THEOLOGY THURSDAY | True Authority
A bite-sized lesson in doctrine: 1 Concept, 2 Definitions, 3 Passages...
Welcome back to Theology Thursday!
This is a series where I seek to deliver a bite-sized lesson in orthodox, Biblical doctrine in 3 simple steps:
ONE concept explained
TWO concise definitions that must be kept distinct
THREE Scripture passages to meditate on
Concept: The Authority of Scripture
The Bible is the only infallible, final authority concerning faith and obedience. It is binding upon all mankind and obligates belief simply because it is the Word of God. God is truth itself, and since He possesses all authority and cannot err, so it is with His Word. The Bible’s story of redemption (Drama) is what grounds our understanding of God (Doctrine), which then fuels our worship (Doxology) and naturally leads to obedience (Discipleship).1 We can delight in this authority because it doesn’t come from a tyrannical master, but a kind and good Father who saves those who call upon Him.
Definitions/Distinctions:
Act-Revelation: The acts of God in history that reveal His character and bring redemption before the Bible was written.
Word-Revelation: The flawless written record (Scripture) that offers the divine interpretation of those events and serves as the ultimate authority.
Passages:
“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
1 Thessalonians 2:13
“If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.”
1 John 5:9
“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
2 Pe 1:20–21
I’m indebted to Micheal Horton for helping me see this progression. See Pilgrim Theology for details.