INC members are prohibited to read the bible?

One of the accusations of non members to the INC is that INC members are forbidden to read the bible by ministers as it can be seen that they do not bring bibles on worship services.


IS THIS TRUE?

Well, we all know the answer.

NO. The members are not prohibited to read the bible, and for your information, it is the ministers who encourage us to read the bible especially to those who are examining the beliefs of the INC. BUT there is an exception, we are not prohibited to read the bible as long as we will not give our own interpretation to the verses of the bible.


As what written in Pasugo:

There is no such prohibition for members of the Church of Christ to read the Bible. Indeed, everyone must benefit from the enormous wisdom the Bible offers, and everyone must understand the "truth" or the words of God (Jn.17:17), especially in the matters concerning man's salvation.

And, we do not agree with the belief that the Bible is an "open book" or that it can be understood by simply reading it. To illustrate this point, let's turn to the Bible and examine the case of the Ethiopian Eunuch:

". . . . The Eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, 'Go over and walk along besides the carriage'. Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the book of Isaiah; so he asked, ' Do you understand what you are reading?' The man replied, 'How can I, when there is no one to instruct me?' And he begged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him." Acts 8:27-31

In the preceding biblical passages we see that the Eunuch was already reading the book of Isaiah. But, when asked if he understood what he was reading, his reply was, "How can I, when there's no one to instruct me?"

Therefore, no matter how educated we are, we need someone to instruct us. This is because the words of God written in the Bible have been hidden in mystery (Rom. 6:25). It is not the case that one who reads and studies the Bible will definitely come to the knowledge of the truth (II Tim. 3:7).

It really doesn't take a genius to read and understand the Bible. Rather, it takes a messenger of God to understand it and teach us. God's messengers understand the words of God written in the Bible because they have been entrusted with God's words (IICor. 5:18-19). No wonder the Eunuch by himself could not understand the Scriptures without the messenger explaining it to him. So, Philip taught him the words of God. In one of his epistles, Apostle Paul says:

"And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" Rom. 10:15

source: pasugo issue June 2003 studyiglesianicristo.com

How about during worship services, are you still encourage to bring a bible?

Straight from a pasugo issue:

"...During the Church worship services, INC do everything in a fitting and orderly way (I Cor. 14:40). One way is not having many members as teachers (Jas. 3:1). The bringing of bibles into worship services will just disrupt orderliness. The officiating minister reads appropriate passages and the rest of the congregation listen."

You can bring a pen and a paper so that you can write the verses cited by the ministers, and on your home you can find and read whatever verses you wrote on your paper.

As you observed on our worship services, the lessons taught are in a question and answer form, its like the lesson are delivered in a speech. Its not like protestant pastors and priests who will read a verse and tell his own interpretation about it, in that case, you can bring your bible because he will make an explanation first before he proceed to another topic, while in our worship services, they just read the question and answer form of lesson from the Church admin. so you wont be able to find the page of the chapter and verse immediately and you will not able to focus in the message the minister is saying...