The Bible Authority

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ~ John 1:1“

God’s Word. Our ultimate weapon against the enemy. In terms of it’s authenticity there really is no middle ground. This is either all of God’s word or it’s all a lie. There are many denominations of faith, and disagreements in the Church today but the one thing we can hold onto with certainty is that we can go to this book as a final and trustworthy source for authority.

Through the blessing of the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand that the Holy Bible is the supreme authority in matters of the Christian faith.  Some refer to this as Sola scriptura (by scripture alone). Regardless of the labels or your denomination we can certainly trust God’s word, and test it against any kind of external authority or external revelations that claim to be of equal or superior authority.

There are several reasons we can trust God’s word. I will talk about three here in this article. First it is for all Christians and useful for teaching, it is “Theopneustos” (God-breathed), and Jesus himself affirms the Word, and is the Word.

First, the Bible is meant for all Christians to read, study and practice. You don’t have to be a scholar, or member of an elite group in order to understand the message.

“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you” ~ Proverbs 1:23

God’s word is useful (authoritative) for teaching.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.  ~ 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross we have direct access to the Father through the Son. Romans 10:13 says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. When we call on the Lord he will pour his spirit on us, and help us to understand his Word.

“From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work..” 2 Timothy 3:15-17

In a world of noise, uncertainty, and confusion we can certainly depend on Gods word as a reliable source of authority. The message of salvation is made clear in scripture, and if you truly have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have Christ in you, and will be guided by the Holy Spirit.

No matter what anyone says or teaches, you can test it against scripture to determine its truth. So it’s important that you make reading scripture a part of your everyday life.

The authors of scripture confirm this – “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” ~ 2 Peter 1:20-21

Second, the Bible is “Theopneustos” (God-breathed). The Old Testament writers affirm over 3800 times that what they are writing is God’s word. New Testament writers quote the Old Testament and refer to it as Gods word over 1000 times. Here are a few examples:

• I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ~ Galations 1:11
• And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:13
• “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.” ~ 2 Peter 3:15

The scripture is not a book of “stories” written by some clever men. And if anyone tries to tell you this book isn’t the word of God you can tell them, well…, the authors seem to think so. So when we talk about authority it is clear that the authors are telling us their words are not from them but from God himself. And if it truly is God himself speaking we can most certainly trust it as a reliable source of truth.

Third, if you believe in Jesus Christ and that He is everything that He claims then you can rest assured that everything He said is absolute truth.

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” ~ John 1:1 Later on in John 1:14 we read “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”

Jesus frequently says “It is written” in the New Testament. For example when Jesus was being tempted by Satan: “he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” ~ Matthew 4:4  If Jesus himself is saying “It is written” it is clear that we can depend on his Word as authoritative.

In conclusion it is my firm conviction that we can trust the Bible as an inerrant source of authority because it useful for teaching, God-breathed, and our Lord Jesus affirmed it. Any teachings that aren’t found in scripture, traditions of men, additional revelations, declarations of authority equal to or above should be tested against scripture.

If you understand and know this truth may God give you the boldness to help convince others, and point them to Christ.