The authority of Scriptures

1. The Bible is Inspired by God

·      2 Timothy 3: 16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

·      2 Peter 1: 20-21: “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

·      Hebrews 1: 1-2: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.”

2. The Words of Scripture are God’s Words

·      Exodus 24: 4: “And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord.”

·      Jeremiah 1: 9: “Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.’”

·      Matthew 4: 4: “But he answered, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

·      John 17: 17: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

3. The Bible is Truthful and Trustworthy

·      Psalm 119: 160: “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.”

·      Proverbs 30: 5: “Every word of God proves true; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.”

·      John 17: 17: “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

4. God’s Words are Eternal and Unchanging

·      Isaiah 40: 8: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”

·      Matthew 24: 35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

·      Psalm 119: 89: “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”

·      Numbers 23: 19: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not fulfill it?”

·      Hebrews 6: 18: “So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

·      Matthew 5: 18: “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

5. Scripture is Authoritative

·      Deuteronomy 4: 2: “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.”

·      Isaiah 55: 11: “So shall my word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose.”

·      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.”

·      Psalm 12: 6: “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.”

6. Jesus Affirmed the Scriptures

·      Luke 24: 27: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

·      John 10: 35: “If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—”

·      Matthew 5: 18: “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

·      Luke 24: 44: “Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’”

7. The Bible Guides and Illuminates

·      Psalm 119: 105: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

·      2 Peter 1: 19: “And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place.”

·      Joshua 1: 8: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.”

8. The Spirit Confirms Scripture

·      1 Corinthians 2: 13: “And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”

·      John 14: 26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

·      Nehemiah 9: 20: “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth.”