All Things Require Intelligence For Them To Be Established

Many people (including atheists) claim that there is no intelligence behind the construction of our universe. They suggest our universe came into being by chance. They of course cannot prove their claim – indicating that their claim is merely their belief. However, the principle that there is intelligence behind the establishment of all things, can be observed around us. This principle undermines the notion that things came into being without the direction of intelligence, and underscores the existence of God, and of scriptural accounts - indicating that there is in fact intelligence behind the establishment of all things.

Now in the sphere of operations of man, you cannot get a cup, battery, car, skyscraper, or space shuttle, without them being established by agents (man) with increasing amounts of intelligence. The same is true in the spheres of operations of animals and microorganisms. Now if we see this principle existent in various aspects of our world, it is reasonable to assume that the principle exists within all aspects of our world / universe – particularly in the absence of evidence suggesting otherwise. (E.g. if we see that 1 + 1 = 2 in various aspects of our world, and in the parts of our universe we are able to observe, it is reasonable to assume that 1 + 1 = 2 everywhere in our universe.)

If intelligence is required to establish all things, it follows that intelligences matching the description of God, established our universe – since only beings with the intelligence and power of God, could do such a thing. The above is extremely important, because it underscores the fundamental legitimacy of religious texts, that contend that our universe is ruled and run by myriad intelligences beyond our direct perception – just as there are countless microorganisms which interact with our bodies, we are directly unaware.

Therefore when people say it is irrational to believe in God and the claims of the Bible, you can point to the above and show that it is in fact rational to believe in God; and that these people’s contention that there is no God, is merely their belief, which does not hold up to reason.

The Cause and Effect of Faith

Many people do not differentiate well between the cause and effect of having faith, and often confuse the two. Most of the time the Bible talks about faith, it refers to the effects of faith – not its cause. Faith has one cause (indicated in Mark 11:22-24), which produces a myriad of effects, which the Bible refers to as the fruits of the Spirit. Therefore it is only when a person has faith correctly (causal faith), that he is able to produce the fruits of the Spirit (faith effects).

Now a consequence of the confusion between the cause and effect of faith, is that people try to mimic the effects of faith in order to achieve righteousness. Therefore when God commands people to act righteously, the vast majority try to do so directly, and fail just like the Jews, who tried to mimic the commandments written down in the law of Moses, rather than perform causal faith, to produce its righteous effects. That is what the following scripture means:

Romans 9

30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
31 but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it.
32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the "stumbling stone."
33 As it is written:
   "See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble
      and a rock that makes them fall,
   and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

One other thing, a lot of people refer to the following scripture for instruction on having causal faith:

Hebrews 11

1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

They are wrong! The above is just one of many faith effects, and trying to mimic it (by performing the above action directly) will not produce other faith effects. The following scripture indicates as much:

Matthew 7

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Therefore directly believing in God and in the hopes of the saints, does not save anyone. What saves a person is causal faith, which produces the above and other faith effects.

The Holy Spirit Is Female

The Catholic and Protestant Churches generally refer to the Holy Spirit as male. This bias is seen in one or more scriptures in the Bible, such as the following:

Hebrews 10

15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16"This is the covenant I will make with them
      after that time, says the Lord.
   I will put my laws in their hearts,
      and I will write them on their minds."

In Hebrew however, spirit is interpreted as female. For example, the following scripture from an old gospel, The Gospel According to the Hebrews, indicates that the early Church regarded the Holy Spirit as female.

“here the Savior says: Even so did my mother, the Holy Spirit, take me by one of my hairs and carry me away on to the great mountain Tabor. ”

Also see here. It is documented that in the translation of Christian texts from Hebrew (where spirit is feminine) to Greek (where spirit is neuter), and then from Greek to Latin (where spirit is masculine), the Holy Spirit winded up being considered male.

In addition to above, the following non-biblical scriptures indicate that the Holy Spirit is in fact female:

The Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus, the Christ of the Piscean

Chapter 9

14 Then let us study God, the One, the Three, the Seven.
15 Before the worlds were formed all things were One; just Spirit, Universal Breath.
16 And Spirit breathed, and that which was not manifest became the Fire and Thought of Heaven, the Father-God, the Mother-God.
17 And when the Fire and Thought of heaven in union breathed, their son, their only son, was born. This son is Love whom men have called the Christ.

On the Origin of the World

‘Israel - which is, "the man that sees God"; and another being, called Jesus Christ, who resembles the savior above in the eighth heaven, and who sits at his right upon a revered throne. And at his left, there sits the virgin of the holy spirit, upon a throne and glorifying him. And the seven virgins stand before her, [...] possessing thirty harps, and psalteries and trumpets, glorifying him. And all the armies of the angels glorify him, and they bless him.’

The Gospel of Philip

Some said, "Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit." They are in error. They do not know what they are saying. When did a woman ever conceive by a woman?

In addition to above, scriptures throughout the Bible indicate that the Holy Spirit is female. For example, look at the following scriptures:

Proverbs 8

1 Does not wisdom call out?
       Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 On the heights along the way,
       where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

3 beside the gates leading into the city,
       at the entrances, she cries aloud:

4 "To you, O men, I call out;
       I raise my voice to all mankind.

5 You who are simple, gain prudence;
       you who are foolish, gain understanding.

6 Listen, for I have worthy things to say;
       I open my lips to speak what is right.

7 My mouth speaks what is true,
       for my lips detest wickedness.

8 All the words of my mouth are just;
       none of them is crooked or perverse.

9 To the discerning all of them are right;
       they are faultless to those who have knowledge.

10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
       knowledge rather than choice gold,

11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
       and nothing you desire can compare with her.

12 "I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
       I possess knowledge and discretion.

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32 "Now then, my sons, listen to me;
       blessed are those who keep my ways.

Matthew 5

44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

John 3

8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

1 Corinthians 2

12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

The texts above indicate that someone who is a son of God, is a son of the Father as well as the Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:44-45, John 3:8). 1 Corinthians 2:12 indicates that the Holy Spirit gives us understanding. In Proverbs 8, the being who speaks as God, identifies herself as the mother of the sons of God, and indicates that she gives understanding to the sons of God. This means that it is the Holy Spirit who speaks as God in Proverbs 8, and it is She, along with the Father, who are the parents of the sons of God – consistent with the claims of the non-biblical scriptures referenced above.

In addition, throughout the Bible, children are considered being born of women – as indicated here. This suggests that John 3:8 (see above) alludes to the fact that the Holy Spirit is female.

All of the above therefore indicate that the Holy Spirit is female, and that the sons of God are born from male and female parents – not two male parents, as suggested by the Catholic and Protestant Churches.

Only A Relatively Few Will Suffer Eternal Punishment

Orthodox / Protestant Christianity indicates that when someone dies and is not saved, that person suffers eternal damnation. However, a number of Biblical and non-Biblical scriptures indicate that that is simply not the case. E.g. the following scripture indicates that it is only those who have had legitimate faith, and rejected it, and those who blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, will suffer eternal punishment.

The Apocryphon of John 

23 I said to the Savior, "Lord, will all the souls be delivered into the pure light"?

He replied, saying to me, "These are great things that have arisen in your thinking. For it is difficult to disclose these things to any others except those who are from the immovable generation. Those upon whom the Spirit of the Life will descend and (with whom) it will be powerfully present, they will be saved and will become perfect. And they will become worthy of the great realms. And they will be purified in that place from all evil and the concerns of wickedness. Then they will not take care for anything except the imperishability alone, attending to it from this point on without anger or envy or jealousy or desire or greed of anything at all. For they are not re­strained by anything except the reality of the flesh alone, which they bear while fervently awaiting the time when they will be visited by those who will receive (them). For such as these are worthy of the imperishable eternal life and the calling, enduring everything, bear­ing everything so that they might complete the contest and inherit eternal life."

I said to him, "Lord, will the souls of those upon whom the power of the Spirit of Life descended but who did not do these works be e[xcluded]?"

He repli[ed, s]aying to me, "If [the] Spirit descends [up]on them, they will be saved in any case, and they will migrate. For the power will descend upon every human being—for without it, no one is able to stand upright. After they are born, then if the Spirit of Life in­creases and the power comes to strengthen that soul, it is not possi­ble to lead it astray into the works of wickedness. But those upon whom the counterfeit spirit descends are drawn by it and they are led astray."

I said, "Lord, then when the souls of those leave their flesh, where will they got'

He laughed and said to me, "The soul in which the power will be­come stronger than the despicable spirit— for this one (the soul) is powerful and it flees from evil— it will be saved by the visitation of the Incorruptible and it will be admitted into the repose of the aeons.

I said, "Lord, then where will the souls be who do not know to whom their souls belong?"

He said to me, "In those, the despicable spirit has proliferated by leading them astray. He burdens the soul and draws it into works of wickedness, and he casts it down into forgetfulness. After it comes forth, they hand it over to the authorities who came into being through the Ruler. And they bind it in chains and cast it into prison. And they consort with it until it awakens from forgetfulness and receives knowledge. And in this way, it is perfected and saved."

I said, "Lord, how does the soul become smaller and return back into the nature of its mother or the human?"

Then he rejoiced when I asked this, and he said to me, "Truly you are blessed, for you have understood! That soul is made to follow another who has the Spirit of Life in it. It is saved by that (other) one. Then it is not cast into another flesh."

And I said, "Lord, what about those who understood and yet turned away? Where will their souls go?"

Then he said to me, "They will be admitted into that place where the angels of poverty go, the place where repentance does not occur. And they will guard them until that day when those who have blasphemed against the Spirit will be tortured. And they will be pun­ished with an eternal punishment."

Therefore per the scripture above, the majority of mankind will actually be saved in the end.

Now many non-Biblical scriptures (e.g. Gnostic, and those from the Kabbalah)  indicate that men and women are recycled through the world, through the process called reincarnation - after being judged, punished for a while, and then purified.

Pistis Sophia

Chapter 111

The State Of The Sinful Soul After Death

"Now, therefore, if the time of that man is completed, first cometh forth the destiny and leadeth the man unto death through the rulers and their bonds with which they are bound through the Fate. "And thereafter the retributive receivers come and lead that soul out of the body. And thereafter the. retributive receivers spend three days circling round with that soul in all the regions and dispatch it to all the æons of the world. And the counterfeiting spirit and the destiny follow that soul; and the power returneth to the Virgin of Light.

"And after three days the retributive receivers lead down that soul to the Amente of the chaos; and when they bring it down to the chaos, they hand it over to those who chastize. And the retributive receivers return unto their own regions according to the economy of the works of the rulers concerning the coming-forth of the souls.

"And the counterfeiting spirit becometh the receiver of the soul, being assigned unto it and transferring it according to the chastisement because of the sins which it hath made it commit, and is in great enmity to the soul.

"And when the soul hath finished the chastisements in the chaos according to the sins which it hath committed, the counterfeiting spirit leadeth it forth out of the chaos, being assigned unto it and transferring it to every region because of the sins which it hath committed; and it leadeth it forth on the way of the rulers of the midst. And when it reacheth them, [the rulers] question it on the mysteries of the destiny; and if it hath not found them, they question their destiny. And those rulers chastize that soul according to the sins of which it is guilty. I will tell you the type of their chastisements at the expansion of the universe.

How A Sinful Soul Is Brought Back To Birth

"When, therefore, the time of the chastisements of that soul in the judgments of the rulers of the midst shall be completed, the counterfeiting spirit leadeth the soul up out of all the regions of the rulers of the midst and bringeth it before the light of the sun according to the commandment of the First Man, Yew, and bringeth it before the judge, the Virgin of Light. And she proveth that soul and findeth that it is a sinning soul, and ceaseth her light-power into it for its standing-upright and because of the body and the community of sense,--the type of which I will tell you at the expansion of the universe. And the Virgin of Light sealeth that soul and handeth it over to one of her receivers and will have it cast into a body which is suitable to the sins which it hath committed.

"And amēn, I say unto you: They will not discharge that soul from the changes of the body until it hath yielded its last circuit according to its merit. Of all these then will I tell you their type and the type of the bodies into which it will be cast according to the sins of each soul. All this will I tell you when I shall have told you the expansion of the universe."

Therefore, per the above, most everyone who sins, will be: judged; temporarily punished; recycled into the world, and the process will be repeated many times for many people, until a final judgment. (Note: those who have legitimate faith, will escape the process.)

Now the question is, does the Bible actually back up the above scriptures? Consider the case of Elijah. Elijah was reincarnated in the form of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11-14, Matthew 17:10-13). This proves that reincarnation is consistent with the teachings of the Bible. Also consider Jesus’ claim in Matthew 12:30-32 that the only sin that will not be forgiven mankind, is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Now if a person pays for his sins through punishments in Hell (similar to the way a prisoner pays his debts to society through incarceration), and the person’s sins are forgiven at the end of his sufferings, doesn’t this mean that unless the person blasphemed against the Holy Spirit, all his sins will be forgiven after the time he spends in Hell? Therefore while the Bible does not back up the above scriptures in detail, it does support the existence of the mechanism reincarnation, and it does allude to the fact that most people will not endure eternal punishments – referred to in the Bible as the second death (Revelation 2:11, Revelation 20:11-15).

Some people refer to the following scripture (and others) as evidence that reincarnation does not occur.

Hebrews 9

23 It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.
24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.
25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.
26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
27 Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,
28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Let’s consider the above scripture. Those who offer the above scripture as evidence that reincarnation does not occur, do not understand what the scripture means. The above scripture means that it has been appointed for every perfect man to face this world (at least once), with all its tests, difficulties, etc., and finally mortal death (all as a sacrifice [Romans 8:36]), in order to be found worthy to be called the son of God. Christ, who is the first among perfect men, followed the same course, as was required of him. Some people might ask, why is the above interpretation of the preceding scripture correct where some others are not? Because the above interpretation is the most Biblically harmonious explanation there is. Contradicting explanations about the above (and other scriptures) all contradict scriptures throughout the Bible.

Orthodox Church Adds To And Excludes From The Word Of God, Then Accuses Others Of Being Guilty Of The Former

As I indicated here, the Orthodox Church added it’s own words to God’s scriptures in such a way, as to exclude a huge swath of legitimate texts; then turned around and accused supporters of these legitimate texts, of heresy. I would like to expound on my point that the criteria that the Church used to determine the validity of texts, were inconsistent with the ways of God, and therefore illegitimately added to the word of God. Per this article, the following criteria were used by the second century Church, to determine the authenticity of religious texts:

1. A text / book must have been written by an apostle or based on his eyewitness testimony.
2. A text / book must possess merit and authority in its use.
3. A text / book must come to be accepted by the entire church, not just a single congregation or area.
4. A text / book must be approved by the decision of the larger church, not just a few advocates.

Now the first criterion suggests that only an apostle can provide instruction and insight into the ways of God – in written form. This is silly, for it would mean that no one since the early Church, has been qualified to lay down spiritual truths to texts. Further, it would mean that only the  few apostles in the early (first century) Church had the authority to write down spiritual truths to texts. This directly contradicts the following scripture:

(Amplified Bible)

1 Corinthians 2

12 Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.

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16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

1 Corinthians 2:12 indicates that everyone who truly has the Holy Spirit, has been given realization and understanding about the mysteries of God. This would make everyone who has faith correctly, capable of having and setting down these insights to texts. 1 Corinthians 2:16 indicates everyone who has faith, has the same mind (spirit) Christ had, and therefore has the same intelligence and thinking as Him. This would mean that everyone who has faith can know and set down spiritual truths to text as scripture - just as Christ knew and spoke spiritual truths, which were set down to texts around his time here on earth.

Beyond what was stated above, given the fact that any man who has the spirit called truth united with him, can speak credibly about spiritual truths; it follows that anyone who is one with truth (via faith), can set down spiritual insights to texts, in the form of scriptures. The following scriptures back up my point:

(Amplified Bible)

John 14

17 The Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you know and recognize Him, for He lives with you [constantly] and will be in you.

John 15

26 But when the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth Who comes (proceeds) from the Father, He [Himself] will testify regarding Me.

John 16

13 But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future].

It is important to realize that unless a man is truly united with God, he is not united with the spirit called truth, and he is not competent to discuss the ways of God, and the truth about our world and creation. Therefore any attempt at discussion about the ways of God among faithless men, is worthless, and cannot be considered scripture. On the other hand, any man who is united with God is united with the spirit called truth; and any teachings, insights, discussions he has, can be regarded as inspired, and set down as scripture.

Regarding the second criterion, if a man truly has faith (particularly powerful faith), then his words when examined, will be found to be true, which will in turn give them merit and authority.

Regarding the third and fourth criteria, remember, the true Church is the body of people who have genuine faith – where their faith are attested to by their natural deeds. It is not merely the body of people who claim they have faith – and do not have naturally good deeds to show for it. Also, the acceptability of a text has more to do with the greatness of the author’s faith (reflected first and foremost in his actions, then in his other spiritual qualities [see 1 Corinthians 13]), than the text’s general acceptance among all who truly have faith. For example, after the conversion of Paul the Apostle in the Book of Acts in the Bible, many in the Church did not believe Paul at first. This however did not detract from the fact that Paul spoke with God’s authority at the time.

As can be seen above, the second century Church and beyond, provided flimsy criteria for the exclusion of texts that were truly inspired by God. Because the conditions they gave for the acceptance of texts do not stand up to scrutiny, and actually contradict Biblical scriptures, you see where they were man made inventions which illegitimately added to the word of God, in such a manner, as to exclude large amounts of legitimate (and also illegitimate) texts.

Criteria Which May Be Used To Legitimately Judge The Authenticity Of Claimed Godly Texts

As I indicated here, the only essential criterion provided by God to make sound judgments about the godliness of texts, is that a person has faith correctly. Beyond that, under the guidance a person obtains from the proper pursuit of faith (Philippians 2:13), a person should look at the characteristics of a work, to see if is godly. That is what Christ meant when He said, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (See Matthew 7:20.)

Please look at the following scriptures:

2 Timothy 3   

16 Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action),
17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Now if a text is inspired / God-breathed, it means that it is the work of God / the Holy Spirit. The following scriptures outline the characteristics of the works of the Spirit.

Galatians 5

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

1 Corinthians 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

(Amplified Bible)

1 Corinthians 2

7 But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God--[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].
8 None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].
10 Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man's scrutiny].

The above indicates that the characteristics of the works of the Spirit are: great wisdom, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, truthfulness, self-control, ever protecting, ever trusting, ever hopefulness, ever perseverance, non-rudeness, non-envy, non-boastfulness, non-pridefulness, non-self-seeking, not easily angered. Therefore when you examine texts that purport to be of God, it is important that they exhibit the above characteristics of God / the Holy Spirit, before you determine them authentic. For example, when you look at the Gospel of Judas, you see where Jesus is portrayed as mean-spirited to his disciples. This is an important indicator that the document is false, since it is inconsistent with Christ’s depiction in the Bible and other texts.

Logical consistency (an aspect of wisdom) within a document, and among all other documents determined to be of God, is another important attribute which must be found in texts allegedly inspired by God.

Orthodox Church's Exclusion of Many Holy Texts, Amounted To Adding To And Subtracting From The Word of God

The Orthodox Church likes to label many texts it disapproves of as heresy. However, the Orthodox Church comes to its conclusions by adding criteria to the means Christ gave to make judgments about the soundness of scriptures.

Please note the following scriptures:

(Amplified Bible)

1 Corinthians 2

12 Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.
13 And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].
14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.
15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].
16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

Given the fact that someone receives the Spirit by having faith (Galatians 3:14), 1 Corinthians 2:15 indicates that  having faith is the only essential criterion needed to make successful judgments about the soundness of scriptures. (No other scripture in the Bible provides additional essential criteria.)  Therefore when the Orthodox Church uses additional essential criteria to include or exclude texts as being scripture (e.g. that a text must have been written by an apostle or be based on eyewitness testimony), it actually violates an extremely important command of God.

(Amplified Bible)

Deuteronomy 12

32 Whatever I command you, be watchful to do it; you shall not add to it or diminish it.

(Amplified Bible)

Proverbs 30

5 Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.
6 Add not to His words, lest He reprove you, and you be found a liar.

As I indicated here, the pursuit of God is a dangerous enterprise, for which the only security you have rests in the practice of having faith correctly. A person must see that he never wavers from this, and search for God’s truth in this world from this vantage point.

Therefore when the Orthodox (and also Protestant) churches point to the Bible and claim that it is the only word of God that exists, keep in mind that their claim is not supported by scripture, and worse, they seriously violate God’s law in order to come up with their statement.

(Please read here for further information.)