Grudem Chapter 4

Question 1

What are the four major attributes of the Bible or teaching of the Bible about itself?

Answer 1

1) Authority of Scripture
2) the Clarity of Scripture
3) The Necessity of Scripture
4) The Sufficiency of Scripture

Question 2

Define authority of Scripture?

Answer 2

All words in Scripture are God’s words in such a way that to disbelieve or disobey any word of Scripture is to disbelieve and disobey God.

Question 3

Why Are All Words in Scripture God’s Words?

Answer 3

1) The Bible Claims So Itself. (Thus says the Lord)
2) We Are Convinced of the Bible’s Claims to Be God’s Words as We Read the Bible
3) Other Evidence is Useful but not Finally Convincing
4) The Words of Scripture are Self-Attesting
5) This is an Acceptable Circular Argument
6) Does Not Implicitly Mean All Dictation.

Question 4

Why does Self-Attestation of Scripture matter?

Answer 4

Because it is the highest authority. To make an appeal to a higher authority to prove the authority of Scripture denies the authority of Scripture because there is no higher authority than Scripture.

Question 5

What does the truthfulness of Scripture imply?

Answer 5

1) God Cannot Lie or Speak Falsely.
2) Therefore All The Words in Scripture Are True and Without Error in Any Part (Since God wrote it and God cannot lie.)
3) God’s Words are the ultimate standard of truth.
4) No New Facts Will Invalidate the Bible Only The Interpretation of Scripture We May Have Wrongly Held.

Question 6

Is there any Authority more final than Scripture?

Answer 6

No. Scripture is the Final Authority. Scripture itself trumps hypothetical reconstructions of what we think the authors thought.