The Authority of Scripture: Giving God the Final Word
Takeaways:
- The basis for the sufficiency of Scripture is the authority of Scripture: giving God the final word.
- Authority rests on Scripture’s natureas uniquely inspired – literally, breathed out – by an omniscient, omnipresent omnipotent God through the Holy Spirit.
- Authority is displayed in Scripture’s being sacred (set apart), reliable, and capable not just to answer life questions but also to save.
- Pastors can encourage believers to follow Martin Luther’s pathway to recognizing the authority of Scripture: The One who provided the words that lead us to the sole source of salvation also provided them to bring us to the sole source of ultimate Truth.
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The last Seminary Viewpoint and podcast reviewed what it means for the Bible to be sufficient: “God has given us all we need to know how to please Him in any area of life.”
But what does sufficiency rest on? Scripture’s authority. Which in turn means, very simply: giving Scripture (and God) the “final word.”
A pastor, theologian, and even seminary professor might give good counsel on a topic – but those are mere human words. And no matter how much he has read or written or studied on that topic… or his ability to communicate carefully, thoughtfully, intentionally, lovingly or logically… he is not omniscient, omnipresent nor omnipotent.
There is One who is all-knowing, everywhere-present and all-powerful. The One Whose spoken word made things happen: commanding “Let there be light” – and there was light. Ordering the storm to “be still” – and it was still. The words of Scripture can have final say when this One who inspired them has the final word.
Authority Rests in the Nature of Scripture: God-Breathed
When we read in 2 Timothy 3:16 that Scripture is “inspired” it’s not the same as saying that a speech (or sermon), a work of art or a play is inspiring.
The actual Greek term – theopneustos – literally refers to the breath of God. Scripture was breathed out by God – through the Spirit of God, pneuma, the same word as “breath.”
This “God-breathed” nature makes Scripture more than just words on a page. As described in the previous verse, 3:15, they are sacred – hiera, literally “set apart,” unlike any other on the planet. They are words from God about God – revelation – given to men by God through the Spirit of God.
They are also reliable – v. 15 refers to “writings” (grammata). God took care to preserve a dependable record of what He said.
Most of all, these words are capable. Not just “profitable” (ōphelimos) for addressing issues of life, big and small (“doctrine, correction, reproof, instruction in righteousness”).
But capable of providing assurance on the biggest question of all: they offer the amazing power to give life by making us wise for salvation, and thereby eternally safe from the wrath of God. Other books will inform you, but only one book will transform you.
For Pastors: A Pathway for Encouraging Acceptance of Scripture’s Authority
Many church members struggle with the authority of Scripture, just as with its sufficiency. In the 21st century, believers are presented with thousands of helpful resources and insights not available 20 centuries ago: hard science, “soft” sciences, not to mention the current trend of putting intuition, subjectivity, and trust in one’s feelings over objective truth.
So how can pastors steer their members to putting God’s Word ahead of these temporal authorities? One pathway: follow the example of Martin Luther, who wrestled both with a suffocating obsession with his own sin and the church’s massive error of selling indulgences.
Luther didn’t seek to recover the authority of Scripture. Rather, in teaching and searching, he found his way to Romans and Paul’s assertion 1500 years earlier: there is a righteousness that comes from God and is applied to people’s lives – the power of the Gospel “unto salvation.”
Having discovered that power and source of salvation, the onetime monk then recognized that this one path to righteousness also implies one final, independent external authority that has the final say. We now frame that concept as sola scriptura – Scripture alone.
Sola scriptura doesn’t mean there’s no other source of insight but the Bible. Luther didn’t call for throwing out the church father’s writings or the creeds and theological articulations about Christ and the Holy Spirit that came out of the councils in the first through fourth century.
Rather, it means that no other authority sits in that final position to determine what is right, good, moral and ethical.
Following that pathway, pastors can work to convince members that the One who provided the words that lead us to the sole source of salvation also provided them to bring us to the sole source of ultimate Truth.
Abortion is one issue on which Sam in his pastoral ministry has faced a challenge in convincing believers to accept the “final word” of Scripture. It’s surprising how many committed, pro-life Christians, who believe abortion is murder, buy into an exception for rape or incest.
God’s Word is clear: Psalm 139 indicates that God is knitting the child together in the mother’s womb. Luke 1 describes the pre-born John the Baptist leaping for joy in the unborn Savior’s presence. Deuteronomy 24:16 and Ezekiel 18:19-20 also declare unmistakably that children cannot be put to death for their fathers’ sins.
So what’s to do? Galatians 6:2 is equally explicit – and authoritative – with another command: bear one another’s burdens. We don’t just get to say, “Well, praise God you decided to keep the baby. Be warmed and filled.”
God’s Word is not just authoritative in its moral authority. As we indicated last week, its authority also makes it sufficient in providing both the answers and the resources to live the Christian life it commands. Jesus is sufficient to save. And He saves us into a Body that is sufficient to meet one another’s needs in times of trial.
God doesn’t just have the final word. He has backed it up with all we need to live out that Word and please Him in every area of life. Praise His Name!
Resources:
- 1 Timothy 3:15-17, Psalm 139:1-24, Luke 1:41-44, Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekiel 18:19-20
- Celebrating the Solas, Part 1: Sola Scriptura, Layton Talbert, BJU Seminary “Theology in 3D”
- Do We Still Have God’s Words? The Preservation of Scripture (Parts 1 and 2), Layton Talbert, BJU Seminary “Theology in 3D”
- ‘Choose Life!’ The Theology of the Sanctity of Life, Sam Horn, BJU Seminary “Viewpoint”, accompanied by “The Theology of Sanctity of Life” (Steve Noble show) and a clip from the show (NOTE: NOT SURE HOW TO ACCESS THE FULL VIDEO FROM THE SHOW SO IT’S AN AUDIO RECORDING)