Beth-El Baptist Church

07/19/2009

Greg Tomlinson


Why is the Bible the Christian authority?


We Americans live in a society that is largely free so that people can pretty much do and believe what they want to believe. Our American culture operates pretty much on the basis of law and majority rule through elected officials. At the same time, the American culture is in a struggle over the issue of authority. The issues that men face are varied and the emotions associated with them run deep, but there is one group that defines right and wrong, truth and error based upon the text of the Bible that dates back several thousand years.


  1. What is so unique about the Bible that it should be declared as the final authority?

1 Thessalonians 2:13 John 17:17

Acts 17:11-12 2 Timothy 3:16-17

2 Peter 1:19-21; 3:15-16 Genesis 1:1, 26-27; 2:7; 3:1-7; 7:1-5; 11:6-9

Psalm 30:9 John 18:38


The Bible claims itself to be the very words of God. They are not merely the words of men but of God. Men wrote the book at the guidance and direction of God himself. Over 400 times, the Bible contains the phrase 'Thus saith the LORD' (KJV), almost 200 times the phrase 'the LORD said'. Clearly then the Bible itself lays claim to being of divine origin and not the creation or development of men. Furthermore, the Bible claims to proclaim what is true. If then the Bible proclaims to be true, it should be able to be tested for truth. The Bible has been tested for truth time and time again and it continually demonstrates its reliability concerning those things that can be tested. Furthermore, the Bible claims to provide accurate information regarding the origins of the universe, the origins of man and animal, the origins of why so many terrible things happen in the world, the early history of man, the source behind our geology, the origins of separate people groups.


Romans 1:28-32; 3:19-20; 7:10 Galatians 3:22-25



Furthermore people tend to know that much of what the scriptures state about being and doing wrong is true. It is wrong to murder, steal, torture, abuse, lie, and cheat. The scriptures definitely identify the wrongfulness of these acts but we need to look to see if there are other acts and beliefs that are equally wrong.


Romans 5:12; 9:22-25 2 Peter 3:9-10


God does not stop the evil and wicked now because if He did so, he would have to execute full judgment now. But in God's grace and mercy, he waits for the salvation of those to be saved.


  1. What is so unique about the person of Jesus Christ that He should be declared as the final authority?

Luke 24:25-27 John 5:39; 10:30-33; 14:6

Hebrews 10:7 Romans 1:1-4

Mark 1:27 Luke 9:1-2

Matthew 28:18-20 John 2:18-22; 3:36; 5:18-23

Hebrews 2:14-18 Philippians 2:6-11

1 Timothy 3:16 Acts 2:22-24


Jesus clearly and distinctly declared himself to be the unique Son of God. He declared that he is the special prophet of God, the Messiah of God, the one and only redeemer of mankind. It is Jesus that all of the scriptures are about and point to as the one that everyone needs to listen to. Jesus claimed to be of the same core essence as God but with flesh on. He is the identified as the final judge of all matters. The evaluation of an individuals eternal position is based upon their relationship with Jesus Christ. But Jesus and the Biblical authors did more than just claim that Jesus was the very Son of God, God in flesh, but Jesus proved he was who he claimed to be by his resurrection from the dead.


  1. What is it about men that keeps them from being the authority?

Jeremiah 17:9 Genesis 6:5-7

Ephesians 2:1-3 Proverbs 14:12

Romans 3:10-17 Luke 18:18-19

2 Corinthians 10:12


By nature, men think themselves to be good and proper people, but they have not considered what is the true measure of goodness. Men tend to compare themselves amongst themselves and therefore conclude that they are either no worse then those around them or that they are better than those around them. Either way, they have the problem of a standard that needs to be addressed. The proper standard for right and wrong thoughts, beliefs, and actions are those of God and not of men. In comparison to a holy, perfect, righteous God, the thoughts and acts of men are perverse, defiled, deceitful, and wicked. We are incapable of actually KNOWING what is right and wrong by our own selves, we need the wisdom and guidance of God so that we can have any hope of doing what is right in God's eyes, the creator and judge of every one of us.


  1. How do we know that these are the proper authorities?

Galatians 3:8 John 3:12-13

Isaiah 41:25-26; 48:5-8 Jeremiah 44:28-30

John 13:18-19 Daniel 8:19-22

1 Kings 13:2-5 cmp 2 Kings 23:16-18


Beyond the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ which demonstrated that he really was who he claimed to be, the things of history can be compared against what is written in the Bible to see if they are in agreement. The scriptures are full of prophetic claims of things hundreds of years before they actually did occur. The actual names of kings of Israel and other nations and the acts that they would perform (1 Kings 13:2-5 cmp 2 Kings 23:16-18). The countries that would dominate that part of the world for a time (Daniel 8). Exiles and enslavements in Egypt and Babylon, as well as the releases from there, long before they actually took place. If the Bible is right about the things of history, then it should be considered to be right concerning the future of things on earth and in heaven.