Basic Christianity

The Inspiration And Authority of the Bible

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Basic Christianity The Inspiration And Authority of the Bible       The Bible is a collection of ancient documents, preserved from antiquity in the form of ancient Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. The scientific evidence for its accurate preservation is astounding. There are over 5,000 manuscripts of the Greek New Testament still surviving. Because of such evidence, we know that it is a book that truly comes from the time period from which it claims to come.     The content of the Bible is verified by a wide variety of archaeological and literary sources. The customs and laws of the culture reflected in the story of Abraham in Genesis, for example, have been shown to be very accurate by archaeological finds from the 19th century B.C. . There are records of a great flood in ancient times in many cultures of the world. The records of Roman society confirm that people like Pontius Pilate, Quirinius, Herod Agrippa, and many others were real historical figures.     There are many scientific evidences that support the veracity of the Bible. In addition, the fulfilled prophecies of the Bible provide evidence of its inspiration. As far as this article is concerned, however, we will not dwell on the historical, literary, or scientific evidence supporting the Bible's claims. Instead, we will spend our time simply talking about what the Bible says about itself.   Biblical Claims of Inspiration     The Bible claims that its various books are not the product of mere men, but the product of the Holy Spirit's special guidance. It claims that the Holy Spirit prompted these men to write what they wrote in the exact form that God wanted it so that it would express his revelation to mankind. The basic contention of the Bible is that God has spoken to man through the ancient prophets, and through Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2).     The Bible says the Scriptures are "God breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible claims that "men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit," (2 Peter 1:21). The fact that it says that the "Scriptures" are inspired means that the written product is exactly as God intended for it to be (Matthew 5:18).     In the Old Testament, God used men called prophets to speak and write his word for the people. The first and greatest of these was Moses, who wrote the Pentateuch. Moses wrote the "book of the Law" and it was placed in the holy place beside the ark of the covenant as a perpetual witness of the will of God to the people (Deut. 31:24-26). The prophets after Moses, spoke from God, calling people back to obey the law and revealing God's will on numerous other matters. More than 2000 times in the books of the prophets the phrase "Thus says the Lord" occurs. These books often begin with statements like "The word of the Lord came to …" or "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amos which he saw…" They clearly claim to be the revelations of God. As New Testament writers quote portions of the Old Testament, they recognize the inspired nature of those writings and the authority they carry (Acts 4:25; 1 Corinthians 10:11-12; 2 Timothy 3:15).     The inspiration of the New Testament arises from the authority of Jesus himself. Jesus had many things to say about the authority and source of his own teaching (Matthew 7:24-27; 28:19-20; John 3:34; 6:63; 7:16; 12:48-49). The resurrection of Jesus confirmed the Lordship of Jesus above everything in the universe. The risen, authoritative Lord Jesus asserted his will over mankind through the teachings and writings of his apostles.     While still on earth in his flesh, Jesus told the apostles about his impending departure and his sending of the Holy Spirit to guide them into his truth (John 14:26; 16:12-13). The events of Pentecost demonstrated the fulfillment of this promise, and the people of the church recognized the special place of the apostles in God's plan of revelation (Acts 2:42). As the apostles wrote, they told the people that they were speaking by direct inspiration of God and that their writings were authoritative (1 Corinthians 2:12-13; 14:37; 2 Cor. 5:20; Galatians 1:11-12; Ephesians 3:3-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6,14; 2 Peter 3:15-16; 1 John 4:6; Revelation 1:1 etc).     If we accept the Bible as divinely inspired and authoritative, then we are admitting that its teachings must rule our lives. Whatever the Bible says is what God says or what Christ says. The Lordship of Jesus only becomes a reality in a person's life inasmuch as that person submits his/her life to the specific teachings of the Bible. Whether it is on salvation, or morality, or integrity, or worship, or the family, or sexual conduct, or whatever else it might be, the Bible conveys the will of God for our lives. That is why it is so important to do precisely what the Bible says.