To Grow Spiritually, Accept the Bible’s Authority.

In review of Proverbs 30:5 this morning, I read  “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” (NIV)

A baby needs many things to grow, but the most obvious requirement is nourishment. You can hold, rock, and sing to a baby, but without milk, the baby won’t grow.

My heart is the same way. To grow spiritually, I need spiritual food. This comes from the Bible, God’s Word. First Peter 2:2 says, “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation” (CSB).

But it’s possible to read the Bible and not get anything out of it. I need certain keys to unlock Scripture. One of those keys is accepting its authority.

The Bible says it’s God’s Word: “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV).

One of the reasons why there is so much confusion in the world today is because people are listening to so many different authorities, and everybody’s asking, “Who’s right?”

Whether I realize it or not, I have an authority for my life. It’s what I use to make my choices.

There are four unreliable sources of authority that people often use instead of Scripture:

Culture. People who follow this authority source say, “But everybody’s doing it.” Yet Exodus 23:2 warns against it: “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (NIV).

Tradition. These people say, “But we’ve always done it that way!” Jesus told some of the religious people of his day: “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions” (Mark 7:8 NIV).

Reason. This unreliable source says, “Well, it seems logical; it seems rational.” But Scripture warns against using our intellect as our authority source: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 16:25 NIV).

Personal feelings. Throughout the United States you’ll find people saying, “I believe it because I feel it.” But the Bible tells about a time when the world was in anarchy because of this attitude: “Every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25 KJV).

There’s only one completely reliable authority for life: God’s Word. As 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point” (TLB).

And Proverbs 30:5 says it quite simply: “Every word of God is flawless” (NIV).

I need to continue acknowledging this in my heart every day: “I’m going to accept the Bible as the final authority for every issue in my life.” When I accept that authority, I’ll get more out of the Bible.

In summary, every word of God proves true. He defends me when I come to him for protection. To grow spiritually, I need spiritual food. This comes from the Bible, God's Word. I need certain keys to unlock scripture. One is accepting its authority. There is much confusion in the world today because people are listening to so many different authorities. There is an authority for my life, and it is what I can use to make my choices. There are also four unreliable sources of authority; Culture - "everybody's doing it", Tradition - "we've always done it this way", Reason - it seems logical and rational, and Personal feelings - "I believe it because I feel it". There is only one completely reliable authority for life and it's God's Word. So I need to continue acknowledging this in my heart every day. When I accept this, I'll get more out of the Bible.

All four of these wrong sources come up in my life. I really need to focus more on God’s Word as authority on matters. I pray this morning Father for your Spirit to remind me of these things when I seek answers. I also ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my tasks, my leadership and my interaction with others. I pray this through your Son Jesus name, Amen.