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Is the Authority of Scripture Biblical?
Eli Kittim
I have a high view of Scripture. But my authority is a Person, not a Book. My authority is God himself, as he reveals to me his will and purpose through spiritual communications. It’s one thing to say that the Bible is “authoritative,” in the sense that it’s reliable and truthful. But it’s quite another thing to say that it’s our highest authority. I think people mistakenly conflate the authority of Scripture with Cessationism, the Calvinist doctrine that spiritual gifts and prophecy ceased with the Apostolic Age. They often cite Jude 1:3 for support. But all that verse says is that “the faith” was revealed to us at some point in human history. It doesn’t say that the Godhead went out of business, took a Sabbatical, or died and left a will. The phrase—“the faith delivered once for all to God's people”—can be disambiguated by examining the context. The other passage cessationists love to quote is 1 Cor. 13:9-10. But all it says is that “we know in part and prophesy in part” because “when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with.” But not before the complete comes. That’s the key! It doesn’t say that prophecy has ceased. That would be a misinterpretation. Besides, Acts 2:17 says that people in the end times will prophesy and see visions.
Many people are confusing Scripture’s inspiration, revelation, truthfulness, and inerrancy with the concept of “authority,” which the Oxford languages dictionary defines as “the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.” In short, our highest authority is not the Church, tradition, councils, committees, or even the Bible itself. Our highest authority is Jesus Christ! In Matt. 28:18 (NASB), Christ says:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has
been given to Me”
Where does 2 Tim. 3:14–16 mention the authority of Scripture? It says that “the sacred writings … are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” In other words, Scripture gives us wisdom and leads us to salvation which can only be found in Christ Jesus. The fact that Scripture is “inspired” doesn’t mean it represents the final authority. 2 Tim. 3:14–16 reads:
“continue in the things you have learned
and become convinced of, knowing from
whom you have learned them, and that
from childhood you have known the sacred
writings which are able to give you the
wisdom that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is
inspired by God and beneficial for teaching,
for rebuke, for correction, for training in
righteousness.”
The fact that Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) doesn’t mean that the Bible has the final say in all matters. The Spirit that inspired the Bible is the ultimate authority on all matters, not the Bible. Scripture itself does not claim to have all authority. Jesus does.
Moreover, the concept of the Sufficiency of Scripture implies that Scripture itself is all we need to interpret Scripture. But Scripture can be interpreted in 30,000 different ways. Just look at all the Protestant denominations that split due to interpretative differences. Thus, Scripture is neither sufficient to interpret itself, nor is it the final authority. Without the Holy Spirit to illuminate us, we will inevitably misinterpret it (Jn 16:13)!
Where does 2 Pet. 1:20–21 mention the authority of Scripture?
“But know this first of all, that no prophecy
of Scripture becomes a matter of
someone’s own interpretation, for no
prophecy was ever made by an act of
human will, but men moved by the Holy
Spirit spoke from God.”
All it says is that prophecy and its interpretation should be revealed by the Holy Spirit, not interpreted by human beings. If anything, it demonstrates the insufficiency of Scripture!
The fact that the Bible contains the Word of God doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the final authority, or that it’s sufficient in and of itself, so that we don’t need anything else. If the Bible is entirely “sufficient” and adequate for all purposes, we wouldn’t need to be reborn. All we would need to do is read our Bibles. But Scripture cannot save anyone. Jesus does. The Spirit is what we need. We can be saved by the Spirit without the Bible. But we can’t be saved by the Bible without the Spirit.
The Bible does not attest to its own authority. Revelation of the Word does not mean ultimate Authority. The fact that God’s Word is true (Jn 17:17) doesn’t mean that the Bible is the highest authority in our lives. As Christ said, it is the Spirit that perfects us, not the Scriptures (Jn 16:13). Luke 24:49 reads:
“But remain … until you have been clothed
with power from on high”
John 3:5 says categorically and unequivocally:
“unless someone is born of … the
Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Likewise, Romans 8:9 puts it thusly:
“But if anyone does not have the Spirit of
Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
In John 5:39-40, Jesus demonstrates the insufficiency of Scripture by saying the following:
“You examine the Scriptures because you
think that in them you have eternal life; and
it is those very Scriptures that testify about
Me; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me
so that you may have life.”
When Jesus says that all will be accomplished according to his Word (Matt. 5:18), he’s talking about prophecy, not the authority of Scripture. I’m not suggesting that Scripture errs or is contradictory. Absolutely not! But let’s not confuse the issues. The fact that the Bible contains the Word of God doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s our final authority, or that it’s entirely sufficient. That would be equivalent to Bibliolatry. The Bible is not a paper Pope. Truth and trustworthiness is one thing. Authority is another.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
John 1:5 NKJV
As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
Psalms 103:13 NKJV
Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. [Ps. 55:22.]
1 Peter 5:7 AMPC
![1 Peter 5:7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares](https://64.media.tumblr.com/e2135336acc4b0125545b1136da55324/6598c0f57803f9c2-2e/s1280x1920/4b113c86d15363c875545c4cb6849a7b1d2b6664.jpg)
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28 NKJV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
II Corinthians 1:3-4 NKJV
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Psalms 23:3 NKJV
He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Proverbs 13:20 NKJV
HOW GOD CREATED THE WORLD || IN THE BEGINNING || OLD TESTAMENT TRIVIA ||
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I got myself a new Bible yesterday and I'm really excited to start using it! It's a standard Bible that I got at Walmart, and to others it's probably nothing special--navy blue imitation leather, King James Version, red letters for the words Jesus spoke and full color maps in the back. It cost around $14 after tax. The print is a comfortable size, and there's a blue ribbon page marker. It's just a nice, standard Bible, not even mildly fancy like my family Bible that's white imitation leather with illustrations throughout and gold trimmed pages that was passed down from my great grandmother, to my mother, and then to me a few years ago.
So why am I so excited about this Bible?
Because it's the first Bible I've gotten since coming out as a trans man.
It feels like a fresh start with my journey of faith. I've honestly strayed away from my other Bibles (a Hands On one that I got when I entered Sunday School; a children's Bible with nice illustrations but small print that was a gift for mt fifth birthday from our then-Pastor's wife; a small pink New Testament Bible that was a gift to my late father from myself when I was in elementary school). They all have my deadname written inside, and it felt too much like those copies weren't really for me. It was more like they were for the little girl and young woman people thought they were gifting them to.
But this new copy of God's word is a new start. It doesn't erase my past with the Church or my previous struggles with faith due to being trans and gay. It doesn't take away the sleepless nights of wondering who I am and why God made me this way, or the angry, tear-filled prayers to a God that, at the time, I wasn't even sure was listening. But it is a starting point for myself to really move forward from that, to let myself let go of some of the baggage I've been carrying in my faith life and start a new journey, this one filled with self love and joy instead of despair and grief for a girl who never even really existed in the first place. Every time I see my correct name in the front, it's a little reminder to myself that I'm the only one who can define who I am and my relationship with the Lord. My faith is my own, and no one else gets to dictate it.
I've been highlighting some favorite verses of mine throughout the day with colored pencils and exploring some of the maps, and I've started reading Genesis, too! I promised myself I would read the Bible this year, and I'm grateful that I can do it with a brand new one that I can use moving forward! 💙