The Authority of Scripture: Why It Should Matter to You
In 303 AD, Roman emperor Diocletian issued an edict that eliminated the rights of all Christians in an effort to eliminate the religion from the empire. Bibles were specifically targeted as a critical element of eliminating Christianity because the emperor knew of the power of the written word as a catalyst in spreading the message of the Christ.
Even though Diocletian’s strategy would seem to be a particularly effective mechanism of social construction, he obviously was not aware of the transcendent power of the Bible. Diocletian did not realize he targeted a book whose power and authority extended beyond just the physical pages. He failed miserably in his attempt, because within 10 years, emperor Constantine had issued the Edict of Milan that formally recognized Christianity. 10 years after that, Christianity became the official religion of Rome. How could the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have endured years of persecution and direct attempts at its elimination, and yet, it not only survived, but it thrived? Today, 1 out of 3 people walking on the face of the earth consider themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ.[1]
Attacks on the Bible have continued throughout history, and they certainly continue today. At a macro level, these attacks have also failed miserably. The Bible remains as the highest selling book in the history of the world at over 7 billion copies sold. The question remains, why has this book proven to be so resilient, reliable, and indestructible? Could something else be involved? Could its seemingly immortal and ineradicable existence shed light on its self-proclaimed supernatural origins?
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are very clear as to the source of biblical authority. First and foremost, the Bible proclaims itself as the perfect and true written Word of God. (Psalm 19:7, Psalm 119, Psalm 111:7, Deuteronomy 4, among many others). The Old Testament has over 3800 claims of speaking the very words of God.
New Testament writers refer to the OT as scripture over 320 times and make over 1000 references to the OT. The apostle Paul claims the source of his writings are directly from Christ. “For I would have you know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel which was preached by me is not of human invention. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11).
Numerous writers refer to letters of other NT writers as scripture. (i.e. Paul, referring to Luke’s writings in Luke 10:7; Peter, referring to Paul’s writings, declares them as scripture in 2 Peter 3:15, 16. John wrote the book of Revelation and repeatedly claimed the source was Divine. The writers were confident in their understanding that they were writing the very Word of God.
Finally, Jesus quoted Holy Scripture repeated, declaring it an entire, unbreakable unit (John 10:35). He proclaimed the writings of scripture as prophetic of His ministry. “You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me” (John 5:39-44). His view of scripture was that it was the very Word of God.
In the first and second centuries, after Jesus’s death and resurrection, the early church grew throughout Palestine, Asia Minor, and the Roman empire. It grew because of the early apostles, early missionaries, and early church fathers, and it grew on the back of the earliest texts of scripture duplicated and distributed, and again, duplicated and distributed until it was virtually impossible to destroy them all. We now know of over 5800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. We know of over 10,000 copies of Latin manuscripts and 9,300 copies of other texts.[2]
It is somewhat understandable for the enemies of the faith to believe that if they attack and destroy the Bible, they could destroy Christianity. However, after thousands of years, the Bible remains the most reproduced book in the history of humanity. It will not be destroyed.
It is attacked because it contains the evidence that declares humanity guilty in the eyes of God. The Bible is the proverbial smoking gun in the trial of man. It is the story of man’s sin. It is the story of man’s fallen condition; It is the story of our guilt before God.
Would they try to destroy it if they only understood that it is also a story of redemption? The entirety of the Christian Bible is the story of God’s desire to reconcile man to Himself. And it is the story of Christ’s sacrifice of His own life so they we can live as new creatures. Unbelievers still attack it because the grand story of the Bible is a story of a creation that is subject to a perfect Father, whom they will one day have to answer for their sins. But thank God that it is also the story of a Savior that will one day stand on our side, as our public defender, in declaring us sinless before Him.
The Bible is hated because it matters. The Bible is hated because it is life-changing, full of truth, incontrovertible, and uniquely authoritative. The non-believers and anti-theists attack it because they know the power of its claim to authority. We can only hope that one day, the church wakes up to this same reality.
[1] Staff Report, “Global Christianity: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population,” pewresearch.com, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/#:~:text=A%20comprehensive%20demographic%20study%20of%20more%20than%20200,the%20estimated%202010%20global%20population%20of%206.9%20billion, accessed February 12, 2024.
[2] Staff Article, “Where Is the Original Bible?” hc.edu, https://hc.edu/museums/dunham-bible-museum/tour-of-the-museum/past-exhibits/biblical-manuscripts/, accessed February 12, 2024.