#authority of Scripture

[thinkingonscripture]

Feeding on God's Word: The Path to Spiritual Maturity

At the moment of faith in Christ, believers know very little about God, His will, or the many blessings He has provided. Spiritually, they are ignorant babies. This is not a negative, but the reality of the situation. Prior to salvation, the soul is filled with human viewpoint, which is often contrary to God and His Word. This is why Christians are directed to renew their minds (Rom 12:1-2).…

[eli-kittim]

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.

[heartsings77]

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

obviously I'm all for complementarianism and Biblical male headship and gleaning wisdom from history, but Alisa Childers was so correct when she said some on the Christian right are trying to bring back a type of patriarchy that never existed

[walkswithmyfather]

1 Kings 18:19-22, 36-39 (NLT). [19] “Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.” [20] So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. [21] Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent. [22] Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets.

[36] At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. [37] O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” [38] Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! [39] And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”

“Praying With Authority” By In Touch Ministries:

“God always listens to His children and responds—with power and wisdom.”

“God has given us the privilege of calling on Him for all we need— what’s more, He’s promised to respond. He also encourages us to petition Him on behalf of others. And Scripture tells us that the prayers of a righteous person can accomplish much (James 5:16).

To pray powerfully, we must first accept God’s offer of salvation. Before redemption, we were unrighteous people under His judgment. But through faith in Jesus, we are made new and declared holy. Second, we must align our prayers with His will.

Let’s look at Elijah. The Lord sent him to defeat and humiliate the evil king Ahab and the 450 prophets of Baal. This was a spiritual conflict to prove who was the real God—Baal or the Lord of Israel.

Elijah’s weapons were his knowledge of the Father’s plan and the authority he had in prayer as a prophet of God. His request that Jehovah would make Himself known—voiced publicly before his opponents—matched the Lord’s will (Exodus 7:5; 1 Kings 18:37). And when God responded to Elijah’s prayer, the people declared, “The Lord, He is God” (v. 39).

Are you a child of God? If so, you can pray with spiritual might by making sure your requests are in agreement with His will.”

(Photo thanks to Worshae at Unsplash)

[dogmalilith]

Messianic Judaism isn’t real it’s just another way Christians keep trying to steal Jewish culture (note: not interfaith families existing, but christians stealing) there is no such thing as “Jews for Jesus”.

There are def interfaith and conflicting faith situations in families and in individuals but “Jews for Jesus” is an antisemitic movement to try and pretend Jews and christians are like one in the same.

[sunkissedliterarylightofchrist]

Howdy.

Would you happen to know what you call a person who solely relies on the Bible as the basis of conduct of christian living and foundation of who God is/what He does?

I'm not saying this person doesn't look into theologians or other's studies on the Bible, but those things never surpass the Bible's authority.

A….. Christian….?

Or this is exactly what every Christian should do

[thepersonalwords]

You can exaggerate your authority in handling the Scriptures, but you cannot exaggerate the Scriptures' authority to handle you. You can use the word of God to come to wrong conclusions, but you cannot find any wrong conclusions in the word of God.

Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible Is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me

[onlyjesussatisfies]

Sunday Service Heart Highlight

November 3rd, 2024

Scripture & Service Highlight:

Joshua 1:3 NLT

"I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you—"

Every place we go, it's ours (Jesus & me)

When you go home you can say, "This place is mine, I will not live in darkness in the name of Jesus."

Walking by faith is strong

Proclaim that you are going to be blessed EVERYWHERE

~~~~~~~~

Beloved, we are called to walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7)! Just as Joshua and Moses were blessed so shall we be and even more so! For we have the new and better covenant, established upon better promises with Jesus (Heb. 8:6). He made the the way and promised abundant life to those who follow and believe in Him (John 14:6; John 10:10).

So beloved wherever you go today, proclaim the victory Jesus bought for you there! Walk by faith & not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Expect to be blessed and to be a blessing there. Darkness has to flee when you walk in the authority of the light of Jesus (John 1:9; Luke 10:19)!

You are blessed and highly favored!

(Psalms 84:4)

[the-monkey-ruler]

Didn’t jttw’s publisher see the book’s success and wanted to replicate it with north, east, and south? I thought I read that somewhere but it’s been a while.

I can't say I know anything about that, or at least I haven't heard about it. If you find the link to where you read that I would love to see it! The story of Xiyouji was popular before Wu Cheng'en's version, hence why there were so many different versions around it, just that it was theorized that Wu Cheng'en was able to connect multiple of the one-off tales of them fighting demons and finally put it together in a coherent narrative. Wu Cheng'en's version started to become the 'canon' because of its popularity but that doesn't discredit the popularity or notoriety of previous Xiyouji media.

Xiyouji was based on The Story of How Tripitaka of the Great Tang Procures the Scriptures 大唐三藏取經詩話 which was released around the late-13th-century, giving a good few centuries for the story to rise in popularity before the Wu Chengen's 1592 cut. From there we do see other versions of the story, such as the early-Ming Journey to the West zaju play 西遊記雜劇 which was created between these productions.

If we want to see when the other novels were created it's just a matter of trying to put them in order.

Late-13th-century ~ The Story of How Tripitaka of the Great Tang Procures the Scriptures 大唐三藏取經詩話

Early-Ming ~ Journey to the West zaju play 西遊記雜劇

1522-1526 - Journey to the East 東遊記 by Wu Yuantai

1566 ~ Journey to the West: The Biography of Tang Sanzang 西游唐三藏出身传 by Yang Zhihe

1570s-1580s - Journey to the South 南遊記 by Yu Xiangdou

1592 - Journey to the West 西遊記 by Wu Cheng'en

1602 - Journey to the North 北遊記 by Yu Xiangdou

I think that considering how close the publication dates (even the estimates) that it would be fair that most of these pieces of media were either inspired by previous interpretations of Xiyouji and it took some time before Wu Cheng'en's version finally became popular enough to be considered the 'canon' as it is referred to as today. I can't say how fast the spread of literature was back in the 16th century but I assume it would be much slower by today's standards at least.

[moredifferentthanusual]

from chapter 12 of Chained: To Wield the Blade we have Forged by Tinerian aka @redhoodinternaldialectical

[heartsings77]

[rabbits-of-negative-euphoria]

just for the record, the Lilith myth undermines so much of Christian theology as to be on par with Dan Brown's myth of Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene. No Christian is obligated to 'respect' it or regard it as anything but cheap, no matter how Jewish or medieval it is.

[blabbershere]

[thelordismylightandmysalvation]

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in heavenly places.

Graphic via Verse of the Day - Ephesians 6:12

[theprayingteacher]

#Strength