The Authority Of Scripture And The Historical Reliability...

When thinking about the relationship between the authority of scripture and the historical reliability of the Bible, it is important to understand the definitions of the two key words at hand. According to the Oxford Dictionary, authority is defined as â€Å"the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.† Reliability is stated as â€Å"the quality of being trustworthy or of performing constantly well.† From the beginning of our Christian lives, we are taught, or perhaps told, that the Bible is God’s truthful word and that we should not only trust it, but base our lives around serving Him through what is written in it’s pages. As it says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, â€Å"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,†¦show more content†¦But the Bible delves so much deeper than that. The Bible is in itself, a translation of history and humankind, showing how people, as individuals or groups, have either been blessed or disciplined by God for their demeanor towards Him and His holy laws. It is this unique account of the moral and spiritual factors behind the historical narrative, that continues to make the Bible so relevant to modern day society today. God’s word reveals the will of God in each of our lives through showing His divine nature as depicted in hundreds of real-life illustrations throughout the Bible. When speaking about the authority of scripture, it is necessary to understand that while all Scripture was given to us by God, the form in which it was given was transcribed in two different ways. First by direct revelation; by which the literal words of God are chronicled by the prophets. Second by inspiration; by which the Holy Spirit oversaw the prophets as they wrote and thus the prophets wrote ‘Divine Truth.’ As seen in 2 Peter 1:20-21, â€Å"Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.† Nearly four thousand times in the Bible there are written words orShow MoreRelatedWhat Paul, The Apostle Of Jesus1027 Words   |  5 Pagespaper is to corroborate and to demonstrate what Paul, the apostle of Jesus stated in the 3rd chapter of 2 Timothy, verses 16-17, concerning Scripture as â€Å"God Breathed† and revealing its Divine and human nature. This is a very significant and beneficial study for those who desire a better and more concrete understanding of Scripture and its authority and reliability, in order for an individual to gain complete faith in it as a prime source concerning spiritual guidance. It is vital to have a strong foundationRead MoreReflection Paper - Virgin Birth, Jesus Claim God, Bible Authority1136 Words   |  5 Pageshope to answer the questions, â€Å"Does the Bible have authority?†, â€Å"Did Jesus claim to be God?†, and â€Å"Did Jesus need to be born of a virgin?†. These three questions can be summarized with the question, â€Å"Is God reliable in what he has said about Himself, and if we can t take His Word for it, then what?† II. Section One The question of the authority of the Bible rests on the issue of the authority of its author. If the author of the Bible did not have authority, then it is highly unlikely that the writtenRead MoreThe Word of God as Used in the Old Testament1508 Words   |  7 PagesWhen exploring the word of God in the Old Testament (OT), it is important to locate the texts into a social and historical context. It is in this context that the word of God is mediated by human expression. To deny the human expression is effectively to place a barrier between the word of God and it’s invitation to revelation. The OT can be seen as a â€Å"record of people’s experience of God’s self-revelation† (Rohr Martos, 2011, p. 22). Thus the theology underpinning the OT meaning and understandingRead MoreJosh Mcdowell1258 Words   |  6 Pagesagnostic in his adolescent years and into college. * Began school at Kellogg Community College in Michigan intending to study law and start a career in the political field. * There at college as an agnostic, he chose to write a paper on the historical evidence of Christianity in order to disprove the religion. Within that research he discovered evidence that made him a believer. Read quote 1 and 2. * He then decided to change his future plans from the study of law. QUOTE SLIDE SlideRead MoreThe Reliability Of The New Testament Manuscripts1958 Words   |  8 PagesTHE RELIABILITY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS A Paper Submitted to Dr. Daniel Warner of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the M.Div. Course Encountering the Biblical World - E1-BBBW5200-01 in the Divisions of Biblical Studies Kristopher L. 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DV 9)[2] It is from this point of view that we have looked, in this paper, on the discussion of divine revelation. Realising that this is a wide topic, we have confined ourselves to research and come up with information trying to explain how Sacred Scripture is a requisite for divine revelation fulfilled in the person ofRead MoreThe Empty Tomb2163 Words   |  9 PagesThe Empty Tomb â€Å"And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ?† This is quoted from the gospel of John (NKJV, John 7:26). Jesus was a man who performed various and unexplainable miracles, and who also claimed to be â€Å"One with God.† He created unrest among the Roman government, who struggled for power and authority when Jesus and His teachings started to spread among the nations. The Pharisees planned many attemptsRead MoreEssay on Fundamentalism and Inerrancy of Scripture5400 Words   |  22 Pages A Paper Submitted to Dr. Homer Massey In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Course History of Christianity II CHHI 525 By, Johnny walker INERRANCY OF THE SCRIPTURES Outline Fundamentalism is a type of religious reaction to all forms of modernity. Within Christianity this phenomenon is mostly characteristic of Protestantism but is also found in Catholicism. In fact, the term fundamentalism was coined inRead MoreHomosexuality and God6017 Words   |  25 Pagescompromise, the principles for which the Holy Bible stands, is directing the Christians in the right path to God and the way of life. The Christian point of view is based solely upon the Bible, the divinely inspired Word of God. A truly Christian standard of ethics is the conduct of divine revelation, not of statistical research or of public opinion. For the Christian, the Bible is the final authority for both belief and behaviour. The Explicitly the Bible teach about homosexuality can be considered