"You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39).
It is not uncommon to hear people deny the authority of Scripture but uphold the authority of Christ. They’ll say, “I just live my life according to Christ’s teaching and not according to the Bible as a whole.” This kind of rationality, of course, is unsupported by the very parameters they themselves set. Christ validated the Scriptures as the Word of God, endowed with authority over all men, and He even called the Scriptures “the truth” (John 17:17). If you submit to the authority of Christ, you must submit to the authority of all the Scriptures. In putting your confidence in the Scriptures, you are ultimately putting your confidence in Christ, for the Scriptures testify of Christ and lead you to Him. If you claim that Christ is Lord of your life, you must submit to His authority as it is revealed in the Word.
Though many skeptics might agree on the reliability and validity of Jesus’ teachings, they still reject His view of Scripture. They say that Jesus was not omniscient in His human nature. Because He didn’t know everything, He erred when He spoke of the authority of God’s Word. While it is true that Jesus’ human nature was not omniscient, this does not mean He was untruthful. Jesus did not have to be omniscient to save us—He did have to be sinless. If He had claimed to know more about the authority of Scripture than He actually did, He would have sinned. This would have disqualified Him as our redeemer. But instead of remaining silent regarding the authority of Scripture, Jesus maintained that the Scriptures were the Word of God. He frequently alluded to the Old Testament prophecies and histories, giving them God’s mark of authority—as did all true prophets before Him. He also said we are to live by every word that comes from the mouth of God, and, as we stated concerning John 17:17, He called God’s Word truth. We cannot, therefore, presume to be faithful to He who is the Truth when we deny the truth of His Word.
Everything Jesus taught was true, and He declared that those who receive the teachings of His apostles receive Him. To deny the authority of Scripture is to undermine the authority of Christ. As you can see, at stake in the debate over ultimate authority of the Bible is the lordship of Christ.
As much as possible, try to express all that Jesus meant when He said, “Thy Word is truth, “and, “I am the Truth.” Could He have been wrong in His assessment of Scripture? How is your trust in Jesus as divine Lord and Savior related to what the Bible says about Him?
