How Is the Bible Authoritative?

Introduction

We are looking at some of the fundamental and foundational truths associated with our walk with God and our faith and practice as Christians. We began this study focusing on the Bible. We looked at how the Bible has been transmitted to us, inspiration, and why we have both Old and New Testaments. While these lessons are intended to strengthen our faith, they also remind us that faith is required in order for us to follow. There are a number of belief systems available to us. We do not lack for philosophies to absorb and to be challenged by. If we reject the Bible, then we are saying that we are placing our faith in something else. We do not live this life faithless. We believe something. What we are trying to do is present the idea that the trusting God and his word not only makes sense but is reliable and authoritative. So today we look at the authority of the Bible.

We believe that God exists. God has chosen to reveal himself in a variety of ways. Romans 1 tells us that he has chosen to reveal himself through creation. Hebrews 1 tells us that he revealed his will through prophets, but the ultimate revelation of himself came in the person of Jesus. But the reason we know these things is because the Bible exists. What we call the Bible provides us a carefully written revelation about God and his plans and purposes. Because such a document exists from the Creator, then we can expect certain things to be true about this document.

First, the Bible would be completely and accurately true in all aspects. God claims to know all things; therefore, any document which comes from him must verify his complete knowledge so that there are no errors.

ii. Second, the Bible needs to be coherent and a unity in all parts. There should not be any contradiction.

iii. Third, the Bible would contain God’s will for his people so that we could enjoy fellowship with Him.

iv. Thus the Bible provides for us insight into the nature and character of God.

Biblical Claims

Authority is a difficult concept. Our culture endorses various views of authority. We are encouraged to think for ourselves and to question those who claim authority. We are encouraged to recognize that every perspective has some validity even at times equal validity. Authority is often viewed negatively; however, there is a certain amount of giving in so that there is functioning in our culture. For instance, government authority is submissive to the will of the people at the voting polls but once in office the people are submissive to government in order for it to function. We are employed and as a result we agree to listen and obey those who have authority over us. But we are encouraged to voice our opinions or even to look for another job if we sufficiently disagree with our employer. Within families, children recognize the authority of parents but as children age, they may go counter to the will of the parent. This is endorsed and lamented at times.

So when we use the term authority, we find that we may have mixed reactions to the idea. Authority exists but there is a tension within us to not only admit it but to submit to it. In American culture there is a desire to be our own authority. We want to make our decisions and be left alone to do what we want. When the policeman stops us for speeding, we recognize the officer’s authority to do so, but in our minds we say that the officer works for us since we pay the salary. This view speaks of our acceptance of authority and yet our unwillingness to allow authority to get too far above us. Do you think such a view may influence how we think about God and the Bible? Do you think such a view may give us permission to question God and his word? Let me suggest this—God has authority whether we acknowledge him or submit to him. Faith says that we will trust God and not try to take his place. We submit to God. This view is counter cultural.

If God has authority, then I want to listen to him. However he chooses to connect with us is valid. Not how I think he should connect with us, but as the final authority his decision is all that matters. Hebrews 1 says that God chose for a time to reveal himself through prophets but his final revelation came through Jesus. God also chose to reveal himself through the written word.

The Bible claims to be authoritative. It is one thing to claim that the Bible contains God’s word. It is another thing for the Bible to claim that it is God’s word. Throughout the Old Testament it is obvious that the writers believed God was speaking through them. No fewer than 420 times in the first five books is it stated “Then the Lord said” or something similar to that statement. The prophets claimed that God was speaking through them. (Jer. 1:9, Hos. 1:1, Amos 1:3, Mic. 1:1, Mal. 1:1) And there are times that God tells Moses, Joshua, and others to write down what he was saying. He tells various people to record his words so that they will not be forgotten and can be shared with the generations. This is the beginning of our Bible. Written documents from God.

In the New Testament, Jesus and his disciples confirmed that what was found in the Old Testament was from God. (Matthew 5:17-18, 22:31-32; John 10:35) Jesus read the Old Testament. He quoted it. He lived by its commandments. He wanted others to read and understand. All of his quotes come from the Old Testament. He never changed the wording of Old Testament. He confirmed the reality of Old Testament stories (Adam and Eve—Matthew 19:4; Noah—Matthew 24:37-39; Sodom—Luke 17:28-32; the bronze serpent—John 3:14; Jonah—Matthew 12:39-40).

Paul and Peter affirmed the inspiration of scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21. Inspiration simply means that God used human beings to write down his thoughts, words, and purposes. The writers personalities come through but the words and thoughts are God’s. At times this would have been dictated. At other times a vision or dream was recorded. At times history is recorded without comment. Then we have examples of careful research (Luke 1:1-4) and deep feelings and emotions (the Psalms). But all of these different types of writings came from God who wanted his thinking preserved for all generations.

The New Testament also claims to be God’s word. The gospel accounts signify the reality of Jesus’s life and the authors claim that he was and is God’s son. Peter in 2 Peter 3 compares Paul’s writings with Old Testament scripture. The entire Bible claims to be the word of God and thus has authority for those who by faith choose to believe it? So how do we verify this?

External Evidence

Let’s look first at external evidence. External evidence alone cannot prove the Bible to be inspired. External evidence can prove that parts are accurate. Archaeology has done much especially in the last 150 years to verify the validity of scripture. While we cannot cover all the discoveries made, each discovery has helped to verify the certainty of biblical claims. Many historians who do not believe the Bible to be God’s word have been silenced because of archaeological discoveries. Obscure discoveries which verify some of the smallest details. For instance, Romans 16:23 mentions Erastus as the city director of public works. Paul wrote Romans from Corinth. In Corinth the name of Erastus with this title has been found carved in stone. Archaeology helps to clarify and verify certain facts, but it is not enough to prove the inspiration of scripture. For that we must look at the Bible very critically.

The Bible covers 2000 years. 40 different people wrote it. No other ancient book has captured the hearts of people. No other ancient book has more verification than the Bible. For instance, Plato’s works come to us from documents which are 1200 years after he wrote his work. The earliest copy of his work comes from 900 A.D. Plato died around 350 B.C. We only have 7 copies of his work. And from those seven copies we study Plato. Take another example—Homer’s Iliad. Written about 900 B.C., our earliest copy comes from 400 B.C.—a difference of 500 years. There are 643 copies of Homer’s Iliad from which linguists can work. What about the Bible? The New Testament was written between 40-100 A.D. by different writers. The earliest bit of the Bible we have is dated at 125 A.D. a time span of only 25 years. We have over 24,000 ancient copies including fragments or full copies of the New Testament are available to us. Add to that another 15,000 fragments and copies in various other languages dating from the second century, then we see that the Bible is well attested.

Look at it another way. The New Testament has about 20,000 lines of text. The Iliad has 15,600. Only 40 lines of the New Testament are in doubt. 764 lines of the Iliad are in doubt. No other ancient literature is so well attested. No other ancient literature has come to us so intact. No other ancient literature has so many different places of origins (copies and fragments have been found in various countries and provinces demonstrating widespread copying and distribution) and yet are virtually in agreement.

Internal Evidence

But even these truths may not be convincing enough. Quickly, let’s look at some aspects of the Bible which verifies its title as scripture and thus authoritative.

There is one major theme in the Bible: Sinful humanity is redeemed by the grace of God. From Genesis to Revelation, the message is that God cares about his creation and does what is necessary to bring it back into harmony with him.

ii. There is a unity of structure: The Old Testament is the New concealed, and the New Testament is the Old revealed. Malachi ends with a prophetic message that God’s anointed is coming (Mal. 3:1; 4:5-6) and the New Testament begins with the advent of the Christ into this world. The Old Testament points to God doing something and the New Testament confidently points to Jesus as the fulfillment of those promises.

iii. There is a unity of focus: Jesus Christ. The Old Testament anticipates his arrival. The New Testament reveals his coming and the implications for our lives.

iv. Prophecy is given and fulfilled. The Bible at times makes a prediction about the future. Those predictions occur. How can this be explained except that God was speaking his words to writers so that all would come to faith.

So when we come to this precious document we handle it with great care. We read as fully as possible. We try to understand how those original authors meant for us to understand their culture and their thinking. And we approach the Bible with a sense of awe and reverence because it is a record of God’s will and his thoughts.

If the Bible is true and there is sufficient evidence to make a decision, then the words contained in the Bible provide what we need to understand our relationship with God and how much God wants to be in relationship with us. He invites us to come to him and live. Invitation.

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