
Why we need the Bible's authority (pt 7)
• Series: The Heart of Our Faith
Christianity is ultimately meaningless without the authority of the Bible. How do we know this is true? #1: Jesus The center of Christianity is, of course, Jesus Christ. If we want to know how important the authority of the Bible is, we should start by seeing how Jesus treated the Bible. And Jesus loved the Word of God. He quoted it, faced temptation with it, submitted to it, honored it, rested in it, clung to it, and treated every part of it as God’s unbreakable Word. We can’t claim to follow Jesus and yet not follow His love for the authority of the Bible. #2: Culture People in our culture often say the Bible is just cultural. They claim the Bible isn’t true for all people, but that it was written in a different culture and time when people believed different things about worship, truth, relationships, and sexuality. But here’s the problem: If the Bible is only cultural, then we can’t use any of it. Otherwise, we’re just cultural oppressors who are forcing our ideas and beliefs on others. The only way we can hold to the Bible and teach it with love is to treat it as true for all people and all cultures. If the Bible doesn’t have divine authority over all cultures, then everything about Christianity is really just one person forcing their opinions on someone else. #3: Relationship We need the authority of the Bible to have a real relationship with God because if we just pick and choose what to believe, we end up creating an artificial god who is like us and who only tells us what we want to hear, rather than letting God speak for Himself. If the Bible has no authority, then God can’t argue with us and correct us as a loving Father, and that’s not a real relationship. Sample Questions for GCs: #1: Read 1 John 4:6. John says that if someone knows God, they will listen to him and the other apostles. What makes the apostles unique from other Christians? What special credibility and experience do they have? #2: When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by the devil, he quoted Scripture from memory. Jesus also prayed with Scripture and based all his teaching on Scripture. Jesus treasured the promises of His Father. Consider this promise of God in Hebrews 13:5 – “I will never leave you or abandon you.” If you meditated on this promise every time you faced suffering or trials, how would it help you? #3: Peter says that every word in the Bible comes from God. He writes this 1 Peter 1:20-21. Peter learned this from Jesus. Why would it be hard to have an honest relationship with God if we just picked and chose what to believe from the Bible?