1 Why I Am (still) A Christian: Biblical Authority

Why This Series?

I am writing this series so that whoever reads this blog post will come to faith in Jesus Christ and be saved. I also am writing it to strengthen the faith of those who already claim the name of Jesus Christ. Many Christians have seriously compromised their faith through immorality, disobedience, and indifference because they don't obey what God wrote in the Bible.

Why am I a Christian?

My mind races to many answers. I could start by saying that I am a Christian because I heard the gospel (Romans 10:17), and God has given me the gift of faith (Ephesians 2:8) and given me new life in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) And I would be telling you the truth.

Notice I sprinkled that the last paragraph with Scriptural references. Most unbelievers pass by the verses Christians put in parenthesis because it means nothing to them. Why do I include them? Because as a Christian, I do not trust in my own wisdom. I do not trust human tradition either, nor do I trust human opinion or any other human beings' information.

The Role of the Authority of Scripture

I must start the defense of Christianity by beginning with the authority of Scripture. The information we have about Christianity comes from no other source. There is no higher authority than what God has revealed in the sixty-six books of the Bible. This assortment of books composes a single Book claiming something no other book in all of human history claims - to be the self-revelation of the one and only true God.

I am a Christian because God has communicated all we need to know for the right faith and practice in the Bible. Why do I believe this? Because this is God's own testimony given throughout the pages of the Scripture. 

The Self-Attesting Bible

The Bible is self-attesting. What does that mean? It means that there is no other source of validation than the Bible itself. If anything other than the Bible verified the Bible's authenticity, then that authenticator would be a higher authority than the Bible. 

I can easily prove that no other ancient document even comes close to the historical reliability of the Bible. Many fine books show the Bible not only meets but exceeds any standard used to authenticate ancient documents. While such a study is interesting, it would reinforce the false notion that the Bible needs external authentication. 

Even if skeptics read the finest, most scholarly books that defend the Bible's reliability, they will still walk away, shaking their heads in doubt. Why? Because they come to the Bible with their prejudice already in place. The problem is not whether I can prove the historical reliability of the Bible; the real issue is whether the unbeliever will acknowledge the Bible's testimony about itself.

The Bible’s Self-Authenticating Witness

The Bible claims that God is speaking over three thousand times. I challenge both the unbelievers and believers alike to see for themselves. I issue this challenge because most Christians, let alone unbelievers haven't read through the Bible.

Imagine if I wrote this blog post criticizing a book I've never read. What if I started the blog post writing, "I have never read the book I'm going to critique but..." What credibility would I have? None! Yet, I've listened to unbelievers express their opinion on the Bible without ever having read it. Oh, they may have read a verse here and a passage there, but they've never taken the time actually to read the Bible. 

This goes for most Christians as well. I listen to Christians debate theology, express opinions that don't line up with what the Bible says, or don't reference the Scriptures in their daily lives. My challenge to both unbelievers and believers is to read through the Bible. You can find it read on Audible or read for free on Youtube. There's just no excuse for not having read the Bible.

I have read the Bible through several times. I have read all of it in Spanish as well. I have a working knowledge of Biblical Hebrew and Greek and have read many passages in the original language. I have also preached line by line through many books of the Bible and lead in-depth Bible studies throughout my time as a pastor. At this moment, I am about three-quarters of the way through rereading it again. I can tell you from experience, you cannot read the Bible without being confronted by God’s own witness of Himself on every page.

What We Learn in the Bible

I am a Christian because God commanded me to have faith in Christ through the authority of the written word of God contained in the Old and New Testament. From beginning to end, God calls us to trust in Christ.

I learn everything I need to know about this awesome God in the Holy Scriptures. In the pages of the Bible, I learn He is the creator of heaven and earth, that He is Holy, that He is just, that He is good, that He is One God who exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I learn that the Second Person of the Trinity became flesh, fully God and fully Man.

I learn that God the Father ordained the crucifixion of Jesus Christ through sinful human beings so that He might forgive the sins of all who believe in Christ. I learn the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, applies the shed blood of Jesus Christ to all who believe in Christ. I learn that all humanity is dead in their trespasses and sins, and only through God's decision can anyone be saved. I know about God's law and how the Holy Spirit writes the law of God on our new hearts. I learn why men and women are equal, why prejudice is evil, and why we should help the poor. It's all there!

No Logic, Science, or Morality Apart from Scripture

I learn that logic is possible only when you start with the Trinitarian God of the Bible. (Isaiah 1:18) Without Him, we cannot account for logical reasoning. Nor can we account for science. I learn that atheists can do science as unbelievers, but they cannot "do" science apart from the revelation of the God who ordains all that comes to pass through the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11). Through Biblical revelation, we have the foundation for morality. The Bible reveals that God is good (Mark 10:18) and that He hates wickedness (Psalm 11:5) and that He will punish those who do not have faith in Christ. (Matthew 7:21-23)

In short, without the self-revelation of the self-existent God, as revealed in the Bible, you cannot prove anything. Without the Bible, we are lost in human subjective opinion and oppression. Without God, the law of the jungle reigns. It's every man for himself; might makes right through the evolutionary survival of the fittest.

Conclusion

I am a Christian first and foremost because God has given us everything we need to know for faith and practice in the pages of the Bible. I believe because apart from this revelation, we can't be sure of anything. Without this revelation, there is no foundation for salvation, logic, science, or morality.

I am a Christian because God has communicated all that we need to know in the pages of the Bible.

What about you?