Don Stewart :: Does It Have the Final Say on All Matters?

Does It Have the Final Say on All Matters?

Is the Bible the Ultimate Source of Authority – Introduction

The Bible claims to be God’s authoritative Word to the human race. In both testaments we find that the writers believed they were recording God’s actual words. This is what the Bible has to say about itself. The idea that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God is not only accepted by Protestant Christians, it is also accepted by Roman Catholics, Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and various other groups. The difference between Protestants and these other groups with respect to the place of Scripture comes down to one issue and one issue alone.

We now arrive at one of the most important matters which we will address; the extent of the authority of the Bible. The question can be simply stated, “Is the Bible the full, sufficient, clear, authoritative and adequate rule of faith, or is there something else that the believer needs?” In other words, is the Bible enough? Is it the last word on every subject in which it deals with, or do we need something else? Is there another source of divine authority? In this book, we will examine various claims to where ultimate authority resides. We will discover that the Bible is indeed the final authority on all matters of belief and practice. The Scriptures are sufficient; nothing else is needed.

The Roman Catholic Church would not agree that the Bible is where ultimate authority rests. They contend that the Roman Church, rather than the Scripture, has the right to have the last word on all matters of belief. While they believe the Bible is God’s divinely inspired Word, they do not accept the idea that the Bible alone is enough. They also believe and teach that holy tradition is an equally authoritative source. Furthermore, the Roman Church believes and teaches that it alone is able to properly interpret the Scripture and the sacred tradition.

Another issue we will cover concerns the papacy. We will look at the biblical evidence for the Roman Catholic claim that Christ entrusted His divine authority to only one of His apostles; Simon Peter. According to the Roman Church, Peter became the first Bishop of Rome and the leader of the entire church. We will find out that this claim of the Roman Catholic Church has no biblical basis whatsoever. We will conclude that the Bible and it alone is sufficient; the only standard for the believer on all matters of belief and conduct.