Biblical Authority

The Word of God is Dynamite!

Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  The word translated power is the Greek word, “dunamis” or “dynamis” the word we get our word dynamite from.  It means full or power and ability. 

Hebrews 4:12, “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  The word translated powerful is the Greek word, “energes” the word we get our word energy from. 

The Bible is our source of power, because it reveals to us our Lord Jesus Christ.  The Bible is Holy, which means it is without error or sin.  God uses the Bible to reveal His Word to us.  II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21, Rev. 14:13  The word translated inspiration in II Timothy 3:16 is the Greek word, “Theopneustos”, Theo is God, and pneustos means breathed.  The Holy Spirit is translated from the word Pneuma, which means breath or wind.  So the Bible is literally God breathed. 

Since, the Bible is literally God breathed it is without error.  This doctrine is Biblical inerrancy.  Biblical inerrancy is one of the fundamentals of the Christian faith.  Hebrews 6:18  It is impossible for God to lie.  Since, the Bible is true, without error, God breathed, then it must be Holy.  God is Holy and thus His Word is Holy. 

Following from the inerrancy of the Word of God is the doctrine of Biblical Authority.  Biblical Authority is one of the Baptist Distinctives. “The Bible is our final authority for all matters of faith and practice”, to quote my father.  Instead of worrying what our denomination teaches, or our church teaches, or what school teaches us, we worry about “what does the Bible say?”  When we desire to know if something is true or not we compare what the preacher preaches with the Word of God.  We take the Bible over everything else.

In short, the Bible is inspired by God which makes it Holy and without error.  Biblical inerrancy gives us the foundation for the Bible’s Authority, since it came directly from God and is without error.  If we wish to be obedient to God, then we must study the Bible and apply it.  Romans 2:13, James 1:22  We must apply the Word of God to our own lives, not to others.