Anglican theologian Gerald Bray affirms the authority and inspiration of the Bible writing, “The picture that emerges from this is that God spoke to individuals who then recorded his message or passed it on to others to record for them.”[1] The Bible carries authority because it is from God himself. He writes, “The Bible speaks to the church with the voice of God, and its authority is paramount… ‘It is written’ was all that needed to be said for the text to carry the power of God.”[2] He affirms its inerrancy and infallibility noting, “The Bible is the written constitution of the church and must be interpreted as such. Its authority is absolute, and therefore it is both infallible and inerrant as far as the life of the church is concerned.”[3]
While affirming such notions, Bray goes on to ground why readers ought to accept the authority of Scripture not just because of its source but also its spiritual outcome. He writes, “Scripture is the language of God’s love for his people, and if it does not speak to the soul, then it is not doing what we ought to expect from the Word of God. Ultimately, the Bible points us to an experience of God that lies beyond itself but which it confirms and supports as the standard against which everything else must be judged.”[4] Indeed, the evidence of inspiration in the Scriptures is to be seen in “…the power they exert in forming and feeding the people of God.”[5] He seems to locate our epistemological warrant for trusting the Bible’s authority not solely within the text itself but what the text can and does do. He writes, “But there is Holy Scripture because the Word of God is present in it, proclaimed by it, and made efficacious through it…What makes the Scriptures holy is not their historical accuracy or even their content but the presence of God in them…We treasure his words whether or not we know what they mean, because we sense the presence of God in them.”[6] There’s an experiential confirmation of the Bible’s authority found within its ability to transform and create the community of the redeemed.
Anglican scholar Michael F. Bird argues for the authority of the Bible based upon its claims of inspiration. The theologian offers three converging reasons why we ought to accept its authority. First, the Bible’s authority is intricately connected to the gospel itself. The scholar notes, “We believe this on the basis of the gospel that testifies to the Scriptures as the interpretive framework for understanding Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. In a loop of authority, because we believe the gospel, we believe in the Bible, and because we believe in the Bible, we believe the gospel!”[7] Scripture is the source of the apostolic message and preaching. It serves as a community-forming constitution that possesses innate power.
Second, Dr. Bird appeals to the work of the Holy Spirit in his authenticating ministry. He writes, “The inner witness of the Holy Spirit convicts us that the words we are reading are not simply human words, but the words of God wrought by the Holy Spirit operating through human authors (John 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:10-12; 1 John 2:20).[8] While subjective, the testimony of the Spirit creates warrant for the believer as they read, study, and obey the Bible. Last, the Scriptures are self-authenticating. “We may add the testimony of Scripture itself where we are told that ‘all Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness’ (2 Tim. 3:16).”[9] He goes on to quote other classic texts on inspiration and explains the nature of the work itself.
While not completely discounting their worth, Bird does not think utilizing apologetic arguments related to miracles, the Bible’s spiritual and moral qualities, or appeals to its consistency or historical reliability are the best approach for discussing authority. The Bible is the norm for theology and the grounds for faith and practice. Our identity and experience of God himself are bound with the words he speaks to, for, and over us. He closes the discussion quoting The Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 1:10. “The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined; and in whose sentence we are to rest; can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.”
[1] Gerald Bray, God Is Love: A Biblical and Systematic Theology. (Crossway, 2012), 53.
[2] Ibid., 43.
[3] Ibid., 56.
[4] Ibid., 55.
[5] Ibid., 53.
[6] Ibid., 43.
[7] Michael F. Bird, Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction. (Zondervan, 2013), 63.
[8] Ibid., 63
[9] Ibid., 63
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