truth on spiritual authority

Getting to truth on spiritual authority is absolutely critical. If we can't come to grips with what guides and instructs our spiritual journey then we are lost.

In a world of fake news and confusion about where to turn for "truth" we could listen to our heart --- but that would be a mistake.

We've collected some basics on authority. They are highlights from our BSF library and the answers are linked directly to the question for full Scriptural detail.

featured scripture-block

Revelation 22:18-19

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

What does it say?

I warn everyone hearing this not to add to or take away anything from it. If you do, God will add to him the plagues and take away his share of eternal salvation described herein.

What is the context?

The closing verses of John’s apocalyptic vision. These are the words from Jesus continued from verse 16 providing several warnings and promises.

the bible truth on spiritual authority

First, what is the Bible's authoritative claim?

The Bible’s own claim is that it is from and of God^1,2,3,4,5,6. It’s what the Bereans used (at least the Old Testament) to confirm the claims of God’s messenger³. It also claims that all Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) is inspired and from God¹. The gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) testify to Jesus, the Son of God, the very personification of God’s word — in effect, the “living word”². He, in turn, gave that word to the apostles⁶ who wrote it down^4,5,7.

Go to the full BSF question/answer with footnoted Scripture-blocks

Is there reason or room to give heed to other sources of authority?

The Bible is the complete revelation of God^{1,2,6,7,9,10,11,12,13}. While there was a time God spoke to man through prophets^5,8, that time was replaced by the gospel revelation through His son, Jesus Christ and His time on earth^5,9,10 and His appointed apostles^9,10,11,13.

As of the first century, God’s word had been proclaimed throughout the whole world^4,6,8. If the word was sufficiently complete in the first century to save individuals^{1,3,4,6,8,9,10,11,12}, how is it any less complete now and why would it be necessary for God to reveal more? The foundation^9,12 would not still be being laid some 2,000 years later.

Go to the full BSF question/answer with footnoted Scripture-blocks

Are some parts of the Bible more important than other parts?

There is no precedent in Scripture for “Scripture Weighting.” Quite the contrary. All Scripture is divine and perfect^1,7; they are His words⁵. God is the sole author^1,5. Further, it is only when taken in its entirety that we get a complete picture^2,7. It is consistently put forward as equal weight since “all” is always the standard for understanding — Old^4,6 and New^1,3. Never has God said, “Read it all, but you really only need to focus here.”

May we never scripture weight – whether by authorship, testament, or presupposition. Instead, seek to gather all that Scripture has to say on the matter and only then make careful conclusions.

Go to the full BSF question/answer with footnoted Scripture-blocks

Finally, what about Jesus' own words?

The words of Scripture are in fact the words of God – all of them, regardless of who spoke them^1,4. It’s not that Jesus or the apostles were speaking/teaching something different from person to person, but that they all were united in, and messengers of, the words of God (and it was the same with the prophets — speaking God’s literal word). All disciples, regardless of who taught them^2,3,4,5, are to continue in God’s word. Jesus Himself⁵ removes any doubt that we are to give special “weight” to who spoke them.

Go to the full BSF question/answer with footnoted Scripture-blocks

getting to the truth on spiritual authority is pretty important

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get all of the questions about spiritual authority

answered by scripture with the Bible Study Framework

Do Apostles exist today?
There are many in the religious world today that claim to be an apostle. More than simply "a messenger" (Greek meaning of the word "apostle"), a title of "Apostle" is given or assumed by individuals wishing to mimick the authority and power given to the original twelve. For example, the [more]
Who are the messengers of God?
God has relied on messengers throughout history, but tracking the messengers of God through Scripture reveals some interesting things about God's character and His word. It also has implications for those that make claims about their own supposed "anointing" by God to speak His words today. God hasn't always used [more]
What do you need for understanding the Bible?
Understanding the Bible can be difficult. For many centuries, the Catholic Church taught that the Bible could only be understood by an ordained priest. In modern times, people like N.T. Wright and other well-credentialed theologians are often held up as having profound (even special or unique) insights into God's [more]
Are Christians under the Ten Commandments today?
The Ten Commandments are recorded in Exodus 20. They were given to Moses by God and written on tablets of stone. According to IMDb, the classic 1956 movie "The Ten Commandments" (staring Charlton Heston) is the seventh highest grossing film of all time! The Ten Commandments were central to the [more]
Did Jude quote from the book of Enoch?
Some maintain that Jude quotes from the apocryphal book of Enoch. Often, this is put forward as a statement of fact in order to move forward to the much "larger" discussions regarding the meaning of extra-Biblical quotes, their place in Scripture, and the question of their inspiration. The book of [more]
Do miracles still happen today?
"It's a miracle!" That's an exclamation we hear often and have probably uttered ourselves. It might be used to describe passing a test you didn't study for or to sum up a great, come-from-behind victory. For example, the great Olympic victory by the U.S. Men's Hockey team is known as [more]
Is the Bible the complete revelation of God?
Whether or not the Bible is the complete revelation of God has profound implications on Christianity today. If the Bible isn't the complete revelation of God, then the door remains open to "other" revelation. "Other" could be other scriptural authority such as the Quran or the Book of Mormon. [more]
What is Scripture weighting?
Scripture weighting is not a term you will find in Scripture. However, it's a practice you may recognize when coming to conclusions about Scripture. Fundamentally, it's the practice of ignoring Scripture. That might sound egregious -- but it's fairly rampant in the world of Bible study and theology. A [more]
Does it matter where we worship God?
Where we worship God has often been debated through the years. Some hold to the idea that worship must occur in a cathedral -- an often ornate structure dedicated to the worship of God. Others don't take much stock in the structure at all, whether an official worship building [more]
How were false prophets identified?
The children of Israel were surrounded by prophets that claimed to be speaking for God but they were actually false prophets. In fact, by most accounts in the Old Testament, most "prophets" were false prophets and there were two kinds. First, there were prophets associated with other gods. For [more]
Is the Bible the word of God?
The word Bible is from the Greek and Latin meaning "book" or "books". The Christian Bible as we know it is made up of two Testaments or Covenants (Old and New) that together might also be referred to as the Holy Writ, Holy Scriptures or Word of God. [more]
Should ‘Scripture interprets Scripture’ be our standard?
Scripture interprets Scripture is built on the belief that all Scripture is from God. Essentially, if all of the Bible is from an unchanging God then it must also be inerrant and without contradiction. It's from one, divine author. Therefore, the goal should be to let Scripture interpret Scripture. We [more]
Should you follow your heart?
"Follow your heart" is a common refrain from those in the world. Or maybe you've heard someone say, "the heart wants what the heart wants?" These statements are usually meant to be aspirational and reassuring, giving the individual confidence to do whatever it is they have a mind to [more]
Does God’s character change?
Has the God of the universe changed over time? Is God's character subject to "evolving" the same way that you and I would develop over time? God's character not changing is sometimes described as the immutability of God (defined by Dictionary.com as "not mutable; unchangeable; changeless"). However, some struggle [more]
Are Jesus’ words (Red Letter Bible) more important than other Scripture?
You've probably seen the red-letter Bible -- in fact, you probably own one. These Bibles place all of Jesus' words in prominent red letters in order to stand out from all the other recorded words in Scripture. This is obviously a man-made introduction to Scripture, along with the chapter/verse [more]