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More about Authority and Infallibility

 

  1. It is because the Word of God is "God-breathed" - 2 Timothy 3:16 - that it is useful for the things mentioned in verse 17: teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
     
  2. Scripture , being the very utterance of God, cannot be broken (John 10:35b), but has the binding, eternal authority of God himself. Our understanding of the Word may be in error, but Scripture itself cannot be.
     
  3. Scripture abounds with verses which directly state that God's Word is authoritative. However, the fact of its authoritative nature is not limited to direct statements. The entire Bible is permeated with this concept. Every statement and every command presupposes its authoritative nature. All of Scripture demands acceptance; no part of it is open to our "vote." Scripture must simply be accepted, because God said it.
     
  4. Since all Scripture is from God, and is authoritative, we have an obligation to accept and trust all that it says. We must accept that it is accurate and trustworthy, even if we don't understand its message fully. It is the only foundation for life, the basis for evaluating everything else!
     
  5. The fact that Scripture "cannot be broken" does not mean that people cannot "break" a command, in the sense of disobeying it. Implied in the commands are the punishments for disobedience. When connected with the end result (the punishment), even disobedience ("breaking" the law) will ultimately prove that what God says is true.
     
  6. Scripture is relevant to all of life, and speaks to all things, either directly or indirectly. This is why we are told that even the way we eat and drink are to be influenced by our desire to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31). Though we may have difficulty in applying God's Word to various areas of life, the problem is our lack of understanding, not the Scriptures themselves.
     
  7. No man-made writings - even ones that claim to be "holy" - are the Scripture's equal. Good books may come and go. They may be popular or they may be forgotten. They may even be considered "inspired," by some, but they cannot equal the Scriptures. In the end, even the best of "good books" written by people will become as forgotten as the "human dust" (Ps. 103:14) that wrote them.

Dennis Hinks © 2005
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