Biblical Authority

 My views on Biblical authority are decidedly mixed. I don’t have a problem with having a “high view” of the Bible except when it runs contrary to my “high view” of God. The thing is, I get my high view of God from the Bible - mainly through the lens of Jesus. And I feel that this view is confirmed in me through my own personal relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. What I will not do is to allow this high view of God to be watered down by what I would call biblicism - a view of the Bible as inerrant, infallible, etc.

I once had someone quote a dark passage from the Old Testament to me (I can’t remember now what it was about) and I countered with a quote from Jesus. But the person then told me that since the entire Bible is God-breathed that means that every part of the Bible is like a quote from Jesus.  People with that attitude can pretty much justify anything they want with the Bible.

I think the story of Jesus resonates with people because we already know in our hearts that what he is teaching is right and true. Jesus gave us a new way to see God as a loving father, rather than as a stern and vindictive king. I believe that God is the creator of the universe and thus is the father of everyone. As a father, I could never turn my back or give up on any of my children no matter what they did. So I cannot imagine that God would ever give up on any of his children for any reason. I don’t doubt that people can demonstrate that some of the biblical authors had a view of God as punishing wicked people with annihilation. But every view of God in the Bible is a step along a path and not the final word.