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Are the words of Paul or the other apostles just as authoritative as the words of Jesus?
On this week’s episode of Trending Faith, Grand Canyon University Pastor and Dean of Students Tim Griffin and Dean of the College of Theology Jason Hiles, PhD, sat down to discuss this question.
Dr. Hiles started the conversation by saying it is important to note there is little information we could know about Jesus and God apart from the Bible. Therefore, the Bible is vital for knowing God and Jesus in a personal way.
So, should we value the words Jesus has spoken in the Bible over what the apostles have written?
This question is challenging, because Jesus was not a writer. Everything he said was recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. However, the Bible is the written Word of God, as it is a message from God about Jesus. There is nothing we have to doubt or mistrust about the authority of His word.
Jesus was adamant about the Word of God being accurate and authoritative, as the authors in the New Testament were appointed by Jesus. The apostles were ordained to write and share all that Jesus was teaching.
In addition, the apostles were capable of understanding the Lord’s truth because they cared deeply about what Jesus said. According to Dr. Hiles, “From the Old Testament to the New Testament, we have a very consistent pattern of trust in what God has said.”
Pastor Tim then brought up the idea of revelation and how this fits in with what God revealed about Himself through Jesus and His will through Paul. God continues to interact with us and illuminate His Word, as He is very personal. The God who revealed Himself in Scripture is no different than the God revealing Himself today, so He will never contradict Himself.
Ultimately, we have to be careful to not weigh our own understanding at the same level of Scripture. However, we can have confidence in knowing the Bible has authority and is the Word of God.
To hear the full discussion, watch the video below:
Do you have questions for Pastor Tim and Dr. Hiles? Send them to trendingfaith@gcu.edu or use #trendingfaith. For more information about a Christian education at GCU, contact us.
