No. The Bible is NOT the Word of God, it comes FROM the Word of God. There is a very big difference between the two. Let's examine the evidence.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God" - John 1:1-2.
Clearly this passage is not speaking about a book, but about the person of Jesus Christ. Christ came before Scripture, not Scripture before Christ. If we need further proof of that, we can go to John 1:14:
"And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth."
If that's still not clear enough that we are talking about Jesus Christ and not about Scripture, we can move down to John 1:16-17:
"From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
Notice that it does not say grace and truth came through Scripture, but through Jesus Christ. However, if we need still more evidence than this,
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6
"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." - John 21:25
In fact, St. Paul warned us, "So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter." - 2 Thessalonians 2:15.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God" - John 1:1-2.
Clearly this passage is not speaking about a book, but about the person of Jesus Christ. Christ came before Scripture, not Scripture before Christ. If we need further proof of that, we can go to John 1:14:
"And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth."
If that's still not clear enough that we are talking about Jesus Christ and not about Scripture, we can move down to John 1:16-17:
"From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
Notice that it does not say grace and truth came through Scripture, but through Jesus Christ. However, if we need still more evidence than this,
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6
If the Word of God were the Bible, which had not yet been created although the Old Testament portion did, Jesus would have pointed to the existing Scriptures as being the Word of God. He didn't. He pointed to himself as being the final authority - the One through whom one must enter in order to reach the Father.
It is DANGEROUS to limit the Word of God to the Bible, since we are told in Scripture
Therefore, when we limit ourselves to Scripture alone as most Protestants do, we miss out on a great body of Christ's teachings which were handed to the apostles for preservation. This is the point of the Catholic Church's magisterium, her teaching body, which preserves the traditions handed on to the apostles by Christ. Many Protestants claim that if it isn't in the Bible, then it is not valid, but this is not what St. Paul tells us.
Furthermore, he points believers to look to the Church as the source and pillar of truth in 1 Timothy 3:15, ""But if I tarry long, that you may know how to conduct yourselves in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and source of the Truth"
Thus we can see in Scripture evidence that Scripture comes from the Word of God but it is NOT the Word of God. Jesus Christ, who is God, is the Word of God. Confusing a book, no matter how sacred, for God elevates the creation above the creator and risks becoming idolatrous.
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