BiblicalInsights.net

The rightful idea of authority has fallen on hard times in the 21st Century.  Illegitimate forms of authority range from the abusive exercise of totalitarianism to individual authority emerging from the postmodern mindset of selfishness (self-rule).
Who’s in charge here?  This is a legitimate question.  Original authority and ultimate authority reside in God and God alone.  God did not inherit His authority, there was no one to bequeath it to Him.  God did not receive His authority, there was no one to give it to Him.  God did not obtain His authority by election, there was no one to vote for Him.  God did not get His authority by seizure, there was no one to seize it from.  God inherently possesses authority because He is the great I AM (Exodus 3:14, John 8:58).
The Sovereignty of God Expressed in Scripture
“In whom  also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him, who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”  Eph. 1:11.  God works all things after the counsel of His own will.
“O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” (Rom. 11:33-36).  “Of Him” indicates source.  “Through Him” indicates agency.  “To Him” indicates the goal or aim.  God originates all things.  He is the active agency by which they exist.  He is the ultimate goal or aim because His works glorify Him.  God’s sovereignty originates in Him because He is all-knowing and all-powerful.  Human beings are created in the image of God.  They do not tell God what to do.  God tells them what to do!
“Nay but, O man, who art thou that replies against God?  Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?  Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?” (Rom. 9:20).  Human beings are subject to God by virtue of the fact that He created them.  God not only creates us, but He owns us.
“The earth is the LORD’S and. the fulness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.”  Ps. 24:1. In the end (the end of the world) God will consume it all.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (II Pet. 3:10-12).  To God be the glory!
“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, and dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”  (Jude 25).
Characteristics of God’s Authority
God’s authority is original authority.  It cannot be delegated or derived authority.  This means that all “authority” that men exercise is delegated or derived authority.  The powers that be in government have delegated authority from God (Rom. 13:1).  The powers that be are ordained by God.  They would have no power except that God ordained that they possess it.  Jesus told Pilate, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin” (John 19:11).  God possesses creative power and redemptive power.  Both types of power are unique to God.  Both types of power are expressed through His word (see Ps. 33:8,9 and Rom. 1:16 and James 1:21).  Consequently, the written word of God, or Scripture, is the highest authority and the final authority because it is the word of the living God (I Thess. 2:13).
God’s authority is unalterable.  It does not change with times, cultures, nations, or ethnic backgrounds.  All men are amenable to the law of God.  Sin by definition is a transgression of the law of God (I John 3:4).   All people sin (Rom. 3:23).  Therefore, all must submit to God’s authority expressed in His holy Word in order to escape the wrath of God.
God’s authority is exclusive authority.  His authority is not one among many forms of authority from which we have the luxury to choose.  Exclusive means “one and only.”
God’s authority is permanent authority.  It cannot be challenged or rightfully overthrown.  It is eternal because He is eternal and His word is eternal.
God’s authority is ultimate authority.  It is not relativistic.  It is superior to all other types of authority.
God’s authority is obligatory authority.  God does not merely suggest, He commands.  He binds and He looses.  He has the authority to hold us accountable to what He has commanded.  This is the reason that we sin when we disobey Him or leave undone what He commands.  God will judge us by His Word (John 12:48).
God’s authority is consequential authority.  It is not benign in its outcomes.  The eternal destinies of human beings will be decided by belief and obedience to God’s laws or unbelief and disobedience to God’s laws.
Human beings can reject God’s authority, but they do so at their own spiritual peril.  Who’s in charge here?  Who’s in charge of your life?  God’s sovereignty is the antidote to man’s autonomy (self-rule).  The God who created the heavens, the earth, the sea and all that in them is; the God who is the Great I Am; the God who saves to the uttermost; He is in control.  In order to be saved, we must confess that Jesus is Lord and acknowledge His authority over us.  Rom. 10:9-10.  In order to remain saved, we must do all in the name of the Lord (Col. 3:17).  (for reference see:  Terry Mortenson, Coming to Grips With Genesis, pp. 116-118).

The following information has been gleaned from several sources.  The Bible itself is the main source.
The Bible Library
The Bible is The Book.  It is inspired (God-breathed) II Tim. 3:16-17 and thus it is the revelation of the Will of God to the heart of man.  The Bible is the Word of God (John 17:17).  The Word of God is the truth (John 17:17).  Any ideology or doctrine that contradicts the Bible is false.  The Bible is comprised of sixty-six books.  The Old Testament contains thirty-nine books and are divided into five categories:  The Law: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; History: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, I and II Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther; Poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon; Prophecy: Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel and Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.  The New Testament is comprised of twenty-seven books.  They are divided into five categories:  Gospels: Matthew, Mark. Luke and John; History: Acts; Epistles of Paul: Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I and II Thessalonians, I and II Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews; General Epistles: James, I and II Peter, I, II, and III John, Jude and Prophecy: Revelation.
The Writers of the Bible
There are approximately forty writers of the Bible.  There are eight writers of the New Testament including: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, James and Jude.  The writers were from many different backgrounds: prophets, fishermen, kings, scholars, poets, shepherds, tax collectors, doctors, farmers, and others. They lived in ten different countries on three continents–Asia, Africa, and Europe.  They wrote about God’s interactions with 2,930 different characters, from more than 1,550 places.
The Chronology of the Bible
The Bible was written over a period of 1600 years.  From Moses to Christ is 1500 years.  From Christ to the end of the first century was 100 years.
Languages of the Bible
The Bible was written in three languages:  Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Translation of the Bible
Worldwide, there are about 80,000+ different versions of the Bible with full Bibles in 530+ languages and portions of the Bible in about 2,900 languages.  A full Bible translation is now available in a person’s native language in 70% of the world’s population.  In whole or in part, the Bible is accessible to 98% of the world’s population.
The Printing of the Bible
The first book to be printed using movable type was the Bible.  More specifically, it was the Gutenberg Bible which took three years to print in the Latin language.  One hundred and eighty copies were printed, but only 48 exist today.  It was printed in 1454 A.D.
There are about 900 printed English versions of the Bible (complete and incomplete).  The first hand-written manuscripts of the English Bible were written by John Wycliffe who translated from the Latin Vulgate into English in 1380 A.D. The Tyndall Version (1525-1526) was the first printed English edition of the Scriptures.  The first English translation of the entire Bible was published by Miles Coverdale in 1535.  The King James Version was first published in 1611.  It is the most important English version.  More copies of the KJV have been printed worldwide than any other version of the Bible.  The largest Bible factory in the world is the Amity Bible printing company located in Nanjing, China.
Reading the Bible 
It takes seventy hours to read the Bible aloud at pulpit rate.  Reading the Bible silently with an average reading speed of 250-300 words per minute takes fifty-four hours.  People who can read 800 words per minute can read the Bible in a day.  If you are short on time, read the book of Philemon, it takes only one minute.
Smallest and Largest Bibles
The smallest Bible in the world is the New Testament (Jerusalem Nano Bible) a chip measuring 4.76 mm.  It can only be read with a microscope because each letter is 18 millionths of a meter wide.  The largest Bible in the world is the 1930 Waynai Bible.  It weighs 496 kg or 1094 lbs.  It is 43.5 inches tall and 98 in. wide.  For moving purposes, it disassembles into 31 sections.
There Are Many Fascinating details in the Bible.  A man who walked around naked for three years (Isa. 20:2-3); A bed that was 13.5 feet long and 6 feet wide (Deut. 3:11); a man’s hair that weighed 6.25 lbs. when it was cut each year; there is no mention of the domestic cat in the Bible; and sheep are the most frequently mentioned animal in the Bible.
The Nature of the Bible (Ps. 19:7-11)
The Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
The statues of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever.
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold. Sweeter than the honeycomb.
By them thy servant is warned.
In keeping of them there is great reward.
The Word of God is the only body of sacred knowledge that instructs us on how to be saved (James 1:21)!  We affirm as David, “Oh, how love I thy law.”  (Ps. 119:97)

Speaking of Abraham, Paul wrote, “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall they seed be” (Rom. 4:18).  Paul gives us the essential elements of hope.
First, God’s word is essential to hope.  In Abraham’s situation the word of God came in the form of a promise. The promise was repeated to Abraham on various occasions.  However, a complete statement of it is given in Gen. 22:17-18, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”  Paul references this prophecy and applies it specifically to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment (Gal. 3:16).  This promise was not fulfilled in Ishmael.  It was fulfilled through Isaac (the son of promise).
Second, God’s power is essential to hope.  Abraham and Sarah were old.  Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born and Sarah was 90.  In addition to their old age, Sarah was barren.  Paul mentions both obstacles in Rom. 4:19.  The seed promise could not be fulfilled without God’s power.  “Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Gen. 18:14).  God has the power to accomplish His purposes!  God’s power is also a grounds for hope.
Third, man’s faith is essential to hope.  Abraham’s faith was not weak.  Yea, it was strong!  Abraham is known as the “father of the faithful” (Rom. 4:12; Gal. 5:26-29).
Abraham did not reject God’s promise in the face of his own impotence and Sarah’s barrenness.  He believed God.  He believed the promise that God made to him.  As a result, he hoped against hope.  His faith in God’s promise and power gave him hope in the face of his and his wife’s physical “deadness” (Rom. 4:19).  He was fully persuaded that God could perform what He had promised (Rom. 4:21).  Abraham’s faith in God’s ability to perform His promise was tested when God commanded him to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice (Gen. 22).  Abraham believed that if he took the life of his son, that God could raise him to life again and so continue with His promise and its fulfillment (Heb. 11:19).
Hope is confident expectation of good things to come.  This confidence is based upon God’s Word and God’s power to accomplish His purposes.  Faith in God’s promises working by God’s power gives hope.  Abraham’s hope was realized when Isaac was born.  Isaac’s birth strengthened Abraham’s faith even more.
Without faith in God’s promises and power we cannot please God (Heb. 11:6).  Without faith in God’s promises and power we cannot have hope.  Unbelief is a bandit that robs of hope.  Faith and hope are inseparable and both are based upon God–His faithfulness to His word and His power to accomplish His purposes.

Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38).  This is one of the most profound questions ever uttered by man.  The answer to this question is vitally important.  Jesus makes it clear that the Word of God is truth (John 17:17).  He affirmed that, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).  He promised that the Spirit of Truth would guide the apostles into “all truth” (John 16:13-15).  The words of Jesus Christ and the apostles constitute truth.  These words are found in Scripture (II Tim. 3:16-17).  Consider the following aspects of truth.

TRUTH IS THAT WHICH CONFORMS TO REALITY AS GOD EXPRESSES IT.
The Bible is completely true.  All of its affirmations and denials conform to reality (this is the correspondence theory of truth).  Truth conforms to reality as God defines reality.  We do not create our own reality.  If we created our own reality, then truth would be subjective rather than objective.  We do not create our own truth.  God’s Word (objective reality) is truth!  When you destroy the foundation of truth–the Word of God–you eliminate God’s will from consideration in the everyday events of life.  This means that man is free to pursue the lusts of the flesh without restraint.  The result–anything goes!  Lies multiply when truth is suppressed or rejected.  When God speaks, His word is truth.  It matters not whether that reality is historical, factual, or spiritual.

TRUTH IS GOD’S WORD
The Word of God is the result of inspiration and revelation.  The Holy Spirit superintended the revelation of God’s will to holy men of God (apostles and prophets).  “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretaion.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (II Pet. 1:20-21).  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God…” (II Tim. 3:16).  “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All  things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:13-15).   The Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16) is the Word of God (I Pet. 1:25).  In God’s Word, we have an objective reality, an eternal reality, and an authoritative reality.

TRUTH IS INERRANT
Truth and inerrancy are synonymous.  The statements of scripture are always without error.  Skeptics look for errors in the Bible in vain. Error stands in opposition to truth.  The concept of inerrancy must be qualified.  Consider the following areas of study.
1.  Modern technical precision.  The Bible records numbers–size of a crowd, or the size of an army, or the number of years between one event and another–by rounding them.  The rounding of numbers does not constitute errors of facts.
2.  Irregularities of grammar or spelling.  For example, New Testament authors sometimes give a different spelling to Old Testament names.  These are not errors.
3.  Observational descriptions of nature.  The Bible speaks of the sun rising or the sun setting.  These are descriptions as they appear to the observer on earth.  They are not errors.
4.  Reporting falsehoods.  The Bible records the lies of Satan and the fradulent teachings of false prophets.  But, it reports them as lies and not the truth.
5.  The use of hyperbole.  Hyperbole is a figure of speech where exaggeration is used to make a point.  When the Bible says that the gospel was preached to every creature under heaven–it does not mean every single person, but that the preaching of the gospel was pervasive in the world (Col. 1:23).
6.  The use of free citations.  The New Testament writers frequently quote from the Old Testament.  About 10% of the New Testament is made up of Old Testament quotations or allusions.  But, the New Testament writers adapt many of these Old Testament quotations to their intended purpose.  These are not mistakes or errors.
7.  Arrangement of material.  Sometimes chronological arrangment of material is used by a writer and sometimes it is not.  The author may have a different purpose and so arrange material to fit that purpose.  However, these are not errors.

TRUTH MEANS INTERNAL CONSISTENCY
The Bible is not full of contradictions.  Alleged contradictions in the Bible can be answered by showing that two statements, that seem to be incongruous, can be harmonized.  The law of contradiction is as Aristotle noted, “that the same attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the same subject and in the same respect.”   “In other words, if the same thing is said to be and not be (1) for the same person, place, or thing. (2) at the same time, and (3) in the same sense (respect), then a genuine contradicton exists” (Eric Lyons, Dealing Fairly With Alleged Bible Contradictons Part II, Reason and Revelation, Nov. 2013, p. 122).  The Bible has been falsely charged with contradictions.  If the Bible contradicted itself, then it would not be true.  If it is not true, then it is not believable.

TRUTH MEANS THAT THE BIBLE REFLECTS THE NATURE OF GOD
The Holy Spirit affirms, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Titus 1:2, see also Heb. 6:18).  God’s Word reflects His truthfulness.  The Word of God reflects the very nature of God Himself!  The Word of God does not lie.  But, any doctrine that contradicts the plain teaching of God’s Word is a lie.  Thus, we have a truth test and can try the spirits to see if they are of God (I John 4:1 and II John 4).  Why not put your own beliefs to the test of truth and see if they endure.