When we think of the term biblical authority, many of us may think of the authoritative nature of the Bible’s text itself. We think in terms of its inerrancy and infallibility, meaning that the Bible does not have any errors and does not have the capacity to deceive.
Based on this understanding of biblical authority, we build our understanding of salvation and true life in Christ. We also look at the world around us — rocks and fossils and living things — through the lens of biblical authority, and interpret every observation from this starting point (or at least we should). But how do we know that the Bible text itself is authentic? Where does its authority come from?
We must start with the very character of God.
The Bible is truly authoritative, not because human theologians insist that it is, or because textual criticism validates its authenticity, or even because it claims to be authoritative. The Bible is truly authoritative because of Who it comes from. It is the Word of God. Any flaw in God’s character would render the Bible unable to claim such commanding authority. God is the true source of the Bible, so His character determines the credibility of the whole Book.
The next logical question is: What do we know about God’s character?
[Read the rest of the article at Answers in Genesis.]