The Church has always believed that the Word of God is
not wholly contained in the library of the Bible. As the opening
of the Gospel of John proclaims, the Word of God
existed
eternally and became flesh in Jesus to dwell among
us
(John 1:1-14).
The Church, birthed by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost,
existed,
grew before, during and after the New Testament was
written
and the books of the Bible determined. The Church
recognizes
that the books of the Bible are but one source of information
about God's revelation, although a very important
source.
The Word of God and the Spirit of Truth are too
dynamic to be
limited to the written Word only.
The Bible is the book of the Church; we are not a
Church
of the Bible. The Church existed (30 AD) before the
Bible and
gave birth to it in faith and in Council (397 AD).