in this aspect, let’s see what Almighty God says. “In Jesus’ day, He led the Jews and all those who followed Him according to the work of the Holy Spirit in Him. He did not look to the Bible for evidence, but spoke as His work dictated. He did not concern Himself with what the Bible said, did not lead His followers down a path found in the Bible. From the very beginning, He preached the way of repentance, and the word ‘repentance’ was not mentioned at all in all the prophecies in the Old Testament. Not only did He not follow the Bible, He brought forth a new path and did a new work. He did not make reference to the Bible when He preached, and the miracles He worked—healing the sick, casting out demons—had never been performed by men during the Age of Law. No one in the Age of Law did the work He did, taught those lessons, had that authority. He simply did His new work, though many people condemned Him, even crucified Him, by using the Bible. His work went beyond the Old Testament; if that had not been the case, why would they have nailed Him to the cross? Was it not because His teachings, His power to cure the sick and cast out demons, had never been recorded in the Old Testament? … In people’s eyes His work was not based on a shred of evidence, and in many ways it ran counter to what was recorded in the Bible. Were they not grossly in the wrong? Must God’s work obey any rules? Does He need to follow the words of prophets? Which is greater, the Bible or God? Why must God’s work be in line with the Bible? Is it really not within His right to stand above the Bible? Can He not depart from it and do other work? Why did Jesus and His disciples not observe the Sabbath? If He were to observe the Sabbath, to practice the commandments of the Old Testament, then why, after His coming, did He not observe the Sabbath, but washed others’ feet and covered His head, broke bread and drank wine? Were these commandments mentioned in the Old Testament? If Jesus were to adhere to the Old Testament, why did He break these rules? You must know which came first, God, or the Bible? As He is the Lord of the Sabbath, can’t He also be the Lord of the Bible?” (“Concerning the Bible (1)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Over so many years, we all thought any belief apart from the Bible was a heresy. Today, after reading Almighty God’s word, we know God never works according to the Bible or works by consulting the Bible, much less does He look for paths in the Bible to lead His followers. Rather, He’ll do a newer work and bestow to man a newer way beyond the Bible. Brothers and sisters, God is the Ruler of all things. He is not only the Lord of the Sabbath but the Lord of the Bible. God is fully entitled to do a newer work according to His own plan and the need of mankind. So, “outside the Bible, there are no God’s word and work, and any belief apart from the Bible is a heresy,” this saying is untenable.

The Bible records the first two stages of God’s works. The Old Testament records the work of the Age of Law Jehovah God did in Israel. This is the work God did in the Age of Law, as we usually say. The New Testament records the Lord Jesus’ work in the Age of Grace. This is the work God did in the Age of Grace as we usually say. God didn’t do the work of the Age of Law according to the Bible. God didn’t do the work of the Age of Grace according to the Bible either. None of the works God did was according to the Bible. When we measure man’s work, preaching, and service, we can do it according to the Bible. But we should even more measure it according to whether it has the enlightenment and illumination of the Holy Spirit, instead of by the Bible completely. If we measure God’s work according to the Bible, we are resisting God’s work. Take the Jewish Pharisees an example. Their work was accordant with the Bible, but it had no working of the Holy Spirit. Can the service of such people be approved by God? Though their work was in accordance with the Bible, it had no working of the Holy Spirit. So God didn’t approve of it. They were ones who resisted God’s work and were condemned by God. Can we deny such a fact?

From "The Church of Almighty God"