Inspiration and Authority of Scripture

Scripture is God-breathed, meaning inspired by the Holy Spirit, making it authoritative.
"Inspire" literally means "breathe into."

Christians affirm verbal plenary inspiration, though interpretations may vary.
Verbal: Inspiration extends to the specific words of Scripture, not just general ideas.
- The Holy Spirit is directly involved but doesn't dictate.
- Human authors are involved, and their writing styles differ.
- The message and theology come from the Holy Spirit.
Plenary: The entirety of Scripture (66 books of the Old and New Testaments) is inspired.
- This includes seemingly boring parts like lists of names.

Canon refers to the books included in the Bible.
Canonization was a process completed over time.
- The Old Testament canon was established by the Hebrew community before Jesus.
- Christians adopted the Old Testament and added new authoritative books.
Gospels and letters were shared among churches, but some had different collections.
The church needed to agree on which texts were truly authoritative to clarify confusion around which books were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Some writings emerged that were considered "Jesus fan fiction," deviating from the core Gospel accounts.
- These included Gnostic Gospels like the Gospel of Mary and Acts of various apostles.
- These texts often presented Jesus differently than the New Testament.
Canonization was clarified in response to:
- Marcionism: Marcion excluded the Old Testament and limited the New Testament.
- Montanism: Montanus excluded the Old Testament and limited the New Testament, plus claimed new revelations could override Scripture.
Church leaders convened councils to determine the authoritative texts.

Apostolic Authorship: The text was written by an apostle or a student of an apostle.
- Examples: John (apostle), Luke (student of apostles).
- Proximity to the events was crucial.
Catholic (Universal) Use: The text was widely used and recognized as authoritative within the church.
- Widespread acceptance was a key factor.
Continuity with the Rule of Faith: The text aligned with the basic statement of faith (a simpler version of the Apostles' Creed).
- Ensured consistency in understanding God, Jesus, and salvation.
- Example: Texts portraying Jesus as only seemingly human were excluded.

Significant consistency existed across different regions regarding which books should be included.
Minor variations existed, requiring closer attention to certain books (e.g., Revelation, Hebrews).

The Bible's authority is focused on faith and Christian life.
The Bible is not authoritative for all areas of human knowledge.
- Not a complete history, biology, or political science textbook.
- Does not offer instructions for surgery or contemporary political/economic structures.
The Bible is not a self-help book; it's about God's revelation.
The Bible is not a code book or fortune-telling guide.
- It warns against fortune-telling.

Inerrancy and infallibility are two terms used to describe the authority of Scripture.
Different denominations have different interpretations of these terms.

Scripture is without error and completely true and accurate in all matters it speaks about, including history and science.
God does not make errors, so God's Word cannot contain errors.
Example: A strict interpretation of Genesis 1 regarding the creation of the earth.

Can lead to an overly literal reading of Scripture.
Example: Jesus's statement about the mustard seed being the smallest of all seeds.

Scripture does not fail to accomplish its purpose, which is to lead people to an accurate understanding of God, salvation, and our relationship with God.
Scripture is true and reliable in all matters of doctrine and practice.
God used human authors without overwriting their fallibility or limited knowledge.
Example: Discrepancies in dates between 1st/2nd Chronicles and 1st/2nd Kings are attributed to human error.

Can be misused to justify actions or interpretations.
Example: Arguing that biblical teachings against sex outside marriage do not apply today.

The Wesleyan denomination uses both inerrancy and infallibility in its understanding of scripture.
How we interpret and apply Scripture is more significant than precise definitions of these terms.

The Bible alone contains all that is necessary for salvation and living a Christian life.
Scripture alone is the ultimate authority.
Scripture and tradition, experience, or reason do not have equal weight.
Does not mean the Bible is the only useful source, nor the only book Christians should read.
Scripture alone is the ultimate authority, especially regarding Christian belief and life.