Circular Reasoning and Biblical Authority

So why does Scripture have authority? The answer is more basic than you would think. Although there are many tests and details about which books were put in the bible, it is true that the bible ultimately has authority because the bible says it has authority.

The objection that arises after this response is clearly this: "This is circular reasoning! The bible has authority because the bible says it has authority and because it says it has authority we give it authority? This is crazy."  But, does this make any sense? Wayne Grudem has great advice for us on this issue, and shows that ANY claim to authority is in fact a claim with circular reasoning. Here are the examples he gave:

"My reason is my ultimate authority because it seems reasonable to me to make it so"

"Logical consistency is my ultimate authority because it is logical to make it so."

"The findings of human sensory experiences are the ultimate authority for discovering what is real and what is not, because our human sense have never discovered anything else: thus, human sense experience tells me that my principle is true."

"I know there can be no ultimate authority because I do not know of any such ultimate authority. "

So why does the bibles authority surpass the circular reasoning of other authorities? Because the bible IS fully in accord with what we know about the world around us. Science is confirmed by the bible, and bible is confirmed by science. The bible proves itself to be a reliable ultimate authority.

But we must realize that ultimately any claim to authority, even a claim to having no authority, is a step of faith involving circular reasoning.

What will you put your faith in...yourself? Or will you put your faith in something outside of yourself?

Just in case you are not willing to take this step, I will give you some reasons why you should trust the bible:

1. The Proof of Prophesy.

The Old Testament specifically made many prophesies about the future; what is amazing is that ALL of them have come true except the ones about the end of the world. There are many prophesies, specifically from Daniel, that completely came true in the historic nations, and it is proved through history! Also, there are prophesies about Jesus that directly came true, and again history confirms that these things happened to Jesus! Read Isaiah 53, and realize this was written at least 733 years before Jesus death. The bible predicted the exact details of Jesus death.

2. The Proof of Textual Evidence

There are over 20,000 manuscripts; one of the oldest being the Dead Sea Scrolls, which almost exactly matched the Hebrew text! What the original authors wrote, who were inspired, is in fact preserved in our bibles. 

3. The Proof of Opponents

In the New Testament times there were many opponents of the Christian faith, yet none of them claimed that Jesus did not exist, that He was not crucified, or that His tomb was not empty. They all historically confirm these events, even though they opposed the faith!  They proved the historical reliability of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus recorded in the bible. Here are some examples:

 “Consequently, to get rid of the report Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the mist exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus..."

   - Cornelius Tacitus.  Roman historian (55-120 A.D.)

“At this time there was a wise man who was called  Jesus. And his conduct was good and was known to be virtuous. And many people from among the Jews and other nations became his disciples. Pilate condemned him to be crucified and to die. And those who had become his disciples did not abandon his discipleship. They reported that he had appeared to them three days after this crucifixion and that he was alive; accordingly, he was perhaps the messiah concerning whom the prophets have recounted wonders.”

 - Josephus, Jewish historian (37-97 A.D.)  Arabic version of Antiquities

"You have sent chosen and ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that 'a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but His disciples stole Him by night from the tomb, where He was laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that He has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven.'"

- Justin Martyr in Dialogue with Trypho, about 150 AD

Now my response to this objection from Trypho would be this: why would the apostles all die, since all but one did, for something they knew was a lie?! If they stole His body why would they die for it? It leaves us with the conclusion that the bible is true, and that Jesus did truly die and resurrect!

So although we could stand on the circular reasoning argument, because we trust what Scripture says, it is also true that the bible proves itself to be true.

I will submit to the authority of the Word of God, and put my faith in the God that is revealed from Scripture, because I truly believe that God spoke through the prophets, and Jesus gave the apostles authority and spoke through them.