Imagine if you will—All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine,
for reproof,
for correction,
for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete,
thoroughly equipped for every good work.
-1 Timothy 3:16, 17 (New King James Version)
You are out with a friend who is unsure about God and the church—and the topic of the Bible’s validity as God’s Word comes up.
How would you respond to them?
How would you contend that the Bible that you read, hold as sacred and align your life around is really of God?
Is it possible to do?
Is it just faith you need?
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This is a difficult topic to approach—and one that requires more than a theologically pat answer from a Christian, such as "I just choose to believe!" Sure, we must believe—but isn’t there more to it? Our faith shouldn’t be just a "dart-in-the-dark" exercise. It should be explainable in intelligent ways. In order to answer the question of the Bible’s validity as God’s Word to us, we must give a balanced explanation that makes room for both God’s involvement and the "human" element in the forming of the Bible—which we hold as authoritative "scripture."
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In one sense, the Bible is a human document—its authors were as fallible as you and I are. They each wrote using their unique personalities, perspectives and ways of communicating. The Bible is a collection of letters and books that express human understanding and reflect God’s working and words, all rooted in history. So, if the Bible is about God’s involvement in human history from the creation of the world, it can be seen as a spiritual document as well. How then can we "believe" the words of the Bible’s authors are really God’s Word to us? Well, even though Jesus is the central person in God’s address to us, threaded through the Old and New Testaments, God chose to communicate His message of redemption in Christ through the critical thinking of human vessels. Some writing from first-hand account, others writing from the memories of the apostles’ teachings, each author had a place in their own historical church setting. God made us able to grasp His self-revelation and to respond to Him. Consequently, in terms of the New Testament, God also chose to make what is known as the "apostolic circle" responsible for recording, preserving and passing on the accounts and events of Jesus’ earthly ministry and message of salvation—as they understood it—through the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. This comes closer to the meaning of the biblical term "inspiration," of which the apostle Paul speaks of in his letter to Timothy.
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Therefore, the writings in the Bible are not merely human ideas, nor are they the reckless sovereignty of a "dictating" God overriding and determining the pens of the apostles, as it were. Rather, the Bible reflects the confirmation that its authors, who were accepted and respected by the very first Christian communities after Jesus’ crucifixion, had reliable authority. The early church believed God was speaking through the apostles’ writings and teachings. What that realistically means for us today is that we can accept intelligently that the authors of the Bible were esteemed as having authority. Isn’t it possible, then, that the documents they passed on to us demonstrate God’s voice and truth in them? Isn’t it worth considering?
Having authority:
Ones who accurately and consistently taught God’s will
for faith and life centred in Jesus.
