Day 31: The Authority of Scripture

Scripture
“For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.” Psalm 33:4 ESV

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Matthew 28:18 ESV

Confessional Summary
The Reformed confessions place Scripture’s authority where it belongs: in God Himself.

Westminster is explicit. The authority of Holy Scripture “depends not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof,” and therefore it is to be received “because it is the Word of God” (WCF 1.4).

The Scots Confession adds a needed warning. Councils, teachers, and traditions may help, but they may also err. For that reason believers “ought not to receive any doctrine… contrary to the Scriptures.” Scripture stands over the church as judge, not under the church as a dependent (Scots Confession, ch. 18).

The Second Helvetic Confession applies that authority to the public ministry of the Word. “The preaching of the Word of God is the Word of God,” not because preachers cannot be wrong, but because God speaks by His written Word when it is rightly preached (Second Helvetic Confession, ch. 1).

The Reformed confessions insist that the Bible’s authority rests entirely on God, who speaks in Scripture, not on any church’s approval. Therefore councils and traditions must be tested by Scripture, and faithful preaching carries authority only as it truly delivers God’s written Word.

Reflection
When you hear the word “authority”, think conscience. What has the right to command belief, define obedience, and settle disputes.

Scripture speaks with that weight because it is God speaking. That is why it does not come as friendly advice. It addresses us with promises that comfort, warnings that sober, and commands that direct. It will not simply confirm what we already prefer. It exposes, corrects, often contradicts, and sometimes offends.

Jesus makes the issue even clearer. He does not present Himself as one voice among many. He claims total authority in heaven and on earth. The church does not honor Christ’s authority while treating His Word as optional. If Christ reigns, His Word rules.

Most resistance is not intellectual. It is moral. We want Scripture to be helpful but not the final word. Yet a Bible reduced to self help or “wise sayings” is no longer the Bible confessed by the Reformers, and it is no longer the instrument by which Christ governs His people.

Application
Name one area where you have been bargaining with God’s Word. Stop bargaining. Obey one clear command you already understand, and do it without performing an argument for why.

Prayer
Lord Jesus, all authority belongs to You. Forgive my selective hearing. Give me a conscience shaped by Your Word, a will that yields without delay, and a life that shows You are King. Speak, for Your servant is listening. Amen.