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The Authority Of Scripture

Posted Nov 25 2010 by Jonathan Brink in  with 25 Comments

A reader asks an interesting question about the authority of Scripture over on Brian McLaren’s blog.

“Does the Bible have any authority at all, or is it merely a book like any other?”

The question intrigued me because I kind of think the reader is missing something about the nature of authority.  But before I share what I first want to ask, “How would you answer this question?”

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About the Author

Jonathan BrinkI am an business development and communications consultant. I am also the senior editor and publisher for Civitas Press. I recently published, Discovering The God Imagination: Reconstructing A Whole, New Christianity. (Civitas, 2011)View all posts by Jonathan Brink →

  • David

    Happy Thanksgiving Jonathan. Hope you enjoy today with those that are close to you around the table. We have so very much to thank our God for. Especially His Love to us.rnrnRegarding your question, without sounding to simple I hold to a High View of Scritpure. That the Bible in it’s orginal form was without error. That the Bible is really a story about redemption in Jesus and shows us how Much God Loves us. rnrnrnIt’s authoritive in that it expresses true Truth, Life it’s self, the Promisses of God, Salvation, and Peace. I hold to 11 Tim 3:16 and all of Psalms 119. I believe it to be the Word of God. As such it has Authority.

    • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

      David, I hold an extremely high view of Scripture too. I was wondering out loud as you said, “the Bible is in it’s original form was without error.” Are you saying the Bible we use today is with error? And two, what value is there to you that it was without error?nnBTW, I’m not disagreeing with you that the Bible is without error. I just don’t think it’s as important as I used to. And I have no way of proving that out anyway.

      • David

        I agree with you Jonathan. I’m saying that in the “orginal form” as the writters wrote it, the Bible was without error. I don’t think that holds true with the many translations and other versions we have and had over time. But like you, I’m not so sure that it’s all that important. But like you I think having a High View of Scripture is important, not the version or the translation. I like the New King James or English versions. I also like the Message as it helps in understanding. rnrnI know there are some who only hold to the King James and I’ve never really understood that view. . Enough said I think…

        • David

          Forgot to add that there may in fact be some error in the new translations. But it’s not importnat to me. It doesn’t detract from it’s value or that it’s Gods Word today.rnJuts don’t think about that too very much. I have enough issue with living like Jesus taught us to live to think too much about errors that may be in our modern translations.

  • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

    Jonathan, Happy Thanksgiving from me also….nnThis is a great question. In fact, from my view it is the critical question that shapes the evangelical view of othodox dogma and doctrine… heresy and heterodoxy. I have a very high view of scripture also but, only so far as it is redemptive. Further, I believe this is what Jesus taught his followers and is substantiated by all of the New Testament authors. I think that the scripture itself is the best source for substantiation. nnJesus told the Pharisees the following in John 5:39-40 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,” Likewise, in Luke 24, Jesus again explained this to his followers Luke 24:27; 43-45… in fact, this passage Jesus teaches his followers a new hermeneutic. It is also the place where he opened the eyes of their understanding… illuminated what the scripture was actually saying.nnFurther to this point, Paul gave it a solely redemptive purpose in 2Tim 3:15-17. It is punctuated in 2Tim 3:15 where Paul reminds Timothy that the scriptures can make one wise to salvation. Here is the solely redemptive purpose. Even though so many evangelicals quote 2Tim 3:16-17 out of context and use it as a stand alone passage. The problem of course resides in the fact that the Pharisees (especially the scribes) were scripture experts and it did not make them wise unto salvation. It did not correct them or reprove them…. and it did not prepare them for good works. Therefore, it is obvious that Paul meant that all of those things were contingent on the redemptive purpose. nnThis nullifies any rule book, constitutional or, legal reading of the scripture. Like Luther taught, the scripture was occasional and it is only within the understanding of the specific occasion to which it was written that one can find intended, Spirit directed meaning. Much of it is simply cultural. For example, Exo 21:7-9 gives instruction on how one could sell his daughter as a concubine (sex slave.)nnTherefore, the redemptive decrees have precedent and priority over all other messages. I think that this is the reason that Jesus and his followers redefined the phrase *word of God* from scripture/Torah to Jesus and gospel. nnn

    • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

      Thanks Joe. I agree with you that redemption is the central message in the story. nnThis is the tension with the idea of authority. We like to use it as a club to say, “This is what you can and cannot do,” which misses the original point.

  • Richard Goulette

    Jonathan,rnrnJonathan, Happy Thanksgiving to you. Looking forward to Peet’s next week! I think Joe Machuta does a great job of describing how the Scriptures are used to manifest their authority. Interestingly, Pharisees aside, Shakespeare even said “the devil can site scripture for his own purpose” as he did in Mt. 4 when Jesus was tempted. It is clearly with the communal, redemptive, teaching, and admonishing parts of the scriptures that they seem to be the most supernatural and therefore authoritative.

  • http://openmindedconversations.blogspot.com/ jshmueller

    Well, there are two kinds of authority and it depends which one of the two we are talking about.rnrnThere is authority in terms of influence because of conventional human agreement, such as the authority of the police and why most people submit to that authority. Similarly, communities that choose to define themselves according to doctrinal agreement may submit themselves to the agreed principles and guidelines in that community. “Sola Scriptura” would be such a guideline and established principle because of the Reformation and the influence of its tradition.rnrnBut there’s also authority in an objective sense, completely apart from human agreement or disagreement. It is authority based on factuality. When Jesus says at the end of Matthew 28 that all authority in heaven and on earth is given to Him, I believe it refers to that kind of authority. And it can only be stated by someone who would objectively know reality as it is – namely God Himself.rnrnSince I’m not God, I can only speak to the aspect of how Scripture has affected me. Its authority lies in the way it has caused me to put trust in what has been communicated to me in the reading, preaching and teaching that has made use of its content. Ultimately, I cannot establish or pronounce its authority over someone else, but I certainly can make judgments on why I believe it is trustworthy in its instrumental function to connect me with God and to get a better understanding of my humanity, where I’ve come from, what life is all about and where I am going. And this just happens to connect me with many others who have experienced the impact of Scripture in their lives in the same way.

    • http://openmindedconversations.blogspot.com/ jshmueller

      By the way, I commented first and THEN read McLaren’s post. I’m pleased to see that there was some overlap although it seems that he deliberately chose not to answer the question what kind of objective authority the written word of the Bible may have indirectly in its witness of the Living Word, Christ.

      • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

        I was a little surprised that he dodged the question too.

    • David

      Josh, not sure I agree (that’s Ok) that the Bible’s authority lies in the way it has caused you to put trust in what has been communicated thru reading, preaching and teaching…It’s Authority comes from God only. Not in how we look at it. That would be to deny it’s very Word. It’s the fact that it is God’s Word that you trust, read and teach it. Is it not ? or am I just not getting what you said ?

      • http://openmindedconversations.blogspot.com/ jshmueller

        Remember that I gave 2 ways of defining “authority”. While I personally do BELIEVE that the Bible has authority independent of its effect (because of its correlation with the self-revelation of an objectively true God), it really becomes RELEVANT in terms of its authoritative effect from the impact we observe in our own lives. And I think we need to admit that this is a highly subjective matter that gives no direct proof that the Bible has automatically the same authority for everyone in the same way.rnrnSo again, I would say (as a personal belief and confession) that I BELIEVE God has revealed interpersonal and objective truth here but I cannot make a claim beyond my belief. I can only testify why I believe it and why it makes sense to me.rnrnOf course, even if we could all agree that the Bible has ultimate authority in what it intends to say, we’d still be able to come to all sorts of different personal interpretations in what we hear it saying. But that’s another discussion altogether.

        • David

          Thanks Josh, that makes perfect sense to me now that I understand what you mean. I think what you said about the Bible being relevant in terms of it’s authoritive effect from the impact we observe in our own lives is where the rubber hits the road and what makes all the difference. Like saying what you do is who you are not what you believe. rnrnThanks

        • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

          Josh, you’ve captured my original concern. nnThe story holds authority independent of our choice, meaning that truth just is. It’s power is experienced as we engage it. What is true doesn’t need our approval to be true. But we choose to “grant” it authority in our lives, and it is only then that it becomes authoritative.nnThis is the delicate tension in God’s sovereignty to grant freedom. God allows us to reject reality, and then live with that experience.nnWhen the person asks if the Bible holds any authority at all, the answer is fairly obvious. Many people do hold it as extremely important document. But the authority is granted over time, and I would suggest because it produces life.

          • http://openmindedconversations.blogspot.com/ jshmueller

            That’s a great way of summarizing it! I think the life-giving impact in the engagement with Christ is the main reason why we choose to put our trust in Him and in the story that reveals Him. It’s unfortunate that our appreciation of Scripture can easily develop into an attempt to turn it into a formal principle that now needs to be defended or asserted against other views. All of a sudden it’s not a matter of an open personal witness anymore but it becomes a litmus test and a battleground that pits even believers with slightly different views against each other. rnrnAnd at that point it’s not really a matter of the authority of Scripture anymore but whose reading of Scripture is more orthodox than the other. It also becomes very technical because now even our belief in the inspiration of Scripture is no longer sufficient and it needs to be exactly defined HOW Scripture is inspired and what method of interpretation is more correct than others.

      • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

        There are only two ways to look at authority and they both have the same result.n1) It could have authority because God gave it authority. It would still only have authority over those who believe it has that authority and, it would not have authority over those who did not believe it did.nn2) It could have authority because people believe that it has authority. It would still have no authority over the one who did not believe it had authority.nnIt seems to me that the scripture has authority to humans because they believe it does.

        • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

          It seems to me that there is a distinction between efficacy and authority. What is true has efficacy regardless of my belief in it. But what is true does not have authority in my life until I believe in it. I will still choose to break myself over it

          • David

            This rings true to me Jonathan and I appreciate the converstaion you and Josh had as it clearifies my thinking on this. The Bible has authority regardless of what we may think, but it’s authority only comes to life as we understand and live it as it is revealed to us and lived out in our actions. rnrnWe can even believe it and in it’s authority and not do what it says. Thats is a bit scary to me. Still workin on believing and trying to make it part of my life lived out.

    • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

      Nicely said Josh.

  • http://paradigmshift-jmac.blogspot.com/ Joe Machuta

    Since I really respect the tone and honesty that I have found so far on this list, I would like to ask everyone here about this aspect of scripture…. What about the book of Joshua and the orders to kill every living human including women and children? How do you see this violent God fit into life?

    • David

      Joe, Good question. Let me take a stab at it, as I think your being honest about this. In Tim Kellers book ” The Reason for God” He points out on page 118 what I thought was an amazing statement. As we do not understand God, and I’m glad we don’t. Here’s what he said ” only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle (as in a real friendship or marriage !) will you know that you have gotten hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination. So an authoritative Bible is not the enemy of a personal relationship with God. It’s the precondition for it. “

    • David

      Joe, Good question. Let me take a stab at it, as I think your being honest about this. In Tim Kellers book ” The Reason for God” He points out on page 118 what I thought was an amazing statement. As we do not understand God, and I’m glad we don’t. Here’s what he said ” only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle (as in a real friendship or marriage !) will you know that you have gotten hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination. So an authoritative Bible is not the enemy of a personal relationship with God. It’s the precondition for it. “

    • http://jonathanbrink.com Jonathan Brink

      Joe, I believe that all of God’s interaction with Israel is to establish and enact the Missio Dei. One of the central concerns God has in that mission is to confront the religious construct within the culture Israel finds itself. The plagues for example on Egypt were very specific plagues that spoke to the individual gods within the Egyptian system. God was trying to say, “It’s all BS. See.”nnBut a second component of that is the physical purity of the Israeli state. God recognizes that the surrounding cultures are dominated by religion. To kill the surrounding men, women and children is to reject the culture in which they would mix into the Jews.nnI sometimes don’t like that God can give a life and take a life, but the command also has to be read in context of the mission. God’s directive is always purposeful to the redemption of humanity.

  • Liberty02

    Anything that guides a person’s life is authoritative. A person must choose to see the Bible as authoritative. The question isn’t whether the Bible has authority but whether one should view the Bible as authoritative. If one believes the Bible is inspired then authority has to be accepted. If the Bible is not inspired, this carrying no authority, it is just a collection of historical religious books. And if that’s the case, then we are free to be guided by some other authority. But, authority will eventually be placed kn something because we, human beings, will always long to be subject to someone or something to live for. So, again, the question that should be asked is whether one should view the Bible as authoritative.

  • http://thecreationofanevolutionist.blogspot.com/ Mike Beidler

    “In what way is the Bible authoritative?” is a loaded question, to be sure. To answer that question will either result in loosing a bull in a china shop, or leave the questioner under the slow, painful, yet accurate scalpel of the responding surgeon. I try, hard as I may, to be a surgeon in this regard.I have come to the conclusion, over the last several years, that the Bible is not authoritative without fail in all subjects upon which it touches. For example, I have concluded that the Bible assumes and reflects an ancient physical cosmology. To that end, I have accepted the scientific evidence for evolution and chosen to intellectually “reject” certain portions of Scripture that touch on science in an inaccurate manner. “Reject” isn’t quite the term I want to use, however. Rather than “rejecting” a certain passage of Scripture, I prefer to think of it as “respecting” the passage for what it is, i.e., respecting what culture in which it was written and the people to whom it was written. By immersing myself in the ancient Near Eastern and ancient Hebrew mindsets, I can appreciate certain passages in a very fulfilling way, recognizing the spiritual truths it teaches while discarding, so to speak, the vessel in which those truths are found. In that sense, I see myself as taking the Bible more seriously than I have in the past and seeking more diligently the spiritual treasure in earthly jars of clay.At the same time, because I believe that Jesus is who the Gospels claim he is (for I believe those testimonies to be historically trustworthy), I am compelled to remain in fellowship with those who believe similarly. And because I choose fellowship with the Body of Christ, I choose to put myself under the moral authority of both Jesus Christ and those whom he commissioned to spread the Good News. Since those moral and spiritual edicts are found in the New Testament, it is that document’s authority under which I voluntarily place myself and my children. However, I don’t place myself under the New Testament’s moral authority blindly; rather, its moral force has been demonstrated to me through a careful investigation of the historical evidence, coupled with its efficacy in my own spiritual life.It’s a fine line to walk, but it’s a line with which I’m comfortable walking. Could it, in fact, be the narrowest path leading to eternal life? ;-)

Business development and communications for growing businesses.