When we talk about authority we are raising the “who says so” question. Authority is what the FBI agent has when he shows you his badge. Frankly, we all have a cosmic authority problem; we want to do things the way we want, when we want, and how we want. But if God exists and has spoken, then he wins the “who says so” argument hands down:
“The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all” (Psalm 103:19)
When Scripture speaks, God speaks. Because the source of Scripture is God, it bears his authority. John Stott captures this sentiment well:
“If it is a word from God, it has authority over men. For behind every word that anybody utters stands the person who speaks it. It is the speaker himself (his character, knowledge and position) who determines how people regard his words. So God’s Word carries God’s authority. It is because of who he is that we should believe what he has said.”
Paul celebrated when the Thessalonians came to understand this great truth. “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
As we conclude this brief discussion of the authority of Scripture, it is also critical to note that Jesus of Nazareth submitted to the authority of God’s Word. And if he did, how much more so should we?
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