Authority.
What do we mean by authority in religion and what are the sources and role of authority in the Christian life?
By Craig Manners
19th April 2007
Without some solid foundations upon which to build our lives, we tend to follow the whims of the moment. Newspapers, governments, peer pressure, advertising, social media and our own changing opinions and feelings will push us around and rule our beliefs and actions. We will stumble from one unsatisfying thing to the next as we get blown to and fro by the ever-changing winds of things like false religion, culture and fashion.
So how do we know where to find these foundations? What authority can we trust to build our lives upon, not just the spiritual aspects but really every aspect of our lives?
We are all religious, whether we admit it or even know it or not. Whenever a society in history has tried to get rid of formal religion it is always replaced by some other form of religion. Something will fill the void.
Whatever the dominant religion of the day it will influence the behaviour of the people, and the fruit of that society. Whether you fly the flag of Christ or the flag of rampant selfish rebellion, there will be consequences.
So, it is worth investigating whether there is any trustworthy authority to build your life on. Here is a basic start to help you on your own investigations.
Introduction: What do we mean by authority?
Religious authority refers to that which we turn to ascertain the foundations for our belief. It is the basis upon which any theological statement can be made, command encouraged or action performed.[1] The doctrine of inspiration leads to the doctrine of authority. “It results in identifying a set of writings as possessing a unique authority.”[2] Scripture’s authority is the authority of God himself.[3]
The role of authority in the Christian life:
Jesus gave us our theological method: to use Scripture as the rule of faith and life. Christ not only expounded Scripture as the word of God, he also used Scripture to reform belief and practice with those who were misusing it (e.g. Matt. 4:4, 7 & 10; 21:13; Mk 9:12).[4] The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) reflects Jesus’ use of Scripture when it says the Bible as we have it today “is given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.”[5]
The sources of authority in the Christian life:
Christianity is based on divine revelation. Authority is derived from this revelation. Left to anything else, we arrive at completely subjective conclusions, which is why J.I. Packer calls religious Liberalism Subjectivism.[6][7]
Much hinges on our view of Scripture as to where we look for authority. In I Tim. 5:18 Paul describes as “Scripture” both an Old Testament (O.T.) verse and a New Testament (N.T.) verse. Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 3:16 that “all Scripture is God-breathed.” Its purpose also points to it being a purer, more reliable source of authority than fallen man or any experiences or organizational structures.
Within the Christian faith there are varying views on the source of authority. Historically, the Reformation came about in response to this issue.[8]
There are three main sources[9] of authority: self-interpreting Scripture, Church tradition, and
Christian reason, or as N. T. Wright calls them, “Bible, Pope and Scholar.”[10] Packer talks of a threefold division of Christendom on the subject of authority: Confessional Protestants (evangelical); Romanists, some Anglo-Catholics and Orthodox (traditionalist); and modern Liberal Protestants (subjectivist). [11] We can see these three in Packer’s threefold division as follows:
Evangelical View:
This original Christian position this basically says the Scriptures are authoritative for faith and life.[12] Scripture is complete, self-interpreting and without supplement from church or tradition.[13] In biblical teaching the source of all authority is God himself (Rom. 13:1; cf. Daniel 4:34; John 19:11; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 3:7, 4:7).
The authority of the Bible in no way depends on human or earthly evidence but is solely reliant upon its author, God.[14] There are however evidences, and as Calvin says, “Scripture bears upon the face of it as clear evidence of its truth, as white and black do of their colour, sweet and bitter of their taste.”[15] Yet although they may compel and induce a high and reverent regard for the Bible,[16][17][18] we require “the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.” [18]
Traditionalist View:
The final authority for faith and life is the official teaching of the institutional church. It sees
Scripture as authoritative but neither sufficient nor perspicuous. Packer calls this view an “ecclesiastical authoritarianism.”[19] In this view, the Church is to be judged by the men who run the Church, rather than by God and His word the Bible. The evangelical Protestant view however concludes that, “In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church.”[20]
“In the Roman, Greek and other ancient communions the Bible, together with the living traditions of the church in some sense, constitutes the ultimate authority.”[21] The evangelical view concludes that to introduce tradition is to lower God’s standards and increase man's,[22] which leads to idolatry of one self and can never give any satisfaction that one is truly justified. Ephesians 2:20 makes it clear that the church is built on the foundations of the Bible, therefore the authority of Scripture cannot come from the Church.[23]
The Roman church elevate both tradition and their Magisterium as being more authoritative than Scripture,[24] saying it is erroneous to “read and to interpret Sacred Scripture outside the Tradition and Magisterium.”[25]
Protestants define the church as, “the People of God…the community of the faithful,”[26] whereas the Roman Catholics see it more as “an external and visible organization.”27 The Declaration[27] states: “Above all else, it must be firmly believed that the Church…is necessary for salvation.” [28] And that “God has willed that the Church founded by him be the instrument for salvation of all humanity.”[28] This would seem to elevate man above God, the created above the Creator.
Subjectivist View:
This view takes many forms such as mysticism (Quakers), rationalism (Socinians and Deists), a combination of both (some nineteenth-century Liberals who took their mysticism from Schleiermacher and their rationalism from Ritschl), but they all lead to their authority coming from their reason, conscience or religious sentiment.[29] “As if the eternal and inviolable truth of God could depend on the will of men.”[30]
Similar to the Traditionalist view, this view seeks to undermine the Bible and elevate man. But does man have the power to save souls, or does God alone have this power? Who are you going to trust?
Those most responsible for the undermining of the Bible have been man-centered (both Traditionalist and Subjectivist) religious "churches" which ultimately seek to replace God's word with man's word, God as authoritative with man as authoritative.
Since the early 1900s so called "scholarship" has been relentlessly criticizing the Bible and questioning its truth and authority. This has resulted in the growth of and come from within Subjectivist or Liberal churches.
Critical scholars have so thoroughly criticized the Bible that they can no longer trust any part of the Bible as being authoritative. Liberal churches therefore have come to replace the Bible with men and women as being the authority in their gatherings. With what men and women say and expound on a Sunday morning. With their "interpretations" of God rather than what the Bible says about God. Ultimately this has led to these men and women enjoying the positions of influence and authority and shifting further toward man rather than God.
The foundations of biblical authority:
D. J. Moo says, “No doctrine is more foundational than biblical authority.”[31] The written Scriptures (our O.T.) were accepted as being authoritative for Jesus (Rom. 3:2; Matt. 4:1ff). We too accept the old but in the light of the new, the fulfilled and better covenant, the “climax of a single revelatory process.”[32] The old revelation is the presupposition of the new.[33] Our commitment to Jesus as Lord means that we accept the N.T. as fulfillment of the O.T., therefore “it would be strange not to join the two together as one.”[34]
The Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,” (Eph. 2:20). Therefore the apostles and prophets must have had authority before the church began to exist. This equally implies that there can be no new apostles or prophets.[35] Acts 2:42 makes it clear that the Church, rather than being an institution, with buildings, assets, men seeking power and influence over others, is where God's people come together to devote themselves to "the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." These "apostles" themselves taught only what was in the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible) and what Jesus taught them, much of which became the New Testament.
Christ said: “I have given them the glory that you gave me” (John 17:22).[36] All future believers will come to faith through the message of the apostles (v.20). This message, “full of grace and truth,”[37] must include the words as mentioned in 17:8 and 20. Therefore our knowledge and belief in God is “drawn from the doctrine of the apostles, and sure information of that doctrine will be found no where else than in their writings.”[38] Thus we can see that the apostles’ teaching becomes a central source of authority.[39]
Conclusion:
Do we trust God or man as authoritative? Jesus is our highest authority (Eph. 5:20-23) if we claim him as Lord we must submit to his authority. “When we receive Christ by repentance and faith, we receive the truth about him as the Word of God.”[41] In the final analysis, the rejection of the authority of God’s written word appears to stem from a desire to maintain human autonomy. [40] It is idolatry and elevates man above God.
As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said so well, referring to Romans 3, “A very good way of testing any view that you may hold is to ask, ‘Is this view humbling to me and glorifying to God?’ If it is, it is probably right. You will not go far wrong if whatever you are holding is glorifying God and humbling man. But if your view seems to glorify you and to query God, there is no need to argue or to go into details – it is wrong.”[42]
What comes from shifting authority from God to men? We only have to look at recent human history to see some of the fruit of undermining confidence in God and the Bible.
Way back in 1965, Lloyd-Jones noted that, "I have no hesitation in saying that the main factor in the lowering of the moral tone and life of this country has been the loss of authority of the Bible. The Bible has been riddled with criticism - there is no authority here any longer. Modern theologians have simply put up their own suppositions, theories and speculations." [43]
Often men and women complicate things and take things too far in their ultimately pride driven pursuits. Like a wife constantly criticizing her husband, belittling him, ridiculing him, comparing him poorly to other men, and demonstrating publicly her lack of confidence in him, so modern scholars have done to the Bible. This undermining results in the children having reduced confidence in their father, and the congregations having reduced confidence that the Bible is true and can really help them. It is the children and the congregations who suffer greatly from this tragedy.
The good news is that God is sovereign. He is authoritative. He has given us his trustworthy word in the Bible. He has given us his Son Jesus, that "whosoever believes in him has eternal life and shall not perish" (John 3:16), he has given us his Holy Spirit to guide us.
Read the Bible for yourself. Don't listen to the critics, they ultimately offer no help, no hope. They, along with any men or women who lead you away from God cannot help you, they have no power to save souls, they have no power to change lives.
Trust God. He alone can help you.
Bibliography:
Books:
L. Berkhof, Manual of Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987).
J. Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries Vol XVIII (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003).
J. Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001).
J. D. Douglas, Gen. ed, The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974).
M. J. Erickson, Christian Theology- Second Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001).
R. J. Gibson-General Editor, Justification and Christian Assurance, (Adelaide:
Openbook, 1996).
P. Jensen, The Revelation of God (Leicester: IVP, 2002).
H. Kung, The Church (New York: Image Books, 1976).
D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Authentic Christianity Vol 1 Acts 1-3 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1999).
D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines Series Vol 3 (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003).
I. H. Marshall et al –Consulting Editors, New Bible Dictionary (Leicester: IVP, 2003).
B. Milne, Know the Truth (Leicester: IVP, 1998).
D. J. Moo, General Editor- Biblical Authority and Conservative Perspectives (Grand
Rapids: Kregel, 1997).
J. Owen, The Glory of Christ (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2000).
J. I. Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’ and the Word of God (London: IVF, 1963).
J. Ratzinger, Declaration Dominus Iesus on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus
Christ and the Church (Quebec City: Mediaspaul, 2000).
R. Shaw, An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Ross-shire England:
Christian Focus, 1998).
C. R. Trueman, “Authority,” in New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics (C. CampbellJack and G. J. McGrath, Eds; Leicester: IVP, 2006).
R. D. Winter and S. C. Hawthorne – Editors, Perspectives on the World Christian
Movement (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1999).
World Wide Web:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_inerrancy#Basis_of_belief cited 23rd April 2007.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html Dei Verbum: cited 23rd April 2007. http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Bible_Authoritative.htm cited 23rd April 2007.
References:
[1] C. R. Trueman, “Authority,” in New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics (C. Campbell-Jack and G. J. McGrath, Eds; Leicester: IVP, 2006), 101.
[2] P. Jensen, The Revelation of God (Leicester: IVP, 2002), 184-185.
[3] http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Bible_Authoritative.htm
[4] J. I. Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’ and the Word of God (London: IVF, 1963), 72.
[5] Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), Ch. 1, Sec. 2: R. Shaw, An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Ross-shire England: Christian Focus, 1998), 41; Luke 24:27, 44; Romans 3:2; 2 Peter 1:21.
[6] S. J. Mikolaski, “Authority,” in The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church (J. D. Douglas, Gen.
ed; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 90; Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 46. 7 B. Milne, Know the Truth (Leicester: IVP, 1998), 44.
[7] Tim. 3: 16-17; The word “ἐξηρτισμένος” (from the verb ἐξαρτίζω meaning to complete or finish) in v.17 would imply that there is no need to add tradition or any teaching of man. Scripture is all we need as our source of authority.
[8] The Reformers rejected the Roman claim to final authority and also the authoritative nature of their sacramental system. Trueman, “Authority,” 102.
[9] Other sources of authority claimed by Christians have included authority direct from the Holy Spirit claimed by the Anabaptists, as well as philosophical ideas such as empiricism, idealism and rationalism. Trueman,
“Authority,” 102
[10] Within the last century or so we have seen a fourth, to rival those three, namely emotion or feeling:
http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Bible_Authoritative.htm
[11] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 47.
[12] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 47.
[13] WCF Ch.1, Sec. 2; Mikolaski, “Authority,” 90.
[14] WCF Ch. 1, Sec. 4: Shaw, Exposition, 47; 2 Peter 1:19, 21; 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 5:9; 1 Thes. 2:13.
[15] Calvin, Institutes, 69.
[16] These include: the testimony of the church; heavenliness of the subject matter, efficacy of the doctrine; majesty of style; unity and consent of the parts; scope and aim of the whole to give glory to God not man; full discovery in it of man’s only way of salvation; its many other excellent qualities; and its complete perfection. WCF Ch. 1, Sec.
[17] : Shaw, Exposition, 47.
[18] John 2:20, 27; John 16:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; Isaiah 59:21: WCF Ch. 1, Sec. 5: Shaw, Exposition, 47.
[19] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 49.
[20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_scriptura
[21] I. H. Marshall et al –Consulting Editors, New Bible Dictionary (Leicester: IVP, 2003), 136.
[22] Peter Jensen in: R.J Gibson-General Editor, Justification and Christian Assurance, (Adelaide: Openbook, 1996), 126.
[23] WCF Ch. 1, Sec. 5: Shaw, Exposition, 47; We can, as the Reformers did, distinguish between two types of tradition. Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 49; There is a place for tradition (1 Cor. 14:20; Rom. 12:1-2): Trueman, “Authority,” 102.
[24] A modern example showing this Roman view can be found in “Declaration dominus iesus” a Roman Catholic magisterium document written in 2000.
[25] J. Ratzinger, Declaration Dominus Iesus on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church
(Quebec City: Mediaspaul, 2000), 8; This sets up “tradition” and the “Magisterium” as being exalted above Scripture.
[26] H. Kung in: H. A. Snyder, “The Church in God’s Plan,” in R. D. Winter and S. C. Hawthorne- Editors, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1999), 141.
[27] L. Berkhof, Manual of Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 280; As soon as we elevate either of these to being our source of authority we have replaced God, the one who saves, with the people who are the very object of his saving. It is not logical. 28 Ratzinger, Declaration, 31.
[28] Ratzinger, Declaration, 33; Vatican II document Dei Verbum states, “All of what has been said about the way of interpreting Scripture is subject finally to the judgment of the Church.” Dei Verbum cited 23rd April 2007 at:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_deiverbum_en.html
[29] As the R. C. view elevates tradition and the Magisterium above Scripture, so Subjectivism elevates reason and conscience above both Scripture and historical tradition.
[30] Calvin, Institutes, 68.
[31] D. J. Moo, General Editor- Biblical Authority and Conservative Perspectives (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1997), 5.
[32] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism,’ 52.
[33] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism,’ 59.
[34] Jensen, Revelation, 153.
[35] Calvin, Institutes, 69; As once a foundation is laid there can be no adding to it.
[36] Paul states that believers “reflect” this glory (2 Cor. 3:18) but they cannot be the source of it. J. Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries Vol XVIII, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 185.
[37] John 1:14; J. Owen, The Glory of Christ (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2000), 5.
[38] Calvin, Commentaries, 182
[39] This is also evident in that the first Christians were “anxious to believe and obey what Jesus and His apostles taught.” John Stott in K. B. Mulholland in: Perspectives, 135; and they desired this teaching “above everything else”: D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Authentic Christianity Vol 1 Acts 1-3 (Edinburgh; Banner of Truth, 1999), 125. 41 Jensen, Revelation, 153.
[40] Jensen, Revelation, 153.
[42] Lloyd-Jones On Antinomianism | The Heidelblog
[43] Lloyd-Jones, Authentic Christianity Vol 1, 128.
What do we mean by authority in religion and what are the sources and role of authority in the Christian life?
By Craig Manners
19th April 2007
Without some solid foundations upon which to build our lives, we tend to follow the whims of the moment. Newspapers, governments, peer pressure, advertising, social media and our own changing opinions and feelings will push us around and rule our beliefs and actions. We will stumble from one unsatisfying thing to the next as we get blown to and fro by the ever-changing winds of things like false religion, culture and fashion.
So how do we know where to find these foundations? What authority can we trust to build our lives upon, not just the spiritual aspects but really every aspect of our lives?
We are all religious, whether we admit it or even know it or not. Whenever a society in history has tried to get rid of formal religion it is always replaced by some other form of religion. Something will fill the void.
Whatever the dominant religion of the day it will influence the behaviour of the people, and the fruit of that society. Whether you fly the flag of Christ or the flag of rampant selfish rebellion, there will be consequences.
So, it is worth investigating whether there is any trustworthy authority to build your life on. Here is a basic start to help you on your own investigations.
Introduction: What do we mean by authority?
Religious authority refers to that which we turn to ascertain the foundations for our belief. It is the basis upon which any theological statement can be made, command encouraged or action performed.[1] The doctrine of inspiration leads to the doctrine of authority. “It results in identifying a set of writings as possessing a unique authority.”[2] Scripture’s authority is the authority of God himself.[3]
The role of authority in the Christian life:
Jesus gave us our theological method: to use Scripture as the rule of faith and life. Christ not only expounded Scripture as the word of God, he also used Scripture to reform belief and practice with those who were misusing it (e.g. Matt. 4:4, 7 & 10; 21:13; Mk 9:12).[4] The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) reflects Jesus’ use of Scripture when it says the Bible as we have it today “is given by inspiration of God, to be the rule of faith and life.”[5]
The sources of authority in the Christian life:
Christianity is based on divine revelation. Authority is derived from this revelation. Left to anything else, we arrive at completely subjective conclusions, which is why J.I. Packer calls religious Liberalism Subjectivism.[6][7]
Much hinges on our view of Scripture as to where we look for authority. In I Tim. 5:18 Paul describes as “Scripture” both an Old Testament (O.T.) verse and a New Testament (N.T.) verse. Paul tells us in 2 Tim. 3:16 that “all Scripture is God-breathed.” Its purpose also points to it being a purer, more reliable source of authority than fallen man or any experiences or organizational structures.
Within the Christian faith there are varying views on the source of authority. Historically, the Reformation came about in response to this issue.[8]
There are three main sources[9] of authority: self-interpreting Scripture, Church tradition, and
Christian reason, or as N. T. Wright calls them, “Bible, Pope and Scholar.”[10] Packer talks of a threefold division of Christendom on the subject of authority: Confessional Protestants (evangelical); Romanists, some Anglo-Catholics and Orthodox (traditionalist); and modern Liberal Protestants (subjectivist). [11] We can see these three in Packer’s threefold division as follows:
Evangelical View:
This original Christian position this basically says the Scriptures are authoritative for faith and life.[12] Scripture is complete, self-interpreting and without supplement from church or tradition.[13] In biblical teaching the source of all authority is God himself (Rom. 13:1; cf. Daniel 4:34; John 19:11; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Heb. 3:7, 4:7).
The authority of the Bible in no way depends on human or earthly evidence but is solely reliant upon its author, God.[14] There are however evidences, and as Calvin says, “Scripture bears upon the face of it as clear evidence of its truth, as white and black do of their colour, sweet and bitter of their taste.”[15] Yet although they may compel and induce a high and reverent regard for the Bible,[16][17][18] we require “the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.” [18]
Traditionalist View:
The final authority for faith and life is the official teaching of the institutional church. It sees
Scripture as authoritative but neither sufficient nor perspicuous. Packer calls this view an “ecclesiastical authoritarianism.”[19] In this view, the Church is to be judged by the men who run the Church, rather than by God and His word the Bible. The evangelical Protestant view however concludes that, “In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church.”[20]
“In the Roman, Greek and other ancient communions the Bible, together with the living traditions of the church in some sense, constitutes the ultimate authority.”[21] The evangelical view concludes that to introduce tradition is to lower God’s standards and increase man's,[22] which leads to idolatry of one self and can never give any satisfaction that one is truly justified. Ephesians 2:20 makes it clear that the church is built on the foundations of the Bible, therefore the authority of Scripture cannot come from the Church.[23]
The Roman church elevate both tradition and their Magisterium as being more authoritative than Scripture,[24] saying it is erroneous to “read and to interpret Sacred Scripture outside the Tradition and Magisterium.”[25]
Protestants define the church as, “the People of God…the community of the faithful,”[26] whereas the Roman Catholics see it more as “an external and visible organization.”27 The Declaration[27] states: “Above all else, it must be firmly believed that the Church…is necessary for salvation.” [28] And that “God has willed that the Church founded by him be the instrument for salvation of all humanity.”[28] This would seem to elevate man above God, the created above the Creator.
Subjectivist View:
This view takes many forms such as mysticism (Quakers), rationalism (Socinians and Deists), a combination of both (some nineteenth-century Liberals who took their mysticism from Schleiermacher and their rationalism from Ritschl), but they all lead to their authority coming from their reason, conscience or religious sentiment.[29] “As if the eternal and inviolable truth of God could depend on the will of men.”[30]
Similar to the Traditionalist view, this view seeks to undermine the Bible and elevate man. But does man have the power to save souls, or does God alone have this power? Who are you going to trust?
Those most responsible for the undermining of the Bible have been man-centered (both Traditionalist and Subjectivist) religious "churches" which ultimately seek to replace God's word with man's word, God as authoritative with man as authoritative.
Since the early 1900s so called "scholarship" has been relentlessly criticizing the Bible and questioning its truth and authority. This has resulted in the growth of and come from within Subjectivist or Liberal churches.
Critical scholars have so thoroughly criticized the Bible that they can no longer trust any part of the Bible as being authoritative. Liberal churches therefore have come to replace the Bible with men and women as being the authority in their gatherings. With what men and women say and expound on a Sunday morning. With their "interpretations" of God rather than what the Bible says about God. Ultimately this has led to these men and women enjoying the positions of influence and authority and shifting further toward man rather than God.
The foundations of biblical authority:
D. J. Moo says, “No doctrine is more foundational than biblical authority.”[31] The written Scriptures (our O.T.) were accepted as being authoritative for Jesus (Rom. 3:2; Matt. 4:1ff). We too accept the old but in the light of the new, the fulfilled and better covenant, the “climax of a single revelatory process.”[32] The old revelation is the presupposition of the new.[33] Our commitment to Jesus as Lord means that we accept the N.T. as fulfillment of the O.T., therefore “it would be strange not to join the two together as one.”[34]
The Church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,” (Eph. 2:20). Therefore the apostles and prophets must have had authority before the church began to exist. This equally implies that there can be no new apostles or prophets.[35] Acts 2:42 makes it clear that the Church, rather than being an institution, with buildings, assets, men seeking power and influence over others, is where God's people come together to devote themselves to "the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." These "apostles" themselves taught only what was in the Old Testament (the Jewish Bible) and what Jesus taught them, much of which became the New Testament.
Christ said: “I have given them the glory that you gave me” (John 17:22).[36] All future believers will come to faith through the message of the apostles (v.20). This message, “full of grace and truth,”[37] must include the words as mentioned in 17:8 and 20. Therefore our knowledge and belief in God is “drawn from the doctrine of the apostles, and sure information of that doctrine will be found no where else than in their writings.”[38] Thus we can see that the apostles’ teaching becomes a central source of authority.[39]
Conclusion:
Do we trust God or man as authoritative? Jesus is our highest authority (Eph. 5:20-23) if we claim him as Lord we must submit to his authority. “When we receive Christ by repentance and faith, we receive the truth about him as the Word of God.”[41] In the final analysis, the rejection of the authority of God’s written word appears to stem from a desire to maintain human autonomy. [40] It is idolatry and elevates man above God.
As Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said so well, referring to Romans 3, “A very good way of testing any view that you may hold is to ask, ‘Is this view humbling to me and glorifying to God?’ If it is, it is probably right. You will not go far wrong if whatever you are holding is glorifying God and humbling man. But if your view seems to glorify you and to query God, there is no need to argue or to go into details – it is wrong.”[42]
What comes from shifting authority from God to men? We only have to look at recent human history to see some of the fruit of undermining confidence in God and the Bible.
Way back in 1965, Lloyd-Jones noted that, "I have no hesitation in saying that the main factor in the lowering of the moral tone and life of this country has been the loss of authority of the Bible. The Bible has been riddled with criticism - there is no authority here any longer. Modern theologians have simply put up their own suppositions, theories and speculations." [43]
Often men and women complicate things and take things too far in their ultimately pride driven pursuits. Like a wife constantly criticizing her husband, belittling him, ridiculing him, comparing him poorly to other men, and demonstrating publicly her lack of confidence in him, so modern scholars have done to the Bible. This undermining results in the children having reduced confidence in their father, and the congregations having reduced confidence that the Bible is true and can really help them. It is the children and the congregations who suffer greatly from this tragedy.
The good news is that God is sovereign. He is authoritative. He has given us his trustworthy word in the Bible. He has given us his Son Jesus, that "whosoever believes in him has eternal life and shall not perish" (John 3:16), he has given us his Holy Spirit to guide us.
Read the Bible for yourself. Don't listen to the critics, they ultimately offer no help, no hope. They, along with any men or women who lead you away from God cannot help you, they have no power to save souls, they have no power to change lives.
Trust God. He alone can help you.
Bibliography:
Books:
L. Berkhof, Manual of Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987).
J. Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries Vol XVIII (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003).
J. Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001).
J. D. Douglas, Gen. ed, The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974).
M. J. Erickson, Christian Theology- Second Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001).
R. J. Gibson-General Editor, Justification and Christian Assurance, (Adelaide:
Openbook, 1996).
P. Jensen, The Revelation of God (Leicester: IVP, 2002).
H. Kung, The Church (New York: Image Books, 1976).
D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Authentic Christianity Vol 1 Acts 1-3 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1999).
D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines Series Vol 3 (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2003).
I. H. Marshall et al –Consulting Editors, New Bible Dictionary (Leicester: IVP, 2003).
B. Milne, Know the Truth (Leicester: IVP, 1998).
D. J. Moo, General Editor- Biblical Authority and Conservative Perspectives (Grand
Rapids: Kregel, 1997).
J. Owen, The Glory of Christ (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2000).
J. I. Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’ and the Word of God (London: IVF, 1963).
J. Ratzinger, Declaration Dominus Iesus on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus
Christ and the Church (Quebec City: Mediaspaul, 2000).
R. Shaw, An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Ross-shire England:
Christian Focus, 1998).
C. R. Trueman, “Authority,” in New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics (C. CampbellJack and G. J. McGrath, Eds; Leicester: IVP, 2006).
R. D. Winter and S. C. Hawthorne – Editors, Perspectives on the World Christian
Movement (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1999).
World Wide Web:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_inerrancy#Basis_of_belief cited 23rd April 2007.
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html Dei Verbum: cited 23rd April 2007. http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Bible_Authoritative.htm cited 23rd April 2007.
References:
[1] C. R. Trueman, “Authority,” in New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics (C. Campbell-Jack and G. J. McGrath, Eds; Leicester: IVP, 2006), 101.
[2] P. Jensen, The Revelation of God (Leicester: IVP, 2002), 184-185.
[3] http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Bible_Authoritative.htm
[4] J. I. Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’ and the Word of God (London: IVF, 1963), 72.
[5] Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF), Ch. 1, Sec. 2: R. Shaw, An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith (Ross-shire England: Christian Focus, 1998), 41; Luke 24:27, 44; Romans 3:2; 2 Peter 1:21.
[6] S. J. Mikolaski, “Authority,” in The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church (J. D. Douglas, Gen.
ed; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), 90; Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 46. 7 B. Milne, Know the Truth (Leicester: IVP, 1998), 44.
[7] Tim. 3: 16-17; The word “ἐξηρτισμένος” (from the verb ἐξαρτίζω meaning to complete or finish) in v.17 would imply that there is no need to add tradition or any teaching of man. Scripture is all we need as our source of authority.
[8] The Reformers rejected the Roman claim to final authority and also the authoritative nature of their sacramental system. Trueman, “Authority,” 102.
[9] Other sources of authority claimed by Christians have included authority direct from the Holy Spirit claimed by the Anabaptists, as well as philosophical ideas such as empiricism, idealism and rationalism. Trueman,
“Authority,” 102
[10] Within the last century or so we have seen a fourth, to rival those three, namely emotion or feeling:
http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Bible_Authoritative.htm
[11] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 47.
[12] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 47.
[13] WCF Ch.1, Sec. 2; Mikolaski, “Authority,” 90.
[14] WCF Ch. 1, Sec. 4: Shaw, Exposition, 47; 2 Peter 1:19, 21; 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 John 5:9; 1 Thes. 2:13.
[15] Calvin, Institutes, 69.
[16] These include: the testimony of the church; heavenliness of the subject matter, efficacy of the doctrine; majesty of style; unity and consent of the parts; scope and aim of the whole to give glory to God not man; full discovery in it of man’s only way of salvation; its many other excellent qualities; and its complete perfection. WCF Ch. 1, Sec.
[17] : Shaw, Exposition, 47.
[18] John 2:20, 27; John 16:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12; Isaiah 59:21: WCF Ch. 1, Sec. 5: Shaw, Exposition, 47.
[19] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 49.
[20] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_scriptura
[21] I. H. Marshall et al –Consulting Editors, New Bible Dictionary (Leicester: IVP, 2003), 136.
[22] Peter Jensen in: R.J Gibson-General Editor, Justification and Christian Assurance, (Adelaide: Openbook, 1996), 126.
[23] WCF Ch. 1, Sec. 5: Shaw, Exposition, 47; We can, as the Reformers did, distinguish between two types of tradition. Packer, ‘Fundamentalism’, 49; There is a place for tradition (1 Cor. 14:20; Rom. 12:1-2): Trueman, “Authority,” 102.
[24] A modern example showing this Roman view can be found in “Declaration dominus iesus” a Roman Catholic magisterium document written in 2000.
[25] J. Ratzinger, Declaration Dominus Iesus on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church
(Quebec City: Mediaspaul, 2000), 8; This sets up “tradition” and the “Magisterium” as being exalted above Scripture.
[26] H. Kung in: H. A. Snyder, “The Church in God’s Plan,” in R. D. Winter and S. C. Hawthorne- Editors, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1999), 141.
[27] L. Berkhof, Manual of Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 280; As soon as we elevate either of these to being our source of authority we have replaced God, the one who saves, with the people who are the very object of his saving. It is not logical. 28 Ratzinger, Declaration, 31.
[28] Ratzinger, Declaration, 33; Vatican II document Dei Verbum states, “All of what has been said about the way of interpreting Scripture is subject finally to the judgment of the Church.” Dei Verbum cited 23rd April 2007 at:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_deiverbum_en.html
[29] As the R. C. view elevates tradition and the Magisterium above Scripture, so Subjectivism elevates reason and conscience above both Scripture and historical tradition.
[30] Calvin, Institutes, 68.
[31] D. J. Moo, General Editor- Biblical Authority and Conservative Perspectives (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1997), 5.
[32] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism,’ 52.
[33] Packer, ‘Fundamentalism,’ 59.
[34] Jensen, Revelation, 153.
[35] Calvin, Institutes, 69; As once a foundation is laid there can be no adding to it.
[36] Paul states that believers “reflect” this glory (2 Cor. 3:18) but they cannot be the source of it. J. Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries Vol XVIII, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 185.
[37] John 1:14; J. Owen, The Glory of Christ (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 2000), 5.
[38] Calvin, Commentaries, 182
[39] This is also evident in that the first Christians were “anxious to believe and obey what Jesus and His apostles taught.” John Stott in K. B. Mulholland in: Perspectives, 135; and they desired this teaching “above everything else”: D. M. Lloyd-Jones, Authentic Christianity Vol 1 Acts 1-3 (Edinburgh; Banner of Truth, 1999), 125. 41 Jensen, Revelation, 153.
[40] Jensen, Revelation, 153.
[42] Lloyd-Jones On Antinomianism | The Heidelblog
[43] Lloyd-Jones, Authentic Christianity Vol 1, 128.