Running Head: BIBLICAL THEOLOGY: AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE 1
Biblical Theology: Authority of Scripture
Tricia Williams
CLED 700
January 29, 2023
Dr. Allen England
BIBLICAL THEOLOGY: AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE 2
Biblical Theology: Authority of Scripture
“The term biblical authority refers to the extent to which commandments and doctrines
within the Old and New Testament scriptures are authoritative over humans' belief and conduct,
as well as the extent to which Biblical propositions are accurate in matters of history and
science” (Nelson, 2017). to postmodernism is important here. In modernism, which has
dominated western thought since the Enlightenment, the human power of reason is seen as the
path to truth. Rejecting religion and any authoritative revelation, the modern project sought to
restructure society on a rational, scientific foundation. Lippstadt states, postmodernism hasn’t
been popular since the 70’s, critiques these absolutist pretensions (2018). Truth is seen as relative
to the knower and hopelessly compromised by one’s cultural context. Absolute truth is
impossible to know, and the quest for “truth” is really a quest for power. The purpose of
leadership is known, “God has given us His Word, telling us His Story of who He is and who we
are and the enormous lengths He is been willing to go to bring us back home to Him” (Owusu,
2018). From the beginning of the Bible, God’s Word (spoken and Incarnate) brought all things
into existence (Genesis 1, John 1, Colossians 1:15-20). That same word spoke you into existence
(Genesis 1:26). God’s breath gives life in the same way all Scripture is God breathed (Genesis
2:7; 2 Timothy 3:14-17). The role of the leader is to display, God not only spoke individuals into
existence, He breathed each of us into being. The “word” that God is breathing forth is to be His
image, that is, Christ’s image. It defines and describes His will and purpose and it is the story
that draws all humankind to Him. It is in the framework of this overarching story that can be
found in place for God’s Story. God spans the centuries of human existence (a story that binds all
the stories together). The role of the follower can be well stated by Weintraub, “Our typical
approach to reading the Bible often does not allow for a worldly understanding, it is approach
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through the Bible from a sequential and chronological perspective” (2017). Follower should
simply follow the timeline of God’s story and try to determine what God is teaching from, and
each point given in history. In fact, followers can find themselves opening to a part of Scripture
and trying to discover what it is saying to without recognizing it within the framework of the
larger story of redemption. With this approach, everything is contained within its context without
a notion as to how it fits into God’s overall plan. The leadership methodology, demonstrates the
many ways in which the character of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit unite the diverse
books and materials revealing to us a greater plan. A plan set forth by God, there is no general
accepted leadership methodology consisting of the sequence of actions, traits, and skills, that
result in goal achievement since before time began. Jesus Himself used Biblical Theology to
demonstrate how all of Scripture pointed to Him on the road to Emmaus and to His disciples
(Luke 24:13-49).
In a leadership setting, Jesus pointed forward and pointed backward in Scripture
demonstrating how the whole of the Bible was God’s revelation of His story of redemption
carried out through His Son and finds fulfillment when Jesus comes again. That is why Biblical
Theology is important. It is important because:
It gives individuals the means of dealing with problematic passages in the Bible by
relating them to the one message of the Bible (Block, 2018).
It enables individuals to relate any Bible story to the whole message of the Bible, and
therefore to themselves.
It shows the relationship of all parts of the Old Testament to the person and work of Jesus
Christ and, therefore, to the Christian.
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It enables individuals to map out the unity of the Bible by looking at its message
(Kumuli, 2017).
It provides the basis for the interpretation of any part of the Bible as God’s Word to us.
It understands all things as leading to and from something. Ultimately, Christ as center.
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References
Block, D. I. (2018). "That They May Hear": Biblical Foundations for the Oral Reading of
Scripture in Worship. Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care, 5(1), 5-34
Colijn, B. B. (2017). A Biblical Theology of Women in Leadership. Ashland Theological Journal,
3467-80.
Harris, M. J. (2017). Slave of Christ: A New Testament Metaphor for Total Devotion to Christ.
Downers Grove, IL; Leicester, UK: InterVarsity
Jacobs, F. C. (2017). Leadership and Redemption. Society, 43(5), 22-24.
Kumuli, W. F. (2017). The case for servant leadership. New African. p. 18.
Lipstadt, D. E. (2018). From Noblesse Oblige to Personal Redemption. 4(3), 295-309.
Nelson, S. (2017). New Leader, New Path: BP's Redemption Through a Post-Crisis Shift in
Rhetorical Strategies Following the Deepwate. Journal of The Communication, Speech &
Theatre Association Of North Dakota, 2537-52.
Owusu, M. (2018). Economic National Redemption Council. Africa Today, 22(1), 31-50.
Trulear, H. D. (2017). Christian education and prison ministry: a reflection on structural
differentiation and ministry. The Journal of The Interdenominational Theological Center,
40(1), 91-114.
Weintraub, R. J. (2017). 15 lessons on leadership. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(7), 80.
