...21APR11 THEO104 Phillip A Johnson #L23636707 The Authority of the Bible The purpose of this paper is to share some thoughts of what we learned over this semester. Many thoughts will come from what I have written during the class and from the Core of Christianity, Elmer Towns. The topics I chosen to discuss is Does the Bible have authority, Did Jesus claim to be God and How can we be confident that Jesus is returning. Let us first look at the word authority. Authority means “the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.” ("authority.") This authority can come from a teacher, pastor, principle or anyone else that has the ability to control or command someone or something. The Biblical definition, states that authority is “the legal and/or moral right to exercise power, or power that is rightly possessed. We recognize the Bible is the most significant book in the history of civilization. In the context of Jewish history, the Bible’s impact on politics, history, and religion is without comparison. Along with establishing the covenant-based legitimacy of the Jewish people and their history, the Bible’s political impact is exemplified through prophetic politics, the power of kings, and the effects of political authority. Biblical archeology has discovered biblical structures which supports the historical validity of the Bible. The Bible’s effect on history, politics, and religion has...
Words: 1412 - Pages: 6
...Section Number: THEO 201 D18 “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge (American Heritage Dictionary 1979, 89).”[1] So, what does it mean to say that the Bible has authority? From where does the authority of the Bible come? We can look to Romans 13:1 which states “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” (Bible Gateway, NKJV) God is the ultimate authority of all things past, present, and future. When it comes to inspiration of the Bible it can be explained as, “a supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit upon divinely chosen agents in consequence of which their writings become trustworthy and authoritative.”[2] Biblical support can be found in the Scriptures, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16 Bible Gateway, NKJV) “Scripture is affirmed nonetheless to owe its origin not to human but to divine initiative.”[3] Inerrancy is defined as, “the view that when all the facts become known, they will demonstrate that the Bible in its original autographs and correctly interpreted is entirely true and never false in all it affirms, whether that relates to doctrine or ethics or to the social, physical, or life sciences.”[4] We can look at four arguments for inerrancy in which we can defend our view. In Biblical argument the Bible teaches it own inspiration as recorded...
Words: 688 - Pages: 3
...Seven Reflection Essay Michelle A. Woycitzky Liberty University THEO104: Module Seven Reflection Essay 2 I. Introduction To define yourself as a Christian is to believe in God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the text of the Holy Bible. Many believers think that this is all it takes to be welcomed into Heaven and enjoy the afterlife in peaceful bliss with their maker. Much of what has been learned in this class these past two months has given me the opportunity to explore Christianity beyond face value, as it should be explored. The true model Christian delves into the inner workings of the scripture and promotes the promises made by God when one lives their life as a messenger of that scripture. Education is the only way to make a person aware of what it truly means to be a Christian. In reflecting on the concepts learned in this class, a series of questions were presented, three chosen, then answered on the basis of what I have learned. The first question I chose was, Does the Bible have authority? Through the Doctrine of the Bible and arguments that the Bible is the Word of God, this question will be answered along with the information in Towns book. Secondly, I chose, Why are personal testimonies important in sharing the gospel? This topic was of great interest to me because I am capable of explaining it from a personal viewpoint. Lastly I chose, If a person is a Christian, does...
Words: 1655 - Pages: 7
...I am stunned whenever I see people who call themselves "Christians" and yet believe that The Bible was just made by mere human beings. "The Bible was just made by man." Such unwise words. Whatever Christian denomination you belong to, your leaders will always tell you that the Bible is HOLY. It is the basis, it is the root of the Christian faith. During the mass, a priest raises the Bible. Before any sermon, a priest/pastor reads the Bible. It just goes to show that the Bible is the authority of the Christian faith. If you are going to claim that the Bible is not holy then you shouldn't call yourself a Christian at all. The Bible is considered holy for it contains the WORD OF GOD. It is holier than the pope, it is holier than those graven images, it is holier than your holy water. It is holier than anything else existing in the entire cosmos. Spiritually speaking, The MOST POWERFUL thing in this world that we have right now is the word of God. "For the word of God is ALIVE AND ACTIVE. SHARPER than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." -Hebrews 4:12 "Is not my word like FIRE," declares the LORD, "and like a HAMMER that BREAKS a rock in pieces? -Jeremiah 23:29 "to make her holy, CLEANSING her by the washing with water through the WORD" -Ephesians 5:26 The Word Of God can divide the soul and spirit and at the same time cleanse. Can you name...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...should believe in the Bible as an authoritative book or just another “good book” or “fairy tale.” Since my salvation, it has been a passion of mine to learn as much as I can about the Bible so I can help others see and understand the importance and the authoritative message in Scripture. There are a few things that I would address to help individuals see the big picture of Scripture when it comes to being the authoritative Word of God. We first need to understand when picking up the Bible that it is not an ordinary book, but a book claimed to be written by God through 44 men over a 1500-1600 year span. Then we must ask, is the Bible authoritative? Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge (American Heritage Dictionary 1979, 89). The Scriptures speak many times about the Bible having authority. We can first look at Jesus who taught with authority that was bestowed upon Him. Matthew 21:23 says, and when He entered the temple the chief priest and the elders of the people came up to Him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Also Jesus commands with “authority and power” to the unclean spirits, and they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Who gives Jesus this authority? God the Father is the one who bestows this authority upon Jesus; it is...
Words: 1012 - Pages: 5
..."No matter how hard we try to transform its message, the message will try harder to transform us." (Brown, 1965, 183) This essay will explore whether or not the bible should serve as an ultimate authority for Christian ethics and discover how synonymous Biblical ethics are with the ethics of Christianity. This piece will also look at what it is about the Bible that recommends it as such a major authority of morality and ethical practice. The bible is seen as a ‘guidebook’ for a Christian, giving details on how they should live according to God’s law; however, questions negating the validity of this belief in God’s law often come to the forefront. The Bible permits the stoning to death of adulterers. Something which in contemporary society seems atrocious. A point to be aware of is the huge cultural difference between the bible and contemporary life. If we focus on the difference between the Old Testament and modern day life the cultural difference is one of the chief factors behind the difficulty of using the bible in ethics today. The bible is written in a culturally conditioned format. Language, racial attitudes and the different emphasis on aspects of life including holiness and purity, all count towards the invisible barrier when discussing how synonymous biblical ethics are with the ethics of Christianity. (Rodd, 1995, 89). An issue that arises more than often when discussing biblical and Christian ethics is sexuality. Different churches hold different values and...
Words: 2146 - Pages: 9
...1 Kristine Williams THEO201_D01_201240 Short Essay 1 Authority, Inspiration, and Inerrancy The word of God has been a book that has touched the lives of many, whether leading to professions of belief or unfortunate rejections of faith. In all of its glory, the Bible has complete authority, inspiration, and inerrancy from God because it is God. These three attributes go hand in hand to the overall divine nature of the scriptures while having their own impact in the argument of Christianity. Since “authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge,”[1] to say that the Bible has its own authority is a simple, but faith-demanding concept. The Bible is authoritative in that its information can be trusted and is completely valid. This is mainly due to the fact that the author sends that authority. The Lord and creator of the universe gives His word evidence simply because He is truth and portrays accuracy. As God’s word the Bible reveals God’s authority. In reference to the Bible, inspiration simply means that God is the author of all scripture. I believe this way because in His authority He says: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”[2] I am fully confident that every word in the Bible comes divinely from the creator of the universe, not only because that is what His word says, but because it gives explanation...
Words: 860 - Pages: 4
...We live in a time of forceful resistance to authority; this is an era that question every authority from the authority of the government, law enforcement, parents, teachers and the list goes on. Consequently though, this resistance do not limit itself to earthly authority but leant itself to spiritual authority as well. In a time like this, it is vital that those that bears the name Christian must define the central doctrines of their faith and without equivocation embrace the authority of God's word for what it is. The eternal battle as to the inerrancy and infallibility between orthodoxy and orthopraxy demands significant attention and largely determines the positions on which a person will side. In my view, biblical inerrancy of the Bible is at the core of the Christian Doctrine is, and rightfully so. The attestation of the authority of the Bible as the Word of God requires an understanding of the belief in its inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16 calls the Bible is the "breath of God" and that all scripture was given under the inspiration of God. The Christian doctrine is like every other religion without the truth that the Bible is the inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word of God.” The close central biblical doctrine to inspiration and inerrancy of scripture is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 3:15 refers to the church as the pillar of truth because of the inspired and inerrant word of God, "if I delay, you may know how...
Words: 1017 - Pages: 5
...their lives upon- to be able to explain why they study the word and how they can believe it to be authoritative. In 1 Peter 3:15, Christians learn the necessity of being able to defend ones faith. The ability to do so lies in having a solid understanding of foundational topics such as biblical authority, inspiration, and inerrancy. This essay will deal with such topics and give implications for how a Christian is to live their life based on these concepts. To begin, biblical authority must be defined. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine,...
Words: 764 - Pages: 4
...THEO 201 D27 Short Essay on Inspiration and Inerrancy It was a routine morning; I woke up to the buzz of my alarm, had breakfast, and was on my way to the park where I have my daily Bible study. However, on this day, my time at the park did not go according to routine as normal. A jogger that regularly runs through the park suddenly approached me. He told me his name, but the next words that came out of his mouth were: “How do you sit there morning after morning and read that Bible. What drives you to do it, and what do Christians find so authoritative about it?” I didn’t respond right away, but after taking a few seconds, I concluded: The term ‘authority,’ when applied to the Bible, also has an application to words spoken or written whose accuracy has been established and whose information can consequently be trusted (McDonald). To say the Bible has authority means that these words have the power and right to command. This authority comes from God and we are meant to give our lives over to this supreme authority. Hence, we worship the God of these words, and not the words themselves. John 5:23 states, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” This evidences that Jesus and God are equal. Since Jesus and God are one, this means that Jesus has this authority as well. Biblical inspiration is a super-natural influence of the Holy Spirit upon divinely chosen agents in consequence of which their writings became trustworthy and authoritative. In...
Words: 841 - Pages: 4
...201-C04 The Bible’s Authority In life there are many authoritative figures that we must listen to, but the Bible’s authority over us is the ultimate authority. The way we live our daily lives should be based on what the Bible tells us that we can or cannot do. Why does the Bible have such authority over us? That power is established for the Bible by the claims of the Bible, which is that it, is the word of God. (Elwell, p154) It is true that man wrote the Bible itself, but God inspired the words that those men were writing. That is an important part of the Bible itself I believe because God chose to us man to write the Bible through inspiration. The idea of inspiration in the theological world is that a divine mind will act to communicate with other spirits. The Holy Spirit chooses to influence specific people, so that their writings will be trustworthy and also have authority. (Elwell, p. 160) The actual meaning of inspiration is used a little differently today. In the Bible though, the word inspiration is also meant as saying God “spirited” or breathed out. (Elwell, p. 160) In the Bible, more specifically the Old Testament, God inspired Moses to write the Ten Commandments. That is the kind of inspiration that the Bible is full of. Jesus himself states that the Old Testament is an infallible authority, which backs up that the Old Testament is inspired words from God. The idea of inerrancy is that when every single fact is known that the Bible will be 100% true, and have...
Words: 658 - Pages: 3
...Although, contrary to some who believe otherwise, the Bible is an all-authoritative book. As Christians we believe, that scripture is God breathed and because it is from God, it is accurate and authoritative. The Bible is directly from God, written through his disciples. Since the authority belongs to God, our command as Christ followers is to follow Jesus’ example of how he lived in the Bible. According to the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge.” In respect to the Bible, this means that because it is authoritative, we must follow the laws given by its word. This empowerment belongs to God, and to God alone. Matthew 21:23-24 states, that Jesus’ authority came from God his Father, the one who sent him to Earth. The Bible’s authority, comes from God, but was not written by God, or Jesus themselves. The people chosen to write the books of the Bible were chosen specifically by God, and were inspired through the work of the Holy Spirit. Along with authority and inspiration, comes the discussion of inerrancy. Inerrancy is the view that the entire Bible is completely accurate and true. There are four arguments for inerrancy, including The Biblical Argument. This argument states that if God has authority over the Bible, then it has to be inerrant because God is truth. The Bible is the word of God; therefore, it is without error. The Bible indicates divine communication. Prophets were given...
Words: 758 - Pages: 4
...people worldwide read the Bible and use it for our worship of the Lord, instructions on how to live a moral life, and for guidance. Most people are naturally curious about why the Bible was written and who it was written by. People wonder if we can trust the words of the Bible since God didn’t actually put pen to paper and write the book. The Bible was written by authors who were inspired to write by God. One question that a lot of people ask is how do we know the Bible whether or not the Bible is true and from God. What does it mean to say that the Bible has authority, and from where does the authority of the Bible come from? To put it simply if the Bible is the word of God, then the Bible must be true. So the Bible has authority in all cases because it is the word of God. “For in him all authority is finally located. And he is his own authority for there is nothing outside him on which his authority is founded. Thus, in making his promise to Abraham, he pledged his own name since he had no greater by whom to swear” (Heb. 6:13). There are many different authors and books in the Bible. From the Old Testament to the New Testament there are different stories, lessons, and writing styles that make up the 66 books of the Bible. Sometimes the question of why these books were written may be asked. It is believed that the authors of the Bible were inspired by God to write their testimonies. Biblical inspiration is the belief that God inspired the words of the Bible.2 "All Scripture is inspired...
Words: 657 - Pages: 3
...Bibliology: Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible I n today’s society many people question the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. They want concrete proof of the inerrancy of the Bible and they question the inspiration and ability of the writers. When we say the Bible has authority, we must also show where the authority comes from. “Authority is the right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine or judge”. Many people do not understand how much authority a book written thousands of years ago actually commands. The authority comes from God because the Bible is the Word of God. “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” We know God is truth and the Bible is His word. This knowledge leads us to conclude that the Bible is authoritative and true. The Bible is the inspired Word of God given to the writers of the scripture. “The content of the Bible teaches that it was given by the process of inspiration of God so that the words were God’s Word and that they are accurate and reliable, hence they are authoritative”. We read in the Bible how the prophets did not use their words, but were moved by the Spirit to speak God’s Words. We also see that the Spirit led them to write what God wanted to be written. The Bible is inspired, or “God-breathed”. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”. The question of the Bible being the inerrant word of God is always...
Words: 750 - Pages: 3
...Essay on Inspiration and Inerrancy of the Bible Living in a Fallen world, people tend to search for answers to life’s questions in places they should not be looking. This causes them to belittle the actual source of answers God has provided for us, the Bible. I find it hard to explain God’s authority to an unbelieving individual talk less of the Bible’s authority. If a person doesn’t believe the bible, it can be a task to convince them that it has any authority. It is easy to explain the authority of the government or police, because these are authorities they are subject to and they can see, but when to comes to the authority of God and the bible, it is a different perspective. God has given us the Bible as a gift of love for us His children to follow until He comes back. It is the divine truth to all of humanity. The Bible is God’s revelation in written form to man. That is where the authority of the Bible comes from, the divine revelation of God Himself. Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology concerned with the divine origin of the bible and what it teaches. Compared to the modern definition of inspiration, which is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something especially to do something creative, biblical inspiration is God breathed, divine influence of the Holy spirit. God revealed Himself to selected people whom he had inspired to write the books of the Bible. In 2 Peter 1:21 the bible says for prophecy never had it’s origin in...
Words: 856 - Pages: 4
