I believe the Bible is the Word of God and has the right to command my belief and action.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Michael Novak, a Roman Catholic philosopher, once shared in an address the problem with our public education system in America: “They teach, ‘There is no such thing as truth. Truth is bondage. Believe what seems right to you. There are as many truths as there are individuals. Follow your feelings. Do as you please. Get in touch with yourself. Do what feels comfortable.’” Unfortunately, it is safe to say that many people today hold a similar understanding of truth. A significant reason why this is the case is that so few people have any ultimate authority in their life to determine what truth is.
As God’s people we have determined that God’s Word will be the ultimate authority in our lives because we believe that Scripture is set apart and inspired. Here is how Central Bible Church’s Statement of Faith explains the uniqueness and authority of the Bible: “We believe literally in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as inspired of God, inerrant in the original writings, and of supreme and final authority in faith and life.”
Second Peter 1:20-21 provides our rationale for this belief, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
We can be confident that the Bible is our ultimate authority in life by looking at four elements central to this belief:
Inspiration – Source of Authority
All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The more than 40 authors of Scripture, spanning over 1600 years, were moved by God’s Spirit using their own style, vocabulary, and experience. The resulting writings were not their words alone, but the very words of God. Because of its divine inspiration, we adhere to the belief that God’s Word is superior to all other ideas or ideologies.
Infallibility/Inerrancy – Authentication of Authority
The Bible is perfect and complete because God is perfect and complete (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18) and without falsehood or error (Matthew 5:17-18). Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact. Think of this: If you believed the Bible was filled with error in one area, could you still trust what God said in any other area?
Inclusion – Limitation of Authority
At the Council of Carthage (AD 397), the biblical canon (the set of all the books that belong in the Bible) was established. The Church did not choose which books should be canon, but rather, they officially recognized the authority of the books as inspired by God. The main qualification for determining which books were Scripture was whether they had evidence of divine authorship. You can rest easy; there are no battles for any canonical change today.
Interpretation – Application of Authority
The Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, maintaining spiritual life, and knowing God’s will for our lives. John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” As we consider Scripture’s authority in our lives, we might ponder on these questions: If we believe the Bible to be authoritative, do we live like it? What if you treated your Bible like your phone, checking it for messages at the beginning and end of the day? Can you say that when you read the Bible, you hear the voice of God speaking to you in a way that is true of no other book?
PRAYER
Father, I want your inspired Word to guide my life as the ultimate authority. Help me to know it more because I want to know you more. Help me to hide your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11). Amen.